Eating Out

Our favourite London restaurants and gay-friendly dining options

CENTRAL LONDON

Aqua

Fifth floor, 240 Regent Street (entrance on Argyll Street), W1. 020 7478 0540. Big, signature restaurant from Hong Kong’s Aqua group – split into two halves; Spanish themed Aqua Nueva and Japanese-inspired Aqua Kyoto. Around £40 per person. www.aqua-london.com

Balans

60 Old Compton Street, W1. 020-7439 2183. The nearest Soho has to a gay restaurant, busy throughout the week and open throughout the day and night. Traditional British dishes with Meditteranean and Asian flourishes. Approx. £28 per head. See also the nearby Balans Café at 34 Old Compton Street. www.balans.co.uk

Bocca di Lupo

12 Archer Street, W1. 020 7734 2223. Gay-run, hugely-acclaimed, upmarket Italian restaurant, opened November 2008 and running Monday-Saturday. Approx. £29 per head. www.boccadilupo.com

Bodeans

10 Poland Street, W1. 020-7287 0506. Cheap and cheerful barbecue restaurant, with counter service upstairs and restaurant down below. Popular with visiting Americans, plus the odd bear from the nearby Kings Arms! Branches also in Clapham, Fulham and Westbourne Grove. www.bodeansbbq.com

Cha Cha Moon

15-21 Ganton Street, Soho, W1. 020 7297 9800. Very popular noodle restaurant from Hong Kong-born restaurateur Alan Yau (Hakkasan). Great selection of soup-based dishes, wok-fried noodles and sides.

Ed’s Diner

12 Moor Street, W1. 020 7434 4439. Delightfully kitsch, American-style 50s diner, at the Shaftesbury Avenue end of Old Compton Street, great for burgers and milkshakes. www.edseasydiner.co.uk

First Out

52 St Giles High Street, WC2. 020-7240 8042. Long-running, gay-run café and bar, serving homemade vegetarian dishes, coffee and cakes. Lots of gay magazines, community info and flyers. www.firstoutcafebar.com

Floridita

100 Wardour Street, W1. 020-7314 4000. Large, glamorous Cuban-themed restaurant and bar, with regular music acts and even occasional drag. Approx. £36 per head. www.floridita.co.uk

The Landau

Langham Hotel, Portland Place, W1. 020 7965 0165. Grand and glamorous hotel restaurant, offering a pricey but imaginative modern European menu. Approx. £60 per head. www.thelandau.com

L’Autre Pied

5-7 Blandford Street, Marylebone Village, W1. 020 7486 9696. Chic, stylish, upmarket restaurant from the same team that created the Michelin-starred Pied-à-Terre on Charlotte Street. Approx. £40 per head. www.lautrepied.co.uk

Profile

84-85 Wardour Street, Soho, W1. Daytime gay bar and diner. Upmarket and smart surroundings, with gorgeous yellow leather banquettes. Offering food and drink from 11am till 11pm. www.gaydarprofile.com

Ristorante Biagio

189 Piccadilly, W1. 020-7434-1921. Great, authentic Italian food in contemporary and smart surroundings, spread over four floors. Approx. £32 per head. www.ristorantebiagio.co.uk

Stef’s

3 Berners Street, W1 020-3073 1041. Huge, gay-friendly Italian – formerly Linda’s Pasta Bar on Poland Street – moved to the other side of Oxford Street in 2007. Pizza and pasta heaven.

St Pancras Grand

Upper Concourse, St Pancras International, NW1. 020 7870 9900. Old-fashioned, art-deco glamour at this stunning, all-day restaurant from Searcys (who also operate the neighbouring Champagne Bar). Approx. £40 per head. www.searcys.co.uk

Wagamama

10a Lexington Street, Soho, W1. 020-7292 0990. Our favourite branch of the noodle chain, offering cheap, healthy Japanese delights! £16 per head. Check website for other branches - www.wagamama.com

NORTH LONDON

Gilgamesh

Camden View, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1. Huge, ornate and lavish pan-Asian restaurant with one of London’s most stunning interiors. Food good rather than outstanding, but worth a visit for the décor. Cheaper at lunchtime than the evening. www.gilgameshbar.com

La Porchetta

141-142 Upper Street, N1. 020-7288 2488. Great value pizza and pasta restaurant, with possibly some of the biggest pizzas in London! Sister branches in Finsbury Park and Bloomsbury. Approx. £17 per head.

Little Bay

228 Belsize Road, NW6. Wonderfully down-to-earth and charming restaurant serving Modern European cuisine at very reasonable prices. Excellent value for money.

