BANKSIDE RESTAURANTS & BARS

Everyone loves the relaxed vibe and service is just right – attentive when needed, but otherwise leaving everyone to their own devices. Bag a seat at the counter or at one of the high tables before eyeing the blackboards. "Wonderful" briny oysters are a must.

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Manicured lawns, topiary, wisteria-clad cloisters and an alfresco bar make this memorable rooftop garden a shoo-in for summer drinking.

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A laid-back Italian restaurant with its made-to-order fire baked pizzas, fresh pasta and gourmet salads. A fast casual restaurant with a twist - collect a swipe card when you enter, then queue at your pizza, pasta or salad section and watch the chef make the dish in front of you.

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Each of these attractive wine bars has its own distinct character and menu but the house style, which simply relies on great Italian ingredients and wines, should bring out the Latin lover in everyone.

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Within a landmark London building, a culinary experience using the finest of the country's produce.  

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A wall of glass gives a view across the Thames to Tate Modern, but if you look the other way there are some interesting South African artworks on the walls of this sleek contemporary space .

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Deep in Borough Market, this restaurant spin-off from Arabica's popular food and spice stall has made quite an impression on readers, who love the "sheer breadth of tastes" on a menu that stretches "from Athens via Yerevan and Old Jaff to Cairo".

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Tucked into one of Flat Iron Square’s railway arches, this modern Portuguese restaurant hums with heritage.

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Slicker than its neighbours, this is an intimate space featuring black interiors and effortlessly cool staff. This isn’t a case of style over substance, though, with the kitchen turning out a steady stream of simple, well-executed European small plates.

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Lobos ('wolves' in Spanish) is a tapas joint in the heart of Borough Market.

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With 130 bottled beers supplementing 10 draught ales and lagers at any one time, this is one of London's most impressive, all-round selections under one roof.

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Set over two floors of a rickety old brick terrace, this low-key wine bar has a dishevelled Dickensian pose that makes it ideal for a cosy winter meet-up.

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This sizzling Portuguese joint is on the first floor of a large warehouse space just a few minutes from Borough Market.

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This penthouse-chic lounge bar has views that “make you feel like a giant over teenie weenie London”, but almost as dazzling are the drinks, served with a side of live music: rat pack standards, urban loft loungecore, and swinging jazz.

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A honky-tonk drinking dive hidden in the basement of Borough's Breakfast Club – you reach the bar itself through the restaurant's kitchen.

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A family run business with an obsession for authentic, healthy and nutritious Vietnamese food.

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The Dickensian lanes around foodie mecca Borough Market make an apt setting for the sixth London Hawksmoor, the chain which offers a contemporary take on the traditional British steakhouse.

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Urban-industrial interior and a seasonally changing all-day menu bristling with ideas from around the world.

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This cheap and cheerful taquería has a strong pedigree in this buzzing Borough Market railway arch, from tacos made from scratch on the premises, to the specificity of the cuisine.

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Gordon Ramsay’s urban restaurant that is inspired by the causal glamour and laid-back luxe of Northern Italy. The menu is influenced by authentic family recipes and a myriad of Michelin-Starred restaurants resulting in daily changing of seasonal dishes.

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Coffee dominates proceedings, though beyond the bar stools and sarnies you’ll see a dining area and open kitchen – accompanied by those Grind hallmarks, bass-led music and red neon lights.

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Serving foraged British ingredients and game, with a zero-waste ethos wherever possible. To get a taste for the approach, order a portion of the ‘chef’s wasting snacks’, which change daily according to whichever ingredients are left over.

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A convincing pastiche of a peeling 1920s music hall in dusty small-town Mexico – hosts intimate live gigs and DJ shakedowns until dawn, thanks to a 23-hour entertainment licence.

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A beautiful bar and restaurant set over two floors with stunning views of the Thames and St Paul's Cathedral serving a modern British menu.

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This snug drinking den is tucked down a City side street, with a buzzy ground-floor bar and a more subdued dining room upstairs.

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Sometimes all you want in London is a concise, straightforward menu, superb food and good value.

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Healthy eating, Tossed is the perfect pitstop for a healthy lunch offering a tasty selection of soups, salads and sandwiches.

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An outpost of Mark's Soho cocktail bar with a sunken bar circling the old metal cooling pool, playfully adorned with salvaged cinema style seating and an art installation by Helen Chadwick replicating a London Underground tube carriage. Experience hand-crafted cocktails and British libations from a menu that pays homage to British distilleries - not forgetting Mark Hix's take on great British snax. With a traditional bar billiards table, a retro duke box and a cocktail list of historical curiosities and celebrations, Mark's is the place to sit back and enjoy a more eccentric approach to drinking.

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Situated in the Mercure Hotel, Marco’s brings a twist on the traditional Italian cuisine combining the tastes of America with the inspirational flavours of the Mediterranean.

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The charm of an old chocolate factory, this restaurant serves modern British and European cuisine for lunch, dinner and pre theatre.

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A much loved neighbourhood restaurant serving some of the finest dishes found in India.

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The home of Portuguese flame-grilled Peri Peri chicken.

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High quality produce and authentic food served in stylish surroundings at value for money prices.

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Bringing a taste of the deep south to Bankside serving Memphis-style smoked meats, classic soul food and Americana inspired cocktails.

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Wakey! Wakey! Rise & shine!’ No matter how bad the hangover, the peppy, perky Breakfast Club experience will surely rouse you from your slumber.

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Seasonal local ingredients & international flavours combine with natural wine in casual surrounds.

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Open daily for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. For dining on Fridays and Saturdays, the Restaurant offers innovative menus based on seasonal and carefully sourced ingredients.

When you step inside the door, you step back in time. The wood paneling and soft leather armchairs reflect the charm that runs throughout and it is known for its outstanding wine list and truly unbeatable prices.

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Relax in stylish surroundings and enjoy superb eclectic cuisine and a fine bottle of wine from the Mercure's signature wine list.

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Well known for its hugely popular weekday breakfast and weekend brunch. The wine list features grape varieties that aren't available anywhere else in the UK and the restaurant provides musical entertainment on Saturday nights – you can enjoy top jazz and folk talent from around the world.

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Located next door to the Shakespeare's Globe, The Real Greek is ideal for anyone visiting Bankside. It isn’t formal or fussy and uses outstanding ingredients with good honest flavours.

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The Refinery is the ultimate bar and restaurant with music and a late licence.

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Offering delicious home-made Japanese food.

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Serves fresh food, burritos, and salads for eat-in or take-away, along with a selection of Mexican beers and frozen margaritas.

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