The Top Restaurants near Cartwright Gardens, Bloomsbury

Best restaurants in Bloomsbury London

Our guests at the Mentone Hotel often ask us for recommendations on where to eat locally during their stay. The good news is that there are plenty of restaurants near Bloomsbury and within walking distance of Cartwright Gardens, as well as in King’s Cross which is about a 20 minute walk away.

I’ve already listed a few of our family favourites and personal recommendations in my blog about where to eat in Bloomsbury. So I thought this time, I’d share a few of the restaurants near Cartwright Gardens and King’s Cross by cuisine type that can be reached within a reasonable stroll or a short taxi ride.

French, Spanish and Italian restaurants in Bloomsbury

Mediterranean cuisine is always a favourite amongst our guests here, so we’re often asked to recommend French, Spanish and Italian restaurants near Cartwright gardens London.

The Italian Job

If you’re into Italian gastronomy, you might like to try Savoir Faire in New Oxford Street. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the hotel, or 10 minutes in a taxi.

Savoir Faire is a traditional bistro with a cosy atmosphere, but what makes it stand out the most – and appeal to Instagrammers and selfie-lovers – is its intriguing hand-painted wall murals and West End musical playbills.

The restaurant is open Sunday to Thursday 12 noon to 10pm, and Friday to Saturday 12 noon to 11pm.

Examples from the main menu include pan roasted duck magret, chicken supreme, blowtorched mackerel fillet, and mushroom bourguignon. There’s also a pizza menu, plus a bottomless brunch (including bottomless Prosecco) served Sunday to Friday 12-4pm.

Bookings: 0207 436 0707 / reservations@savoir.co.uk

**Update June 2025**

My daughter Gabriella and I just attended the opening of new Italian restaurant Pasta Sophia. It’s just around the corner from the hotel at 47 Marchmont Street – and it was fantastic.

We started our meal with appetisers of arancini (rice balls) and fritto misto – both were excellent. Then for our mains, we ordered seafood pasta and parmigiana – again, top quality.

For dessert, we were treated to a fantastic tiramisu and Basque cheesecake. Gabriella was blown away by the latter – she said it was ‘out of this world’.

The owner, Mark, has extensive knowledge of wines – and although I can’t recall which one I didn’t try, they were all incredibly delicious :)

Considering typical prices to eat out in London – and especially considering the amazing quality here – I have to say Pasta Sophia is extremely reasonable.

Visit the Pasta Sophia website to check out the menu and make your booking. It’s open Monday to Saturday, 5pm-10.30pm.

Bookings: 020 783 77718  /  info@pastasophia.com

The French Connection

If French fare is more your tasse de thé, perhaps you’d like to book a table at Mon Plaisir, London’s oldest French restaurant. It’s been an institution on nearby Monmouth Street for over 50 years, so about as long as my family have owned the Mentone.

What makes this bistro-style eatery stand out has to be its choice of four dining rooms, each of them with its own individual personality. One is decked out in authentic 1940s décor, and another is known for its huge colourful paintings. There’s another with more of a light, contemporary feel, and finally the cosy ‘Upstairs’, perched on the mezzanine.

On the menu you can expect typical and perhaps not so typical French cuisine, such as garlic snails, hand cut raw beef tartare, mussels in white wine and cream, seared marinated salmon in soya sauce, guinea fowl in wild mushroom and cream sauce, and calvados pork loin. There are vegan options too.

Mon Plaisir is open Monday to Saturday 12-2.30pm and 5-9.30pm. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the Mentone, or 7 minutes in a taxi.

Bookings: 0207 240 3757 / info@monplaisir.co.uk

The Spanish Escape

If Spanish food is your pleasure, you might like to give Boca a Boca a go. It’s situated on Charlotte Street, again about a 20 minute walk from the Mentone, or a 7-minute taxi ride.

Tapas, Palamos red prawns, Galician octopus, presa Iberica and beef tataki are just a few examples from the menu. And of course no Spanish restaurant would be worth a visit if it didn’t serve traditional paella. Choose from seafood, squid ink ‘black rice’ or, for something slightly different, miso duck.

Boca a Boca is open Tuesday to Saturday 12 noon – 11pm.

