London’s Six Hottest International Foodie Spots
Whether you’re just getting ready for the weekend or planning you’re next big date ahead, there are not many of the world’s cuisines that can’t be found in London. Discover our pick of the best international restaurants in London.
Hotel Chocolat’s restaurant, Rabot 1745
Rabot 1745 is a unique restaurant with a bar, cafe and terrace overlooking the bustling Borough Market, Rabot 1745 has the rough-with-the-smooth charms of a Saint Lucian cacao farmhouse transported to the heart of London. Alongside a dazzling array of inventive cacao cocktails, Rabot 1745 offers a menu of contemporary dishes drawing on the best culinary traditions of the Caribbean, West Indies, and Britain, using freshly roasted cacao as a subtle savoury spice.
Rabot 1745 also brings the Saint Lucian party spirit to London with Rabot Terrace, an open-air dining space complete with heated umbrellas and a beautiful view overlooking the historic Borough Market. Book a place on the terrace for fabulously laid-back dining and drinks and some seriously dedicated enjoyment, with room to seat 60 and a free spirit just like a Saint Lucian jump up – a relaxing island get-together for drinks, food and music outdoors after sunset.
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Rudie’s Jerk Shack
With sites across the capital, we have brought to London our famous ‘Real Jerk’, with meats marinated for 24 hours in our secret blend of herbs and spices, before being grilled and smoked slowly over charcoal in a steel drum. Traditional Jamaican street food dishes are given the contemporary Rudie’s Jerk Shack treatment alongside well-stocked rum bars featuring our iron-strong Rum Punch.
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Home of the famous “real jerk”, Rudie’s brings an authentic taste of modern Jamaica to London. With restaurants in Boxpark Shoreditch, Borough Market, Brixton Village, Canary Wharf, Mercato Metropolitano (Elephant & Castle), The Prince Fulham, and Hawley Wharf Camden, it has fast become the go-to destination for the best jerk chicken around – or a nice cold rum punch.
Design District Canteen
Greenwich Peninsula’s newest food and drink destination is bringing to the area a selection of independent food operators and culinary entrepreneurs, including rising star Sugo Italian Street Food and Venezuelan Arepa masters, Guasa. The canteen is at the heart of London’s new community of creatives, Design District, recently crowned ‘one of World’s Greatest Places in 2021’ by TIME Magazine.
Through Canteen, Design District aims to provide a platform in a key London location for up-and-coming food operators to grow and develop. This is in keeping with Design District’s overall ethos as a place of nurture and a community for Londoners. The six carefully chosen operators – Eat Lah, Ehla, Guasa, Sugo, Raastawala and Toasted – will bring their unique flair and provide daily sustenance to more than 10,000 students, residents, and Design District members as well as those visiting the world’s busiest music venue, O2 arena, which draws weekly crowds to Greenwich Peninsula.
Crudo, meaning raw in Spanish, is a Cevicheria shining a light on the authentic tastes of Peruvian and South American cuisine. Their first opening in bustling Fitzrovia in 2019 explored casual dining, a grab-and-go concept where diners can create their ceviche bowls in addition to a menu of tempting options. In 2020, they opened their second site in Old Street, expanding this concept with an extended menu and inviting guests to dine in.
Crudo Old Street also introduced new dishes such as octopus tiradito with Peruvian salsa criolla, mushroom ceviche with a fiery habanero Leche de Tigre, and the introduction of popular South American cocktails such as the famous Pisco Sour. Crudo Old Street launched their ‘Lemonade Stand’ for the summer months, a pop-up cocktail bar serving South American classics such as a Margarita, Pisco Sour and Papelón y Limón (rum and sugar cane).
Currently celebrating its 12th year in business, Massis has reopened its doors post lockdown, following a complete refurbishment and menu change.
Like all restaurants across the capital, Massis has had to pivot and evolve its offering in the face of the new normal. Once a bustling restaurant for all offices in the area, with many remaining closed, Massis is fast becoming a neighbourhood favourite for all local dwellers.
The new menu welcomes everything we have all missed and is a triumph for social eating – mezze focused, it is the ultimate food for sharing with friends. Signature dishes include house-made falafel, award-winning humous, an array of salads as well as chicken and fish options fresh from the grill, and of course, no Lebanese meal is complete without a glass of wine from Lebanon’s famed wine region, the Bekka Valley and Massis have plenty for you to choose from.
Marbled wallpaper in the colours of the sun creates a bright and cheerful decor, and bi-fold doors spanning the width of the restaurant giveaway to views of the square.
Como Garden celebrates dishes from across all of Italy’s regions with the menu designed to be shared. It opened for a few days in December 2020 and is now fully open for indoor and alfresco dining. They were inspired by the picturesque and stunning scenery of the magical Lake Como located in Northern Italy. Como Garden’s interiors feature green and cream hues throughout, along with eye-catching foliage displays hanging plants and statues influenced by the Italian renaissance era.
Como Garden’s menu champions the best and freshest produce sourced directly from Italy. The show’s star is undoubtedly the handmade pasta – as fresh as if you were eating it in some of the most famous regions in Italy. Highlights include Gnocchi with Gorgonzola & Caramelised Walnut, Marinated Lamb Chops with Garlic & Red Wine Sauce, Beef Carpaccio with Pesto & Parmesan and Grilled Octopus with Gremolata & Roasted Potatoes. Served as a tapas/sharing concept, the menu features a myriad of meat, fish and veggie options with a strong focus on seasonal flavours.
