These romantic London restaurants offer intimate atmospheres, delectable cuisine and unmatched service.
From first dates to proposals, anniversaries to date nights, these London restaurants are perfect for sharing with someone special.
Park Chinois in Mayfair is a lavish, intimate affair with dim lighting and plush decor based on 1930s Shanghai jazz clubs. Rather than a theatre date, it provides its own dinner and a show, with regular live music in downstairs Club Chinois. Choose to enjoy dinner in either Salon de Chinois, Club Chinois or splash out in a private dining area. Intricately crafted dim sum is on the menu, created by chef Kim Min How, who serves dishes including black truffle dumplings and wagyu beef gyozas. To really push the boat out, order the Duck de Chine which must be done in advance and takes 72 hours to prepare.
Italian is a strong choice for a romantic meal, and Brutto in Farringdon makes you feel like you’re in a traditional, cosy trattoria. Founded by Russel Norman, who also began popular chain Polpo, the food is filling and delicious. After starting the night with one of their famous £5 negronis, choose from classics such as penne con vodka and Tuscan red wine beef stew. They also do excellent tiramisu and gelato, so make sure to save room for dessert – with two spoons.
Everyone loves Gloria, opened by Big Mamma Group who also own the lively Circolo Populare, Ave Maria and recently opened Jacuzzi restaurants. Gloria has two romance options: the casual, Instagrammable upstairs or the sumptuous downstairs which features velvet curtains and dark corners for privacy. Their most popular dish, the Gran Carbonara is brought to your table and mixed in a ginormous wheel of cheese, plus they serve a variety of tasty cocktails and a Valentine’s dessert bomb made with vanilla cheesecake, passionfruit and hibiscus.
It became famous for its unique ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons at each table, but it remains famous for its incredible food. The interiors of Bob Bob Ricard, located in Soho are straight out of the Great Gatsby – all gold Art Deco designs and soft velvet seating. Rooted in Russian culture, the restaurant serves up ice-cold vodka shots, caviar, escargot and oysters, perfect for a decadent date. The champagne isn’t just on the drink’s menu either, but is also liberally used in dishes like truffle and Champagne pie and salmon en croûte with Champagne sauce.
Clos Maggiore is voted London’s most romantic restaurant year after year. The restaurant’s most beautiful area – which sees many proposals each year, is a spacious courtyard with a canopy of white cherry blossoms and a huge roaring fireplace. This usually books up months in advance, but tables are normally free in the main restaurant area. French flavours dominate the menu, which offers ironbark pumpkin risotto and hand-picked crab with radish, or in February, the six-course Valentine’s tasting menu includes fried oysters, venison tartare and lobster with caviar.
For a weekend brunch or casual dinner, the Ivy Brasserie has branches across the UK. However, for a truly special date night, the original Ivy restaurant in Covent Garden remains one of the most classic, long-running establishments, complete with a doorman and personal waiters. Still frequented by many celebrities, it has five-star service and food to match. The most famous dish is the melt-in-the-mouth Shepherd’s Pie, but an even better choice is the slow-cooked rabbit’s leg in red wine sauce.
Sketch is an eclectic mix of dining rooms decorated in varying, over-the-top, yet luxury styles. Choose from The Gallery, The Lecture Room, The Parlour or The Glade, depending on how romantic you’re feeling. Their sweet afternoon tea is particularly delicious, but the three Michelin-starred Lecture Room, which only serves tasting menus, is the spot for a big occasion. Langoustine tail with liquorice butter, sea urchin bisque and white asparagus fresh from the Loire Valley are just a few of the unique dishes.
Sushisamba has restaurants across the globe, but its City of London venue, on the lofty 39th floor of Heron Tower, combines their signature fusion of Japanese – South American cuisine with epic views over the capital. Sushisamba is ideal if you’re trying to impress a date, from the glass elevator into the sky to the jaw-dropping interiors. The all-day menu has small plates and sushi such as shrimp tempura, raw tuna sashimi and Chilean sea bass, alongside large plates like Robata black cod and the impossibly tender kobe ribeye. To continue impressing, order one of their mind-bending zen garden desserts, which looks like a stone garden, made up of bergamot biscuits and chocolate lychee peach stones.