Bookings: 0204 580 1407 / hola@bocaaboca.co.uk

Barrafina

Part of a small chain, Barrafina is my favourite go-to for tapas. A 20-minute walk or 6-minute taxi ride from the hotel, the restaurant is located in Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, which itself is a really nice place to visit.

It’s got an open kitchen, with the most amazing marble-topped bar where you can observe the chefs putting your order together.

The menu is made up of small bites, tortillas, seafood and meats, plus a good few veggie dishes such as crispy aubergine with honey, beetroot and ajo blanco, and wild mushrooms with fried egg. All of these can be washed down with a decent sherry, cava or a bottle of red, white or rosé from one of Spain’s renowned wine regions.

Barrafina Coal Drops Yard is open Monday to Sunday 12-3pm & 5-10pm.

If you’re heading to Coal Drops Yard for a meal, you’ll also find some great options in our King’s Cross brunch guide and cafés nearby.

Bookings can be made here
Email: info@barrafina.co.uk

Parrillan

Parrillan is part of the Barrafina chain and also located at Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross. It’s a really pleasant covered and heated terrace, located at the viaduct level of the former Victorian coal store, and done out in proper Mediterranean style with lush palms and other plants, so you really feel like you’re abroad.

They serve Spanish tapas, as well as soups and stews, rice dishes, and all sorts of meats, seafood and vegetables, which you get to cook yourself on the mini grill provided.

Parrillan is open Friday & Saturday 12-10pm and Sunday 12-5pm.

Bookings: CDYreservations@parrillan.co.uk

Indian restaurants in Bloomsbury London

It’s safe to say we have our fair share of Indian restaurants in Bloomsbury London. I’ve picked out a few that are just a short walk from the Mentone Hotel:

Woburn Tandoori
3 minute walk
Open 12-noon to 11.30pm Monday-Sunday
Bookings: 0207 383 7957

Poppadom Indian Kitchen
6 minute walk or 3 minute taxi ride
Open 12-noon to 3.30pm Tuesday to Friday
5pm-10.30pm Tuesday to Saturday
Bookings: 0207 636 8383

Chambeli Indian Restaurant
10 minute walk or 4 minute taxi ride
Open 12-noon to 11pm Monday-Sunday
Bookings: 0207 837 3925 / info@chambelirestaurant.co.uk

Salaam Namaste
13 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride
Open 12.30 to 2.30pm and 5.30 to 11.30pm Monday to Saturday
12.30-2.30pm and 5.30-11pm Sunday
Bookings: 0207 405 3697 / info@salaam-namaste.co.uk

** SPECIAL RECOMMENDATION **

Dishoom King’s Cross

20 minute walk or 7 minute taxi ride
Bookings: 020 7420 9321
Monday to Wednesday 8am-11pm, Thursday & Friday 8am-12pm, Saturday 9am-12am, Sunday 9am-11pm

For breakfast, lunch or dinner, Dishoom is one of my absolute favourite restaurants in King’s Cross. Set within a former Victorian railway transit shed, it’s well known for its Bombay-style vintage décor, but more so for its out of this world food that really pushes the boundaries.

The King’s Cross café special is the Nalli Nihari Biryani, a hearty dish made with the most tender lamb shank, layered with rice and caramelised onions, all wrapped in a blanket of pastry and served with chicken liver raita and Nihari gravy.

Other gems to try include the aromatic Goan monkfish curry, simmered in coconut, tamarind, tomatoes and kokum. Or the Chicken Berry Britannia, a delicious pot of chicken, cranberries, ginger, garlic, mint, coriander and rice, all cooked together in the Kacchi style, which involves layering marinated pieces of meat through the rice.

And you probably won’t want to miss the tandoori lamb chops. These are marinated overnight in papaya, yoghurt and various seeds and spices, before being blackened on the grills and finished with lime, butter and masala.

There’s also a special breakfast menu served from 8am to 11.45am weekdays, and 9am to 11.45am at weekends. And they also do Group Feasting Menus, made up of a variety of Dishoom favourites for the entire table to share. The lunch feast is served from 12pm-5.45pm, and the dinner feast from 6pm onwards.

Honestly, you’ve got to try this place – I challenge you not to be impressed.

Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants near Cartwright Gardens

Again we’re not short on choice for Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants around Bloomsbury.

Give Thai a try

If you fancy trying a Thai restaurant near Cartwright Gardens, you could head for any of these within walking distance:

Paolina Thai Cuisine
Bring your own drinks, vegetarian options
15 minute walk or 6 minute taxi ride
Open 12-noon to 3pm and 6-10pm Monday to Saturday
Bookings: 0207 278 8176

Busaba Bloomsbury
Outdoor seating, vegan options
17 minute walk or 6 minute taxi ride
Open 12-noon to 10.30pm Monday to Thursday
12-noon to 11pm Friday and Saturday, 12-noon to 10pm Sunday
Bookings: 0207 299 7900 / bloomsbury.managers@busaba.com

Thai Metro
Outdoor seating, vegan options
18 minute walk or 7 minute taxi ride
Open 12-noon to 10pm Monday to Saturday
Bookings: 0207 436 4201

Chinese choices

If you’re keen to try one of the Chinese restaurants near Cartwright Gardens, here are a few suggestions nearby:

Taste of Chongqing
Sichuan and Chongqing stir-fry
6 minute walk or 4 minute taxi ride
Open 11.30am to 10.30pm Sunday to Thursday
11.30am to 11pm Friday to Saturday
Bookings: 0207 631 0888 / info@cqcuisine.com

China City
Dim sum, Asian fusion, bottomless brunch
7 minute walk or 4 minute taxi ride
Open 11.30am to 10.30pm Monday to Sunday
Bookings: 020 7580 1188 / reservation@chinacitygroup.co.uk

Dashuo Chinese Restaurant
Seafood specialists
7 minute walk or 8 minute taxi ride
Open 12-noon to 11pm Tuesday to Sunday

Bookings: 020 7916 3418 / dashuouk@gmail.com

And finally, for Japanese restaurants near Cartwright Gardens London, you won’t go wrong with the Hare & Tortoise Bloomsbury, which my family and I visit once a week without fail. It’s just a five minute walk away from the hotel. You can read more about this one in my previous blog about where to eat near the Mentone.

** SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS **

Dim Sum Duck King’s Cross

15 minute walk or 4 minute taxi ride
Bookings: 020 7278 8878
Open Monday to Saturday 12-5pm & 6-10pm, Sunday 11.30am-5pm & 6-10pm

This is one of those restaurants where people are happy to queue for a table (they don’t take bookings, so a wait is to be expected). It comes highly recommended by Time Out as well as being featured in the Michelin Guide and labelled a ‘local gem’ by the Good Food Guide. It really is fantastic, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Located in King’s Cross, it’s only a 15 minute stroll from the hotel and specialises in Cantonese food in generous portions.

Menu highlights include Shanghai dumplings in soup, BBQ roast duck, pork chop in black pepper sauce, beef flank in curry sauce, salt and pepper squid, sesame prawn wrap, and seafood or sliced fish congee (rice porridge). You’ll also find plenty of chef’s specials. Please do try it.

Roti King

9 minute walk or 4 minute taxi ride
Bookings: euston@rotiking.com
Open Monday & Tuesday 12pm-3pm and 5pm-10pm and Wednesday to Sunday 12pm-10pm

Roti King is a Chinese/Malaysian restaurant in King’s Cross and it’s another one of those places where you’ll see people happily queuing from lunch to dinner to get a table.

Tucked away in a basement, it’s walk-ins only here, but people seem to think it’s worth the wait. Try the Roti Canai (two pieces of roti dahl, beef rendang, fish, mutton or chicken served with a choice of kari), the Murtabak (roti stuffed with either spinach and cheese or lamb), or the Ayam Goreng Berempah (spiced fried chicken with sambal dipping sauce). There’s also a variety of noodles, rice and desserts.

Vegan and vegetarian restaurants near Cartwright Gardens

If you’re looking for a vegan or vegetarian restaurant near Cartwright Gardens, there’s the Thenga Café located in the Kings Cross YMCA, about a four minute walk away. It’s only open daytimes from 11am to 6pm, but there’s a pretty comprehensive home-cooked menu offering a mix of Indian and European fare, as well as coffee, tea and juice.

