The Most Romantic Restaurants In The Heart Of London

Proof that London’s best-kept secrets are revealed when you look up, one of the city's most romantic restaurants can be found hidden high above Tottenham Court Road station.

A stark contrast to the hectic streets below, Tattu – which is nestled atop The Outernet’s digital exhibition space – is a serene, sparkling sanctuary where floor-to-ceiling glass is offset by a canopy of artificial cherry-blossom trees.

Offering a contemporary, glitzy take on Chinese classics, Tattu is firmly placed in the ‘special occasion’ camp, with tables suited to both raucous celebrations and coy first dates alike. Order from one of the three set menus for the best experience: the Modern Sharing is a hefty journey through the kitchen’s biggest hits, from lobster and scallop toast (the Instagram money shot) to plump tempura prawns in the most refined sweet-and-sour sauce the capital can deliver. Bookmark your feasting with a dive into the cocktail menu: best served while sat at the bar, so you take take in the views of London from the top.

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Location: The Now Building Rooftop, Denmark St, WC2H 0LA

As we said, Paris is traditionally the city of love, so of course, a Parisian-born restaurant is going to make this list. How to make it even more romantic, you ask? Ensure the cuisine is Italian. That's exactly what you'll find at Daroco, which after first opening in the French capital in 2016 has finally made its way across the Channel to London's Soho. There's already hype around the restaurant's arrival and given the exciting, buzzy vibe inside (amplified by its Soho location) that's only likely to rise.

We're sure it'll be no time at all until Daroco features heavily on our feeds with the fanciest pizza oven you have ever seen (seriously), velvet seating, marble tables, aesthetically pleasing cocktails (we recommend their twist on the Aperol spritz) and delicious pizzas which are served on New York style Pizza stands.

Menu wise, we're still thinking about their arancini appetisers - made with Leek, Scamorza Cheese, Spicy Peppers & Pecorino - and their wonderfully-truffly Tagliolini al Tartufo. Oh, and the tiramisù. Of course you have to have the Daroco tiramisù.

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Location: Manette St, London W1D 4AL

Tucked away in Mayfair’s St James, moments away from Green Park's tube station on Piccadilly is Riveria, a romantic French restaurant which opened in 2023 and pays homage to the south's Côte d'Azur. This tribute is found in its food, of course, French wine and decor.

When it comes to the latter, the restaurant’s interiors and menus are decorated with Picasso-esque illustrations as a nod to the artists’ love of the region. Inside, the dim light, lamps and candles solidify the restaurant’s romantic feel too.

When entering the restaurant, you’e greeted with the hugely impressive working kitchen - including the live lobsters which give an indication to the fine dining aspect of the menu. French classics like steak tartare, and foie gras brioche can be found on the menu alongside dishes from across the Mediterranean like Buratta and Gnocchi. If you’re into your fish, we recommend the Turbot à la Meunière, with a side of Pommes Frites and a glass of Sancerre. Of course.

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Location: 23 St James St, SW1A 1HA

Claridge's needs little introduction, but if you'd made the decision to visit the storied Mayfair hotel (and especially if it's your first time), you might welcome some direction on where best to make your Valentine's Day reservation.

While your night could (and should) meander throughout the hotel taking in all that it has to offer, it should begin with a decadent dinner at the newly reopened and refurbished Claridge's Restaurant. Nestled towards the back of the Brook Street location, the vast space offers intimate banquettes that welcome privacy for your party while also offering an expansive view of the entire space that's, as expected, perfect for people watching.

The menu is equally romantic, with plenty of options to share between two, including the impossibly fresh seafood platter and a refreshingly tart Baked Alaska to finish. Other options of note include the truffle-topped crumpet, the steak au poivre and the chocolate soufflé pudding.

What's best about spending anytime here is the company you'll keep as world-class hospitality comes second to none at this wonderful hotel. Its staff, from the waiters to the sommeliers to the restaurant manager Ivan, are there to ensure every detail of your evening is as exceptional as you might expect of a night spent at Claridge's, and especially in its new Art Deco restaurant.

