1 2 NEXT » Some 18 years down the line, readers are still deeply, madly in love with Gordon Ramsay's three-Michelin-starred Chelsea flagship: "the best meal I have... more » This latest iteration of the iconic Michelin House unites two legends of the London restaurant scene. Bibendum was founded in 1987 by Sir Terence Conran,... more » Situated on the edge of picturesque Ealing Common, Charlotte’s Place has been a local favourite for a while. The big sister of the Charlotte group (there... more » 3 Course Menu & Aperitif: £32.50 5 Course Tasting Menu - £34/£42 Going for the gold standard on a street called Poultry, Coq d’Argent is near the top of the City’s pecking order. We reckon its status as an “all-time... more » Set Menu: 2 courses £29.50 / 3 courses £34.50 Like its sibling The Wolseley, this "lovely buzzy restaurant" bears all the hallmarks of a Corbin & King success story, from "spot-on" service to please-all... more »

Emile’s “still retains the enthusiasm of someone just starting a restaurant, even though it’s around for more than 25 years”, notes a fan of this long-serving... more » In other circumstances, it might be tempting to bring a picnic hamper to this little green space off a quiet Mayfair mews. But despite the exotic planting,... more » 3 course set menu & tea/coffee: £35 6 course menu,coffee, canapes, petit fours for £75 3 course set menu & tea/coffee & 1/2 bottle of wine: £55 Chiswick’s favourite eatery made its name by serving “superb quality” French-accented cuisine without the formality or price tag you might expect from... more » Named for its views of Tower Bridge, Le Pont de la Tour has seen a lot of water flow by since 1991, yet it remains one of the flagships of the D&D London... more » Menu du jour - 2 courses £25, 3 courses £30 per person “I can’t contain how happy I am when I eat here,” says a fan of this Jason Atherton restaurant, which is both little and sociable – note its size, noise... more »

2/3 courses & a glass of champagne £25 / £29 This sympathetically restored Victorian gin palace is worth the trek out to W12, according to impressed readers who love its “great gastropub vibe”, top... more » Serene and peaceful, with shell motifs and an undulating wave-like ceiling pointing up the maritime theme, this Michelin-starred South Indian specialist... more » This dressed-up SW6 gastropub with rooms originally dates back to 1729. By 1900 the pub was known as The Jolly Maltster and despite a major overhaul in... “Wow, wow and wow!” exclaims a fan of Hakkasan, who reckons it’s definitely the “sexiest restaurant” he’s ever frequented. Certainly, there’s a “sultry... more » Sunday Offer: Dim Sum Sunday including drinks £58 “What a place!” exclaims a fan of Hakkasan Mayfair – a Michelin-starred bolthole with “incredibly high expectations” and a certain measure of sleek, party-inspired... more »A legend since 1879.

Fleet Street used to be the home of London's newspapers, and this is where the journalists would drink and gossip. Women weren't allowed at the bar until the 1980s! It's less raucous now, as the customers are mainly lawyers. The food is basic; the meat pies are the thing to go for. The wine list is extremely old-fashioned, with lots of claret and generic white burgundy by the glass, and none the worse for it. It's recently been taken over by Davy's, a wine bar chain, so it's not clear what the future is. best wine by itself Today, wine bars are fashionable. best wine box uk 2015There's even been talk that wine itself might be... *whisper it* cool. best online wine and spiritsThings were very different when I was growing up. best red wine for vegetarian food

Wines bars were considered terribly old-fashioned. Most weren't even aimed at wine lovers. Instead, they were places to drink that were open later than pubs. You might have gotten some cheese and crackers or shop-bought pate to eat, if you were lucky. There was a chain in the north of England called Yates's Wine Lodge; from the name, you'd imagine it was a good place to discuss the difference between left bank and right bank Bordeaux. wine with turkey roastIf you tried, you'd be in for a rude shock. top 3 wine production in the worldOn a Friday and Saturday night, Yates's would be crammed with people getting uproariously drunk on anything but wine. Even during the dark days, however, there were places serving good quality wine and food, and some of them are still around. What the newer places offer is sharper cookery and more adventurous wines, many of which are available by the glass thanks to the wonders of Enomatic machines or the Coravin (a sort of handheld Enomatic that dispenses a tasting measure and then seals the bottle with an inert gas).

So I thought it would be interesting to examine the now-thriving wine bar sector in London. I've tried to group them roughly in order of opening, so you go from very old school to bang up to date. The requested URL /home was not found on this server. Additionally, a 500 Internal Server Error error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.It's London Wine Week, and bars and restaurants all around the capital are putting on special events to celebrate. But where are the best venues to enjoy a glass of the grape stuff? 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen 28-50 has three branches (the other two are in Fetter Lane and Marylebone) but this one, close to Regent St, is my favourite to pop into for an early evening glass or two and a simple plate of food. Style-wise, 28-50 mixes Mayfair gloss with a relaxed vibe. Wine-wise, you’re guaranteed an interesting glass because the place was set up with wine in mind. I love that you can order 75ml tasting samples to help work your way through the entire by-the-glass menu.

Good for samples: 28-50 17-19 Maddox St, W1S 2QH 2850.co.uk POP UP Franciacorta Bar Franciacorta is the northern Italian take on champagne: sparkling wine made using the traditional method from chardonnay and pinot noir (with a bit of pinot blanc in there too). Half a century ago, just 3,000 bottles of franciacorta were made every year. Now that figure is 14million and, until recently almost unknown in this country, franciacorta is starting to have a bit of a fashion moment. Pop into the Andaz to try a flight of three different styles of franciacorta (pronounced francha-corta) for £5 (London Wine Week wrist band wearers) or £9 and a plate of matching stuzzichini (nibbles) for £5. Just don’t mention prosecco. • Amazing bars to drink at before you die The 10 Cases A small, casual wine bar with bistro food just out of the way of the busy bits of Covent Garden. The number ten is important here: ten tables, ten white wines and ten red wines. Also, as if keeping to a tricky new year resolution never to become boring, the owners never buy more than ten cases of any particular wine, so ensuring that the wine list is an ever-changing, ever-tempting work of art.

Never boring: 10 Cases 16 Endell St, Covent Garden 10cases.co.uk • Caviar and cognac: the crazy world of mega-rich foodies The Remedy This place is tiny. And with its bare brick walls, squashy banquettes, dim lighting and pleasingly junk shop vibe it feels like being in a speakeasy. Or a French wine bar circa 1971. But you won’t find that sort of wine list. The mission here is to work with small, independent producers to bring unusual wines, made in often titchy quantities, into the glasses of London wine lovers. Expect the gloriously unusual: ribolla gialla, irouleguy, Georgian kvevri wine. Last time I was here the chalkboard had a very unassuming but absolutely majestic list of madeiras by the glass. Big Bottles Taste Better Jointly hosted by Noble Rot (the wine fanzine) and Mission (the gorgeous Bethnal Green bar specializing in Californian wine) this promises to be quite a party, with the wine list for the night eclectic, wide-ranging – and all poured out of magnum. Because big is better.