Michelin Starred Lunch deals in London

(Or how to get amazing food for not very much money.)

Zagat means nothing in Europe: since they were tiny children, chefs here dream of Michelin stars: the Olympic Gold Medals of the restaurant world. You CAN eat in some of these restaurants too, without having to sell your grandmother… if you take advantage of their amazing lunchtime deals. So: Where’s good and how much are they?

Well, starting with how much are they: lunchtime prices will cost little more than an evening meal at a tourist trap like Planet Hollywood, the Hard Rock Café or the Aberdeen Angus steakhouses – but could be one of the most memorable parts of your trip.

As for what’s good, well don’t just ask me, ask the Michelin star system. Just to give an indication of how exclusive the star system is:

There are more than 10,000 restaurants in London:
Only 40 have a Michelin star
Eight have the super-exclusive two Michelin stars
And just one has three Michelin stars (Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road Chelsea)

As these places don’t like to advertise their lunch deals on their website reviewers who don’t actually live in London will never have heard of them. Here’s my top eight London Michelin starred lunch deals for 2009: (all prices include tax!)

For a blow-out splurge on London’s top-rated restaurant:

Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road Chelsea. You’ll need to book in advance even for lunch here, a venue so hyped that it’s probably impossible to live to the weight of expectations. It is the eldest baby of Gordon Ramsay’s burgeoning worldwide restaurant empire – you may know him from Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares – and while his personal character is bordering on the unpleasant the food is genuinely exceptional.

Confit milk-fed Suffolk pork belly with caramelised endive, apples, grelot onions and Madeira jus, anyone? Or would you prefer the yellow fin tuna and swordfish tartare with cucumber, dill, quail’s egg and caviar? The set lunch is hardly cheap but perhaps, just perhaps even in these turbulent credit crunch times, it’s worth a splurge. £44 a head for three courses. Tube: Sloane Square

For British food at its most imaginative and exciting best:

St John’s in Clerkenwell, just awarded its first star in January 2009, has totally reinvented British food. The chef revives long-forgotten recipes and cuts of meat disregarded for centuries. It’s a meat lover’s paradise with delicious and unique dishes. There’s no lunch deal per se but you can have two courses from a la carte lunch menu for less than £25. It's also (whisper it quietly) in possibly my favorite part of town, ultra-cool Clerkenwell, with its olde-worlde pubs living happily cheek-by-jowl with some of London's hippest bars. There are some vegetarian options too. Nearest tube: Farringdon.

For Modern European food:

Arbutus, (Frith Street, Soho) is a Modern European place with a michelin star and does a three course lunch deal for £16. Portions are on the bijou side but it’s still cracking value for money. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Wild Honey in the West End (St George Street, London) is a similar steal at just £17 for 3 courses - think Modern European, fresh British ingredients and innovative cooking techniques mixed together to create some frankly lovely food. (Oxford Circus or Green Park; a ten minute walk from either)

The River Café (Rainville Road, Hammersmith) is a one-Michellin starred Italian restaurant which has prided itself for years on the freshness of its ingredients and simplicity of its dishes. Cockney-Boy Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver trained here. They often have lunch deals for £18 for two courses. It's slightly off the beaten tourist track but the food really is worth it: you'll often see other famous chefs dining here - what better recommendation could there be?!. Nearest Tube: Hammersmith (it’s a good 10-15 minute walk from the station)

L’Ateiler de Joel Robuchon, (West Street, Covent Garden), right in the heart of Covent Garden is the best value two star Michelin restaurant out there – just £19 for two courses at lunch. It’s a French restaurant, with amusingly rude French service to match; the food is exquisite though and at this price you can’t really go wrong if you want to try food by one of Europe’s finest chefs. Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Cheap non-European Michelin lunch deals

If you fancy something less classically European or British but still Michelin-starred then try
Amaya, (Motcomb Street, Knightsbridge) an Indian restaurant of some renown, even among British Indian restaurants, which have developed their own unique Anglo-Indian fusion dishes. It’s tasty and massively different to what you’d get in the US, and one of the only Indian restaurants in London to have a Michelin star. Sumptuous Indian classics are re-invented with a twist here; it's hard not to salivate when you see the chefs preparing their delights in full view of the diners. £16.25 for a big taster dish or 25 pounds for a three course lunch. Nearest tube: Knightsbridge.

Nahm (Halkin Street, Knightsbridge) – is the only starred Michelin Thai restaurant in London and serves some of the classiest Thai food outside of the country itself. This place dishes out traditional Thai fare with elaborate quirks, with food so fresh it's as if they're hiding a mini-ocean in the basement with floating farms on it; they have lunch deals now for just £15 for two courses. It’s an unusual and refreshing change which highlights how cosmopolitan London is. Tube: Hyde Park Corner.

Eating in these places really can be a stand-out moment of your trip to London. I highly recommend any one of them!

What do you want to do now?

Learn how to use the London underground?
Save a fortune phoning home from Europe?
Find out how to use an English pub?
See if the London sightseeing pass is good value?
Bag a bargain on a London hotel?

This guide was last reviewed in Autumn/Fall 2009 and is updated every quarter. Menus and deals in the restaurant world change really fast: be sure to check these are still valid before you order!

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites