So you finally decide on a restaurant to eat at for dinner — that’s the first hurdle — then you’re faced with deciding what to pick off the menu. Struggles. Especially when you’re dining with someone who doesn’t favour the whole sharing thing. But hey, that’s what tasting menus are for! Smaller plates of lots of dishes, and obligatory dessert? Winning! And not only do you get to explore more of the menu with a tasting menu but they’re usually a better deal too. Five courses for £38? Sold. Read on for our pick of the very best tasting menus in London – all under £70. We’re talking more bang and plenty more deliciousness for your buck.
Weekend Brunch at ROKA Aldwych
£39 with bellini on arrival (or £55 with unlimited red/white/sparkling wine throughout your meal.)
ROKA, one of London’s most celebrated Japanese restaurants, does a banging good deal on the weekend. The £39 han setto brunch starts with a bellini on arrival, then comprises of ten starters to share (yep, we said ten, including the likes of sashimi, gyoza, and prawn tempura), a main dish, and a giant dessert platter, complete with laughing chocolate Buddha. It’s so much food and it’s such good value.
Photo: Courtesy of ROKA.
Picture Marylebone
£40 for 6 courses
Picture Marylebone, a recent addition the original Fitzrovia location, offers a fantastic six-course menu for just £40 — an absolute steal once you’ve discovered how good the food is. Set up by three Michelin-trained chefs who decided to do out with the fancy pants-ness of stuffy Michelin-starred restaurants, Picture is fine food without the fuss, and without a doubt one of London’s new bests.
Photo: Courtesy of Picture Marylebone.
Test Kitchen Tuesdays at Craft
£28 for a 6 course ‘blind’ tasting menu
Stevie Parle and his gang at Craft are letting you help, well, craft the menu with their Test Kitchen Tuesdays series. Guests are invited to a £28 six course blind tasting menu, which features dishes that are still in development or available in very small quantity, to engage with the chefs, feedback on what’s good or not so good, and ultimately help direct the future menus. Tables are limited and available from 8pm every Tuesday. Call ahead to book: 02084655910.
Photo: Courtesy of Craft.
Anglo
£45 for 7 courses
Anglo, Farringdon’s modern British dining spot serves a blinding seven-course tasting menu every evening for just £45. Raved about by the likes of Grace Dent, Giles Coren et al, it’s a snip for a big dinner with some big, beautiful flavours. A must-do for foodies.
Photo: Courtesy of Anglo.
Kitchen Table
£68 for 10-15 courses
Hidden away through a discrete entrance behind Bubbledogs, Kitchen Table is a 19-seat Michelin-starred spot, which offers guests an intimate, interactive dinner experience. Diners can watch and chat to Head Chef, James Knappett and his team, whilst they prepare and serve a daily changing set menu between 10-15 courses. Sittings are at 6pm and 7:30pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Photo: Courtesy of Kitchen Table.
Taste of Hakkasan
£38 for 3 courses and a cocktail
Desperate to try Hakkasan but feeling the pinch? Taste of Hakkasan, the restaurant’s £38 three-course dinner deal is the perfect way to sample the Michelin-starred Cantonese cuisine without totally blowing the budget. Available for lunch Monday-Saturday or specific dinner times, it features some of the restaurant’s star dishes — and you get a signature cocktail thrown in for good measure.
Photo: Courtesy of Hakkasan.
Typing Room
£60 for 5 courses
Headed up by Lee Westcott, who’s worked with the likes of Jason Atherton, Tom Aikens and Gordon Ramsay, Typing Room is without a doubt one of the finest culinary highlights of Bethnal Green. Choose between the five course (£65) or seven course (£82) tasting menu, comprised of local and seasonal produce, and creative, modern European flavours.
Photo: Courtesy of Typing Room.
Smoke & Salt
£38 for 5 courses
Having toured around doing residencies across London, chefs Aaron Webster and Remi Williams are taking up a year-long residency upstairs at Islington’s Chapel Bar. Open Monday-Thursday for brunch and dinner, Smoke and Salt offers a £38 five-course tasting menu that packs a real punch. Sweetcorn tart for dessert anyone?
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