Townsend

"Set within the Whitechapel Gallery, this small, light-filled room has a classic feel and is named in honour of its architect, Charles Harrison Townsend. The menu screams seasonality and flavours burst through – and while it’s evident there’s a confident chef at the helm, no dish is over-engineered." - Michelin Inspector

"While Townsend isn’t necessarily as hidden as some of its fellow listees, the fact that it’s an outstanding restaurant situated in an art gallery may come as a surprise. Replacing the also lauded Whitechapel Refectory in 2020, Nick Gilkinson — formerly of the Garden Museum Cafe — and Joe Fox — formerly of Petersham Nurseries — have taken the restaurant from strength to strength in its short, pandemic-clipped life. Dishes like Red Leicester croquettes with pickled walnut ketchup; potato and crab dumplings blackened with squid ink, rife with garlic and chilli; and roast mallard with braised radicchio, spiced carrot and prunes betray the fact that this is a modern British restaurant, meaning it’s really old European with an accent." - Jonathan Hatchman

"While Townsend isn’t necessarily as hidden as some of its fellow listees, the fact that it’s an outstanding restaurant situated in an art gallery may come as a surprise. Replacing the also lauded Whitechapel Refectory in 2020, Nick Gilkinson — formerly of the Garden Museum Cafe — and Joe Fox — formerly of Petersham Nurseries — have taken the restaurant from strength to strength in its short, pandemic-clipped life. Dishes like Red Leicester croquettes with pickled walnut ketchup; potato and crab dumplings blackened with squid ink, rife with garlic and chilli; and roast mallard with braised radicchio, spiced carrot and prunes betray the fact that this is a modern British restaurant, meaning it’s really old European with an accent." - Jonathan Hatchman

"Replacing the also-lauded Whitechapel Refectory in 2020, Nick Gilkinson — formerly of fellow listee Garden Museum Cafe — and Joe Fox — formerly of Petersham Nurseries — Townsend has gone from strength to strength in its short, pandemic-clipped life. Dishes like fried Wensleydale with heather honey and smoked chilli; wild mushrooms with egg yolk, Berkswell cheese, and truffle; and poached root vegetables with potato cake and green sauce betray the fact that this is a modern British restaurant aware that much of modern British is really old European with an accent." - Jonathan Hatchman

"The Whitechapel Gallery’s resident restaurant, first opened shortly before lockdown, Townsend continues to offer local delivery via a network of black cabs (nationwide courier delivery is also available). The restaurant’s recipe boxes are also some of the more simple to put together. Highlights include pork and pistachio terrine with Yorkshire rhubarb chutney; potato dumplings, described as a British take on gnocchi, with potted shrimp; and the swede and rapeseed ‘cake’ — a vegan-friendly homage to dauphinoise potatoes." - Jonathan Hatchman