Finding the top London restaurants?

Finding the top London restaurants today is considerably easier than it was in the past. This is not just because the internet has countless listings and descriptions, nor because the restaurants themselves have their own websites and menus, that can even be downloaded and printed. But the fact is that there are more top London restaurants providing far greater overall quality than in the past.

British quality cuisine would be considered by many non Brits to be a contradiction. Many would point out that the only thing that British cooks know how to do is to make food inedible. This is far from the truth. Diners at London restaurants are fortunate in that there is a wealth of international cuisine available in London, caused in a great part by the lack of British cooking quality in the 1950s and 1960s.

There is a good reason why there was a lack of quality London restaurants in those times. For 10 years, Britain was subject to food rationing; quality cooking was not an option. In the 1960s, things began to change with French, Italian and the first Chinese and Indian restaurants arriving. Initially, the French restaurants began to be graded as the top London restaurants but they were not to enjoy this monopoly for long.

French restaurants mainly based in London’s West End were the main restaurants winning awards, but Italian and then even British restaurants started to join them, from British pie restaurants in Covent Garden to award winning fish and chips restaurants in London’s Docklands the choice of cuisine in top London restaurants has become more varied in the last 20 years.

The good news for diners looking for top London restaurants is that it may not be necessary to travel to the West End of London to find what you are looking for. You may be surprised to find that many of best restaurants in London are found in the suburbs, not in the city center.
Indian food and the unique curry house started to emerge and become popular in London with the arrival of Indian subcontinent ethnic communities from the 1970s. Going for a curry after a Saturday night in the pub became a habit for many young Londoners. Indian restaurants were fast to adapt their menus to attract British tastes and a form of Anglo-Indian cuisine emerged. The most famous dish that is now a signature official British dish alongside fish and chips is Chicken Tikka Masala. The daily production quantity for sale in supermarkets is truly staggering.

You will find Indian restaurants in the list of the top 20 best London restaurants for good reasons. The restaurant owners in many cases have taken the best of traditional cooking from the home country and mixed it with the tastes of London diners. Using the original herbs and spices that are far more available today in London than before, they can come up with an excellent menu exactly as if in the Indian subcontinent. This refinement and attention to detail makes the best Indian restaurants in London stand head and shoulders above their more average competition.