Hereford Road is a neighbourhood restaurant, located in a former butcher's shop with a daily changing menu. The whole-hearted and robust cooking of head chef Tom Pemberton, formerly of St John Bread and Wine, concentrates on offal, but also offers simple, yet accomplished, fish dishes. The wine list consists solely of Old World wines, available by the glass, carafe or bottle and lunch and dinner is served daily. Light and airy in the summer with the butcher's window open on to the street and warm and cosy in the winter thanks to the open kitchen, Hereford Road, like its ingredients, changes with the seasons.
Recommended for Homestyle because: With simple and sparse interior, Hereford Road offers a seasonal British menu made from high quality ingredients.
Emyr's expert tip: With its seasonal menu, make sure you return again and again!
Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's most historic restaurants and has been offering classic British dishes for over 170 years. The menu at Simpson's is a true celebration of British cuisine, and Master Cook Gerry Rae's kitchen proudly uses only the finest quality British ingredients. While the speciality is flavorful Scottish beef on the bone that's been aged for 28 days, other dishes such as pan-fried salmon with lobster sauce and pot-roasted partridge are superbly prepared and presented as well. Simpson's masculine interior features dark panelling, large chandeliers and ornate moulding. The restaurant offers carving lessons so that you can cook the perfect roast at home!
Recommended for Homestyle because: For the old school and the traditional decor and service.
Emyr's expert tip: Visit for a Sunday roast!
Said to be the oldest in London, this restaurant has been around since 1789, it was established by Thomas Rule. The place honors that history by maintaining a sense of tradition in food and spirits rather than changing with the times. Comfort foods are the order of the day in the gorgeous, statue-lined dining room, playing on that very British need to return to the comfort of the nursery and nanny, even when you were farmed out from your parents for days, months and years, at schools or up in the nursery, those tastes would take you back to the happy times, and that is just what this restaurant does brilliantly. Try scrambled eggs with salmon, Yorkshire pudding, succulent game dishes, or flavourful roasted leg of lamb with mustard mash.
Recommended for Homestyle because: You can't get more traditionally British than Rules in Covent Garden.
Emma's expert tip: The restaurant owns its own estate in Scotland, so it can source its own game and the menu follows the game season, so you know you will be eating fresh and in season.
Mark Hix is one of the British food scene's stars. Hix restaurants regularly collaborate with the art and hotel world in London, and can sometimes be found in 'pop up' form at various galleries and gatherings before later establishing themselves as a fixed restaurant. Expect delicious twists on British classics, and all the best from Europe with British ingredients wherever possible. Menus change daily, and are based on seasonal food. Downstairs is the fab cocktail bar, Mark's Bae with some brilliant cocktails. Decor is simple with quirky twists, making sure that once you're in the building, all your senses are delighted.
Recommended for Homestyle because: Hix sums up British style modern cuisine at its best in a cool setting.
Emma's expert tip: Set lunches and dinners allow you to sample the food for a fixed price, good if you're on a bit of a budget.
If you don't like offal, you might be put off, but for people that do enjoy crunching their way through every imaginable part of an animal, a visit to London would be crowned by a meal here. Set in what was once a smokehouse / townhouse, in Clerkenwell, the menu will definitely keep you talking long after you've hung up your napkin. St John's has often been credited with rethinking British food, it's part comfort food, part new taste experience, rolled into a very successful package. Peruse for example, sausages and snails, chitterlings and dandelion greens, mutton and turnips, roast suckling pig, or pigeon and trotter pie. Before you judge, sample the kitchen's skill, and your tastes may just change for good. Other diners' already have.
Recommended for Homestyle because: Make your way through every part of an animal at St John!
Emyr's expert tip: Be Brave - Try it out.
Bea's of Bloomsbury's window displays of towering plates of cup cakes, decorated with fresh fruit and whipped sweet icing and cream cheese are a work of art in themselves. They also serve a great brunch or lunch, supplemented by seasonal vegetables, herbs grown from their own roof top gardens and food with as few 'food miles' as possible. As well as the cupcakes and afternoon tea, you can sink into delicious cheesecakes, rich chocolate truffle cakes, baked donuts, raspberry swirled meringues and much much more. Their slogan is 'Life is Short. Eat more cake' seems like a good motto for life!
Recommended for Homestyle because: Bea's of Bloomsbury is just one of many great afternoon tea places in London.
Emma's expert tip: Apart from the delicious cakes, their savoury lunch menus are great too.
Bodean's BBQ has now been running for 10 years in London. Created by Kansan native Andre Blais and modelled along the best tradition of American barbecue joints, the restaurant serves up a great plate of Americana. Bodean's has won best ribs and best sandwich awards this side of the Atlantic; and if you enjoy the food, you can get yourself a branded cap, T-Shirt or a bottle of secret sauce to take home and recreate the experience at home. Ribs, slowly smoked and covered in sticky sauce are a specialty. Pulled pork, and chicken also feature heavily along with home made coleslaw, burgers, briskets, burnt ends and pastrami on rye.
Recommended for Homestyle because: If its American homestyle you are after, then you can't go wrong at Bodeans in Soho.
Emma's expert tip: For those of you who don't want to go to the restaurant, there's an online order form for take away too, so you can eat barbecue in the comfort of your own home.
The Pitt Cue Co started as a pop up American barbecue van under London's Hungerford bridge. Tom Adams is the brains behind this venture, and after serving finger licking food out of his van, he moved his operations to Soho. Pulled pork, coleslaw, crunchy pickles, beef brisket are all on the menu here, so anyone who likes slow smoked American style barbecue in London should make a beeline for this place. Everything comes served in enamel bowls or tin trays, giving The Pitt Cue Co that trendy diner feel. As is says on their website, they don't offer reservations as they only have 30 covers not because they're trying to be cool!
Recommended for Homestyle because: Pitt Cue Co combines the best of British and American homestyles in London.
Emma's expert tip: This place doesn't do reservations, as there are only 30 seats, so try and choose an off peak moment to go and sample the food.
Kerbisher and Malt does the contemporary British twist on an old favourite extremely well. They too get all their fish from sustainable sources, and this year the restaurant won the Best Fish and Chip shop title from Esquire magazine. They make all their own sauces and batters (apart from the Ketchup) and avoid preservatives or food from a packet. They even recycle the vegetable oil they use for cooking into biofuel after use. Does all the usual cod haddock and plaice, but also offers Coley, and Pollock too a more sustainable alternative to Cod but similar in taste. They also offer crushed potato salad, coleslaw and green salad, if you're inclined to get a few more vitamins too.
Recommended for Homestyle because: Kerbisher and Malt is British fish and chips at its best. Homestyle for Brits.
Emma's expert tip: Check out their website or pop in to their shop to find out which specials the chefs have on their menu for that day. Everything cooked fresh to order so you can be sure of some seriously good food.
Dean Street Townhouse is a boutique hotel and restaurant from the Soho House Group, located on, believe it or not, Dean Street in Soho. Bedrooms are classified as Tiny, Small, Medium and Bigger, designed in hand-painted wallpapers, upholstered vintage seats and sofas. For those who want to get through the doors of one of London's coolest members' clubs but can't usually get through the membership committee, this is a good way to get a closer look at one of their venues. The restaurant offers excellent British food in a cool, buzzy environment and with the low lighting in the evening, it's the perfect atmosphere.
Recommended for Homestyle because: The restaurant offers excellent British food in a cool, buzzy environment and with the low lighting in the evening, it's the perfect atmosphere.
Emyr's expert tip: Arrive early for a seat at the bar as it fills up quickly!