Once largely residential, Bayswater has developed into one of the city’s most fascinating food districts. Its culinary scene is trademark Bayswater: understated, but teeming with style and substance, with an amply broad range of restaurants that deliver on craft, perfectly-sourced ingredients, and continuity of standards. The seductive white terraces and classy ‘shopfronts’ of Bayswater set the tone for a first-class dining experience. And from brave South American flavours to British seasonality and southern European warmth, Bayswater has a wonderful collection of restaurants that reward diners who pay little attention to noise and hype, but cherish quality. Here is our guide to the best.
Taormina
Sicilian cooking is treated with reverence, as both art and inheritance. Taormina (Craven Road, W2) lives and breathes within this approach, with a passion for everything it does. Its atmospheric dining room, quietly buzzing and candlelit, feels like a traditional trattoria transported straight from Sicily, and as in any corner of Italy, portion sizes are generous and heartfelt. Standout dishes include lobster linguine, crisp arancini laced with truffle, grilled langoustines brushed with fennel pollen and lemon oil. The service is personable, warm and relaxed; there’s always a sense of recognition, whether you’ve been here twice or 22 times. The wine list is loaded with Etna reds and aged Barolos, while there is also a private downstairs room which caters to those seeking discretion. Taormina’s prime strength is its authenticity – a restaurant that cooks (expertly) from memory, not trend.
The Shed
Hidden behind a modest façade (Palace Gardens Terrace, W8), this compelling restaurant channels a distinctly modern kind of British hospitality – one that continues to tread new ground as the dining scene evolves and settles into the 21st century. The Shed is earthy, inventive, and entirely in tune with the seasons, wearing its philosophy lightly, but living and breathing it deeply. Founded by the Gladwin brothers – chef Oliver, farmer Gregory, and restaurateur Richard – it functions as both showcase and statement: a farm-to-fork restaurant that closes the loop between field and table. Menus shift constantly, dictated by the Sussex produce the family farm supplies each week, and what arrives on the plate is invariably intelligent and delicious. Prime examples include hay-smoked mackerel with pickled gooseberries and sorrel, venison cigars with a sharp elderberry dip, or beetroot tartare dressed with whipped goat’s curd and foraged herbs. Everything is rooted in both place and purpose, and the result is a restaurant that manages to be both modern, cutting-edge, but also warm, connected, and personal.
Halepi
Over many decades, Halepi (Leinster Terrace, W2) has hosted everyone from Hollywood film stars to international politicians. But the atmosphere here remains remarkably democratic, and local families, for example, will receive exactly the same warm welcome and attention from all its staff. London can sometimes seem like a city obsessed with rapid reinvention, but Halepi – family-run since 1966 – endures and evolves at its own pace, a comforting reminder that true hospitality is timeless. There are few restaurants in London that feel as steadfastly authentic, and this Cypriot-Greek institution successfully outlives culinary trends thanks to the enduring abilities and flair of its chefs. Halepi’s menu reads like a love letter to tradition, with platters of smoky, oregano-scented lamb cutlets, golden halloumi, grilled octopus with lemon oil, and thick, briny taramasalata arriving at loaded tables with an unhurried rhythm. Service is warm, animated, and often familial; waiters address regulars by name, recall their favourite dishes, and make newcomers feel like they’ve been coming for years.
Casa Cruz
This is sophisticated London dining: controlled and seductive. Behind a gleaming copper façade (Clarendon Road, W11), Casa Cruz can feel less like a restaurant and more of a private salon – polished wood, emerald velvet, and low, flattering light. Conceived by Argentine designer-restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz, the menu expertly bridges Latin American fire and European refinement, serving up enticing dishes such as charred octopus with saffron aioli, whisper-thin truffle pizzettas, and an Argentine ribeye with chimichurri. It’s stylish fare: bold, elegant, rich, not heavy. Service is perfectly-pitched as the setting – unhurried, invisible when it should be, quietly attentive when required. Casa Cruz attracts a cosmopolitan, in-the-know crowd: fashion insiders, financiers, creatives, business executives. Request the rear corner booth for the best table.
The Park Restaurant
A byword for guaranteed excellence, The Park Restaurant (Lancaster Terrace, W2) – based at the Royal Lancaster London – boasts an elevated sense of calm that feels increasingly rare. With floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Hyde Park, the dining room is a sumptuous setting, bathed in natural light by day and a dusky reflection of the skyline by night. Its design is understated – pale wood, linen-dressed tables, and space to talk without being overheard – while the atmosphere is comfortable and reassuring. As for the finely-tuned menu, it blends modern British cooking with European finesse: Wye Valley asparagus with truffle hollandaise, line-caught sea bass in Champagne beurre blanc, and roast sirloin carved tableside on Sundays. Each dish is executed with quiet confidence – clean flavours, restrained presentation, and a real sense of culinary understanding. For the full effect of The Park, book a window table at dusk.
What unites Bayswater’s restaurants is a sense of composure and a quiet self-confidence – an understanding that true distinction rarely needs to announce itself. Each restaurant reflects the neighbourhood’s character: worldly but grounded, elegant but unforced. For those who want authenticity, depth, comfort and luxury, Bayswater is the place to dine.
