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Food & Drink

Artful dining: 12 of the best quirky restaurants, London

Desperate to impress a first date? In need of a culture fix and a long gossip, martini in hand?
Then, art lovers and cocktail sippers rejoice! Our ultimate insider's guide to London's very best art-inspired restaurants is just what you're looking for.
Barista coffee in a Victorian urinal, pill-cabinet interiors by Damien Hirst, and 239 David Shrigley drawings; these restaurants with beautifully artful interiors give traditional gastronomy – and, even the city's best museums and galleries – a run for their money.

Brasserie of Light, Selfridges

All eyes are on Selfridges ahead of the opening of a show-stopping new destination restaurant and bar this November. Brasserie of Light, the first after-hours Selfridges dining hotspot, promises to dazzle diners with Art Deco interiors by Martin Brudnizki, an eclectic menu and a giant suspended crystal Pegasus by contemporary art star Damien Hirst.

Its 30ft wingspan soars over the heads of diners, bathing the Brasserie in abundant, glittery light. There is an opulent central bar with a cocktail list paying homage to Selfridges' 109 year history, as well as an intimate private dining room. Everyone's talking about this arty haven in the middle of London's favourite department store, so join the band wagon and book now.

WHEN

November, TBC

WHERE

Brasserie of Light
400 Oxford Street , London, W1A1AB

The Coal Office Restaurant, King's Cross

The opening of Coal Drop's Yard in King's Cross this autumn is not only exciting for London's fashionistas, but also for its keenest foodies. The Coal Office, British designer Tom Dixon's new flagship store, is home to a brand new restaurant as well as a furniture shop, workshop, gallery and office.

Chef Assaf Granit, owner of The Barbary, and Tom Dixon himself have come together to create this urban 'food and design playground'. The restaurant spanning two floors offers Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, and boasts an intricately designed Tom Dixon interior. On sunny days we recommend the breathtaking rooftop terrace for a tipple or two, and if it rains, let yourself loose in the store.

WHEN

Open 5:30-10pm every evening, Monday to Friday lunch from 12-3.30pm, Saturday and Sunday lunch 11am-5pm

WHERE

Coal Office
2 Bagley Walk, London, N1C 4PQ

Ella Canta review, Mayfair <span class="star-block"><span class="star">★★★★★</span></span>

Ella Canta, Mayfair

Glamorous culinary superstar Martha Ortiz brings authentic Mexican cuisine to a new level in London. Can magical realism really be translated into a menu and restaurant interior? And, the answer is yes, yes it can.

Interior designers David Collins Studio bring the heat and colour of Mexico to life at Ella Canta, paying homage to Modernist artists and designers. The dining space is separated into sun-blanched blush pink, red, tan and blue spaces separated by an extravagant floor to ceiling walnut installation, table tops are finished in handcrafted eggshell-like lacquer, handmade wallpaper glints with gold.

The menu is as exotic: crunchy golden grasshopper (the insects are popular street food in Mexico City) adorn velvety guacamole, bejeweled with pomegranate and ricotta; margaritas come infused with guava in vintage glasses; and the ice is carved with the Ella Canta logo.

We love the attention to detail and want to try all the cocktails. The sun is definitely rising on a golden age of Mexican cooking in London.

WHEN

Open 6-11.30pm every evening

WHERE

Ella Canta
One Hamilton Place, London, W1J 7QY

Coya, Mayfair

Offering traditional Peruvian dishes and cocktails inspired by a melange of Spanish, Chineses and Japanese cuisines, Coya is a vibrant culinary addition to London's Piccadilly. Menus change seasonally but you will always find ceviche, sharing plates, sesame seeds, fish and meat cooked over a charcoal grill, as well as an extensive selection of house-infused Pisco cocktails.

But Coya offers far more than a good meal. Art and music play a key role in creating Coya's vibrant, artsy atmosphere. As well as featuring specially-commissioned murals painted by São Paulo street artist Loro Verz and hosting the Coya Collective, a group of writers, musicians, artists and creatives who curate a fabulous programme of workshops, poetry evenings and cocktail masterclasses, Coya stages temporary art exhibitions with well-known artists and galleries.

