From grand dining rooms to intimate gastropubs, the capital serves up a rich spectrum of seasonal epicurean experiences. Chris Johnson hunts out the best
As the leaves turn and crisp air envelops London’s streets, the culinary world shifts into a richer palate, one of deep, earthy flavours and the celebrated arrival of game (wild animals and birds that are hunted). From stately dining rooms to cosy gastropubs, the capital offers a spectrum of autumnal experiences transporting guests through tradition, innovation and seasonal artistry.
Timeless tradition
Autumn has long been the season of game, when the countryside’s rhythms shape the table. The cooler months bring grouse, partridge, pheasant and venison into their prime, each at its best after a summer of wild feeding. Traditionally hunted and foraged, these meats offer depth, richness and a sense of ceremony that lighter summer fare cannot. It is a fleeting season, eagerly awaited by chefs and diners alike, and in London’s restaurants it arrives with both reverence for tradition and a flair for modern interpretation.
Begin with Wiltons in affluent St James’s, a venerable institution that has been serving game since 1742, where the season arrives with ceremonial gravitas. Here, Yorkshire grouse is roasted with rashers of bacon, accompanied by bread sauce and game chips. Then head to Corrigan’s Mayfair. Reflecting Richard Corrigan’s passion for wild game and fish, the restaurant is celebrated for its timeless cuisine, with classics such as roast Aylesbury duck breast with hazelnuts, and fillet of beef en croûte.
Rules, the venerable Covent Garden institution founded in 1798, brings more autumn warmth through its classic game dishes and storied tradition. Slow-cooked shin of British rose veal comes heaped on creamed potatoes with bacon and crisp sage, served within walls that echo centuries of convivial dining.
In Soho, the legendary restaurant and members’ club Quo Vadis marks the autumn season with refinement. Grouse returns triumphantly, reared on young heather and plated with strawberries, bread sauce, sherry, game crisps and redcurrant jelly. Seasonal touches such as stone-fruit purées and nutty autumnal salads lift the ensemble – and it’s all served in a dining room that is alive with timeless, old-world glamour.
A short stroll leads to Sophie’s Soho, once a legendary cinema in the 1960s. Today it is known for its steaks and seasonal dishes such as truffle risotto, luxuriously scented, with coal-roasted beetroot on the side. Also in Soho, Sussex British Bistro blends countryside tradition with a London edge. Game meets open-fire cooking, yielding duck heart and pork skin ragù at its best.
Gastropub excellence
In Fulham, the Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-starred gastropub, blends rustic warmth with refined techniques. Begin with a crispy venison Scotch egg, then move to Berkshire fallow deer with smoked beetroot, blackberry and bone marrow. Its hearth-side dining room makes it a quintessential autumn refuge.
Similarly rooted in tradition, but with a soulful edge, is The Jugged Hare close to the Barbican. Throughout the season it honours game with dishes such as wild Norfolk hare, braised in its own blood and served in a jug, and Lincolnshire pheasant and chorizo pie with mash and gravy. It’s comforting food that warms the spirit as much as the body.
Modern mastery
Venture west to Kensington to discover Kitchen W8, where game is raised to an art form. Here, chef Mark Kempson serves whole Yorkshire grouse, perfectly roasted and paired with smoked celeriac, stuffed cabbage, damson jus and rich liver and bacon, each element a tribute to precision and the season’s bounty.
Equally modern is the Michelin-starred Trinity in Clapham Old Town, where chef Adam Byatt crafts dishes such as galantine of guinea hen with vadouvan spices, and roast English duck with stone fruits, all executed with meticulous care for texture and flavour. Each plate, served in a stylish monochrome dining room, is a dialogue between wild meats and thoughtful technique.
Refined innovation
Turn to Mayfair’s Kanishka for a journey into the Indian subcontinent. Here, chef Ashok Kumar brings South Asian refinement to the game season, with the dish Hiran Ki Boti, fallow venison fillet in a wild mushroom and chocolate curry, and Batak Salan, Gressingham duck breast paired with salan sauce, rhubarb and chilli jam.
Hotel elegance
Autumn finds fresh expression in some of London’s most refined hotel dining rooms. Brooklands by Claude Bosi, at The Peninsula Belgravia, has reopened with a newly imagined seasonal menu. Bosi’s sensibility – delicate, precise and luxurious – transforms game from dishes to experiences.
Equally assured, Michael Caines MBE, one of Britain’s most celebrated chefs, has brought his eponymous restaurant to The Stafford. His autumn menu marries the hotel’s traditions with his crystalline finesse, producing dishes such as pan-roasted duck liver with chicory, golden raisins, candied walnuts, orange confit and Gewürztraminer (white wine) sauce.
Hidden gems
Not every autumnal game dish needs to roar; some prefer to whisper. Fallow takes the understated path, with lesser-known meats, seasonal sides and quietly complex flavours. The Fallow burger, though not strictly game, is essential – a blend of aged dairy cow, nduja (spicy pork sausage) and candied bacon.
Tucked away in St James’s and quietly elegant, 45 Jermyn Street greets autumn with measured precision. Calves’ liver, served with crisp onions and sweetcure bacon, offers a subtle foretaste of the colder months ahead.
La Poule au Pot remains a stalwart of rustic French charm, its candlelit rooms a tableau of weathered wood and copper pans. Autumn finds expression here in cassoulet, the slow-cooked dish with confit duck, Toulouse sausage and white beans, carrying the season’s warmth in every spoonful. Equally evocative is the foie de veau grillé, calves’ liver charred just enough to release its richness, served with buttered greens and a glass of red Burgundy. An echo of provincial France in the heart of London.
Further west, Boisdale, a Scottish-themed retreat, ushers in the season with generous game. Smoked venison, rich terrines and hearty pies arrive alongside the gentle warmth of whisky or the peaty curl of Islay malt, each plate evoking a mist-softened evening in the Highlands. There is even a cigar terrace.
A flavour of the season
For those seeking the taste of autumn, these restaurants offer a way into the heart of London’s most evocative season. In the capital, autumn is not only seen in the turning leaves, but savoured, one rich, flavourful plate at a time. It is a season best enjoyed slowly, with flavours that linger long after the final bite.
