The countries of the world, with links to our reviews of countries we’ve eaten, and suggestions for tackling the remaining countries. We’ve divided them up according to the UN Geoscheme.
Want to help us complete our mission? If you have a suggestion for a restaurant covering a country we haven’t yet done, leave us a comment below and we’ll add it to our list.
Africa
Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Libya
- Morocco
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
Eastern Africa
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Adulis in Kennington demonstrated to us the similarities between the food of Eritrea and nearby Ethiopia
- Ethiopia
- We reviewed Lalibela in Tufnell Park, and can also recommend the nearby Queen of Sheba
- Kenya
- Madhu’s in Southall offers “Punjabi food with a Kenyan twist”
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mozambique
- Réunion
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- Red Sea, Uxbridge Road W12 (serves cuisines from the countries around the Red Sea)
- Uganda
- United Republic of Tanzania
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Western Africa
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cape Verde
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Gambia
- Ghana
- We reviewed the Gold coast in South Norwood
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Helena
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Middle Africa
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Republic of the Congo
- We may hit The Double Club for a night of Congolese food, music and beer
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Sao Tome and Principe
Southern Africa
- Botswana
- Lesotho
- Namibia
- South Africa
- Swaziland
Europe
Northern Europe
- Åland Islands
- Channel Islands
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faeroe Islands
- Finland
- Guernsey
- Iceland
- Ireland
- There has to be somewhere better for us to go than O’Neills–Callaghan’s perhaps?
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Norway
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
- Sweden
- We reviewed Fika on Brick Lane
- United Kingdom:
- England
- We’re thinking of doing England last, as our grand finale, but where to go for the best example of English cuisine? A gastropub? chop-house? Pie mash shop?
- Scotland
- Kake recommends Buchan’s in Battersea
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
Western Europe
- Austria
- Tiroler Hut, Westbourne Grove W2; Kipferl, Long Lane EC1
- Belgium
- Belgo serves reliable moules frites; we also mean to try the food (not just the beer!) at The Dovetail in Clerkenwell, and its sister pub, The Dove in Hackney.
- France
- There are many French restaurants in London, but which would be the best example of the cuisine?
- Germany
- Kurz & Lang, Cowcross Street EC1; The Fest, Fulham Road SW6; Bavarian Beerhouse, City Road EC1
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- De Hems pub in Chinatown has some Dutch snacks (and great beer) but where to go for a sit-down meal?
- Switzerland
Eastern Europe
- Belarus
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic
- We visited Czech Club Restaurant in West Hampstead
- Hungary
- While we’ve heard mixed reports of the food, the Gay Hussar in Soho is something of a London legend.
- Poland
- We reviewed Tatra in Shepherd’s Bush; other Polish restaurants we’d like to visit sometime include Polanka, King Street W6; Daquise, Thurlow Street SW7; Ognisko Polskie, Exhibition Road SW7; Patio Restaurant, Goldhawk Road W12
- Moldova
- Romania
- 32 Old Bailey, Old Bailey EC4
- Russian Federation
- We enjoyed a past visit to Troika in Primrose Hill; other options include Potemkin, Clerkenwell Road EC1 and Rasputin, Acton High Street W3
- Slovakia
- Ukraine
- Troika serves a range of Eastern European food, including Ukrainian wine
Southern Europe
- Albania
- Andorra
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Mezze at The Real Greek is surprisingly authentic for a chain, but we’d love to find a traditional family-run taverna. Camden has a number of options which I’ve eyed from the number 134 bus, including the popular Daphne’s.
- Holy See (the Vatican)
- Italy
- This country’s cuisine excites us so much that we’re willing to cover it more than once, splitting it up into regions from Tuscany to Sicily, if we can find good restaurants serving regional Italian food.
