The 38 Best London Restaurants, According to Eater’s Local Dining Expert | Eater

"Price: $$ Going to Leila’s Shop and Cafe on Shoreditch’s Calvert Avenue is like going back in time. The service style and decor of the room here is Victorian: a version of olde London that retains an austere charm and appeal. It works right now, in 2025, as chefs Alex Jackson and Stroma Sinclair prepare a style of comfort food that privileges generosity and deliciousness; the warmth of their cooking counterbalances the literal and figurative chills. Begin with a fruit cordial (imagine one conceived by Mary Poppins herself) diluted with sparkling water and order a collection of small plates, which Jackson assembles a la minute in the stunning open kitchen. There might be a terrine, a pilaf, a stew, a salad; and for dessert, a tart, a jelly, or a roulade. Leila’s is a new benchmark for roving European homestyle cooking in London. Must-try dishes: Jackson’s rice and Sinclair’s jelly, then pop next door to see Leila for a tub of Kitty Travers’ La Grotta ices." - Adam Coghlan