Fabulously Quirky Restaurants in London
We highlight some highly rated and quirky restaurants on offer in the capital.
Top & Homepage Photo Mamma Mia! The Party, photo by Mandy Carpenter
BARGE EAST (Hackney Wick, London)
A floating bar and kitchen on a 125-year-old Dutch barge
Hop aboard Barge East – an award-winning restaurant which offers seasonal menus “crafted by talented chefs sourcing the finest produce and handpicked homegrown ingredients from our Gardens” as well as sustainable suppliers. You can choose from casual fine dining in the barge or you can find a more relaxed environment amongst their sustainable produce gardens canalside, which they say is one of London's largest outdoor dining and drinking spaces – an ideal place to enjoy frozen cocktails, chilled drinks and street food. Their awards include double AA Rosettes for 'Culinary Excellence' in 2023 & 2024, Taste of London 2022, and London’s #1 Restaurant on TripAdvisor in 2019 and 2020, and recommended by The Good Food Guide 2023 & Hardens 2023.
To find out more, visit bargeeast.com
DEAR JACKIE (Soho, London)
Offering an opulent dining experience with classic Italian food
Dear Jackie say they are a “destination for Italian opulence, refined dining and night time glamour”. Enjoy an evening dining with friends or family surrounded by Murano lighting, red silk walls and plush booths in an atmosphere they say is “is part dolce vita elegance, part disco fabulous”. Open for dinner, their Italian menu features pasta dishes such as Fresh Ricotta Tortelloni and Shellfish Risotto, as well as mains of the likes of Seared Yellowfin Tuna and Blythburgh Pork Collar. Alongside this choose from their extensive list of wines and then round off the meal with desserts such as Vanilla Panacotta and Roasted Hazelnut Choux. Dear Jackie also offers a pre-theatre set menu if you are heading to a show. Dinner reservations for tables of up to six guests maximum can be made online.
To find out more, visit broadwicksoho.com/dear-jackie
MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY (O2, London)
Dine – and dance – amidst the backdrop of the hit films
Feel transported to the island of Skopelos to dance, dine and have the time of your life! Take a seat at Nikos’ family-run taverna where you’ll enjoy a delicious four-course Greek meal before dancing the night away at a glittering ABBA disco. Enjoy a traditional Greek mezze and iconic Greek salad followed by confit lamb shoulder and slow cooked beef with beautiful roasted garlic potatoes. Round your evening off with a sumptuous Greek lemon cake, and a choice of tea and coffee. For vegetarian and vegan guests, there is roasted cauliflower and stuffed tomato with lentil ragout and loukoumades, delicious dough balls served with fig jam, for dessert. Mamma Mia! The Party offers the opportunity for the ultimate Greek holiday experience to remember and definitely dining with a difference!
To find out more, visit https://mammamiatheparty.co.uk
THE MURDER EXPRESS (Bethnal Green, London)
An immersive theatrical dining experience
Be transported back to glamourous 1920s East London as you "hop aboard" the award-winning immersive experience The Murdér Express for an unforgettable evening. Savour the culinary delights of the bespoke three-course menu tailored exclusively for this experience by the Creative Head Chef while you enjoy comedy entertainment as the evening's plot unfurls. Over the years they have partnered with guest chefs to create these beautiful unique menus. The Murdér Express "promises an evening of gripping intrigue as you uncover the secrets lurking behind the veil of decadence and opulence".
To find out more, visit https://themurderexpress.com/bethnalgreen/
BUNGA BUNGA (Covent Garden, London)
With metre-long pizzas, late-night karaoke and live entertainment
Enjoy an immersive dining experience, with a spectacular variety of jaw-dropping live entertainment at Bunga, Bunga in Covent Garden, London. Serving infamous award-winning metro pizzas and throwing incredible PINK Prosecco-filled weekend brunches, Bunga provides you with a one-stop party shop for any occasion! Expect three whole hours of captivating performances from their circus acts, show-stopping numbers to sing along to, and rib-achingly hilarious games from a host of crazy Bunga characters. Stay after dinner and watch the Bunga stage turn into an epic dancefloor, as they transition into an after-party with DJ until 3am. Plus they also now have karaoke every Friday and Saturday night from 11pm!
To find out more, visit https://www.bungabunga.com
SARASTRO (TheatreLand, London)
Eat out at “The Show After The Show”
The quirky ‘old curiosity shop’ interior of this restaurant is housed Grade II listed Victorian building. Step inside and they say you will see “a rich tapestry of flamboyant artwork, gilt furniture and wall-mounted opera boxes amongst which are numerous props and knick-knacks collected from nearby shows”. Opened in 1996, Sarastro Restaurant was named after a character in Mozart’s Magic Flute, and offers a heady mix of fun, Mediterranean food with a Turkish twist and music. It also holds its own music evenst on different days of the week. Head there to “enter a world of drama, passion, and excitement where exuberant colour, glittering display, and joyous music meet exotic cuisine to create a truly unforgettable dining experience”.