- Malta
- Montenegro
- Portugal
- Republic of Macedonia
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Laxeiro on Columbia Road serves a mean Paella and is buzzing on Sundays
Asia
Central Asia
- Kyrgyzstan
- Andy recommends Kyrgyz at Hotel pasha in Camberwell
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyz also serves Kazakh cuisine
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
Southern Asia
- Afghanistan
- Afghan Khayber Restaurant, Uxbridge Road W7
- Bangladesh
- Chaat, a hip tea room serving home-cooked Bangladeshi food–or one of the many Bangladeshi restaurants dotting nearby Brick Lane
- Bhutan
- India
- We’ll be splitting India up into regions if we can, and looking far beyond the neighbourhood curry joint for truly authentic options
- Iran
- We reviewed Mahdi in Hammersmith. Other options include: Sufi in Shepherd’s Bush; Alounak Russel Gardens W14 and Westbourne Grove W2; Simurgh, Garrick Street WC2
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Many options including Monty’s, High Street W5; Monty’s, South Ealing Road W5; Monty’s, Northfields Avenue W13; Monty’s, The Mall W5; Usha’s, Uxbridge Road W13
- Pakistan
- How I’ve managed to avoid Tayyabs to date is a mystery
- Sri Lanka
- Papaya, Northfields Avenue W13
Eastern Asia
- The People’s Republic of China
- We visited Red Bar and Restaurant in Shoreditch / Bethnal green for Szechuan and North-eastern Chinese food
- The Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Leong’s Legends in Chinatown impressed on an early visit, although many dishes were from mainland China
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
- We reviewed Golden Pagoda for dim sum.
- Macao Special Administrative Region of China
- Japan
- We reviewed Asakusa in Camden Town
- Mongolia
- Charmaine suggests Little Lamb in Chinatown, although questions the Mongolian-ness of their hotpot.
- South Korea
- We reviewed Kaya in Mayfair
- North Korea
- Food specifically from the communist North may be hard to find. Another recommendation though is The Old Justice–a pub in Bermondsey with a Korean chef.
South-east Asia
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Lao People’s Democratic Republic
- Malaysia
- Nyonya in Notting Hill impressed us greatly on past visits with its Malay and Singaporean dishes
- Burma, or Myanmar
- We reviewed Mandalay on Edgware Road
- Philippines
- Josephine’s, Charlotte Street W1
- Singapore
- Kiasu in Bayswater was recommended to us by Singaporean chef Terry Tan
- Thailand
- London abounds with mediocre Thai restaurants–suggestions welcome for one which stands out from the crowd!
- Timor-Leste
- Vietnam
- Cây Tre on Old Street has long been a favourite, although has disappointed on occasion; Colleagues swear by the cheap and cheerful Tay do Café and Hackney has a number of tempting options.
Western Asia, or the Middle East
- Armenia
- Garni, Chiswick High Road W4
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Cyprus
- We visited the Greek Cypriot Lemonia in Chalk Farm. Can we find somewhere to represent Turkish Cyprus too?
- Georgia
- We reviewed Tbilisi in Holloway, and have also heard good reports from Minimo in Kensington
- Israel
- Sami’s Kosher Restaurant in Hendon didn’t disappoint with its Israeli food
- Iraq
- Sami’s also serves some Iraqi dishes, leading to conjecture on our part about an Arab/Israeli romance!
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- One of the many Lebanese restaurants on Edgware Road would be the obvious choice–perhaps part of the Maroush empire?
- Oman
- Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip)
- Maramia Cafe, Golborne Road W10
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syrian Arab Republic
- The two Damascu Bites in Shoreditch serve what we believe to be the best lamb shawarma in London, alongside a range of mezze and traditional Syrian dishes.
- Turkey
- We reviewed 19 Numara Bos Cirrik 1 in Dalston
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
- Red Sea, Uxbridge Road W12 (serves cuisines from the countries around the Red Sea)
The Americas
Northern America
- Bermuda
- Canada
- We reviewed the Maple Leaf pub in Covent Garden, and Tim Horton’s on Haymarket
- Greenland
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- United States of America
Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Green and Red on Bethnal Green Road serves great and interesting regional Mexican food; We hear good things about Wahaca’s market food in Soho too.
- Nicaragua
- Panama
Caribbean
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- We reviewed Bamboula in Brixton
- Martinique
- Montserrat
- Netherlands Antilles
- Puerto Rico
- Saint-Barthélemy
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin (France)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
South America
- Argentina
- We visited Buen Ayre in London Fields
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Rodizio Rico on Westbourne Grove carves all the meat you can eat from giant barbecue skewers at the table, plus an extensive salad bar.