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Location: Brook St, London W1K 4HR

Tucked away on Grosvenor Square is one of London’s best-kept culinary secrets: The Twenty Two. Recently refurbished, the previously residential Edwardian manor house has been turned into a 31-room hotel and member’s club by former Blakes owner Navid Mirtorabi, and its pastel blue restaurant is as dreamy and intimate as you’d ever hope for a romantic eatery to be.

Ahead of one of the most romantic days of the year, the hotel's restaurant has also debuted its Valentine's Day menu, which stars its signature burrata and winter tomato salad and its bread-and-butter pudding, which comes accompanied by a blueberry jam that manages to be both sweet and sharp in equal measure. Whether you're courting a first date or a long-term love, The Twenty Two is unequivocally one of London's most special romantic restaurants.

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Location: 22 Grosvenor Sq, London W1K 6LF

It’s a rare moment an experience leaves ELLE UK speechless, such is our love of locution. But for Cornwall’s Tom Brown’s debut restaurant Cornerstone, we’ll gladly make the exception of keeping shtum for a brief moment. Located a few minute’s walk from Hackney Wick station lies Brown’s produce-driven, relaxed eatery – its name inspired by Brown's favourite Arctic Monkeys song and interiors the brainchild of east London-based architect Holland Harvey.

While we’d normally suggest booking a cosy table for two in the restaurant, we believe there’s no better place to sit at Cornerstone than at the bar, where you’ll see the seemingly effortless and silent theatre of its chefs – and Brown himself – create a symphony of seafood-heavy and simple dishes.

If you want to experience the best of Cornerstone, (which isn’t hard given it won a Michelin star in 2021 and retained it in 2022) we advise kicking it all off with a margarita before opting for the Chef’s Selection (£70pp) and Premium Wine Pairing (£140 pp), which offers up a mixture of light and hearty dishes to tickle the tastebuds.

Start off with a lip-smacking chalk stream trout pastrami, before tucking unto a pickled oyster served with cucumber, horseradish and dill, followed by what could be the best tasting sea bream tartare (paired with egg yolk and soy) that we’ve ever tasted. Next up is a cured gurnard, teamed with roast onion dashi, chilli, black olive and anchovy, followed by a genius crab bun, bitter leaf kimchi and English plum hoisin which will forever live in our minds. Next up is a hake kyiv with chanterelle and cep butter and cauliflower, a Lincolnshire poacher, crumpet, beetroot and walnut, finished off with a delicious poached quince, winter citrus sponge and baked cream desert.

Cornerstone – London is lucky to have you.

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Location: 3 Prince Edward Rd, London E9 5NP

A must-book destination for lunch, weddings (who can forget Savannah Miller's Christmas nuptials?) and afternoon tea, it's hard to beat two-time Michelin star winning Petersham Nurseries Café in Richmond when it comes to finding a quaint setting that delivers top quality food and beverages a hop skip and a lunge away from Richmond Park.

Set inside a greenhouse filled with bougainvillea and jasmine, the kitchen garden serves everything your heart desires, from bruschetta with black Iberico tomato and heritage beetroot with goat’s curd, honey almonds, castelfranco and apple, to haye farm lamb with polenta, carrots, broccolo fiolaro, and red mullet and a beetroot salad, and an original bean chocolate with honeycomb pudding that will leave you speechless.

For Valentine's Day 2023 Petersham Nurseries Café is celebrating its ongoing winter weekend supper, which takes place every Friday and Saturday until April 6, and invites guests to tuck into seasonal dishes (you can choose from two or three courses of Italian dishes) amid flickering candles and fairy-lights. Sign us up!

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Location: Off Church Ln, Petersham Rd, Richmond TW10 7AB

With its name deriving from the Armenian word for ‘moon’, Mayfair’s Lusin is certainly a shining beacon of Armenian and Lebanese-inspired cuisine.

