London’s best locations for ladies who lunch
There’s nothing better than a catch-up with the gals over a bottle of rosé. Except when it’s done in divine settings with even better food. Whether you’re after a relaxed rendezvous or fine dining at its best, London has it all. These are our top picks for a girls’ lunch.
Petersham Nurseries
The cafe at Petersham Nurseries is one of the dreamier venues for a girls’ lunch and is the perfect setting for an Instagram pic. The restaurant is housed in a vast glasshouse within the garden centre which means you dine in a pretty and peaceful enclave of botanicals and plants. Food is seasonal, and the menu is constantly evolving. For more foodie recommendations, check out our picks of the best new restaurants in London this month .petershamnurseries.com
The Ivy Chelsea Garden
The Ivy Chelsea Garden jostles for space on King’s Road amongst artisan bakeries and yummy-mummy baby shops. It’s the perfect spot to hit up for a girl’s lunch or brunch after a stroll along one of London’s most stylish streets. The interior is beautiful: all sage green, interesting furniture, orange accents, botanical prints, and brass light fittings. And the outdoor’s blue awnings and painted park benches are just as pretty. The menu ranges from breakfast of the Marmite-and-mustard crumpets variety to a shepherd’s pie dinner. theivychelseagarden.com
Granger & Co.
Australian chef Bill Granger brings his vibrant style and easy-going approach to London with Granger & Co. He has three restaurants here now, and each offers Aussie-style classics like BBQ shrimp burgers, sticky chili pork belly, and great salad bowls. End your girls’ lunch with a not-so-naughty gluten-free cake, available to take out, along with juices and coffee. grangerandco.com
The Modern Pantry
Fusion food has a bad reputation at the best of times, but not where Modern Pantry is concerned. Chef Anna Hansen affords a menu that uses a fantastically vast range of ingredients in a modern way. Lunch here is a showcase of globe-wide gastronomy in a contemporary and casual setting. themodernpantry.co.uk
Daylesford
Daylesford Organic Farmshop and Cafe is one of London’s finer examples of an upmarket food shop. Fruit and produce from their organic farm in Gloucestershire are at its heart, alongside daily fresh bread from the bakery and milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter from their creamery. With its seasonal organic dishes and serene all-white setting, the cafe is a hotspot for weekend brunching. Alternatively, for a girls’ lunch on the go, there are salads, sandwiches, and hot drinks to take away. daylesford.com
The Wolseley
The Wolseley is a grand European-style cafe-restaurant that offers an eclectic variety of dishes from its impressive Grade II listed home in St James’. Explore a menu that ranges from seafood platters to salads, as well as classics such as steak tartare. Firm favourites veal Holstein and chicken soup with dumplings are always on the menu, as are the changing plats du jour.
thewolseley.com
Nopi
With its white tiles, gold-trimmed bar, and glossy marble floors, Nopi makes for an elegant girls’ lunch just north of Piccadilly. This Middle Eastern/Asian all-day brasserie from Ottolenghi serves a broad menu that is creative and of great depth of flavour. Go it alone or choose from the selection of sharing dishes. The cocktail menu also makes use of eclectic ingredients and is well worth a try. ottolenghi.co.uk
Sketch
For the girliest of girls’ lunches, the only answer is the pink room at Sketch. It’s housed within a quirky 18th-century townhouse tea room that transforms into a cocktail lounge every evening. The menu is vast and globally inspired. It takes bold flavour forays into Japanese, Italian, Spanish and British cuisines. sketch.london
Percy & Founders
Percy & Founders is an all-day affair in a vast, airy space that can accommodate an impressive two hundred covers. The menu takes a modern British-European slant with classics such as pies, steaks, burgers, and salads. It’s relaxed dining at its best. End your week here for a delicious Sunday girls’ lunch of rolled pork belly, crackling, and all the trimmings.
