Best and most disappointing restaurants in London revealed
Oxo Tower, one of London's most iconic venues, has been voted as the "most disappointing" for its cooking, in a new London Restaurant guide.
The 2015 edition of Harden's London Restaurants guide saw the popular River Cafe dubbed an "overcrowded" and "impersonal place" where "uneventful dishes are served at merciless prices".
Food served at celebrity-favourite Chiltern Firehouse - often visited by famous faces Cara Delevingne and Lindsay Lohan - was described "meh" in the survey.
The top 10 London restaurants for most disappointing cooking are:
1. Oxo Tower Restaurant, South Bank
2. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental, Knightsbridge
3. Colbert, Sloane Square
4. The Ivy, West End
5. Royal Hospital Road Restaurant, Chelsea
6. Le Gavroche, Mayfair
7. Balthazar, Covent Garden
8. Marcus, Knightsbridge
9. Alain Ducasse, Dorchester, Park Lane
10. Dabbous, Fitzrovia
Appearing on the Most Disappointing Cooking list for the first time is Ollie Dabbous' flagship, Dabbous situated in Fitzrovia.
The top 10 most overpriced restaurants in London are:
1. The River Cafe, Hammersmith
2. Oxo Tower Restaurant, South Bank
3. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental, Knightsbridge
4. Royal Hospital Road Restaurant, Chelsea
5. Marcus, Knightsbridge
6. Alain Ducasse, Dorchester, Park Lane
7. Le Gavroche, Mayfair
8. Cut, Dorchester, Park Lane
9. Balthazar, Covent Garden
10. Pollen Street Social, Soho
While the new guide named and shamed the worst restaurants for being overpriced and serving mediocre food, it also revealed the best places to eat in the city.
The Ledbury in Notting Hill was named London's best restaurant after coming first in the Top Gastronomic Experience and being rated highest for its food and restaurant overall.
For the 10th year running Chez Bruce in Wandsworth Common was voted London's Favourite Restaurant.
London's top 10 restaurants for best gastronomic experience are:
1. The Ledbury, Notting Hill
2. Le Gavroche, Mayfair
3. Dinner, Knightsbridge
4. Chez Bruce, Wandsworth Common
5. Pollen Street Social, Soho
6. Pied a Terre, Central London
7. Royal Hospital Road restaurant, Chelsea
8. The Square, Mayfair
9. Marcus, Knightsbridge
10. Medlar, Chelsea
Simon Rogan's relaunch of Claridge's dining room – Fera at Claridge's – was praised, being awarded the highest rated newcomer of the year.
The restaurant also placed fourth in the overall rankings for food, service and ambience, winning high praise for its "phenomenal' meals" and "gloriously attentive" service.
The highest rated restaurants overall for food, service and ambiance are:
£85+
The Ledbury, Notting Hill
Bubbledogs, Fitzrovia
Le Gavroche, Mayfair
Fera at Claridge's, Mayair
Pied a Terre, Fitzrovia
£65-£84
The Five Fields, Chelsea
The Goring Hotel, Victoria
Chez Bruce, Wandsworth Common
Scott's, Mayfair
Galvin La Chapelle, Spitalfields
£50-£64
Sushi Tetsu, Clerkenwell
Clos Maggiore, Covent Garden
L'Aventure, St John's Wood
Randall & Aubin, Soho
J Sheekey Oyster Bar, West End
£40-£49
Lamberts, Balham
Donostia, Marble Arch
Brawn, Bethnall Green
Sushi-Say, Willesden Green
José, Bermondsey
£39 or less
Carom at Meza, Soho
The Begging Bowl, Peckham
Pitt Cue Co, Carnaby Street
Paradise Hampstead, South End Green
Meat Mission, Hoxton Market