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It is tradition at Eater to end the year with a survey of friends, rovers of the industry, critics and professional eaters. This year, the group were asked eight questions, spanning meal of the year to biggest dining grievance. Their answers will appear throughout this week. Responses are related in no particular order; cut, pasted, and unedited below. We’ve had restaurant standbys, most impressive newcomers, the industry in one word. Now it’s time for the top London neighbourhoods for dining in 2017.
Grace Dent, former ES Magazine — and soon-to-be The Guardian — restaurant critic: Highbury area…Xi’an Impression, Westerns Laundry, Linden Stores, Farang.
Adam Coghlan, Eater London editor: Highbury or Shoreditch.
George Reynolds, Eater London contributor: East London (Hackneyish) and it's not even close. In particular, those two pockets around the Hackney Road (Morito, Marksman, The Laughing Heart, Sager + Wilde, Brawn) and Clapton (P Franco, Del74, Legs, Temple, Every Cloud, Pidgin) are absolutely ridiculous — with the Hackney Road one taking the crown if we're getting hyper-specific.
Victoria Stewart, food writer: Southwark.
James Hansen, food writer, editor and Eater London contributor: It’s a close toss up between SE1 and Hackneyish.
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Emma Hughes, freelance food writer and Eater London contributor: Am I allowed to say Soho? If not, south-east.
Josh Barrie, food writer and Eater London contributor: SOHO.
Suze Olbrich, freelance food writer and Eater London contributor: Hackney.
Zeren Wilson, restaurant discoverer and author of Bitten & Written: London Bridge and surrounds: the arrival of Duddell’s and Londrino in December — two late, but very welcome additions in 2017 — have added to a flurry of excellent openings this year in SE1, including Santo Remedio and Pique-Nique around the corner in Bermondsey.
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Chloe Scott-Moncrieff, food writer and co-founder of the YBFs: Hackney or Soho.
Sophie Brown, freelance food writer: Borough, always.
Felicity Spector, Channel 4 News writer and pastry lover: Soho.
Laurel Ives, former food editor of The Sunday Times’ The Dish: I liked the burgeoning Rupert Street in Soho: the glamorous Taiwanese XU; Palomar always; the brand new The Blue Posts pub; the cocktails at Hovarda. London Bridge and Borough also featured some great openings: beautiful Cantonese Duddell’s, tacos at El Pastor, french bistro Pique-Nique, pasta at Padella.