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Murger Han [Official Photo]

Where to Order Takeaway and Delivery in Central London

The best food around in the heart of London

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Get ready for the novel coronavirus pandemic trilogy: lockdown 3.0. The U.K. government has officially ordered to close all cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants in England for the next month, possibly until Wednesday 31 March.

Once again turning the restaurant and bar industry upside down, but at least this time everyone’s a bit more prepared and knows what to expect. London’s restaurants, cafes, and bars are pivoting back to delivery or takeaway options. Many are offering pickup on-site, orders via phone, text or social media, while others are using third-party delivery services, as well as restaurant meal kits and premium at-home restaurant experiences. London’s hospitality lives to fight on. Many are still open and ready to serve hungry Londoners stuck inside.

Here’s the pick of restaurants in central London.

Note: Due to the changing nature of the coronavirus pandemic this list will be updated continually. Have a tip, on your own restaurant or another? Email london@eater.com, or use the Eater London tipline.

And don’t forget to explore:

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Sushi Atelier/Panzer's Delicatessen

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Their Great Portland Street restaurant might be fully closed, but sushi lovers can still sample fresh handmade takeaway sushi from the brand-new sushi counter at Panzer’s Deli in St John’s Wood. Grab salmon poke bowls, mixed nigiri sets and spicy tuna maki rolls for lunch to go. Starting this week they’ll be offering a free small smarter dish with every order and up and running for delivery on Deliveroo, so keep on rollin’ baby. 

Bleecker

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Spitalfields, Victoria, Battersea and Bermondsey locations remain open for click and collect, kiosk screen ordering and delivers via Deliveroo. There’s a streamlined menu online, so the full shebang won’t be available sadly, but Londoners can still flip out over great, juicy cheeseburgers and hamburgers on a soft sesame bun. Topped up with a side of house fries. Bleecker Westfield has closed for now, but they’ve launched at-home DIY kits, so burger lovers can smash buns at home.

Best restaurants Victoria: Bleecker Burger Bleecker Burger [Official Photo]

The Great Thai Restaurant

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Great Thai, great news, the central London Thai restaurant just off Oxford Street is still open for business for takeaways and delivery on Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Slurp up flavoursome boat noodles, tasty Thai omelettes and smoky wok-fried salted fish fried rice speckled with chunky morsels of egg and fish. For those who favour spice, crank up the heat with an array of Esarn dishes like the minced pork larb and traditional spicy spare rib soup, tom saab.

Boat noodles and larb at The Great Thai in Fitzrovia, one of the best value restaurants in central London The Great Thai [Official Photo]

Murger Hanhan Sackville Street

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Biang biang into the living room with London’s first Xi’an restaurant. Order an array of Shaanxi classics, lap up juicy pulled pork or slow-cooked beef ‘murgers’ rou jia mo and lamb soup with glass noodles, but make a beeline for the hand-pulled 12-foot noodles. Whether vegan, vegetarian or meat-eater, choose from tomato, egg sauce, a variety of meats and chilli oil toppings to accompany elastic, springy noodles. Its hand-pulled cousin, la tiao zi noodles, are not to be missed either. Bag a bargain with their latest deal, they’re offering £6 on any noodle dish on the menu during 3-6pm every day during lockdown. Customers can call or email the restaurant in advance for collection or via Deliveroo from all three of their locations in Euston, Mayfair and their new opening in Bank.

Liang pi at Murger Hanhan restaurant in central London Murger Hanhan [Official Photo]

BAO Soho

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London’s favourite Taiwanese bao specialist has stopped dine-in at all their restaurants, but their new only opened bakery goods counter in Kings Cross is still open for takeaway. Everything else is back on Rice Error via Slerp and Deliveroo for click and collect and deliveries. Order meat or veggie TV dinner meal deals, a selection of rice boxes, fried chicken and a variety of sauces and dips. However, if desired fluffy baos is the end goal, fear not, they’ve just launched Made-by-you Kits where bao heads will have everything they need to make their signature baos at home.