To find out more, visit https://www.sarastro-restaurant.com
GREMIO DE BRIXTON (London)
Dine inside a church crypt
Located in The Crypt of St. Matthew's Church in London, Gremio de Brixton offers an “intimate, rustic vibe in the restaurant while serving fantastic, authentic Spanish tapas including Serrano Ham Croquettes, Patatas Bravas and Chorizo”. They also have a wide variety of Spanish wines and beers as well as some Latin-inspired cocktails. And if you want to make a evening of it, then the bar is open until the early hours, so why not stay and listen to DJs playing a mix of Latin beats?
To find out more, visit https://gremiodebrixton.com
INAMO (Soho & Covent Garden, London)
Immerse yourself in the interactive projections on your table surface
For something a little different when dining head to Inamo which has Pan-Asian restaurants and bars in Soho and Covent Garden. They craft Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Korean cuisine, including fresh sushi, served as a sharing concept for guests to savour. Recommended by Design My Night as best sushi in London, their groundbreaking technology has delighted over a million patrons and achieved countless awards. While you relax and dine, interactive projections on your table surface “enable you to set the mood, discover the local neighbourhood, and entertain you with retro games, live chef-cam feed, and even graffiti your table top”.
To find out more, visit https://www.inamo-restaurant.com
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THE ATTENDANT (Fitzrovia, London)
Dine in a former Victorian men’s toilet
Just five minutes’ walk from Oxford Street, you will find this former Victorian toilet that has been “lovingly transformed into one of London’s top speciality coffee and brunch cafes”. This unusual venue is the culmination of two years of planning and restoration, where the “original Doulton & Co porcelain urinals have become an inspired line with green seating to match the original Victorian floor tiles”. Offering their own seasonal espresso blend direct from the Attendant Roastery you can also sample their seasonal home-style breakfast, brunch, and lunch menus daily until 4pm as well as granola and other treats. The café is open on a first come first serve basis.
To find out more, visit https://www.the-attendant.com/pages/locations
DANS LE NOIR ? (London)
Dine in complete darkness!
Located in the heart of London, Dans le Noir ? invites you to dine in complete darkness, accompanied and served by unexpected guides. Enjoying dinner or lunch in pitch darkness is an original experience that allows you to re-evaluate your perception of taste by reawakening senses overwhelmed by the omnipresence of sight, to reinvigorate your relationship with the world and others and to experience a surprising encounter with something different. The delicious surprise menus created by their chefs, cooked with quality ingredients, 80% organic in the case of fruits and vegetables, are accompanied by refined surprise wines.
To find out more, visit https://london.danslenoir.com
CIRCUS (London)
A pop-up circus will entertain you as you enjoy high quality food
Located in Covent Garden, Circus is a unique and quirky cabaret restaurant and cocktail bar. Enjoy before dinner cocktails, after work drinks, dinner, entertainment and a late night bar. As well as being a restaurant you will experience an amazing and outrageous pop-up circus including aerialists, contortionists, hand balancers, fire-breathers, hula-hoopers and much more. A highly popular Pan-Asian menu (vegan menu available), created and overseen by Executive Chef Andrew Lassetter, is designed for sharing. At Circus high quality food, amazing service and sensational short bursts of entertainment come together to create wonderful memories that will leave you surprised and delighted.
To find out more, visit https://www.circus-london.co.uk
BUSTRONOME VOYAGE GOURMAND (London)
Dine while seeing the sights of London on a bus!
Bustronome is a “high-end double-decker bus that stands out for its panoramic dining room”. No matter the weather you can explore the sights of London from the comfort of the bus making it a “delightful way to discover food and wine while (re)visiting the most beautiful monuments of a cultural capital”. This bus-restaurant is definitely a unique way to see the most beautiful views of London while enjoying its food and drink offerings. The menu is seasonal and is a tasting format composed of four dishes for lunch, and six for dinner.
To find out more, visit https://www.bustronome.com/en/london/
THE CARDINAL BAR AND KITCHEN (The Square Mile, London)
Taking reference from London’s past, it reconsiders the historic ‘Cardinal’ virtues – Justice, Fortitude, Temperance and Prudence
The Cardinal Bar and Kitchen at Hotel Saint is a new all-day dining neighbourhood restaurant located in the very heart of The Square Mile at the crossroads of The City and Shoreditch. Hotel Saint is a smart modern hotel that officially opened its doors in March 2023 and The Cardinal Bar and Kitchen is a convivial neighbourhood spot appealing to locals, tourists and foodies. Taking reference from London’s past, the namesake reconsiders the historic ‘Cardinal’ virtues (Justice, Fortitude, Temperance and Prudence) through a modern lens, with an emphasis on eating and drinking well. The intimate space encompasses a welcoming, lounge environment paired with a delicious food and drink offering. There is also a terrace around the side of the restaurant for dining alfresco in spring and summer. The menus at The Cardinal Bar and Kitchen incorporate a wide range of European classics, spanning across breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Favourites from the ‘Main Courses’ include; The Cardinal Burger; Bone In Pork Chop served with maple glazed apple and buttermilk mash; and Ricotta Gnudi with wild mushrooms and a sage-butter sauce. There are also a range of decadent desserts. A dedicated bar serves a comprehensive list of cocktails, wine and beer.
To find out more, visit thecardinallondon.com
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