If you book a table for Lusin anytime soon (hello, romantic date night…), you’re in for a treat as its London menu has been curated by two Michelin-star chef Marcel Ravin, with dishes including the Famous Cherry Kebab, made from spiced kebab skewers and a home-made cherry sauce, as well the tongue-tingling signature Lusin Kibbeh. Some of our favourite options include the Lusin Salad, made with shredded cheese, topped with a smoky-baked aubergine and diced vegetables, finished with a pesto and fresh leaves, as well as the Lamb Gigot (braised lamb shank, aromatic rice, nuts and a pumpkin puree), and the Lobster Manti.

While you’re there, we encourage you to whet your whistle with Lusin’s delicious cocktails, which are fresh twists on classics, as well as try some of the eatery’s Armenian wines.

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Location: 16 Hay Hill, London W1J 8NY

There's something about The Ned that makes us fall in love with London time and time again. Perhaps it's the original interiors of the former bank, designed by Sir Edwin 'Ned' Lutyens, the 10 restaurants on site, the spa, the rooftop pool, the wedding space...? The list goes on. Or maybe it's the way The Ned knows its guests and diners so well that they need only enter its grand entrance and within minutes they'll find yourself at home, catered for, and entranced by its magic.

This, and for several other reasons, is why we're looking to The Ned for all our Valentine's Day needs this year. For 2023, The Parlour (The Ned's jazz and cabaret bar) is serving a five-course tasting menu (think cep and black truffle profiterole, lamb wellington, and dark chocolate mousse) amid live entertainment and paired with cocktails. Prices start at £80 per person for dinner (with wine pairings it's £13o.

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Location: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ

We'd pack our suitcase and move into Apricity if we could, that's how much we've fallen in love with the sustainable, low waste restaurant and its stripped back, rustic and modern interiors.

The latest restaurant from award-winning chef and owner Chantelle Nicholson, this Mayfair restaurant focuses on conscious cooking and joyful dining, with a particular aim to create as little waste as possible and use British produce from farmers as a way of championing makers (think low intervention winemakers) and vegetable growers.

When it comes to Apricity's food, you won't be left disappointed. We suggest starting with the London red butterhead lettuce salad, miso, rhubarb and cobnuts, and the St. Ives mackerel, smoked vichyssoise, baby leek and elderberry, before moving onto the wild fallow deer haunch, Royal Oak parsnip and the most delicious kale tart we've ever sampled, as well as the butter-poached Cornish pollock, jigged squid and sambal butter. Finish with the pear tarte tatin and crème fraîche and Chouchnut, baked apple and Hollis Mead double cream and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.

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Location: 68 Duke Street, Mayfair, W1K 6JU

It’s a rare moment in London when dwellers stumble upon a restaurant that provides a new perspective of the capital, so prepare to have your minds blown at St Barts in Smithfield. Tucked away in Farringdon is a culinary treasure trove overlooking the historical Church of St Bartholomew the Great, that’s been opened by Executive Head Chef Johnnie Crowe and co-founders Luke & Toby - the trio behind restaurants Hackney’s NEST, and Fulham’s FENN.

The restaurant’s menu is a celebration of the British Isles, produce, farmers, growers, conservationists and more, whether it’s with a serving of Welsh Wagyu Beef and Scottish Scallops or Exmoor Caviar and honey straight from Hackney. The lunch menu starts at £60, with dinner coming in at a reasonable £120, served Wednesday to Friday, and Wednesday to Saturday, respectively.

The sample dinner menu (with an optional wine pairing that costs £80 per person) features the likes of a cobnut hobnob and duck liver, an golden cross and onion tart and a Wagyu tartare, followed by mullet and kohlrabi, crab and nutmeg, beef and alliums and cod and preserved funghi. If that wasn’t enough, the warm sand-hued interiors, wooden furnishings and soft lighting will have you coveting the restaurant interior designer and leave you desperate to know their secrets.

A truly special restaurant for a special occasion.