There’s also the Sagar Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant. This one serves South Indian food and is open from 12-noon to 11pm Monday to Saturday till 10pm on Sundays. It’s a 20 minute walk from the hotel, or 7 minutes in a taxi.

Or you could try the Choppaluna Bloomsbury. This one’s more a health food restaurant, serving a range of salads, wraps and breakfast bowls plus smoothies and porridge. Open every day 11am to 9pm, it’s literally on the doorstep, just a minute’s walk from the Mentone.

Fancy trying something slightly different?

If you’re like me – and especially if you work in the midst of so many hotels – you might like to try something different from time to time.

Whether you’re after fine dining or casual bites, there’s also a great mix of pubs near Cartwright Gardens if you fancy something more relaxed.

German Gymnasium

12 minute walk or 3 minute taxi ride
Bookings: 020 7287 8000
Open from 9am to 11pm Monday & Tuesday, 9am-12am Wednesday-Friday, 10am-12am Saturday and 10am to 11pm Sunday

The German Gymnasium is an eatery I’d happily recommend as one of the best restaurants near Bloomsbury. Located in King’s Cross, the building used to be a gym (no prizes for guessing that), and its location in a Grade II listed building is one of its redeeming features.

The restaurant is set out over two floors. The ground floor is home to the Grand Café, where you’ll come across a range of German and Central European fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The menu includes delicacies such as poached pork & veal sausage with parsley and sweet mustard, ‘currywurst’ – grilled pork sausage with curried tomato sauce, a range of Schnitzels, and the Butcher’s Sharing Plate comprising cured and grilled pork knuckle, meatloaf, chicken Schnitzel, Bratwurst, black pudding, potato dumplings and sauerkraut.

Then you’ve got the upstairs restaurant. There’s a separate seasonal menu up here, including a set lunch, meat sharing plates, and a range of regional specialities. The restaurant shares the first floor with the Meister Bar, a chic Berlin-inspired cocktail destination.

Voyage

9 minute walk or 3 minute taxi ride
Bookings: 020 3146 0222 / hello@voyage-adamsimmonds.com
Open Wednesday 7pm-9.30pm and Thursday-Saturday 12pm-2.30pm & 7pm-9.30pm

Opened in January 2025 by Michelin-starred chef Adam Simmonds, Voyage at the Megaro Hotel in King’s Cross is definitely one to try if you enjoy a spot of fine dining.

The 7-course tasting menu – served 12-2pm and 6-9pm with a selection of wine pairings, is changed up every season. And the art-inspired a la carte menu is a simple selection of starters, mains and desserts.

Midland Grand Dining Room Restaurant King’s Cross

7 minute talk or 2 minute taxi ride
Bookings: 020 7341 3000
Open Tuesday 5pm-9.30pm and Wednesday to Saturday 12pm-2.30pm & 5pm-9.30pm

Open from February 2025 and headed up by Michelin-starred Victor Garvey, the Midland Grand Dining Room Restaurant at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in King’s Cross serves a French-inspired fine dining menu which includes a la carte options and a 7-course tasting experience with optional wine pairings.

Related Eating Out Guides – Restaurants in Bloomsbury and King’s Cross

You might also like:

Where to Eat Near Cartwright Gardens and Bloomsbury
Top Breakfast Choices in Bloomsbury
Best Places for Brunch in Bloomsbury
Cafés and Coffee Shops in Bloomsbury
King’s Cross Breakfast Guide
King’s Cross Brunch Guide
Best Places for Afternoon Tea Near Bloomsbury and King’s Cross
Best Pubs Near Cartwright Gardens

There are also plenty of famous-name-chain restaurants in the Brunswick Centre just around the corner from the hotel. And at Granary Square about a 20-minute walk away in Kings Cross, you’ll find a whole host of places to eat and drink, each with its own outdoor terrace for a spot of al fresco dining in the warmer months.

Visiting Bloomsbury or Kings Cross? We’d love to welcome you at the Mentone Hotel.

If you’d like to make a booking at The Mentone, please get in touch. All direct bookings benefit from a 10% discount and complimentary breakfast. And we’ll be happy to direct you to the best restaurants in Bloomsbury to try during your stay. Just let us know your preferences!

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