Bao bun and blood cake with cured egg yolk at Bao, the Taiwanese restaurant in Soho and Fitzrovia that will open a new London restaurant in Borough Market Bao [Official Photo]

Pastaficio Al Dente

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Just because London is on lockdown doesn’t mean simple, carb-y pleasures are off the table. Get fresh, handmade pasta delivered to the table from Pastaficio Al Dente, who’ll remain open for safe and contactless takeaway and delivery. Make everyday an (amped up) Dolmio day with paccheri al ragu, linguine seafood and tonnarelli cacio e pepe. Bella!

Pumpkin ravioli at Al Dente in Fitzrovia Al Dente [Official Photo]

Old Town 97 | Delivery till late | Chinatown

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In need of late-night dinner fix? Old Town 97 is open until 1am and will be dishing out the Cantonese goods from their gargantuan menu for takeaway from Chinatown and on Deliveroo. Order stewed beef brisket, crispy belly pork, wonton noodle soup and LSE fried rice. Overwhelmed by choice? Let them decide for you and try the meal deal for two or set meals where Londoners can get the best Cantonese hits. Plus, there’s 20% off the entire menu for orders over £30.

Best restaurants in Chinatown London: Old Town 97 Old Town 97 [Official Photo]

Gerrard's Corner

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Old-school Chinese establishment Gerrard’s Corner has been around forever and isn’t going down without a fight. Operating for takeaway and delivery orders on Deliveroo and Just Eat, call ahead and order cracking Cantonese dishes such as roast duck, stuffed crab claws, beef ho fun noodles, stir fried squid in black bean sauce and sweet and sour pork. The full dim sum menu is back online with 20% entire menu, so Londoners can order their steamy bamboo basket fix at home. 

Koya City

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Continuing to deliver its much-loved handmade udon noodles and dashi, Londoners can still get their udon fix this lockdown. A healthier, warming delivery option that includes their full-range of best selling noodles, the extended rice donburi menu and side dishes, including tempura and kakuni pork belly from the City site via contactless click and collect and deliveries on Deliveroo. Their Soho site is currently shuttered for now. 

Udon noodles and Japanese small plates at Koya, with an upcoming restaurant opening at Market Halls Victoria this November Ola Smit/Eater London

Tao Tao Ju

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Dim sum is the name of the game at this Chinatown favourite — they’re steamed or grilled to order, so may result in longer wait times. Find all the classics such as siu mai, har gow, cha siu bao, and glutinous rice with pork and prawn wrapped in lotus leaf. Can’t decide from the gigantic menu offering? Plenty of set menus and bamboo basket set menus spanning from an array of dim sum to XO seafood fried rice and ‘gong bao’ Sichuan chicken, it’ll help cover more ground. Available for takeaway and delivery on Deliveroo.

Tao Tao Ju [Official Photo]

Good Friend Chicken

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Blisteringly hot, juicy Taiwanese fried chicken is now at self-isolators’ disposal. The Chinatown site is still open for strictly takeaway orders and delivered to homes via Deliveroo. Get fresh, fried-to-order tender chicken served in a multitude of ways and a huge selection of Taiwanese milk and fruit teas. Plenty of meal deals starting from £7.50 to choose from. 

Catalyst

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Specialist coffee roasters Catalyst Cafe bring good news for pantries and decaffeinated Londoners. Stock cupboards up with a selection of direct trade coffee from around the world and homemade sriracha hot sauces. Bad news though, the cafe and kitchen is closed for now so no hot food, but they’ll back up and when this all (hopefully) blows over.

Coffee siracha from catalyst cafe Catalyst [Official Photo]

Quality Wines

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One of London’s essential restaurants returns to the game with a whole new concept. Enter: Arrosto. Chef Nick Bramham’s godly cooking is here to make lockdown 3.0 a little bit easier with something a bit different from the norm and putting chickens front and centre. A cracking first menu, which includes half or whole herb cured slow roasted chicken, deep-fried chicken milanese sandwich and crispy chicken dripping potatoes. Plus, plenty of noble add-ons such as the famous gigantic focaccia, burrata, winter tomatoes, chicken spiedini skewers and bottles of wine from the shop to really push the boat out. The new bird-focused menu will be ready to take flight on 14 January from Thursday-Sunday.