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Location: 63 Bartholomew Cl, London, EC1A 7BG

Bringing a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere to the fine dining experience, The Water House Project serves a nine-course tasting menu in a light-filled, Scandi style space across from Regents Canal in East London. Think muted tones, concrete floors, natural wood furnishings and enviable ceramics on display. There is a cosiness to its elegance, and a communal spirit brought by their single seating ethos which sees the nine-courses served at 7pm Wednesday to Saturday (£135 with pairings), or a shorter summer lunchtime menu at 12.30pm on Saturdays (£90 with pairings).

The food is inspired by chef-owner Gabriel Waterhouse’ Northumberland upbringing and Nordic influences, with a huge dedication to sustainable ingredients. Expect a seasonal menu and ingredients used in unexpected ways in dishes from white asparagus, fennel, cherry blossom and pistachio to lobster, peach, tomato consommé and leek. Vegetarian substitutes are available and all are prepared in the nearby open kitchen – seeing the small plates crafted like works of art never gets old. Our summer menu favourite? The pollock and palourde clams, with grape, vermouth and sea herbs.

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Location: 1 Corbridge Crescent, Bethnal Green, E2 9DS

Mayfair's new Sparrow restaurant is an absolute gem and perfect for a romantic evening for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because everything about the venue itself is seductive. Nestled in cosy little Avery Row (right next to Browns fashion house, should your date be of the mind to throw in a designer gift as part of the evening), the cute little entranceway does nothing to betray the relatively cavernous multi-level interior. Heading up in the lift to dine among the trees is like stepping foot into the clearing of an enchanted forest, all twinkly low lighting and spotlight tables.

Secondly, the food itself is sexy. The Italian and Mediterranean fare - a menu devised by celebrated chefs AJ McCloud and Ivan Simeoli - is rich, carby and succulent. Trust us when we say sucking in that juicy grilled octopus leg will only be an aphrodisiac. Not convinced? Share a lobster pasta for two and pull the ultimate boujie Lady and the Tramp move, sealing your meal with a tomatoey kiss. Want something simpler? The cacio e pepe is divine and perfectly al dente.

Round off your meal with a blood orange cannoli or the doughnut-like Zeppole which are definitely big enough to share between two lovers.

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Location: 1-3 Avery Row, London W1K 4AJ

A restaurant from the Ferragamo family is bound to be super slick and impossibly stylish – but even with such high expectations, Il Borro is immediately impressive. Located slap-bang in the middle of Mayfair, inside it’s all smooth jazz, soft lighting, classical art and cream furnishings – perfect for a laid-back date night, any day of the week.

The cuisine showcases the finest farm-to-table produce from Ferragamo’s country-chic estate in Tuscany, with exquisite ingredients and organic wines taking centre stage. Think traditional, rustic dishes including pappa al pomodoro (a fresh, Tuscan take on bruschetta), lentil salad, roasted baby chicken and the most epic, garlicky tomato pasta you’ll ever try (Pici all’aglione) – all elegantly elevated to match the surroundings.

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Location: 15 Berkeley St, London W1J 8DY

Dining at Jeru is truly like eating in a Middle Eastern home and is certainly not one to be missed. The restaurant takes it's inspiration from the Byzantine times and means ‘old city’, meaning it's a true melting pot of culture, cuisine and character. The kitchen is run by Chef Roy, a Cordon Bleu trained and award-winning chef with North African and Israeli heritage, and it's here where the culinary magic comes alive.

If you're going to 'do' Jeru properly, then you're going to want to order the Chef's Selection. Here, you'll be able to tuck into pillow-y soft sourdough bread with a delicious culture butter than melts in the mouth, Ocean trout 'samke harra' with a sharp-tasting roasted fennel tahini, and charcoal roasted aubergine.

Meat eaters can tuck into roast monkfish, charcoal corn ed chicken, while vegetarians have the option of the aforementioned aubergine and confit sugarloaf cabbage (have you ever heard of anything more drool-inducing?)

Finish off the night with a sweet cocktail, such as the Layla Club (think gin and pomegranate) or a Za'Faran (Aperol lovers, assemble), and you're sure to have a romantic date like no other.

