The Best Restaurants To Book In King’s Cross

Chef Assaf Granit and British designer Tom Dixon joined forces to create this ‘food and design playground’. Diners can expect inventive cuisine with ingredients and family style sharing plates largely influenced by Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Jerusalem traditions: imagine butter-drenched kabbalah bread, beef tataki dotted with figs, and a crunchy fennel salad. Naturally, this is an impeccably designed restaurant – and the tableware is available to buy. We like it even more in the summer, when we can dine on the terrace overlooking Regent’s Canal.

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Hicce (pronounced ee-chay) is Pip Lacey’s first solo culinary venture since leaving her role as head chef of Angela Hartnett’s Michelin-starred Murano. The 80-cover restaurant can be found within clothes shop Wolf & Badger and offers all-day dining from midday. From homemade rye bread with seasonal cheese, cured meats and pickles to fish, meat and hot sticks cooked over special holm oak charcoal, Pip uses traditional techniques to create dishes inspired by her travels and driven by her commitment to the very best produce.

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Hidden gem Roti King serves up authentic Malaysian dishes. Tucked in a basement around the corner from Euston station, the restaurant is small and simple, and features an open kitchen where guests can watch roti (Malaysian flatbread) being made on the spot. Given its name and reputation, the roti is a must order – we love the chicken murtabak with minced chicken and egg filling, which comes with dahl.

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Another award-winning eatery from the Sethi family (Trishna, Gymkhana) Hoppers is one of the very best Sri Lankan restaurants in London. Aptly named after one of Sri Lanka’s popular dishes – egg-topped pancakes – Hoppers’ Soho original often still has long queues, but this bigger site offers more chance of getting in. The menu features exclusive dishes such as blue swimmer crab kari, black pepper curry leaf prawns and mussel hodi, as well as those signature hoppers. Outdoors, there’s a mix of high and low seating – all covered, heated and surrounded by foliage, like a 1960s tiki bar. 

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Booking Office 1869 at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel opened at the end of 2021. The restaurant and bar from Harry Handelsman – the hotelier behind Chiltern Firehouse and The Stratford – were designed by French architect Hugo Toro to transport diners into a Victorian winter garden. The slick interiors feature oak wood throughout, tiered chandeliers and indoor plants. Diners can choose from an all-day à la carte menu including dishes like fried chicken with yogurt and lime; steak tartare with salsa verde and beef dripping toast; fried fish sandwiches with spicy tartar sauce; and baked gnocchi with a bitter leaf salad. Bar manager Jack Porter (formerly of The Ned) has created a Victorian-inspired cocktail menu including a house martini featuring Hepple Gin, vermouth and black olives; and a ‘clear margarita’ with Ilegal Joven tequila, Tapatio hot sauce and salt.

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Bill Granger is often credited with bringing the Aussie brunch concept to London. With outposts in Chelsea, Clerkenwell, King’s Cross and Notting Hill, Granger & Co’s relaxed fare makes it the perfect place to pop in as a family or group of friends. As well as toasted sandwiches, cooked breakfasts and a selection of nutritious bakes – the muffins and toasted coconut bread are excellent – there’s a delicious range of salads, poke bowls, curries, pasta dishes and burgers. Classics include Bill’s coconut curry with brown rice, choi sum and holy basil; pecorino fritters with quinoa and raw courgette; and toasted Dusty Knuckle sourdough with avocado and lime.

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The Taiwanese steamed bun experts at Bao are the best in the business. The trio behind the restaurant group perfected their steamed buns in an east London market stall almost a decade ago. Its King’s Cross site, which launched last year, is their biggest venture to date. On the menu, you’ll find the kitchen’s spin on western-style dishes such as chicken XO kiev and ham hock congee pie. This particular Bao site is distinctive for two reasons: it’s the only one to offer breakfast, and it features the first Bao Bakery Goods counter, where signature Salted Egg Custard Sad baos can be eaten in or taken away. 

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A characterful spot at the centre of Coal Drops Yard, Vermuteria is a distillation of owners Anthony Demetre (Wild Honey, Arbutus and Les Deux Salons) and Michael Sodeau’s favourite bars and cafés along cycling’s Grand Tour routes of Italy, France and Spain. The food and drink are inspired by these regions – think salads, charcuterie, pastries and tapas-style plates alongside larger dishes such as hot crab croquettes with aioli and slow-braised beef and ‘nduja ragu. They make the ideal accompaniment to one of the bar’s titular vermouths, which are all served in 50ml measures over ice.

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