London's buzziest restaurants: from Chishuru to Morchella, the 15 hottest tables in town

There are restaurants that have been around for decades but still draw crowds. Bentley’s is one, Sweetings another. The original M.Manze pie shop in Tower Bridge has been there since 1902 and remains as good as ever.

Then there are new places that everyone’s talking about: the hottest tables from the most exciting chefs, places in line to join restaurant royalty and — hopefully — we’ll still be visiting 20 years from now.

In 2022, we published a list of London’s buzziest restaurants. It included Sessions Arts Club, Brutto, Manteca, and Plaza Khao Gaeng. All remain top tables and could again slide comfortably into a list such as this one.

But there are many more — contenders, perhaps — we must recognise. Last year, London restaurant openings hit their highest level since before the pandemic, with 253 launches, up from 243 in 2022. This despite rampant economic uncertainty.

And so here are the buzziest venues right now. It is not an exhaustive list, but it is