Over 75 million people pass through London Victoria every year, and the main street through the station is basically one big pasty passage. It’s no wonder that hungry tourists are always complaining that there aren’t any food options inside the station complex. Do they really need five Upper Crusts and a bunch of Caffè Nero stands?
Though maybe not quite true, the best place to eat here is to leave the city and go into the Westminster woods. All of these restaurants, food halls, and other places to eat are close to London Victoria and have been chosen by us as the best.
Gopal’s Corner (less than a mile)
A great place to get some of the best Malaysian food south of the river…
There seem to be more food courts opening in London than the city can handle. In the past few years, a number of huge new ones have opened. A lot of media attention has been paid to the renowned restaurant group JKS’s Arcade Food Hall on Tottenham Court Road, but we’re just as excited about London’s Victoria’s Market Hall. With several great restaurants all under one roof, Market Hall is one of the best places to eat near London Victoria.
The fact that it’s only a two-minute walk from the station is nice, but the food is what really draws people here. Baoziin’s delicious dim sum, Pasta Evangelists’ famous “carbonara of dreams,” and Fanny’s flame-grilled kebabs are all favourites.
The best food, though, can be found at Gopal’s Corner. This place is like the popular Roti King in London; it serves Tamil street food like freshly slapped roti canai in bundles to go with healthy curries that aren’t afraid of a little oil and salt.
But simple noodle stir-fries that are high in umami are just as delicious, as are banana leaf platters full of curries, crispy papadam and chutneys that are positively undulating with the funk of prawn paste and the heat of chilli. Just great.
Bleecker Burger Victoria (less than a mile)
For the best All-American burger experience…
Many of London’s food experts agree that Bleecker serves the best burger in the city. Our opinion isn’t as high-minded, but we might agree with them.
Bleecker, an All-American burger chain that started in London’s Spitalfields, now has a second location just steps away from London Victoria, as well as two more in Bloomberg and Westfield. This shows the brand’s growing presence in a city that doesn’t lack burger options.
It’s clear why Bleecker is getting better and better. There are only six options on the burger menu, and five of them use 45-year-old, grass-fed beef from Aubrey Allen, who is known as “the chef’s butcher.” The sixth choice, the “simplicity” burger, is vegetarian and uses chef Neil Rankin’s much-talked-about fermented vegetable “meat.”
If you like meat, it’s basically cheeseburgers, single or double, with or without bacon. You’re not likely to be struck by the paradox of choice here.
The end result is amazing; it tastes “dirty,” which is not a word we usually like to use, and has depth thanks to the better patties. In general, it’s great, and at the very least, the best burger you’ll find in this part of London.
The Casa do Frango Victoria is 0.3 miles away.
Great for getting a taste of Portugal, and they might have the best peri-peri chicken in London…
Most people think that London Victoria’s Nova development is a bunch of crap, but it does have a few nice places to eat dinner. When it comes to peri-peri chicken, the Victoria location of Casa do Frango has to be the best.
The restaurant’s name, which means “chicken house” in English, pretty much says it all about the food. Casa do Frango Victoria brings the spirit of Southern Portugal to London by offering traditional Algarvian food, with Frango Piri-Piri being their most popular dish.
The chicken in this dish was grilled over wooden coals and brushed with an old Piri-Piri blend. It has a satisfyingly smoky finish and blistered skin, which is surely what you’re here for?
A word for the supporting cast and sides, which go well with the main dish. The rice with chorizo, plantain, and crispy chicken skin is especially good.
A. Wong (0.3 miles)
Perfect for modern Chinese food that is creative and well-thought-out.
Many changes have been made to A.Wong since it first opened in 2013. It now has two shiny Michelin stars above the door. Their words: this “high-end Chinese restaurant” is actually surprisingly friendly, open to everyone, and fairly priced for the quality of the food served here.
At lunch, dim sum is the star of the show, with a menu full of creative and fun rolls that are all made with delicious ingredients. At dinner, the mood gets a little sexier, the lights go down a bit, and the dishes get more complicated. There are now three different sample menus to choose from. The “Taste of China” is a wonderful trip if you want to go all out.
Lorne is 0.3 miles away.
Very good for creative British food with carefully chosen ingredients in a cosy space…
In a bold move, the menu is divided into parts for starters, main courses, and desserts. If you’re looking for simple but perfectly executed French-style food over three courses, Lorne will do the trick.
