Don't be fooled by the hyper-central and, at least at first sight, slightly touristy Drury Lane location of TOWN Restaurant, the latest gastronomic venture of acclaimed chef and food writer Stevie Parle: unlike many of the other overcrowded streets of Covent Garden, there is nothing that isn't worth experiencing at this new dining address in London's West End. Should it ever get so busy that, just like at one of the nearby theaters, you have to queue outside to secure yourself a seat, I would happily endure the wait. So long as I am assured that, sizzling on the opposite end of the building, a fried-to-perfection, sweet and sour entrée of heather honey and chilli-battered sage leaves is ready for me the moment I come in.
Call me impatient, call me ... hungry, but nothing makes me feel more — and more immediately — looked after at an eatery than a snack that arrives before I have even had the chance to look at the menu. When I visit TOWN Restaurant on a summery Thursday afternoon, this bowl of tempura-style, puffed-up goodness is a very welcome treat: a moreish, crispy appetizer you are bound to get addicted to after the first bite, with its essentially delicious recipe, it makes the perfect way into Parle's worldly-inspired understanding of British sustainable cuisine. Sitting on one of the red leather and velvet banquettes that girdle the eatery's right-hand side, the garish façade of the 1990s-fueled bar, karaoke, and pizzeria that stands opposite feels light years away, almost literally.
The work of local studio North End Design, TOWN Restaurant doesn't just wow with its abundant and, frankly, outstanding culinary offering. But, just like the entries featured in our most recent edit of the best restaurants in London, it brings unconventionally inventive, otherworldly interior inspiration to the table, too.
Behind TOWN Restaurant: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Design
Heading toward its lacquered, wooden Front of House, with a gray, industrial Drury Lane behind me, feels like slipping into a world that exists in between — or, rather, multiple worlds coexisting in one. Waiters swing fast about the round wooden tables and the beige fabric and tubular chrome Jacobsen chairs positioned at the center of the dining room, a tall communal table overlooking the bar on the left, and the lines of booth, lava stone-topped seating that, interspersed with crafty, glazed ceramic planters throughout, fill the space with life, in a no-stop, rush hour dance. A back-lit grid of softly shaped cubes, each delineated by a sheeny silver rim, casts a faint amber glow on the diners from above. Though the real design showstopper at TOWN Restaurant is undoubtedly its oblong, electric green kitchen pass: a dramatically illuminated, see-through servery that could have easily blended into the sci-fi settings of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
There is a hint of mid-century disco in the low-slung ceiling of the eatery, a nod to 1970s color palettes in its maroon red, deep green, and camel earthy surfaces, and something else that, despite feeling remarkably familiar, I struggle to place in time. A quick written exchange with North End Design's founder and creative director, Samuel Hosker, clarifies why. "The original client brief had the Apple logo from 1977, a Verner Panton interior, and Soviet-era train stations in it," he tells me over email. "It was a fantastic one-page document that gave us a clear direction about what they were after while also allowing plenty of room to explore different ideas."
To underpin the transportive, retro-futuristic aesthetic of TOWN Restaurant were Brezhnev-era 'Cosmic Communist Constructions' — surreally envisioned, colossal buildings that, erected across different Soviet provinces from the 1970s to the 1990s and stretching their odd silhouettes toward the sky, embodied a desire for change and independence, forewarning the fall of the USSR. In addition, the studio "looked at designers like Pierre Cardin, Willy Rizzo, and Marc Newson", borrowing from the former two's eye-catching, whimsical geometric creations and the suggestive organicness of the latter's to craft an environment that is as fanciful as it is elevated.
Bring TOWN Restaurant founder Stevie Parle's globetrotting vision home with My Kitchen: Real Food from Near and Far, a culinary bible inspired by his travels and the flavors of each season.
Keen to bring the retro-futuristic of the eatery into your own living room? With these iconic chairs by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, every dining table comes alive with design.
Or immerse yourself in the utopian architecture of 1970s-1990s URSS with photographer Frédéric Chaubin's surreal documentation of Soviet-era cosmic communist constructions.
Real-Life Inspirations, Brought to Life With AI
"After lots of research, we came across the Rainbow Room from Kensington's iconic Biba department store," Hosker explains, referring to the legendary Art Deco restaurant that, designed in 1933 by Marcel Hennequet and frequented by the likes of Mick Jagger, Twiggy, and David Bowie, became the it spot for the London fashionable crowd of the early 1970s. Known for its sweeping, elliptical ceiling with rainbow-tinted neon lighting, its exclusive performances, and lavish furnishings, "it's like a set from an early Grace Coddington shoot," the designer says. Hosker adds that both he and Stevie loved it from the get-go of the project, largely because of how it fused their other inspirations together.
As I take the first sip of my bubbly Botivo Pressé, a non-alcoholic cocktail packed with herbal notes and a citrussy aftertaste, with the luscious flavor of elderflower carefully balanced by the refreshing, almost savory sourness of grapefruit, I notice a large photographic print hanging above the staircase that leads to the restrooms to my right. In it, a white and coral-shaded starship is captured in the midst of an expedition, sunshine and the reflection of the pale blue sky outside gently filtering through its central porthole window. It has got the patina of an image from the last few decades of the 20th century, but the softness of its lines and pastel colors prompt me to think it was made with AI — and it isn't the only one.
