As the days stretch out and London remembers what sunshine feels like, the city’s terraces, canalsides and breezy dining rooms become irresistible places to linger over lunch, reveals Chris Johnson.
In Soho, Osteria Vibrato delivers a dose of Italian glamour just when Londoners start craving lighter, brighter food. The kitchen leans into regional Italian cooking where things are kept simple: think antipasti and fresh pasta rolled daily until it’s silky enough to twirl with ease.
Across to the City, where Beany Green brings Australian café culture to Broadgate Circle. When the sun hits the terrace, the place fills with people chasing coffee, colour and something vaguely virtuous. Plates arrive looking as if they’ve stepped out o f a lifestyle magazine: smashed avocado piled high on charcoal sourdough and sweetcorn fritters crowned with poached eggs and feta.
Meanwhile in Fitzrovia, Brasserie Angelica at The Newman, brings a more polished brasserie feel. The modern European menu celebrates seasonal produce and live fire cooking, with plates such as gravadlax, steak tartare, and double tranche of halibut with Hasselback potatoes, greens and mustard sauce.
In Marylebone, Maset brings the sun-soaked flavours of France’s Mediterranean coast to a neighbourhood bistro setting. The restaurant takes inspiration from the cooking of Marseille,Nice and the Camargue, where robust coastal dishes and fragrant herbs define the table.Signature plates include cod fillet in a cuttlefish bouillabaisse, delicate sea bream crudo and basil linguine bright with herbaceous flavours.
Then there’s the Towpath Café, which may well be London’s most charming spring lunch spot. Perched directly on the Regent’s Canal towpath in Hackney, between Whitmore Bridge and Kingsland Road Bridge, it’s less restaurant and more glorious canalside ritual. The chalkboard menu shifts with the seasons and its simple plates taste even better with boats drifting past.
For a final dose of riverside London, head to the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich. With the Thames rolling past its windows and terrace tables catching the afternoon light, it’s a glorious place for seafood, grilled fish or something reassuringly British after a walk in Greenwich Park.
And if you’re planning to watch The CHANEL J12 Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge this Easter ( 4 Apr), head to Fulham Pier where a lively riverside fan zone will offer front-row views of the crews racing along the Thames, big-screen coverage, street-food stalls and live entertainment all day. Or treat yourself at Brasserie Constance, where seasonal modern British dishes curated by Michelin-star chef Adam Byatt await.
