Not restaurants, but consider trying Laduree and Berthillon in Paris if you have time.
Heard great things about St. John, too.
St. John Smithfield is very good. Definitely a head to tail type place. Wine list is not extensive, but serviceable. I recall the stemware to be not so great… maybe I just got the cheap stems.
Afraid I had a slightly different experience at Pollen St Social. We found it really inconsistent/hit and miss and far more expensive than it should have been for what it was in execution. Nice atmosphere and good service, but overall the experience left us wanting better.
Really liked 10 Greek St. and Angelus though. And the Ledbury was fantastic (we had lunch).
Other places that we enjoyed were Hawksmoor Seven Dials and Rules.
Most of these ideas were sourced here on this very board.
BTW_ I had a 9 year old and an 11 year old with me at all restaurants- granted they are very good and adventurous eaters, but they were able to eat at and enjoy all of these spots. (Ledbury, Angelus, 10 Greek St were their favorites of these, though my daughter discovered bone marrow at St. John and hasn’t been the same since. 
I like Hawksmoor well enough for meat. But I like Goodman, more.
Our bookings for the end of the month:
Yauatcha
Ledbury
Nopi
Moti Mahal
Kitchen Table
Berner’s Tavern
Goodman
Nopi was great and an 8 year old would be fine. The Ledbury was quite a bit more buttoned up and quiet (even at lunch/brunch) so ymmv depending on your 8 year old.
First, thank you to everyone for the great recommendations! This is what I have planned so far:
Paris:
David Toutaine on Monday
Sunday is still up in the air. Leaning towards Pur or Les Tablettes Jean Marie Nomicos
We arrive Sat and might be jet lagged, especially our daughter, but think it might be wise to book something on a Sat night. Leaning towards Les Climats (dat Burgundy list!) or Le Restaurant.
London:
Booked The Ledbury so far.
Leaning towards Pollen Street Social and 10 Greek St for the other dinners. Kitchen Table sounded amazing but no avail. Kicked around Gordon Ramsey and still haven’t discounted it completely. Also considering Galvin at Windows for the view but that might be too touristy for us, although we are tourists.
Went to Ledbury and Gordon Ramsey last fall. I have no experience in London other than our last visit but I would return to both when we go back to London. Lunch at Ledbury and dinner at GR were as good as we had last year.
JD
Good work Joe.
Loved the Ledbury (and was a highlight for our children, especially as they received a visit to the kitchen and a chat with Brett) and 10 Greek St, a nice bustly, informal joint with assured food.
Terroir wine bar another to consider in London. Interesting, organic skewed wine list and excellent meals.
Joe,
If you’re interested in 10 Greek Street for dinner, you may also want to check out Arbutus, which is around the corner on Frith Street and takes reservations (10 Greek Street doesn’t). Food is similar; I prefer Arbutus just a little.
Quick update.
Booked Le Cinq for my wife’s Sunday Bday dinner. Yea, they have a kid’s menu!
Thanks again to everyone for all the great recs. This board rocks!
Any feedback on the above restaurants from your trip? I’m headed to London at the end of September and need to start making some bookings. Would love to hear your thoughts on these or any other spots you enjoyed.
The Ledbury was as good as always. Deserving of its two Michelin **s, if that means anything to you. Brett Graham is making an effort for the service and environment to be less formal. For the first time ever (more than 12 meals), I didn’t wear a sports coat and I didn’t feel underdressed. I prefer the a la carte menu, but it isn’t offered on the weekends.
Nopi was disappointing. We’ve been there a bunch of times and neither my wife nor I thought it as good as it’s been in the past. Maybe we’ve been too many times, as the menu stays pretty much the same.
Moti Mahal was very good. We hadn’t been in 18 months and were very impressed. It was every bit as good as Gymkhana. Eat the tandoori chicken (cooked three ways and served in small tandoor at the table), lamb chops, charcoal grilled lentils, a weird but incredibly delicious multi ingredient ‘roll’ with a white sauce and pomegranate seeds, and butter chicken. Not inexpensive, but worth it.
Berner’s Tavern is a part of Jason Atherton’s London empire (Pollen Street Social, Social Eating House, etc). I ate a perfect Dover sole with brown butter. My wife ate mac and cheese with ox cheeks. Fun place.
We ate at Kitchen Table last night (our third visit in the past year). 12 or 16 courses (the extra 4 courses are a £15 surcharge) that change daily. Excellent. One of our favorite places to eat, anywhere. James Knappett cooked at Per Se, Gordon Ramsay, and Noma. Very imaginative and very, very good. A very tough reservation, but worth the effort.
Tonight is our last night in London and we’ll go to Goodman in two hours and share a 1kg a grass fed, dry aged Belted Galloway rib steak that is our favorite pretty much anywhere. With creamed spinach and beef tallow fries.
Back from dinner. 40 day dry aged, grass fed Belted Galloway rib steak. Cut to size (I specified 900g, but I think they were very generous), and cooked to order. With beef fat salt.
Mark;
Interesting that you prefer the a la carte menu. I’ve been three times, always tasting menu. The first two were absolutely outstanding. The third (on a Sunday night, but a la carte was offered) was a real notch below the last meals, with repetitive elements and less invention overall.
JK - Pollen street social is my new favorite restaurant in London. I was blown away when I went.
I always go to J. Sheekey for fish after theater. Best razor clams ever.
Hi Barry,
Our dinner at The Ledbury was our first in London after a long stay in the Greek islands. Seven years ago you suggested that we stay on the Santorini Caldera rather than the beaches and we’ve been back every year since, weaving in a week here and there on Crete, Rhodes, and especially Mykonos… Neither of us was really up for a tasting dinner and, with the extra courses they bring because they like my wife and tolerate me, it was way too much after a month of mainly pescatorian eating.
We’ve been to Social Eating House and now Berners Tavern. Pollen Street Social will be next.
Thanks for the J. Sheekey recommendation. We seem to like the same places, with Spring being the outlier. If you ever go to Kitchen Table, I’m interested in your reaction; it is a favorite of ours
Moti Mahal ia fantastic!
Just returned from 3 nights in Paris. After breaking the bank at the new Guy Savoy, roasting in the un airconditioned l’ami Jean, we had a nice casual dinner Sunday night at l’ardoise. 3 courses for 35 euros. Starter, entree, dessert or cheese. Centrally located and I reserved online. 5 or 6 choices for each course with a few specials. A few courses charged a minimal supplement. Also not air conditioned, but heat in Paris had subsided and room was comfortable with door open and fans operating. On Guy Savoy, been there several times before at original location. Amazing that they keep records and can tell you what you ate and drank on prior visits. We did not do the tasting menu which looked fabulous, but is just too much food for my wife and me. Head waiter suggested half portions of the separate starters my wife and I ordered so dinner became 3 courses not counting dessert. The half portions were huge, and I doubt they were really halves.
Where has Guy Savoy moved to. Splendid restaurant.
Anyone been to Jean-Louis Nomicos restaurant? He worked with Ducasse for some time.
Mark - We booked Kitchen Table for one night of our London visit in November on your suggestion. Do you still recommend over Pollen Street Social? Other opinions welcome, too.
SK
I prefer Kitchen Table, although I like the Atherton restaurants, too. Kitchen Table is a fun night, especially for those of us who don’t get to talk very often with chefs while they cook our dinner. I like that Knappett tries new things every night. And he cooks every dish served. I’ll be very interested to know your views, if you go.
Thanks Mark - we will let you know how it goes. Sounds like our kind of place for sure.
Best,
Sarah