Brits Gone Wild

London’s restaurant scene has undergone many changes in the last decade, all of them to the better. But the real sea change came about in 2012, when the global financial crisis triggered an improbably wonderful shift in the city’s restaurant culture. Led by a loose-knit group of bold chefs, and following hard on the heels of the ‘bistronomie’ movement in Paris, the British restaurant revolution jettisoned the whole concept of ‘fine dining’ and the pretense that often goes with it. Which is not to say that old-school dining rooms with pomp and circumstance and bad-tempered chefs no longer exist. They do. But you’ll find the most exciting cooking at small no-tablecloth spots run by young chefs whose cooking is informed by both global influences and British produce. Here are five of the best of the new-ish breed of restaurants, all located in central London.

Barrafina (Adelaide St. branch). Voted Observer Food Monthly Readers’ Restaurant of the Year, this small Spanish restaurant in Covent Garden, owned by Eddie and Sam Hart, has just twenty-three seats and doesn’t take bookings, so be prepared to stand in line. But devotees of goose barnacles, shellfish rice, and suckling pig ears agree that the food is worth the wait. The actress and cookbook writer Madhur Jaffrey told the Observer that the tapas were ‘better than any she had tasted in Barcelona.’ barrafina.co.uk

Honey and Smoke. The sibling restaurant of the Middle Eastern-inflected Honey and Co., Honey and Smoke is all about the deep smokey flavors of the charcoal grill. Run by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, alums of Ottolenghi, this is the place for the burnt celeriac and Urfa chili butter you didn’t know you craved. Inventive mezzes (charred pears, almond tahini, and raw honey is a favorite) and such mains as Cornish hake kofta with preserved lemons have made this spot one of the hottest in the city. honeyandco.co.uk/honey-smoke

Nopi. Nopi is Yottam Ottolenghi’s answer to the fine dining conundrum. It’s a bit more formal than his other restaurants, but he placed a big communal table in the main dining room overlooking the kitchen, which gives the place a relaxed feel. The salad of burrata, blood orange, coriander seeds, and lavender oil is a favorite. ottolenghi.co.uk

Kiln. A Kiln first-timer would never guess that the London Standard’s restaurant critic, the formidable Fay Maschler, had conferred on this tiny place with steam-fogged windows and swivel stools a five star review. But all skepticism vanishes with the first bite of food, which owes its marvelous flavors to the restaurant’s eponymous chestnut wood-burning kiln. Chef Ben Chapman does gorgeous, imaginative interpretations of northern Thai classics, many of which are on the drier (as opposed to soupier) side. The quality of his produce is spectacular: just-caught pink bream from Cornwall, aged Cornish lamb, heritage-breed pork, local organic lemongrass. Booking well in advance is recommended. kilnsoho.com