Picks by TOPJAW in London

19 places TOPJAW went to in London — what they said, and what to watch out for.

• Regency Cafe — TOPJAW
  Prices are praised for still feeling like 1999 — for the price of a sourdough loaf (£6) at a modern restaurant, you can get a full English breakfast here.
  Heads up: The operation runs almost military-fast, so it's advised to decide what you're ordering before you walk in.
• The Devonshire — TOPJAW
  They pour what might be the best pint of Guinness in England, and the wood-and-ember-grilled meat dishes upstairs are said to be fantastic. Even just the toasties, steak sandwiches, and Scotch eggs at the downstairs bar are worth the trip.
  Heads up: Getting a seat isn't easy, but it's worth fighting for.
• soma — TOPJAW
  Praised for its cocktail menu with Indian-inspired touches, including an Indian-style margarita-like Chaat and a turmeric-sesame oil cocktail.
  Heads up: The entrance is extremely inconspicuous, making it easy to miss.
• Algerian Coffee Stores — TOPJAW
  Praised for serving very high-quality espresso for £1.20, and for stocking coffees from lesser-known origins like Australia, Malawi, Thailand, and Vietnam.
  Heads up: It's a small, always-busy shop, and the host urges support since so few old independent shops like this remain in London.
• Black Bear Burger - Restaurant Exmouth Market — TOPJAW
  Praised for the perfect ratio in the single burger — good beef, rich cheese, tangy onion jam, and a bespoke sesame-topped bun. The 12-hour beer-braised brisket bun and sides also get high marks.
  Heads up: Jokingly noted that the burgers are quite heavy and greasy, so eating more than one might knock you out.
• Plaza Khao Gaeng Tottenham Court Road — TOPJAW
  Praised as uncompromisingly authentic, original, and unlike any flavor profile found elsewhere. The signature massaman beef curry is the standout dish.
  Heads up: Dishes like the seven spice chicken curry are extremely spicy (the spiciest item caused real struggle on camera), and it's tucked away on a mezzanine above the Arcade food hall, so it takes some effort to find.
• Bar Crispin — TOPJAW
  Dishes arrive one at a time, letting you build your own tasting menu, and every dish is praised as interesting, including the mackerel with its sweet charred flavor. The natural wine list is also a strength.
  Heads up: It's very small, with only 14 seats, so even a group of four had to eat outside. Advice for groups of four: order the whole menu and re-order whatever you liked best.
• Pophams — TOPJAW
  Every pastry here that riffs on croissant dough is excellent, and the cardamom bun—crisp outside, chewy inside—paired with a black Americano is a must-order.
  Heads up: They don't wholesale, baking fresh only from 6-7am each day and selling exclusively in-house, so you need to eat here to get it at its best.
• The Connaught Bar — TOPJAW
  Praised as "legendary"—smooth and elegant—for its martini made with 75ml of their house Connaught gin blended with three dry vermouths, finished with a choice of five bitters selected tableside.
  Heads up: It's a bar inside a 5-star hotel ranked among the world's top 5 bars, so expect formal prices and atmosphere.
• Donia — TOPJAW
  Praised as having "a flavor profile unlike anywhere else," with particular praise for the ube choux dessert filled with ube ice cream.
  Heads up: It's tucked inside Kingly Court on tourist-packed Carnaby Street, so it's easy to walk right past.
• Crisp Pizza — TOPJAW
  The crispy dough, perfected through years of experimenting with flour and water, is a standout, with recommendations for the Picante — once a limited edition, now a permanent menu item — and the hot honey Vecna.
  Heads up: Not a place you can just drop into spontaneously — you need to book around two weeks ahead, and it's located in a residential part of Hammersmith, off the main strip.
• Pavyllon London — TOPJAW
  The signature cheese soufflé topped with foie gras and the beef tenderloin are praised as "impeccably French."
  Heads up: As a hotel fine-dining restaurant, the atmosphere is formal enough that the guest remarked, "I think my outfit was a bit too casual."
• Bar Termini — TOPJAW
  Described as an iconic spot carrying on old Soho's legacy.
• The Guinea — TOPJAW
  Briefly noted as a great pub that pours a excellent pint of Guinness.
• Kricket Soho — TOPJAW
  Named as one of host Will's favorite Indian restaurants.
• Bar Antoine — TOPJAW
  The mezcal, vodka, shiso leaf, and pineapple reduction cocktail is described as tasting like "an elevated whiskey apple," so good it disappeared faster than it could be sipped.
• Bar Italia — TOPJAW
  Mentioned as an iconic place preserving the atmosphere of old Soho.
• LAGOM — TOPJAW
  Mentioned as a contender for London's best burger and a must-try.
• French House — TOPJAW
  Mentioned as an iconic spot that still preserves the old Soho atmosphere to this day.

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