Cavatelli, fennel sausage, braised chard, and Parmesan at Quality Wines, one of the best places in London to eat pasta Nick Bramham/Instagram

Deli by Darjeeling Express

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Asma Khan’s shiny new Darjeeling Express in Covent Garden opened its doors late last year during the second lockdown. The restaurant is closed for now, but it’s currently operating as a deli that’s open for takeaway and home deliveries with a limited radius from the restaurant. Offering stuffed puchka with spiced potatoes, chickpea and tamarind water, tamarind dal, Calcutta kati rolls and the now insta-famous Indian keema toastie. Ideal for washing it all down with fiery, invigorating masala chai. Available on Good Eats for click and collect and deliveries with a limited radius from the restaurant. NHS staff can enjoy a free warming masala chai and biscuit. 

Puri at Darjeeling Express, on a black platter and a pink and navy background Ming Tang-Evans/Eater London

Café Deco

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Chef Ana Tobias’ new bar, restaurant and wine shop also opened during lockdown late last year. Specialising in comforting brown food to take away and to take home. Offering a selection of stews, soups and ragu in jars to warm up at home, marmalade tarts, quiches, and the much-hyped daily-changing sandwiches are still available. 

Coronation cauliflower fritter sandwich at Cafe Deco George Reynolds/Instagram

Chef-owner Nieves Barragan’s Basque Mayfair joint isn’t going anywhere. Pick and choose best selling individual dishes like ham croquetas and crab empanadilla, as well as a selection of menu boxes for bigger groups from their Sabor en casa shop, they’ll be delivering most items nationwide. They’re also running a pick-up service, so nearby Londoners can still pick up hot, ready-to-eat meals on Fridays.

Camarones and fried egg at Sabor in central London, one of central London’s best snacks Sabor/Instagram

Nutshell

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Saudi-born owners Mohammad Paknejad and Marwa Alkhalaf bring their take on Iranian regional cooking. Currently offering a winter menu and a selection of feast boxes for two or four, which are to be finished off at home via Slerp for local and nationwide delivery. Expect crispy confit duck, bazaar bread, beetroot bohrani and lamb kofte.

Sushi Atelier/Panzer's Delicatessen

Their Great Portland Street restaurant might be fully closed, but sushi lovers can still sample fresh handmade takeaway sushi from the brand-new sushi counter at Panzer’s Deli in St John’s Wood. Grab salmon poke bowls, mixed nigiri sets and spicy tuna maki rolls for lunch to go. Starting this week they’ll be offering a free small smarter dish with every order and up and running for delivery on Deliveroo, so keep on rollin’ baby. 

Bleecker

Spitalfields, Victoria, Battersea and Bermondsey locations remain open for click and collect, kiosk screen ordering and delivers via Deliveroo. There’s a streamlined menu online, so the full shebang won’t be available sadly, but Londoners can still flip out over great, juicy cheeseburgers and hamburgers on a soft sesame bun. Topped up with a side of house fries. Bleecker Westfield has closed for now, but they’ve launched at-home DIY kits, so burger lovers can smash buns at home.

Best restaurants Victoria: Bleecker Burger Bleecker Burger [Official Photo]

The Great Thai Restaurant

Great Thai, great news, the central London Thai restaurant just off Oxford Street is still open for business for takeaways and delivery on Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Slurp up flavoursome boat noodles, tasty Thai omelettes and smoky wok-fried salted fish fried rice speckled with chunky morsels of egg and fish. For those who favour spice, crank up the heat with an array of Esarn dishes like the minced pork larb and traditional spicy spare rib soup, tom saab.