- Chile
- Colombia
- Brixton’s El Pilon Quindiano tempts, and Tim confirms the appeal of giant portions at Los Guaduales in Finsbury Park
- Ecuador
- Falkland Islands
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Tito’s in Southwark (near London Bridge) has pleased on past visits
- Suriname
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Oceania
Australasia
- Australia
- Should we brave the Walkabout, or are there other options for Kangaroo burgers?
- New Zealand
- Norfolk Island
Melanesia
- Fiji
- New Caledonia
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu
Micronesia
- Guam
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Nauru
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
Polynesia
London’s outpost of the world-renowned Trader Vic’s offers bar snacks influenced by the cuisine of the Polynesian islands
- American Samoa
- Cook Islands
- French Polynesia
- Niue
- Pitcairn
- Samoa
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Wallis and Futuna Islands
Kake wrote,
Just a heads-up that Nyonya has closed (though they claim they’ll be reopening after “refurbustment”) and the chefs have moved to Sedap; RGL review at http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Sedap,_EC1V_9AY
Link | April 12th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Kake wrote,
If you want to have separate restaurants for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, you could check out Dastarkhan at 203 Holloway Road: http://dastarkhan.co.uk/eng/ (Not tried it, don’t know if it’s any good.)
Link | April 12th, 2009 at 11:35 am
AYSHA wrote,
Hey
I have a few recommendations:
Lebanon – head to Chez Marcelle in Kensington Olympia; run by a friendly woman, it is a small, unpretentious, gloriously authentic restaurant where the food is freshly made, served in gigantic portions and is incredibly cheap. I have eaten at various Lebanese restaurants and found this to be the best place so far – surpasses all the Lebanese places in Edgware Rd! Make sure to try the baba ghanoush – I have converted many people simply on this alone!
Morocco – I’ve eaten at several across London and I have been fairly disappointed by the standards. However, I would suggest Original Tagines in Marylebone as I found the tagines served here are less watery than other places. The lamb and apricot tagine in particular is very good! Time Out recommends Adam’s Cafe in Shepherds Bush but I am yet to try it…avoid Pasha at all costs – ridiculously overpriced for generally bland food.
Syrian – Abu Zaad in Shepherd Bush. Very cheap, food is very similar to Lebanese restaurants though.
Persian – don’t really know what country this would fall under but I have three recommendations – Alounak, Mohsen in Earls Court and Patogh in Edgware Rd. Patogh is probably the most authentic out of the three – its like being transported back in time. The tables are really close together so it can get a bit uncomfortable but the food is simple and tasty.
Malaysian – Satay House in Paddington. Some of the curries are a bit hit and miss but if you choose carefully, you can have a good meal. Beef rendang is a definite must, would also recommend to try the grilled mackerel, and the aubergine or morning glory in shrimp paste. (The owners of Nyonya have opened a Chinese-Malay restaurant in Old St called Sedap, which I will be trying out in the next few weeks)
Egyptian – Ali Baba, I think this is the only Egyptian restaurant in London
Greek – I have tried the Greek restaurants in Camden and they have not made a lasting impression to be honest. Helen from World Foodie Guide recommends Vrisaki in Wood Green…
Chinese – you’ve probably recieved thousands of recommendations for this category! I really enjoyed the dim sum at Pearl Liang, and I would also recommend my local Chinese – Teachi in Camden. They serve good dim sum and other tapas-sized dishes.
Mexican – Mestizo is high-end Mexican dining, haven’t been for a few years now but I did enjoy the food here.
Italian – Spacca Napoli is my Italian of choice. The pizza is Neopolitan-style and the chefs also hail from the Naples region.
Thats all I have so far…hope you do get to try some of these places out even if you do not end up reviewing them
Aysha
Link | April 27th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
christina wrote,
Surely the prospect of much cheese in the form of a swiss cheese fondue must meet your approval for Switzerland. A lovely place with cow bells and all
http://www.stmoritz-restaurant.co.uk/
Loving the site, and am now inspired! I will have to set myself a similar task.