This October Coya collaborates with Mayfair-based gallery Imitate Modern to present a showcase of previously unseen work by graffiti artist Maximilian Wiedemann. With glorious art on the walls, and delicious cocktails and food on offer, Coya is a great central London spot for a quick bite and an off-duty art fix.

WHEN

Open 12pm -12am every day. Saturday and Sunday until 1am

WHERE

118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7NW

Bonhams Restaurant, Mayfair

Bonhams isn’t exactly a gallery – it is one of the world’s oldest fine art and antiques auctioneers. Unsurprisingly, their Michelin star restaurant, decorated with food heavy paintings, is top echelon.

Appropriately head chef Tom Kemble studied history of art before taking to the kitchen. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and offers a refined set menu (3 courses £50); it also opens on Friday evenings for the seven-course tasting menu (£70). Favourites from this gastronomical extravaganza include the Cornish turbot with ratte potatoes, lardo and bouillabaisse.

The head of Bonhams wine sales, Richard Harvey MW, oversees the wine list, which includes the phenomenal Chateau Lynch Barge. Mere mortals, though, can choose a dozen or more wines by the glass.

Browse the galleries on leaving, and dream of the prospective Canalettos, Hirsts and Picassos that may line your walls....

WHEN

Open for breakfast from 8.00 am & lunch Monday - Friday, 12pm-3pm, supper Thursday 7.00pm-9.00pm

WHERE

Bonham's, 7 Haunch of Venison Yard, Mayfair, W1E 5E5

The Mandrake Hotel, Soho

The Mandrake, which opened its doors in 2017, is an independent property which professes to be hipper than hip. With 30 guest rooms decorated in six different styles across four floors, The Mandrake is one of London's most intriguing new hotels.

While the sumptuous bedroom interiors, surrealist designed suites, Michelin-starred restaurant, and central greenhouse full of exotic plants have got people talking, the formidable art collection has got collectors, dealers and artists around the world swinging from the rooftops.

But this autumn it's the celebrated 'Artist in Residence' programme and string of special events that truly merit attention. Treat yourself to an evening at the #ArtOfTheWild pop-up by Perrier-Jouet, a whimsical wild garden table installation and paired Champagne tasting that takes over the first floor private terrace (usually closed to the public).

As the sun sets, sip vintage Perrier-Jouët champagne, enjoy a four-course gourmet tasting menu and listen to witty House anecdotes from the evening's host, Perrier-Jouët ambassador Jonny Fizz.

#ArtOfTheWild paired weekend Brunches and Floristry Workshops are on offer, too. All tickets for these events can be purchased here.

WHEN

#ArtOfTheWild by Perrier-Jouet at The Mandrake will be open to the public on 11th October - 21st October

WHERE

20-21 Newman Street, London, W1T 1PG

Rochelle Canteen, ICA

Rochelle Canteen, run by Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold has been a Shoreditch favourite forever. So their new ICA location has caused great excitement. The interior is low key, minimalist mid century style, and a welcome retreat from the bustle outside.

The focus, though, remains on classic British cooking with simplicity. Menu highlights include the whipped cod's roe and radishes; the incredible suet pastry crust pies rammed with game or chicken; beautiful sake with aioli; and ambrosial lemon tart. It's a restaurant that is always a pleasure whether the culture delivers or not.

WHEN

Open all week except Monday: 12-3 lunch, 6-10pm dinner, snacks all day

WHERE

Rochelle Canteen at The ICA, The Mall, St. James's, SW1Y 5AH

The Attendant, Fitzrovia

Anything goes in London: even a cuppa and slice of cake in a public loo. Left derelict for more than 50 years, this former Victorian toilet has since been converted into one of London's trendiest little coffee spots. The homemade grub is good, but the decor is glorious and perfectly suited for Instagram.

After two-years’ of planning and restoration, the original Doulton & Co porcelain urinals have been transformed into a quirky seating area that sings in perfect harmony with the original Victorian floor tiles. The Attendant is, unsurprisingly, rather crammed, so booking is out of the question. But their own seasonal coffee blend and brioche bun bacon sarnies are well and truly worth the wait.