Spending time there makes you feel safe. It has the feel of a neighbourhood restaurant, the service is great (warm, friendly, and informed), and the food is hearty and generous. You do pay a little more, but you get what you pay for.
A piece of fallow deer was cooked perfectly, with pink spots all the way around and a good crust that was just the right amount of bitter. It was served with pomme puree and boudin noir. It’s true that these pairs are very traditional, but sometimes that’s just what you need, right?
Olivomare is 0.3 miles away.
Great for lavish Sardinian gifts from the sea…
Olivomare is a classy restaurant that is located between London Victoria and Belgravia. The menu is simple: sardine seafood meals that are cooked with care and precision. The restaurant more than lives up to its tempting name, with a menu that seems simple at first glance but delivers high-quality food.
In the adjacent deli, which supports artisan producers from Sardinia, the best ingredients are given the most attention. The fish is spanking fresh, and both local and foreign vegetables are treated with the same level of respect.
You have to order the trofie with clams and grated bottarga. It’s spicy from the fresh and dried chillies that are added in large amounts, and it’s very salty from the reduced clam stock and the great salted grey mullet roe that does a great job of replacing the parmesan.
There is a lot to enjoy at Olivomare. The main meals are mostly whole fish from the charcoal grill, which comes either marinated or with a salt crust. This makes it the perfect place for a relaxing lunch in Victoria.
The Pem
Great for lively fine eating and modern British food…
We get it—you might have to run 10 minutes northeast into Westminster to get to The Pem. But since the restaurants near London Victoria aren’t exactly wonderful, you might be glad you did.
This fancy and lively fine dining restaurant is in the fancy Conrad London St. James Hotel. It was created by the famous and liked chef Sally Abé, who had a Michelin star at The Harwood Arms, a London gastropub.
The name “Pem” comes from the name of a suffragette, Emily Wilding Davison, whose family called her “Pem.” The restaurant’s philosophy of praising women is reflected in the fact that Abé leads a team that is mostly made up of women. The inside has an art deco feel to it, with bright pinks and deep reds decorating the walls and soft seats and banquettes making eating there comfy. This is a great spot to settle down.
The Pem was ranked 97th in the National Restaurant Awards and 81st in Square Meal’s Top 100 list for 2023, which shows how good it is, as well as Abés’s, cooking. The menu changes with the seasons and features British food that is of high quality and can be grown again. A favourite of Abé’s is her take on a traditional Black Forest gateau, which she serves with English cherry ripple ice cream.
What’s even better is that the chef is a great meat cook, which he or she probably learnt at the Harwood Arms. Check out the beautiful Cumbrian sirloin of beef with turnips and mustard. It’s served with perfect, blushing pink cuisson all the way around. Now that the football season is over, we can’t wait to come back!
Please be aware that The Pem is “on summer break” right now. Reservations will start again on October 12th.
Malta Mangal (0.4 miles)
Very good for really delicious Turkish Cypriot food…
There is no doubt that most Turkish and Cypriot restaurants are in the northern part of London. However, in the middle of Pimlico, there is one place that serves truly outstanding Turkish and Cypriot food. That one is Cyprus Mangal, which is a nice place to spend an evening eating and is only a short walk from London Victoria.
There are also very reasonable prices at this place. A big serving of charcoal-grilled lamb beyti, freshly baked Turkish bread, and chopped-to-order tabbouleh won’t cost you more than £20, which is simply great value in this part of town.
It’s open every day from noon until midnight and is a welcoming place to go out late in a part of London that can feel closed off at times. Well done, indeed.
La Poule Au Pot (0.6 miles)
Great for French food made with love…
Is that Belgravia? Who is it, Victoria? Don’t get too caught up in the details of geographical language here; La Poule Au Pot has been a Westminster institution for almost 60 years and still serves mostly Lyonnaise “bouchon” classics.
La Poule Au Pot would look right at home on the Rue des Martyrs in Paris or in the middle of the Presqu’Île in Lyon. Food from Burgundy is served at this cute, old-fashioned restaurant. You can get snails with garlic butter, frogs legs, grilled calves liver, foie gras terrine with Sauternes jelly, and rabbit with mustard sauce, among other things.You get the idea, and it’s a pretty picture to paint.
With its cracks and crevices, trinkets and even, whisper it, napkins, this is a place that is best enjoyed as the nights get cooler (that’s right now, then). Because there aren’t many better places in London to spend an evening when the food is hearty and comforting, the lights are flickering, and the drinks are red-breathing on the table.