For the team at North End Design, TOWN Restaurant represents "the first time we delved into the creative force of AI to see how Cosmic Communist architecture could meet a Pierre Cardin interior," Hosker explains. But if you think that's a shortcut to success, be prepared, as "it isn't as straightforward as people may believe". "There is a hell of a lot of back and forth to create an image that is worthwhile, and it only really works when you yourself have a clear vision of what you need," he says. Rather than a solution, AI is a tool that can give you the ability to visualize an idea you can't find in real-life projects, books, or Pinterest boards. Still, the designer adds, "a foundation in design history is key; otherwise, where are you starting from with the prompts?"
Playfully Inventive, Nourishing Food That "Starts With the Ingredient"
Indulging myself in another pre-main nibble — a soused mackerel, guindilla pepper, cucumber, and shiso gilda — I realise that the same amount of research and colliding of realities has gone into the eatery's menu, which pairs the best of British responsibly sourced produce with accents that span the whole world. Much more generous than the usual dish size, the gilda comes on a stainless steel pick, its bitter-sweet taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture making for a more delicate alternative to the richness of the traditional recipe.
Just like TOWN Restaurant's design gathers seemingly disparate influences into one, the gastronomic offer instinctively juxtaposes "ingredients with depth, wherever they come from," founding chef Stevie Parle, the brainchild of Soho's beloved fresh pasta concept Pastaio and other acclaimed London eateries, including Rotorino, Craft London, and JOY at Portobello Docks, explains. "I want to taste achovy, miso, chilli, and preserved lemon, and use them through a lens that's seasonal and grounded. It's not fusion — it's flavor-led."
The Cornish crab starter that follows, a floral artwork with thick wedges of Vesuvio tomatoes and basil for petals and a sprinkled-in-trout-roe, velvety crème fraîche heart, takes the dining room's color-blocked atmosphere onto the plate. As does my aubergine, courgette, and pepper farinata main — a crunchy chickpea dough base, topped in a triumph of grilled summer vegetables, tangy capers, and goat's curd. Form, color, and texture are as key to TOWN Restaurant's ambiance, its curved volcanic columns, and glossy countertops as they are to every dish here. But there is more to them than a striking presentation. "It all starts with the ingredient," Parle says. "We're not trying to overwork or outsmart it. Instead, the sophistication comes in restraint — being precise with technique, bold in concept, but always letting the produce speak." If a dish looks beautiful, adds the chef, "it's because it's delicious."
"It's About Everyone Having a Great Time"
That my order doesn't include any meat is a mere coincidence: taking an hour off work to enjoy my lunch at TOWN Restaurant, I feel a pescatarian selection will make it easier for me to recover from the slumberness that strikes after a three-course meal. In fact, the eatery's highlights include a wood-grilled Romney Marsh hogget with Chianti and anchovy butter, Welsh lobster with lardo and Town XO sauce, and steaks obtained from the 100% grass-fed cows of Andy Cato's regenerative Oxfordshire farm, Wildfarmed — a restaurant first. Cheese comes courtesy of Parle's brother and sister-in-law, Mike Parle and Darcie Mayland, and their Lost Valley Dairy + Creamery business in Ireland. Fruit options vary daily to reflect the taste of the season, and all ice creams are made in-house with the freshest ingredients available each month. With so much to choose from, you have no choice but to go back a second time.
Anything at TOWN Restaurant testifies to the potential that lies in a broad-minded, collective vision, from the time and space-traveling aesthetic of its floor to its painstakingly assembled, Mediterranean and Asian-infused plates. Running an eatery in the heart of London isn't a one-man job: it takes a village. "TOWN is the culmination of everything I've learned over 20 years of living and breathing restaurants — about cooking, about people, about farming, about hospitality, and above all, about the clarity and magic that comes from deep partnerships," the chef says. Collaborating with growers and producers who share his commitment to biodiversity and care for the land, people, and animals, Parle wants to show how "it's not just about food — it's about those who make it and eat it, and the systems behind it".
While I wait for my cup of espresso, I see two businessmen dressed in full tailored suits clinking their glasses of champagne to kick off their meeting, couples holding hands, celebrating a special occasion, and a few younger diners enjoying the space solo. I even spot Parle himself, an unruly bunch of parsley in his right hand, when he pops inside the eatery, chatting and laughing with his kitchen brigade before the trippy servery. Ultimately, "TOWN Restaurant is about everyone having a great time," says the chef. "Guests, team, farmers, and me!" Can't blame him if he is.
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It didn't take long for TOWN Restaurant to earn a reputation as one of the most eccentric, glamorous hangouts in London right now. But if there's one thing I have learned since I started curating the foodie archives of Livingetc, it is that, in the British capital, the next big thing is always around the corner. From a new wave of bistrots taking over the streets of the Big Smoke, including its formerly abandoned quarters, like in the case of viral seafood hotspot Noisy Oyster, to playfully designed, canteen-style eateries putting a sophisticated spin on street food (read, Lai Rai), there's something for everyone.
Less into dining out and more into homemade feasts? Discover the artisanal plate brands the pioneer of 'Sicilian haute cuisine', Michelin-starred chef Ciccio Sultano, swears by in his guest edit of must-have kitchen picks.
