We’ve visited the hotels, we’ve sampled the pubs, and now it’s time for a spot of dinner. Here’s Pooky’s pick of the 10 most beautiful restaurant interiors in London…
We all know our capital boasts an endless supply of restaurants serving top notch food from across the globe. But at Pooky, we love interiors more than anything, and we’ve selected our favourite London restaurants on the basis of their fabulous interior design – we want a feast for the eyes as much as the taste-buds. From stunning contemporary brasseries to neo-classical dining rooms, here, in no particular order, are 10 of the most beautiful, intriguing – and in some cases mind-boggling – restaurant interiors in the city. And if we’ve missed your favourite, let us know!
1) Berners Tavern
Part restaurant, part art gallery, Berners Tavern serves up a genuine wow factor. From the vast ornate ceilings with their intricate plasterwork, to the majestic chandeliers, this stunning dining room belies its rather modest name. The most striking feature of all is the plethora of beautiful paintings adorning the walls, occupying pretty much every available space from ceiling to floor – yes, you might say it’s a truly picture-esque restaurant (sorry). 10 Berners Street, W1T 3NP. Visit website.
2) The Brasserie at 1 Lombard Street
The banking hall of 1 Lombard Street remains a big City player – though nowadays in the field of gastronomy. The glorious Grade II listed building boasts beautiful neo-classical features and design inspired by the 16th century Italian painter Titian. The pièce de résistance of the vibrant 200-seater brasserie is the spectacular glass dome designed by the Italian architect Pietro Agostini, which bathes the surrounding diners in natural light. 1 Lombard Street, EC3V 9AA.
3) Nobu Berkeley ST
Dubbed the ‘world’s sexiest restaurants’, Nobu is a byword for very trendy Japanese fusion dining, and the Mayfair edition is arguably the sexiest of the lot. Designed by the David Collins Studio, Nobu Berkely ST takes inspiration from the shapes and silhouettes of Japanese forests, employing elements of traditional Japanese design and materials, cleverly combined with intricate lighting features to create a relaxed and comfortable (and, yes, rather sexy) atmosphere. 15 Berkeley Street, W1J 8DY Visit website.
4) Beach Blanket Babylon
Beach Blanket Babylon, or BBB as it’s known to its followers, offers a magical, totally unique dining experience in the heart of Notting Hill. Set in a beautiful Georgian Mansion, the restaurant comprises a number of individual rooms, each sporting its own eye-popping features. As you await your meal in the crypt, the chapel, or the elegant private ballroom – with its impressive collection of bespoke paintings – you can feast your eyes a bewildering array of interior design styles.
Here Rococo meets French country chateau meets the Baroque...Imposing fireplaces, majestic chandeliers and sumptuous furniture... Not to mention the bridges and curious staircases winding to who knows where. BBB offers serious ambience. 45 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA. Visit website.
5) Darwin brasserie, Sky Garden
Way up at the top of the Walkie Talkie, Darwin is London’s highest brasserie. It forms part of the Sky Garden, which provides panoramic 360 degree views of the city, complete with observation decks and an open air terrace. At Darwin you can enjoy brasserie food made with seasonal British ingredients against unrivalled vistas of London, so a sort of ‘exterior-as-interior’ experience. High-end dining indeed. 1 Sky Garden Walk, 20 Fenchurch Street EC3M 8AF. Visit website.
6) sketch Gallery
Envisioned by its creators as a coming-together of the genres of food, art and entertainment, sketch Gallery offers an array of different interior design visions, all housed within an 18th century building in Conduit Street. It’s trendy, it’s arty, it’s adventurous, but always with a witty twist. The Gallery’s monochromatic pink colour scheme by India Mahdavi creates a striking juxtaposition against the Gallery’s current exhibit – more than 200 works of art by Turner Prize nominee David Shrigley.
In other rooms, the Lecture Room and Library offer luxury and a hint of decadence, while The Glade is an enchanting hand-cut decoupage forest. 9 Conduit St W1S 2XG. Visit website.
7) Massimo Restaurant & Bar
Housed in the beautiful Corinthia Hotel, Massimo offers classy elegance with a touch of Italian romance – and it’s not just down to the oysters. Designed by the David Collins Studio, the Art Deco interior, impressive striped Corinthian columns and the use of mahogany and marble lend the interior a real grandeur. However, for Pooky, of course, it’s the impressive hovering globe light fittings which are the real stars of the show. 10 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5AE.
8) The Georgian Restaurant, Harrods
If there really is such a thing as ‘quintessentially English’, this restaurant must have a claim to being it. Interior designer Christopher Guy Harrison went to town on The Georgian Restaurant, with decorated ceilings and chandeliers aplenty, and carved wood silver leafed panels and intricate mosaics featuring more than 130,000 individual pieces. The Champagne Afternoon tea is a London institution, much like Harrods, really. So if you like this sort of thing, this is definitely the sort of thing you'll like. Need we say more? Fourth floor at Harrods. Visit website.
9) aqua nueva
aqua nueva on Regent Street offers an intriguing combination of glamour and drama… and a whacking great statue of a charging bull to welcome you on arrival. Redesigned in 2015 by Robert Angell, the stunning lighting sets off the features, including 15,000 hand crafted wooden beads suspended from a copper-coloured vaulted ceiling which is designed to imitate the inside of a Jerez sherry cask. Step onto the 3,000 square foot roof terrace for impressive views over the city. 240 Regent Street, W1B 3BR. Visit website.
10) Sea Containers at Mondrian London
Occupying the former Sea Containers House, and enjoying a revamp under the captaincy of esteemed designer Tom Dixon, the Mondrian hotel takes the Golden Age of transatlantic ocean travel as its central theme and sails away with it. The building boasts a vast sweeping copper ‘hull’ and the Sea Containers restaurant continues the theme, complete with a model yellow submarine hovering above the bar. 20 Upper Ground, SE1 9PD.
So that's our selection of the 10 Most Beautiful Restaurant Interiors in London. But have we missed your favourite? And what about restaurants outside the capital? Let us know…
We make beautiful designer lamps for beautiful interiors - see our collection here. If you enjoyed this post, check out The 10 Most Beautiful Pub Interiors in London, Hotel Interiors in London and The 10 Most Beautiful National Trust Interiors.