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Location: 11 Berkeley St, London W1J 8DS

Renowned restaurateur Riccardo Giraudi’s glitzy Beefbar restaurants have slowly but surely been popping up in all the world’s most elegant addresses, from Monaco and Mykonos to Hong Kong – and now, naturally, in the heart of Chelsea. Since opening late last year, Le Petit Beefbar has already become one of the hottest date night spots in town, with its moody lighting, chic interiors and killer cocktails which set a romantic tone from the get-go.

It’s all flickering candles and intimate moments over red wine, sharing plates and exquisite cuts of beef during the week, while Thursday nights onward are perfect for super-sociable couples who enjoy a buzzy atmosphere. The menu is filled with failsafe crowd-pleasers from Beefbar locations across the globe – think New York strip steak, Japanese Kobe and a Tonkatsu take on veal Milanese. The signature mash is an absolute must, while starters of Wagyu brisket-filled Bao Buns and Croque Sando make for particularly tasty ice-breakers. Just be sure to check your date isn’t a vegetarian first…

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Location: 27 Cale St, London SW3 3QP

Hidden away in a 25-cover converted mews house in Belgravia lies one of the best restaurants in the UK. There, we’ve said it. Opened by the youngest British chef ever to be awarded two Michelin stars, Tom Aikens and his team of expert chefs use seasonal and fresh ingredients to create dishes inspired by the founder’s Norfolk roots.

Our tip is to book a table at the counter where you’ll oversee Aikens and his small group of experts dance around each other in a serene, balletic fashion, creating everything from Dazzling New Heights (scallop, cucumber and almonds), Conquering the ‘Beech Tree’(langoustine, pork fat and burnt apple) and Smokey Summers (sea bass, aubergine and tomato) to sweet treats like the Muse Mess (strawberry, sheep’s yoghurt and pink peppercorn. Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious chicken butter and 'Solero-inspired' kaffir lime ice creams.

Whether it’s a bottle of French dry white wine and English sparkling from Langham Wine Estate and Vineyard Café or a sweet dessert tipple, this 10-course meal – which costs £130 or £225 including the wine pairing) is by far one of the best culinary experiences you can have in London.

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Location: 38 Groom Place, Belgravia, London, SW1X 7BA

Not many restaurants and hotels boast sites across five continents, but when your weekly diners include the Jenners, Kardashians, Biebers and Taylor Swift, it’s not hard to see why Nobu has become one of the most famous eateries in the world for A-list couples and friends.

Nobu has become a firm favourite in London – come rain or shine - thanks to its exquisite interpretations of Japanese cuisine including dishes like miso black cod, yellowtail sashimi, grilled asparagus dry miso, umami Chilean sea bass and shiitake mushroom salad. If that wasn’t enough there’s an incredible sake and wine list and a cocktail menu that features tipples that pack a punch like Mexican Standoff (Maestro Dobel tequila with a smoky touch of mezcal) and the super bitter citrusy Yamato Champagne Cocktail (think Suntory Haku Vodka and Veuve Cliquot champagne). End the night with a green tea tiramisu or Upper Berkeley Street Cheesecake.

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Location: 22 Portman Square, London W1H 7BG

Tucked away in the heart of Fitzrovia lies a cave of exemplary, Michelin-starred restaurant delivery modern Chinese cuisine, cocktails and a romantic ambiance that’s almost unparallel.

There are five signature menus to choose from, but we suggest opting for Shou – costing £98 per person) – which is one of Five Blessings and signifies long life, happiness and harmony. Can you get any more romantic than that? To start, you’ll tuck into classic steamed dim sum and a delectable crispy duck salad before moving on to crispy fresh water prawn, grilled Chilean seabass in honey, stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot and an oozing black truffle roasted duck, accompanied by seasonal vegetables and a small pot of steamed jasmine rice. A signature dessert tops off the meal perfectly, as you sit in a dimly-lit, nearly pitch black restaurant with but the glow of overhead lights illuminating your fellow diners.

We couldn’t think of a more perfect place to celebrate a big moment or anniversary.

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Location: 8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD