Top 10 Michelin-Star Restaurants in Central London

In a city that lives and breathes gastronomy, Central London is a playground for culinary brilliance—and nowhere is that more dazzling than in its Michelin-starred restaurants. Behind gilded doors, tucked down Mayfair lanes, or hiding in plain sight in Soho, some of the world's most exciting chefs are redefining fine dining for a new era. With 85 stars and counting, it's time to start eating.

1. Core by Clare Smyth – Notting Hill

★★★ MichelinThe modern queen of British cooking

Clare Smyth’s flagship is a masterclass in quiet elegance. Set in a refined Notting Hill townhouse, Core is everything you want from a modern fine dining experience—sustainable, seasonal, and spectacular. With three stars and a soul, dishes like her signature potato and roe are proof that humble ingredients can be transcendent in the right hands.

Vibe: Understated luxury with heartfelt warmth.

Must-try: Isle of Mull scallop tartare with sea vegetable consommé.

2. Ikoyi – St James’s

★★ MichelinAfro-British flavours with a fine dining edge

Chef Jeremy Chan and business partner Iré Hassan-Odukale’s Ikoyi is unlike anything else in London. West African ingredients are used as the starting point for modern, often jaw-dropping creations that fuse spice, smoke, fermentation and art. This is boundary-pushing dining that still manages to feel deeply rooted.

Vibe: Minimalist design, maximum flavour.

Must-try: Plantain smoked kelp & Scotch bonnet.

3. Wild Honey – St James’s

★ MichelinParisian polish meets British soul

Headed by Anthony Demetre, Wild Honey is one of Central London’s most quietly dazzling one-star gems. Located inside the Sofitel St James, it offers refined modern European cuisine with French finesse and a distinctly British heart. The dining room is glamorous yet unstuffy—perfect for a business lunch that turns into dinner.

Vibe: Timeless, sophisticated, with a whisper of Art Deco.

Must-try: Roast veal sweetbread with heritage carrot and spiced tamarind glaze.

4. A. Wong – Victoria

★★ MichelinA mind-blowing journey through Chinese cuisine

Chef Andrew Wong’s groundbreaking restaurant is the only Chinese restaurant in the UK with two Michelin stars—and it’s easy to see why. Each dish explores a different region of China, from delicate Cantonese dim sum to bold Sichuan spice bombs. Meticulous, thoughtful and truly innovative, A. Wong is a cultural tour you can eat.

Vibe: Cultural immersion with precision and personality.

Must-try: The 10-course "Taste of China" lunch tasting menu.

5. Gymkhana – Mayfair

★ MichelinThe high-end Indian everyone dreams of

Modelled on Raj-era sports clubs, Gymkhana turns classic Indian cuisine into something exhilarating. Game meats, tandoor dishes and bold spice are elevated to Michelin standards without losing their soul. The wild muntjac biryani is the stuff of legend, and the bar downstairs pours a mean spiced Old Fashioned.

Vibe: Colonial chic meets curry house swagger.

Must-try: Wild muntjac biryani with pomegranate and mint raita.

6. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught – Mayfair

★★★ MichelinEmotional, intuitive, utterly luxurious

French chef Hélène Darroze's London outpost is a deeply personal celebration of seasonal produce, elegant storytelling, and layered flavours. Every dish feels like a memory on a plate, from hand-dived scallops with caviar to the signature baba soaked in Armagnac. A restaurant that whispers rather than shouts—then lingers in your mind for days.

Vibe: Feminine, refined, with couture-level attention to detail.

Must-try: Landes chicken with foie gras and black truffle.

7. Kitchen Table – Fitzrovia

★★ MichelinEdgy, immersive and completely unforgettable

Set behind a curtain at Bubbledogs, Kitchen Table by James Knappett is dinner as drama. You sit around an open kitchen as the chefs build a 20-course tasting menu live in front of you, explaining each bite as it lands. Fermentation, fire, and finesse rule here—and no two nights are ever the same.

Vibe: Intimate, theatrical, insider-only.

Must-try: Whatever is wild, pickled or aged that week.

8. Muse by Tom Aikens – Belgravia

★ MichelinStorytelling through fire and finesse

This intimate 25-seat townhouse from one of Britain’s most respected chefs is all about narrative dining. Each dish at Muse tells a story from Aikens' life—whether it’s childhood camping meals or early kitchen trials. Expect smoke, micro herbs, and meticulous technique from start to finish.

Vibe: Literary fine dining in a painter’s palette of textures and flavours.

Must-try: “Conquering the Beech Tree” – langoustine with burnt apple and walnut.

9. Frog by Adam Handling – Covent Garden

★ MichelinInventive, irreverent, unforgettable

Chef Adam Handling’s flagship is an explosion of British innovation, sustainability, and fun. Frog is playful fine dining done properly—think theatrical plating, bold flavours, and clever ingredient twists. The vibe is more rock gig than symphony, but every dish sings with skill.

Vibe: Loud, bold, and deliciously unpredictable.

Must-try: Cheese doughnuts. Yes, really.

10. St. JOHN – Smithfield

★ MichelinWhere nose-to-tail becomes art

The cult classic that never goes out of style. Fergus Henderson’s St. JOHN redefined British dining with its commitment to “nose-to-tail” cooking, zero pretension, and unapologetically meaty menus. But it’s not all offal—the bone marrow on toast is legendary, but so is the roast beef, the fresh-from-the-market veg, and that perfect eccles cake.

Vibe: Brutalist dining room meets national culinary treasure.

Must-try: Roast bone marrow with parsley salad and sourdough.