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Moo krob at Singburi restaurant, one of the top London standbys of 2019
Moo krob at Singburi: a standby, at a standby.
Michaël Protin/Eater London

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The London Restaurant Standbys of 2022

The restaurants that Eater London’s staff, contributors, and friends frequented over and over again

It is the tradition at Eater to end the year with a survey of friends, contributors, rovers of the industry, and professional eaters. Even a year like this one. For 2022, the group were asked 12 questions, covering the best meals and the worst moments alongside 2023 predictions and dining standbys. Their answers will appear throughout this week, with responses relayed in no particular order; cut and pasted below.

Having surveyed the best London restaurant newcomers of 2022, it’s time for the mainstays: the restaurants they went back to time, and time, and time again.


Adam Coghlan, Editor, Eater London: Koya Ko, Sonora, Willy’s Pies, and Pockets for weekday “working” lunch; Quarter Kitchen for weekday “working” breakfast; Hawkers Kitchen for roti canai and char kway teow; Mannoush (e17) for midweek rotisserie takeaway; Singburi for weekend takeaway; Brawn for a treat; Sunlight Caribbean for jerk chicken; Hiba Taboun for freshly baked pita on Sunday mornings; Planque for special occasions; and Saikei for weekend family lunches.

James Hansen, Associate Editor, Eater London: Tetote Factory, My Old China, Lahore Local Acton, Kanenas, and Atari-Ya Acton when at home. Sonora, Paradox, E5 Bakehouse, Koya Ko, Cafe Cecilia, and Pockets when at the office. Quality Wines, Brawn, 40 Maltby Street, and Rosslyn, when out and about.

Apoorva Sripathi, food writer and Eater London contributor: Yard Sale for dependable pizza, Lievito Madre for cold cuts and terrace dates, King & Co for their rotating menu and pub quizzes (we won!!!), and Camberwell for everything else.

Anna Sulan Masing, food writer and Eater London contributor: I say this every year, I think. And I always caveat it with the fact I am biased because Mandy is a friend, and I am going to add a new level of bias-ness but actually I think it is testimony to how it is indeed very good. I have started working a few shifts at Sambal Shiok, and I have to force myself not to have laksa as my staff food every shift purely because otherwise I will turn into a bowl of noodle soup.

The other spot I have kept coming back to is Manteca. I think a “go-to” is somewhere where you get comfort, you know you will be sated, pleased and not bored. It is reliable. Manteca is all of this, and it was my birthday dinner this year, so that counts for a lot. I also found myself constantly returning to Smoking Goat this year, it is also easy comfort and satisfying. Do cafes count? As I feel like restaurant go-ing is a novelty in my world atm ... I spent a lot of time at Bake Street, Weirdough and Ramble Cafe.

Jonathan Nunn, food writer and Eater London contributor: 40 Maltby Street, Uncle Wrinkle, and an assortment of mid Chinese takeaways which somehow all seem to be called Happy Valley.

Nyasha Oliver, food writer and Eater London contributor: Coco Ichibanya, Meatliquor, and Yard Sale Pizza.

Sean Wyer, writer, researcher and Eater London contributor: Bravi Ragazzi, an unusually good neighbourhood pizzeria, whose waiters never fail to sweet-talk me into ordering too many crocchè over the phone.

George Reynolds, writer and Eater London contributor: Date night tier: Quality Wines Farringdon, Hector’s, Bright, the late lamented countertop at Brat where you could order all the puddings.

Mates night tier: Ombra, Jolene, Brawn, Marksman, The Plimsoll.

Solo lunch tier: Towpath, Cafe Deco, Koya Ko and Bloomberg Arcade, Leila’s, Dumpling Shack, Elliot’s, Xi’an Impression, Pockets.

Lunch with spouse / family / close friends tier: Cafe Cecilia, Royal China Club, St John Smithfield, Quality Chop House.

Lunch with my infant son tier: Hawkers Kitchen, Arcade, The Tamil Prince, Tanakatsu, Kanada-Ya.

Summer heatwave tier: Soft n Swirly, Mambow, Studio Kitchen, Baltic Fresh Seafood.

Anniversary splurge tier: A Wong.

Local hero tier: Westerns Laundry, Jolene Colebrooke Row, Tofu Vegan, Plaquemine Lock, Sushi Show.

Bakery tier: Vertige (croissants), Dusty Knuckle (potato sourdough), E5 Bakehouse (everything.)

Takeaway stalwart tier: Cay Tre (especially for the chicken curry and salt and pepper tofu), Delhi Grill, Berber & Q.

God-slash-swiftly-encroaching-on-favourite-restaurant-in-London-tier: Sessions Arts Club (second year running.)

Feroz Gajia, restaurateur and Eater London contributor: Lighthaus, Haringey Corbacisi, All Kaps Pizza, Singburi, 40 Maltby Street, Oren, Quality Wines, Pockets, Sonora Taqueria, 180 at the corner, Planque, Kaieteur Kitchen and many mangals with various names. They sustained and satisified me between all the other erratic eating out I did this year. Also a shout out to both Paradox Coffee and Ngopi who kept me blissfully caffeinated during those few moments I wasn’t at work.

Joel Hart, food writer and Eater London contributor: Master Wei Xi’An, Umut 2000, Mangal I, Noble Rot, Planque.

Angela Hui, food writer and Eater London contributor: The same thing we do every night Pinky. Try to get a booking and eat the blackboard twice at Singburi. Aside from the local, it’s probably the same restaurants on rotation: Bake Street and Wong Kei.

David Jay Paw, food writer and Eater London contributor: Wong Kei and TPT for one-dish magic, Elliot’s Hackney for neighbourhood things, Blacklock for solo meat and Manhattans, Bubala in Spitalfields for impromptu date nights.

Shekha Vyas, food writer and Eater London contributor: The same local mainstays as every year — Thattukada, Kate’s, Le Kitchen, Sichuan Grand, Singburi. I also found myself eating a lot of momo at 012.

Issac Rangaswami, food writer and Eater London contributor: Wong Kei, Randolfi’s, Italia Uno, Maison Bertaux, and Scotti’s Snack Bar.

Rochelle Canteen

16 Playground Gardens, , England E2 7FA 020 3928 8328 Visit Website

Italo

13 Bonnington Square, , England SW8 1TE Visit Website

Angelina

56 Dalston Lane, , England E8 3AH 020 7241 1851 Visit Website

40 Maltby Street

40 Maltby Street, , England SE1 3PG 020 8076 9517 Visit Website

Stockwell Continental

169 South Lambeth Road, , England SW8 1XW 020 3019 0757 Visit Website

OMBRA

1 Vyner Street, , England E2 9DG 020 8981 5150 Visit Website

Mere

74 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4QH Visit Website

The Quality Chop House Shop

90 Farringdon Road, , England EC1R 3EA 020 3602 8115 Visit Website

Thattukada

241B High Street North, East Ham, Greater London E12 6SJ +44 20 8548 8239

The Duke of Richmond

316 Queensbridge Road, , England E8 3NH 020 7923 3990 Visit Website

Element Coffee

236 Northfield Avenue, , England W13 9SJ Visit Website

Mae + Harvey

414 Roman Road, , England E3 5LU Visit Website

Trangallan

62 Newington Green, Islington, Greater London N16 9PX

Jolene

54 Great Jones Street, Manhattan, NY 10012 Visit Website

Nasi Economy Rice

169 Holloway Road, , England N7 8LX 020 7700 6008 Visit Website