Berners Tavern

Ian Schrager’s dining room inside The London EDITION does most of the persuading before a single dish arrives. High ceilings, a huge central chandelier and walls stacked salon style with paintings give Berners Tavern one of the most photographed interiors of any restaurant opened in London this century, and it seats around 150 covers without ever feeling like a hotel canteen.

Jason Atherton’s menu sits in modern British territory, seasonal and produce led, with dishes that change through the year rather than a fixed set of signatures. Weekend brunch and a Sunday lunch service have become a reliable draw for locals rather than just hotel guests, alongside the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner sittings through the week.

The room’s own private entrance on Berners Street means diners can bypass the hotel lobby entirely, which helps it function as a genuine standalone restaurant rather than an afterthought attached to the EDITION brand. The bar at the far end does a steady trade of its own, popular with people who have booked a table elsewhere but want a drink first. The wine list runs long and leans European, put together to match a menu that shifts through the seasons rather than sitting still.

Prices sit in the mid range for a restaurant of this ambition and setting, a set lunch or pre theatre menu offering noticeably better value than the full a la carte in the evening.

The honest caveat is that reviews over the years have been mixed on consistency, some finding the cooking, particularly steaks and heavier mains, falls a notch below the standard the room’s design promises. The setting rarely disappoints; the plate in front of you occasionally does. It remains a strong choice for the sheer spectacle of the space, best treated as somewhere to be seen and admired rather than a destination purely for the food.