The best Liverpool Street restaurants

This St John’s offshoot has the same workaday style as its Smithfield parent: a bright, white, canteen-like space, no-frills furniture, walls lined with coat hooks, and a utilitarian bakery counter in one corner. Open for lunch and supper, expect magnificent British cooking, with seasonal, ever-changing and bracingly old school dishes such as John Dory with purple sprouting broccoli and anchovy, or rabbit saddle with dandelion and roast shallot. Mince and mash might also make an appearance. Wine is unsurprisingly plentiful and spectacular and only a fool would steer clear of their signature dessert; eccles cake and Lancashire cheese. 

Address: 94-96 Commercial Street, E1 6LZ.

A sister to Holloway’s Xi’an Impression, a place where the attention-seeking flavours of northern China will be burned into your taste buds and possibly your soul. Its spin-off is a saviour on many counts. It’s big, meaning you can usually walk straight in, and in spite of the tweaked name, it has an almost identical menu. The only difference? More noodles. 

Address: 62 Wentworth Street, E1 7AL.

A central London offshoot of Dalston’s Angelina, this outpost of the Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant is absolutely, hands-down brilliant. In a former cotton factory, it’s a thoughtful rethinking of the OG with an entirely different menu – though the care, quality and spirit of the original outpost remain. Pasta-wise, you’re going to want to go for the tortellini, which was all fresh truffle and kelp. Then onto the big boys: ox tongue with wasabi (not at all tongue like), was gorgeously gamey and umami, and went down a treat with a superb side of greens in parmesan. 

Address: 1 Nicholls & Clarke Yard (Off Blossom St), E1 6SH.

The most striking thing about Crispin might be the building – a handsome glass and zinc construction on a Spitalfields backstreet – but its food comes a close second. Potato sourdough from Hackney bakery The Dusty Knuckle came with terrific whipped butter. Folds of meaty Secret Smokehouse salmon were teamed with homemade pickles, and the creamy burrata was lavished with olive oil from Senia. The kitchen’s skills are also strong, from celeriac croquettes with moreish sage aioli to pork belly in broth with pickled daikon.

Address: Pavilion on The Corner, White's Row, E1 7NF.

Kolamba East sits on a quiet Shoreditch backstreet. Inside it’s equally calm: a large, warmly-lit warehouse space with sand-coloured furnishings. Food is fiery and fierce but addictive, with a level of heat that chars the back of your throat. We love the lamb shank; a buttery-tender hunk of meat and sea bream in coconut. Wash it down with a smokey Pol Mezcalita.

Address: 12 Blossom Street, E1 6PL 

Mayfair’s chicest celeb dining spot, The Wolseley’s second London site is quite the looker, with gothic chandeliers, golden Egyptomania touches, and black and white striped columns which make you feel as if you’re eating inside a massive backgammon board. If you can cope with the big Bullingdon energy of the city boys inside, you’ll find fabulous food here. The menu is European, leaning French, but with a soft spot for schnitzel, and prides itself on classics done simply but well.

Address: 68 King William Street, EC4N 7HR.

Pearly Queen is all about oysters, which come both fresh and interfered with. Of the dressed oysters the star was the pate with champagne jelly, transporting you joyfully to the French riviera. Still good, if a little dry, was the fried oyster with Frank’s Red Hot-style buffalo sauce. If you don't mind eating underneath a purple-hued, post-impressionist portrait of the chef, then this place is worth a shuck. 

Address: 44 Commercial Street, E1 6LT.

A tiny home-style Indian just round the corner from Brick Lane, Gunpowder leans towards complex, imaginative small plates: think spicy venison and vermicelli doughnuts, sigree-grilled mustard broccoli and Nagaland crispy pork ribs with tamarind kachumber.

Address: 11 Whites Row, E1 7NF.

The granddaddy of upmarket steakhouses, this original Spitalfields branch of the beefy Hawksmoor chain is a ruggedly masculine beast complete with an exposed brick bar that makes you want to order a thousand Martinis. Get slabs of prime British-reared beef, yes. But also remember that the menu touts velvety grilled bone marrow, Old Spot belly ribs, lamb tomahawk steaks and no fewer than 16 amazing sides – including triple-cooked chips, mac ’n’ cheese and a brilliant Caesar salad.

Address: 157a Commercial Street, E1 6BJ.

There’s a dedicated entrance for the restaurants in Heron Tower, from where a glass lift will whizz you in seconds up to Duck & Waffle on the 40th floor, or its glitzier sibling Sushisamba two floors below. The views are, as you might expect, stunning. Food is an on-trend mix of small plates, raw offerings (oysters, ceviche) and a few main courses (including roast chicken and the namesake duck confit and waffle). Warning; prices are as sky-high as the setting, but D&W is open 24/7, which is a rare treat.

Address: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY.

La Chapelle is an awe-inspiring architectural behemoth with ecclesiastical overtones and a menu of impressively rendered modern French cuisine. Service is as smooth as the silkiest béarnaise sauce – as you’d expect from a Michelin-starred high roller.

Address: St Boltoph's Hall, 35 Spital Square, E1 6DY.

Japan, Brazil and Peru come together here in the food while the double-height glasshouse of a restaurant, with its magnificent bamboo-lattice ceiling, has views which face north across Spitalfields towards Alexandra Palace or east over Stepney and out to Essex. It’s all tough visual competition for the menu, but the sushi does its damnedest to catch the eye. But with that 38th and 39th floor view – impressive in daylight, awesome by night – this is a special-occasion destination. 

Address: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY.

The all-day menu ranges from Aussie-rules brekkies such as bacon and egg wraps or broccoli and sweetcorn fritters, to fresh, hearty salads and the sort of filling, protein-rich snacks that go hand in hand with the Australian reputation for healthy living. Think huge ‘power balls’ of meat and pulses, skewers and berry and nut smoothies. There are also plenty of sweet treats ranging from feather-light lamingtons (sponge cake with chocolate and coconut) and slabs of marshmallow-laden rocky road, to broccoli loaf cake and sticky ‘energy balls’. For after-work lingerers, there’s a sizeable drinks list, including cocktails.

Address: 41 Broadgate Circle, EC2M 2QS.

Stretching across one bendy swathe of multi-storey foodie development Broadgate Circle, the City branch of the Cantonese dim sum chain looks a bit like an extremely glamorous spaceship. Score the sublime venison puffs – tiny parcels of intensely caramelly pastry stuffed with rich, dark meat – and crab dumplings then plump scallop shumai. 

Address: Broadgate Circle, EC2M 2QS.

So the food here might not be too fancy, but Polo does have the distinction of being one of the few 24 hour restaurants in London. Pull up at 4am for a full english, sausage and mash, or pancakes. A vibe. 

Address: 176 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NQ.