J Sheekey
The grande dame of the capital’s seafood scene, J Sheekey has been an icon of theatreland for more than a century and rightly so. Its red façade is all warm welcome, its seafood platters as showstopping as the dramas staged in the theatres that throng the restaurant. The Cornish fish stew is a thing is absolute perfection. Book it.
Beast
Even before you enter into its alluringly sultry room, Beast feels exciting. Its name, for one: a restaurant called Beast is fundamentally irresistible, is it not? And then there is its website, which is suitably dramatic, dark and inviting. And finally, of course, there is the food. Specialising in surf and turf, crab and lobster are delivered to candlelit tables alongside the full complement of porterhouses, chataeubriands et al. It’s expensive – hugely so – but over its decade in business, it has also proved that it is absolutely stellar. Don’t leave without trying the whole king crab. Book it.
Claude Bosi’s Oyster Bar at Bibendum
The Conran Shop may now have lamentably departed its long-time home at the Michelin Building, but thankfully Bibendum still stands proud upstairs, with its ground floor oyster bar continuing to draw in the chic of Chelsea and beyond. Under the auspices of the great Claude Bosi, the menu keeps it simple, as should you: opt for a sharing platter and a cold glass of wine and thus partake of one of the Royal Borough’s most classic experiences. Book it.
Prawn On The Lawn
It is a good sign that Prawn On The Lawn’s sister restaurant is situated in Padstow, a place that could not be more synonymous with seafood if it tried, thanks to both its coastal location and the well-documented Rick Stein effect. Another good portent is its daily changing menu, a reflection of the scrupulous freshness of its ingredients. We say come for the whole crabs and the seafood orzetto with prawns, clams, day boat fish; stay for the winningly casual ambience. Book it.
London Shell Co
Usually restaurants on boats do not fill our hearts with gladness. They tend towards the gimmicky and the lacklustre traditionally – but not so the London Shell Co, which operates from a family-run cruising restaurant boat moored in Paddington. Founded in 2016, the quality of its ingredients is sublime and exquisite freshness is insisted upon. Punters can choose between the cruising set menu to be eaten while gliding along the Prince Regent Canal, or they might prefer the static option at Paddington. As critic Michael Deacon eulogised in the Telegraph, ‘I love going to restaurants, but it's rare that I get such a tingle of boyish excitement about it.’ Book it.
Angler
On the top floor of the slick South Place Hotel at Moorgate, this chic destination seafood offering is the brainchild of exec chef Gary Foulkes, whose inventive way with seabass, squid and salmon has rightly earned him a Michelin star. This is fine dining at its best – and it even has a terrace for summer nights when London suddenly feels like a holiday destination. Book it.
Randall & Aubin
Ed Baines is the chef-patron at Soho’s Randall & Aubin, a fish restaurant housed within a former butcher, which we find curiously pleasing. And, if you like seafood in every iteration, you’ll love this place – menu highlights include rock shrimp tempura; Bouillabaisse with mixed prime fish and seafood, sourdough croutons and aioli; as well as we classic fish n chips: R&A Peterhead haddock & house chips with minted pea purée and tartare sauce. It’s always, always a good idea to stop by.
