What is London’s best chain restaurant? This Sri Lankan brand is Time Out’s top choice

Going to independent restaurants is great (London has tonnes of amazing ones) but sometimes you just want to visit an old faithful. The kind of place where you know exactly what’s on the menu – usually something dependable and comforting – what the décor is like, and exactly how much it’s going to cost you. That’s where the chain restaurant comes in. We’re talking your Pizza Express, your Nando’s, your Wagas. Plus, the capital is replete with homegrown chains we’re proud to have birthed here, like Yard Sale Pizza, Lina Stores and of course, Dishoom. 

But with so much choice, how do you separate your airy neapolitan crust from your soggy pizza base, your perfect tacos from your bland burritos, your rich ramen from your watery, nondescript noodle soup? We’re here to help. 

Time Out has just released a new ranking of the best chain restaurants in the capital. Taking the top spot was Hoppers, a Sri Lankan restaurant group with branches in Soho, Kings Cross, Shoreditch and Marylebone. Hoppers was founded in the capital, its first location opening on Soho’s Frith Street in 2015. Now it’s beloved by Londoners for its curries, roti and hoppers – bowl-shaped pancakes made with fermented rice and coconut batter, often with a runny egg at its centre. 

According to the Time Out editors, must-try dishes at Hoppers include deep fried mutton rolls, the egg hopper, brinjal kari (south Indian aubergine curry) and and south Indian jaggery lamb kari with tamarind. 

Also making Time Out’s list of the best chain restaurants was the beloved steak giant Hawksmoor, Rudy’s Pizza and Bleecker Burger. 

See the full ranking of London’s best chain restaurants here.

Something a bit different: the world’s first three Michelin star Indian restaurant is opening a bar in London. 

Plus, did you see that Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung has revealed its fifth London location?

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