c
Link | May 1st, 2009 at 11:19 am
Kake wrote,
Re my comment above, I’ve been to Dastarkhan now — good atmosphere, shame about the food. RGL review: http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Dastarkhan,_N7_8DL
Re Bulgaria, I’ve just read on http://www.harringayonline.com/ that there’s a Bulgarian place on Green Lanes that’s “worth a try”. I found a photo on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrs_eds/3528808341/
Link | May 15th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Kake wrote,
Might be worth keeping an eye on the Eating Eurovision project too — http://eatingeurovision.wordpress.com/
Link | May 15th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Kake wrote,
Oh, and via the Eating Eurovision roundup, there’s Kabulawayo, “a world A-Z of London meals” — http://www.kabulawayo.com/
Link | May 16th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
AYSHA wrote,
Re: Lebanese
Al Waha is my new favourite!!! Its overtaken Chez Marcelle for the top Lebanese in London. Highly recommend Baba Ghanoush,Muhamarah and falafel. The bread they serve here is not the usual flatbread, but a doughy sesame type of bread – absolutely delciious
I can also recommend Comptoir Libanais, but this is more of a deli-sort of place
Happy eating!!
Link | May 22nd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Tom wrote,
Netherlands – My Old Dutch, serving pannekoeken:
http://www.myolddutch.com/
No kroketten, sadly.
But i have been told that you can hear passing tube trains from the gents’ in the basement of the Holborn branch.
I can confirm that Los Guaduales is smashing and generous, and add that for Ecuadorean food, you can try El Rincon Quiteño, on the Holloway Road, which is great – for god’s sake, have the deep-fried pork, as it’s amazing.
I wonder which of London’s umpty thousand roads houses the widest cross-section of the world’s cooking? Holloway Road has to be in with a shot at the title – as well as the usual suspects like Chinese etc, it’s got Ecuadorean (El Rincon Quiteño), Georgian (Tbilisi), Turkish (numerous, but the best kebab house is the perceptively-named Holloway Best Kebab), Kazakh (Dastarkhan), Indian (okay, a usual suspect, but i have to mention the Red Rose Tandoori, as it’s The Darkness’s favourite curry house), Ghanaian (Manjaro Bar and Kitchen), Korean (Bu-San), Spanish (El Molino), Colombian (La Tranquera, Pequeña Colombia Panadería), and of course English (Michael’s Fish Bar – where else!).
The only competition that springs to mind is Seven Sisters Road!
Link | July 13th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Frances wrote,
I just had a brilliant Ghanian curry from a food stall on Exmouth market. But I came back and saw you’ve already covered Ghana. Damn!
2nd suggestion, there’s a portuguese on Brixton Hill which is nice, you have to go through the takeaway bit to a secret back room. Can’t remember what it’s called though.
Link | October 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Frances wrote,
Cambodian – Try Lemongrass: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/5073.htm
Link | October 2nd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Sarah wrote,
Best coffee you will get in London, for a taste of NZ.
Otherwise, http://www.thekiwikitchen.co.uk/ prides itself in NZ cuisine, but its a bit pricey
Link | November 6th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Ben wrote,
I’ve not heard a bad thing about Chakalaka for South African cuisine in Putney, SW15.
Been living around the corner for years but never had the chance – so let me know when you go and I’ll come join you!
Link | December 16th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Tim wrote,
Hi – love the blog. Apologies for the flagrant self-promotion but I just wanted to introduce my own brand new food blog, http://www.thirtyoneseventyfive.com, which roots out London’s best eating and drinking options for £31.75 or less (the reason behind the figure is explained on the site). Any feedback would be great. I’m also looking for nominatons for London’s best and worst Italian restaurants, so ideas would be appreciated. Anyway, keep up the good work – I’ll be adding you guys to my blogroll!
Link | January 27th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Ross wrote,
Hey! I am doing the same thing. I have some good recommendations for you (like Cyprus Mangal in Pimlico for Turkish Cypriot) but what you’ll love is this map:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=El+Coste%C3%B1ito,+62+Brixton+Road&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=El+Coste%C3%B1ito,+62+Brixton+Road&hnear=England,+City+of+London&cid=0,0,13436042863926522771&ei=P_GrS4ydDcT24gaZhrzgDw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CBgQnwIwAw
Email me!
Link | March 25th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
matthew wrote,
Nice, thanks!
El Costenito – I’m not seeing much evidence of it on the map – sounds interesting though. Once we stumbled into an amazing columbian bar/restaurant in Brixton that let us stay after hours, don’t suppose this would be it?
Link | March 29th, 2010 at 11:22 pm