London
East London, glad rags on
Worth dressing up for
Updated
Shoreditch has become one of the best places in London for a big dinner. Brat cooks over a wood-fired grill above Redchurch Street, The Clove Club fills the old Shoreditch Town Hall, and Legado, Cycene and Plates are all a short walk away, with Spanish cooking, a set British menu and a plant-based tasting menu between them. Further out, Da Terra sits in Bethnal Green’s old town hall, Galvin La Chapelle in a Victorian chapel in Spitalfields, Behind around one seafood counter near London Fields, Angelina on Dalston Lane, and Planque, with its long wine list, in a Haggerston railway arch.
Our picks
Brat
Redchurch Street, Shoreditch
Address: First Floor, 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Share a whole turbot and other dishes cooked over the wood-fired grill, in a wood-panelled first-floor dining room run by chef Tomos Parry.
Why it's a good date: Save it for an anniversary: the cooking is simple and smoky, and it's all about the fish. Book well ahead, and ask for a seat at the counter if you'd like to watch the grill.
The Clove Club
Old Street, Shoreditch
Address: The Clove Club, Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Big night
Book the tasting menu at Isaac McHale's Michelin-starred restaurant in the old Shoreditch Town Hall.
Why it's a good date: It's one of London's most celebrated restaurants, yet the blue-tiled dining room feels relaxed and warm. Tables are released well ahead, so plan an anniversary early.
Da Terra
Patriot Square, Bethnal Green
Address: Da Terra, Town Hall Hotel, 8 Patriot Square, London E2 9NF- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Big night
Settle in for a long tasting menu of Italian and South American cooking at a Michelin-starred restaurant inside Bethnal Green's old town hall.
Why it's a good date: The open kitchen and grand Edwardian building make it feel like a proper occasion without any stiffness. Ideal for a milestone birthday or anniversary.
Legado
Montacute Yards, Shoreditch
Address: Legado, 1C Montacute Yards, 185-186 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6HU- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Book a table at Nieves Barragán's Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant off Shoreditch High Street.
Why it's a good date: It's warm and lively, with a counter where you can watch the chefs at work and a dining room that suits a celebration. Book the dining room for a big night.
Cycene
Chance Street, Shoreditch
Address: Cycene, Blue Mountain School, 9 Chance Street, London E2 7JB- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Sit down to a set tasting menu of seasonal British cooking at a Michelin-starred dining room upstairs in Blue Mountain School.
Why it's a good date: It's designed to feel like dinner in a beautiful private home, which makes it intimate and calm. Reservations open in batches, so book as soon as your date is set.
Behind
Sidworth Street, London Fields
Address: Behind, 20 Sidworth Street, London E8 3SD- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Take two seats at the counter of Andy Beynon's Michelin-starred seafood restaurant and watch every course made in front of you.
Why it's a good date: Everyone eats round one counter at set sittings, so it feels like a dinner party with the chefs as hosts. Book well ahead and arrive on time.
Galvin La Chapelle
Spital Square, Spitalfields
Address: Galvin La Chapelle, 35 Spital Square, London E1 6DY- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Big night
Dress up for French cooking under the soaring vaulted ceiling of a converted Victorian chapel in Spitalfields.
Why it's a good date: It's a Michelin-starred classic and one of the grandest dining rooms in east London, made for anniversaries and proposals. Book ahead for weekends.
Plates
Old Street, Shoreditch
Address: Plates, 320 Old Street, London EC1V 9DR- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Big night
Book Kirk Haworth's plant-based tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant on Old Street.
Why it's a good date: It shows how far vegan cooking can go, so it's a brilliant special night if one or both of you eat plants. Bookings open in seasonal releases, so sign up to hear when.
Angelina
Dalston Lane, Dalston
Address: Angelina, 56 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Work through a long kaiseki-style tasting menu that blends Japanese and Italian cooking, on Dalston Lane.
Why it's a good date: It's a playful, unusual menu in a calm room, and it feels like a proper treat without the formality of a grand dining room. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday.
Planque
Acton Mews, Haggerston
Address: Planque, 322-324 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Share a special dinner and something from one of east London's great wine lists in a soaring railway arch in Haggerston.
Why it's a good date: It's a wine club and restaurant in one, with a striking modern room and serious, seasonal cooking. A good pick if one of you loves wine.
Quick answers
Is there a special occasion restaurant in Shoreditch for vegans?
Plates on Old Street serves a plant-based tasting menu. Bookings open in seasonal releases, so sign up to hear when the next one is.
Which of these has the grandest dining room?
Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields is in a converted Victorian chapel with a vaulted ceiling, and The Clove Club and Da Terra are both in old town halls.
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