London Dining Guide by Food Critic Paul Levy

In London, the finest oysters tend to be found in rarefied settings, at hyper-polished, clubby places like Wiltons and Bentley’s. The latter has been here since 1914—oh, the stories its marble bar must have been privy to over the years. Bentley’s ur-English fish pie is the stuff of legend, but oysters are the main event. Sit at the bar and let the amiable shuckers prepare you a dozen (if available) of the rare European flat oyster, which has a round, scallop-like shell, a fibrous, almost crunchy texture, and a tangy, metallic aftertaste-like licking a penny.

Address:
11-15 Swallow St.
London, England
United Kingdom

Phone:
44-20-7734-4756

Change has come to the InterContinental London Park Lane. The hotel’s famously posh location— between Hyde and Green parks, with regal views of Buckingham Palace—is now matched by its interiors. The property recently emerged from a $118 million makeover, with rooms swathed in damask and linen. In one loftlike suite, floor-to-ceiling windows frame a panorama that includes the queen’s residence and Wellington Arch. The hot new London design firm J2 added dramatic touches to the knockout lobby, such as cascading chandeliers that drip like icicles.

Address:
One Hamilton Pl., Park Ln.
London, England
United Kingdom

Phone:
44-20-7409-3131

What sets Rowley Leigh’s, restaurant apart is its classic French bourgeois cooking and—not least—a carpeted floor. Noise-shocked diners will want to murmur hosannas for this encouraging trend that makes it possible again to have a conversation while eating. The 175-seat room is enchantingly comfortable, make up of leather banquettes, booths that can squeeze four, and decently spaced tables for larger parties. The second-floor property has a new entrance with its dedicated elevator, the sexy bar area, and two colossal rotisseries on which rotate, boasted Leigh, everything edible that flies (and is legal to shoot) in Britain, along with really superb big chickens and great joints of meat.

Address:
8 Porchester Gardens, Whiteleys
London, England
United Kingdom

Phone:
44-20-7221-1415

In the newly hip Mayfair district, this landmark brick Victorian has reclaimed the glory of its golden era thanks to a $140 million renovation, creating a sophisticated throwback that no soulless Modernist hotel could ever hope to emulate. Classicist designer Guy Oliver supervised the preservation of burnished mahogany paneling, gilded scrollwork, and formal Adams fireplaces; fortunately, a welcome infusion of 21st-century fun saves the 123-room Connaught from being too somber. Witness the cartoonish Julian Opie cameos in the aubergine-and-slate Coburg Bar (created by India Mahdavi), film-noir nights with buttered popcorn, and chinoiserie cocktail cabinets filled with DIY martini fixings.

Room to Book: No. 116 has a cozy window alcove that looks onto tony Carlos Place Doubles from $720.

Address:
Carlos Place
London, England
United Kingdom

Phone:
(866) 599-6991

A follow-up to the wildly popular Arbutus, Wild Honey features surefire Franglais cooking: warm smoked eel with pear puree and delicious Scottish beef with baked onion. The menu depends on what’s fresh at the market—shin of veal, Elwy Balley lamb, rabbit. In his cut-rate set lunches, chef-owner Anthony Demetre (also of Arbutus) channels his love of British ingredients into such scrumptious notions as sous-vide poached Cornish pollack medallion with a shock of seasonal greens, or a roll of Elwy Valley lamb shoulder served with a hearty potato gratin. The menu features surefire Franglais cooking: warm smoked eel with pear puree and delicious Scottish beef with baked onion. Everything from the winsomely down-to-earth New British food, the convivial oak-paneled room and the clever wine choices, all available in third-of-a-bottle carafes make this a London staple.

Address:
12 St. George St.
London, England
United Kingdom

Phone:
44-20-7758-9160