EAST LONDON

Bistrotheque

23-27 Wadeson Street, Bethnal Green, E2. Modern, contemporary, classy restaurant with basement bar and cabaret room, and fine dining upstairs – modern British cuisine and French bistro dishes – approx. £35 per head. www.bistrotheque.com

The Easton

22 Easton Street, WC1. 020-7278 7609. Cool gastropub just off Exmouth Market. Sunday lunch is packed with Clerkenwell-istas and the food is top notch. www.theeaston.co.uk

Green and Red

51 Bethnal Green Road, E1. 020 7749 9670. Fiesta-style restaurant with Mexican food and a huge tequila selection - with basement bar and dancefloor area for afterwards. www.greenred.co.uk

Kenza

10a Devonshire Square, EC2. 020-7929 5533. Delightful and sumptuous subterranean Middle Eastern restaurant a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street station. Arabic interior and mezza menu – approx. £35 per head. www.kenza-restaurant.co.uk

Les Trois Garcons

1 Club Row, Whitechapel, E1. 020-7613 1924. A former Victorian boozer, stuffed with baroque decor and antiques, creating a camp, culinary haven near Old Street. British/French menu. www.loungelover.co.uk

The Luxe

109 Commercial Street, E1. 020 7101 1751. Large, recently-opened Spitalfields venture offering several dining areas – including takeaway kiosk, ground-floor café and fine dining restaurant. It offers a wide selection of classic British and European dishes, and is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. www.theluxe.co.uk

Saf

152-154 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, EC2. 020 7613 0007. A stylish and upmarket vegan and raw food restaurant. Approx. £24 per head. www.safrestaurant.co.uk

Tinseltown

44-46 St John Street, Farringdon, EC1. Want a double cheeseburger and Mars Bar Milkshake at 5am? Then 24-hour, subterranean American diner Tinseltown is the place to head. Popular with late-night clubbers – very near Fabric. Cool when quiet but avoid if there’s a queue for entry. www.tinseltown.co.uk

Volupte

7-9 Norwich Street, EC4. 020 7831 1622. Trendy, popular supper club offering avant-garde cabaret and burlesque performance. Approx. £37 per head. www.volupte-lounge.com

SOUTH LONDON

Bonnington Café

11 Vauxhall Grove, SW8. Cheap, cheerful and very gay-friendly co-operatively run vegetarian café in Bonnington Square. Pig out on three courses for £10! http://s208303316.websitehome.co.uk

Donna Margherita Restaurant

183 Lavender Hill, SW11. 020 7268 2660. Traditional, Southern Italian restaurant that’s very gay-friendly – even offering a ‘Pizza Gay’ on its menu! Pizzas from £5.90. www.donna-margherita.com

El Panzon @ The Dogstar

389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9. Authentic Mexican and Tex-mex restaurant and fantastic prices in the trendy Dogstar bar. Don’t miss the burritos or the taco plate to share. Approx. £14 per head. www.elpanzon.co.uk

The Loft

67 Clapham High Street, SW4. 020-7627 0792. Upmarket and stylish restaurant, bar and late-night haunt. Classic British dishes and lots of cocktails. Approx. £40 per head. www.theloft-clapham.co.uk

The Riverside

5 Hamilton House, 5 St George Wharf, Vauxhall, SW8. Great pub food in upmarket, riverside gastropub that boasts terrific views of the Thames.

Roxy Bar and Screen

128-132 Borough High Street, SE1. 020 7407 4057. London’s unique, gay-friendly cinema restaurant. Free film screenings – everything from recent blockbusters to arthouse documentaries. www.roxybarandscreen.com

Royal Teas

76 Royal Hill, Greenwich, SE10. 020-8691 7240. Delightfully charming café offering tea, scones, cakes and other delights for an eclectic crowd. Brit camp fabulousness. www.royalteascafe.co.uk

Upstairs Bar and Restaurant

89b Acre Lane, SW2. Hidden gem and local secret. Critically acclaimed, eclectic European menu, with emphasis on French cuisine. Limited choice but menu changes daily. Open Tue-Sat. www.upstairslondon.com

WEST LONDON

Balans Chiswick

214 Chiswick High Road, W4. 020 8742 1435. Gay-friendly service and British and Meditrerranean dishes. www.balans.co.uk

Balans Knightsbridge

239 Old Brompton Road, SW5. 020-7244 8838. Very gay-friendly restaurant, offering British and Mediterranean dishes. Approx. £28 per head. www.balans.co.uk