WHEN

Open 8am-5pm every day

WHERE

27a Foley Street London W1W 6DY

Mark Hix at The Newport Street Gallery

Late Nineties nostalgists will feel right at home at Pharmacy2, as Hirst's newish Newport Street Gallery restaurant recreates his legendary Notting Hill hotspot to perfection. Modern art-loving chef Mark Hix, whose London restaurants display work by Hirst, Tracey Emin and Michael Craig-Martin, oversees the kitchen.

The restaurant is a site-specific installation of Hirst’s celebrated medicine cabinets: pill-shaped bar stools populate the floor-space while etched glass windows cast a kaleidoscope of colour onto diners every time a train trundles past.

Menus tout Hix’s own greatest hits, including: 'heaven and earth', softly spiced black pudding atop a mound of sweet mashed apple and potato; his superb 'de Beauvoir' Hix cured smoked salmon, soft-shell crab burger with kimchi mayo and crab salt chips; and rhubarb Eton mess. Sunday lunch is excellent; we especially recommend the Glenarm beef with all the trimmings accompanied by bottomless Bloody Marys (90 minutes) £20 a head. Eat early on a Saturday evening and walk it off in the gallery after, when it’s open until 10pm.

WHEN

Open Monday - Sunday 10am-late brunch, £15 set lunch, dinner, brunch, Sunday lunch, gallery is open late Saturday evenings.

WHERE

Newport Street Gallery, Newport Street, SE11 6AJ

sketch, Mayfair

Since opening its doors in 2002, sketch Mayfair has remained one of London’s most Instagrammed, artist-conceived restaurants. The ground floor restaurant has 239 original David Shrigley drawings, bubble-gum pink furniture and serves a decadent breakfast and afternoon tea on covetable Shrigley ceramics. All the menus are overseen by three Michelin star French chef Pierre Gagnaire who is renowned for his daring and playful reinterpretations of classic dishes.

sketch is a heavenly and ever surprising oasis for the art and culinary lover in deepest Mayfair. The crystal laden loos are the last word in decadence, too.

WHEN

Open 7 days a week 7am until late

WHERE

9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, W1S 2XG

Artist Residence, Pimlico

If you are prepared to meander slightly off the beaten track, the Artist Residence in Pimlico is well worth your time and effort. Not pretentious or super swanky, the interior spaces, which include a boutique hotel, restaurant, bar, café area and private dining room, are instead elegant, tasteful and decorated in a way that make you feel completely at home.

The art on the walls of the restaurant upstairs is painstakingly chosen by owners and interior-design power duo Charlotte and Justin. Downstairs boasts a cocktail bar turned temporary exhibition space, which exhibits new works by contemporary artists represented by Soho mainstay, Lawrence Alkin Gallery.

While the original Artist Residence in Brighton is quite the bohemian hang-out, the London branch is a little more sophisticated, attracting those across the city with an eye for aesthetically inspiring interiors and an appetite for good grub.

WHEN

Open 7am until 12pm every day

WHERE

52 Cambridge St, Pimlico, London SW1V 4QQ

Scarfes Bar, The Rosewood Hotel

Nestled at the heart of The Rosewood Hotel is Scarfes Bar. With roaring fires, comfy leather sofas, velvet armchairs, and book shelves lined with over 1000 antique books chosen by a specialist dealer, Scarfes Bar oozes sophistication.

But the real draw here are Gerarld Scarfe's satirical illustrations (highlight of his career so far) lining the walls and the creative Scarfe-inspired cocktails. We can see why Scarfe describes the Rosewood bar as his 'personal art gallery, where you can see [his] life on walls'.

As the sun sets, the bar shifts up a gear with a fabulous programme of live jazz. Sip your Ziggy Stardust, snack on top-notch sharing plates and soak up the artfully vibrant atmosphere. It's also a great spot for a date!

WHEN

Open 4pm - 1am Monday - Sunday

WHERE

252 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EN, United Kingdom