Boat noodles and larb at The Great Thai in Fitzrovia, one of the best value restaurants in central London The Great Thai [Official Photo]

Murger Hanhan Sackville Street

Biang biang into the living room with London’s first Xi’an restaurant. Order an array of Shaanxi classics, lap up juicy pulled pork or slow-cooked beef ‘murgers’ rou jia mo and lamb soup with glass noodles, but make a beeline for the hand-pulled 12-foot noodles. Whether vegan, vegetarian or meat-eater, choose from tomato, egg sauce, a variety of meats and chilli oil toppings to accompany elastic, springy noodles. Its hand-pulled cousin, la tiao zi noodles, are not to be missed either. Bag a bargain with their latest deal, they’re offering £6 on any noodle dish on the menu during 3-6pm every day during lockdown. Customers can call or email the restaurant in advance for collection or via Deliveroo from all three of their locations in Euston, Mayfair and their new opening in Bank.

Liang pi at Murger Hanhan restaurant in central London Murger Hanhan [Official Photo]

BAO Soho

London’s favourite Taiwanese bao specialist has stopped dine-in at all their restaurants, but their new only opened bakery goods counter in Kings Cross is still open for takeaway. Everything else is back on Rice Error via Slerp and Deliveroo for click and collect and deliveries. Order meat or veggie TV dinner meal deals, a selection of rice boxes, fried chicken and a variety of sauces and dips. However, if desired fluffy baos is the end goal, fear not, they’ve just launched Made-by-you Kits where bao heads will have everything they need to make their signature baos at home.

Bao bun and blood cake with cured egg yolk at Bao, the Taiwanese restaurant in Soho and Fitzrovia that will open a new London restaurant in Borough Market Bao [Official Photo]

Pastaficio Al Dente

Just because London is on lockdown doesn’t mean simple, carb-y pleasures are off the table. Get fresh, handmade pasta delivered to the table from Pastaficio Al Dente, who’ll remain open for safe and contactless takeaway and delivery. Make everyday an (amped up) Dolmio day with paccheri al ragu, linguine seafood and tonnarelli cacio e pepe. Bella!

Pumpkin ravioli at Al Dente in Fitzrovia Al Dente [Official Photo]

Old Town 97 | Delivery till late | Chinatown

In need of late-night dinner fix? Old Town 97 is open until 1am and will be dishing out the Cantonese goods from their gargantuan menu for takeaway from Chinatown and on Deliveroo. Order stewed beef brisket, crispy belly pork, wonton noodle soup and LSE fried rice. Overwhelmed by choice? Let them decide for you and try the meal deal for two or set meals where Londoners can get the best Cantonese hits. Plus, there’s 20% off the entire menu for orders over £30.

Best restaurants in Chinatown London: Old Town 97 Old Town 97 [Official Photo]

Gerrard's Corner

Old-school Chinese establishment Gerrard’s Corner has been around forever and isn’t going down without a fight. Operating for takeaway and delivery orders on Deliveroo and Just Eat, call ahead and order cracking Cantonese dishes such as roast duck, stuffed crab claws, beef ho fun noodles, stir fried squid in black bean sauce and sweet and sour pork. The full dim sum menu is back online with 20% entire menu, so Londoners can order their steamy bamboo basket fix at home. 

Koya City

Continuing to deliver its much-loved handmade udon noodles and dashi, Londoners can still get their udon fix this lockdown. A healthier, warming delivery option that includes their full-range of best selling noodles, the extended rice donburi menu and side dishes, including tempura and kakuni pork belly from the City site via contactless click and collect and deliveries on Deliveroo. Their Soho site is currently shuttered for now. 

Udon noodles and Japanese small plates at Koya, with an upcoming restaurant opening at Market Halls Victoria this November Ola Smit/Eater London

Tao Tao Ju

Dim sum is the name of the game at this Chinatown favourite — they’re steamed or grilled to order, so may result in longer wait times. Find all the classics such as siu mai, har gow, cha siu bao, and glutinous rice with pork and prawn wrapped in lotus leaf. Can’t decide from the gigantic menu offering? Plenty of set menus and bamboo basket set menus spanning from an array of dim sum to XO seafood fried rice and ‘gong bao’ Sichuan chicken, it’ll help cover more ground. Available for takeaway and delivery on Deliveroo.

Tao Tao Ju [Official Photo]

Good Friend Chicken

Blisteringly hot, juicy Taiwanese fried chicken is now at self-isolators’ disposal. The Chinatown site is still open for strictly takeaway orders and delivered to homes via Deliveroo. Get fresh, fried-to-order tender chicken served in a multitude of ways and a huge selection of Taiwanese milk and fruit teas. Plenty of meal deals starting from £7.50 to choose from. 

Catalyst

Specialist coffee roasters Catalyst Cafe bring good news for pantries and decaffeinated Londoners. Stock cupboards up with a selection of direct trade coffee from around the world and homemade sriracha hot sauces. Bad news though, the cafe and kitchen is closed for now so no hot food, but they’ll back up and when this all (hopefully) blows over.

Coffee siracha from catalyst cafe Catalyst [Official Photo]

Quality Wines

One of London’s essential restaurants returns to the game with a whole new concept. Enter: Arrosto. Chef Nick Bramham’s godly cooking is here to make lockdown 3.0 a little bit easier with something a bit different from the norm and putting chickens front and centre. A cracking first menu, which includes half or whole herb cured slow roasted chicken, deep-fried chicken milanese sandwich and crispy chicken dripping potatoes. Plus, plenty of noble add-ons such as the famous gigantic focaccia, burrata, winter tomatoes, chicken spiedini skewers and bottles of wine from the shop to really push the boat out. The new bird-focused menu will be ready to take flight on 14 January from Thursday-Sunday.

Cavatelli, fennel sausage, braised chard, and Parmesan at Quality Wines, one of the best places in London to eat pasta Nick Bramham/Instagram

Deli by Darjeeling Express

Asma Khan’s shiny new Darjeeling Express in Covent Garden opened its doors late last year during the second lockdown. The restaurant is closed for now, but it’s currently operating as a deli that’s open for takeaway and home deliveries with a limited radius from the restaurant. Offering stuffed puchka with spiced potatoes, chickpea and tamarind water, tamarind dal, Calcutta kati rolls and the now insta-famous Indian keema toastie. Ideal for washing it all down with fiery, invigorating masala chai. Available on Good Eats for click and collect and deliveries with a limited radius from the restaurant. NHS staff can enjoy a free warming masala chai and biscuit. 

Puri at Darjeeling Express, on a black platter and a pink and navy background Ming Tang-Evans/Eater London

Café Deco

Chef Ana Tobias’ new bar, restaurant and wine shop also opened during lockdown late last year. Specialising in comforting brown food to take away and to take home. Offering a selection of stews, soups and ragu in jars to warm up at home, marmalade tarts, quiches, and the much-hyped daily-changing sandwiches are still available. 

Coronation cauliflower fritter sandwich at Cafe Deco George Reynolds/Instagram

Sabor

Chef-owner Nieves Barragan’s Basque Mayfair joint isn’t going anywhere. Pick and choose best selling individual dishes like ham croquetas and crab empanadilla, as well as a selection of menu boxes for bigger groups from their Sabor en casa shop, they’ll be delivering most items nationwide. They’re also running a pick-up service, so nearby Londoners can still pick up hot, ready-to-eat meals on Fridays.

Camarones and fried egg at Sabor in central London, one of central London’s best snacks Sabor/Instagram

Nutshell

Saudi-born owners Mohammad Paknejad and Marwa Alkhalaf bring their take on Iranian regional cooking. Currently offering a winter menu and a selection of feast boxes for two or four, which are to be finished off at home via Slerp for local and nationwide delivery. Expect crispy confit duck, bazaar bread, beetroot bohrani and lamb kofte.