Lyle's

Dinner at Lyle’s is a leisurely affair, so kick back, take in the understated interiors and chat to the sweet staff before getting stuck into some palate-dazzling food from one of the most talented cooks in town. Chef James Lowe regularly hits his mark when it comes to fine-tuned new-breed British cuisine. There’s no table-turning (hooray!), so stay as long as you like.

There are two superlative-laden, white-walled British restaurants around Shoreditch. One is St. John Bread and Wine—which is simultaneously a little fancy but utterly unfussy—and the other is Lyle’s, which is both fancy and fussy when it comes to food. The tasting menu reads simply—razor clams and tomatoes, fore rib and onions—but that isn’t to say it tastes simple.

Sophisticated culinary elegance is epitomised at Lyle’s, where modern British cuisine is enjoyed in a minimalist yet inviting setting in Shoreditch. The Michelin-starred restaurant promises an innovative approach to dining, with Chef James Lowe employing an array of inventive methods to bring his culinary vision to the table through a seasonally-inspired menu. Starters feature an array of imaginative flavours from gin and swede to clementine peel and cod, while main courses are served in a series of bold, inventive dishes that promise to take your palate on a journey.

Courtesy of LyleWhere: ShoreditchAt the Michelin-starred Shoreditch restaurant Lyle’s, chef James Lowe and his team craft two distinct tasting menus daily – one with meat and one vegetarian. This thoughtful approach ensures an exceptional dining experience for all, embodying how Lyle’s earned its reputation as one of the world’s best restaurants. The restaurant’s mission is straightforward – showcase the best of modern British cuisine.Lyle’s daily “micro-seasonal” menus celebrate the freshest ingredients procured daily.

Lyle’s has built up a stellar reputation thanks to its elegant, seasonal British food but if you don’t want to plan ahead, you can also drop in for small plates and a glass of wine from their bar snack menu (as long as one of the six bar stools are free of course). It is a changing menu, but if the mussel, garlic and spenwood flatbread or the smoked eel with cabbage and seaweed are on, they’re must-orders. It’s not exactly cheap, but as a Michelin-starred pit-stop it’s pretty perfect.

On the ground floor of Shoreditch's Tea Building, the seven-storey start-up hub right across from the Overground, is a different kind of innovation hub: Lyle, the creation of borderline "experimental" chef James Lowe. There's a clean, ultra-sanitary feel to the whitewashed walls and glistening steel detail that sets it apart from Shoreditch's whole cultivated-grittiness thing. The place feels grown-up, which is a perfect balance to how playful and thrilling the set menu is.

Yeah, we love Lyle's and its chef James Lowe simply because they're great, but we love them even more because they create a proper vegetarian and vegan menu every day to sit alongside their other offerings. As Lowe points out, "I've seen restaurants with set menus where vegetarians and vegans are charged the same but just get given a salad. I don't think that's OK." What's more, this attitude carries over into their delicious bar snacks menu, too.

Natural light and simple furnishings dominate the photogenic space at Lyle’s, which serves a set menu of modern British food each evening for a modest cost. The kitchen is open and situated at the back of the restaurant, periodically wafting smells of browned butter and toasted buckwheat into the dining room. A small bar, manned by the whip-smart sommelier, serves mostly natural wines to people who stop in for a glass on their way home.

Proving less is more is Lyle’s, an understated restaurant with much to offer. Despite its Michelin star and spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, there’s nothing pretentious about James Lowe’s fine dining venture: instead of tablecloths and candles you’ll find white-tiled walls, concrete flooring and simple seating. But amid these stripped-back settings you’ll be treated to some rather extraordinary food.

What: James Lowe’s no-nonsense restaurant strips away the fripperies of gastronomy to leave a starkly minimalistic space where disarmingly simple food does the talking. British ingredients are put to stunning use on a no-choice dinner menu, which has been consistently rated as one of London's best for many years now, and was our London Restaurant of the Year in 2024.Where: The Tea Building, E1 6JJBook now:Lyle's

Best for: Michelin-starred dining at homeWhat to order: the Mid-Week Menu. Michelin-starred Shoreditch restaurant Lyle’s, from James Lowe of Flor and ASAP Pizza fame, created a rotating Mid-Week Menu of top-quality seasonal dishes sent straight to your door during lockdown(any address within the M25). It’s less hands-on mise en place and more assemble, heat and eat – step-by-step instructions come in the box.

Lyle's, led by chef James Lowe, is known for its precise cooking with seasonal British produce. The restaurant constantly updates its menu, sometimes daily, to reflect the best of what's currently in season. With an industrial yet cozy ambiance, Lyle's offers a comfortable dining experience featuring sophisticated combinations of local produce cooked to perfection.

In East London’s Shoreditch it sits on the ground floor of the Tea building, a former 1920s Lipton factory. Its minimalist interior is more mid-century canteen than the high-octave comfort you’d expect from the Ritz. It’s a pared-back room of white wash walls and factory style lighting with great, large windows.

Lyle's London mightn't be the famous name on this list but its placement on The World's 50 Best Restaurants – plus a cheeky Michelin star – mark the Shoreditch venue as a must-visit. The seasonal menu changes each week but the food will always be sublime. Read the full review of Lyle's London

Dinner time is the real draw at Lyle’s as a six-course tasting menu. The menu changes regularly, but you can expect to tuck into the likes of Hereford forerib with summer beetroot and horseradish; and monkfish with cocoa beans and honeycomb tomatoes. Lunch isn’t a time to be missed either.

The kind of place where chefs like to eat, where the dishes appear simple and fluid and yet require authority to accomplish, Lyle’s has a short, changing New British-meets-Nordic menu, but it runs deep with inventiveness and delicacy: lemon sole with buttermilk and sea aster (a salt…

Flavours take centre stage at Lyle’s, as the stripped-back decor does little to attract from the inviting dishes on offer. With plenty of fish and British beef on the menu, expect a total feast for the eyes and the belly.