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If you’ve ever eaten at a well-known posh restaurant, then you know what it is like to pay a pretty penny for a meal. On the high-end facade of London, it is not difficult to drop £100 simply by wandering around the Old Smoke. So if you fancy what are typically considered the most valuable dishes in London, be prepared to pay a gracious amount for them.

If you happen to find yourself in Oxford Circus, you’ll discover a restaurant by the name of Sketch — The Lecture Room and Library, by chef Pierre Gagnaire. While there, you will likely be paying over £100 for dishes like the John Dory and scallops, or goose aguillette. The ‘new French’ style of cuisine has held its excellent reputation for several years.

World-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay also appeals to the costly pallet. This fine dining establishment offers a famous fillet of turbot with cep sauce, or a roasted loin of Highland venison. As expected, this feast of an experience will also likely leave you at least £100 less than before. Forget cheap hotels, Gordon also holds the rights to one of London’s other most expensive restaurants, at the Claridge’s hotel in Mayfair. Here you can take in a Casterbridge beef carpaccio with horseradish ice cream, or a cold malt chocolate fondant.

Another famously high-priced dining location is Le Gavroche, also in Mayfair. Le Gavroche is a highly-respected location, known for housing an elegant style and the offering the very best of French cuisine. For upwards of about £95 per person, you can order a foie gras with a crispy pancake of duck with cinnamon, or roasted pineapple with vanilla and rum, over white pepper ice cream for dessert.

Further down the road, of the Mayfair area, you’ll find Phillip Howard and Robert Weston’s The Square. Also being previously rated one of the best in London by several notable critics, you can find yourself spending also between £100 and £160 on each person dining. While there, you may order the terrine of foie gras with rhubarb and orange, and a brillat-savarin eheesecake for dessert.

So if you’ve got a taste for the finer things in life, a cheap hotel may be required in your next London stay. And although there are plenty of high-end shops, hotels, & fine dining experiences around town, most of these restaurants are among the finest in the world.

Dining out in London can be a real treat – but singling out one place amid the hundreds and hundreds that vie for your attention can be a daunting task. Although there are several stand-out restaurants in London, it’s important not to overlook the ones that are attached to or inside the city’s hotels. While hotel restaurants once had mediocre reputations at best, all of that has changed. Today, you can find some of the city’s best cuisine in hotel restaurants. To get you started, here’s a list of five real standouts.

1. Galvin at Windows – London Hilton – The panoramic views from this 28th-floor restaurant are reason enough to give Galvin at Windows a try. Its succulent menu really brings it all home, though – monkfish wrapped in bacon and roasted leg of Pyrenean lamb are just two of the mouth-watering menu items that you get to choose from when you take a seat at this elegant restaurant.
2. Chinese Cricket Club at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – The City – If you’re looking for modern, authentic Chinese cuisine when in London, put the Chinese Cricket Club at the top of your list. From tea-smoked duck salad to jumbo prawns with ginger, surprises await you at every turn in this sleek, modern establishment.
3. Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley – There’s modern European fare available throughout the city, but premier chef Marcus Wareing really kicks things up a notch. Stop in at the Berkeley to see what all of the fuss is about; the Scottish halibut with leeks and watercress is just one of the many signature dishes on the menu here.
4. Gordon Ramsay at Claridges – Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay offers his famous culinary styling over at the Claridges Hotel. This Art Deco-style restaurant’s most intriguing options can be found on the Menu Prestige, or tasting menu; foie gras and Goosnargh duck are two of the prime choices. Be sure to check and see what the cheese sommelier has to offer, too.
5. Mirrors Restaurant at the Novotel, London Street – Of the many London hotels that boast topnotch restaurants, Mirrors Restaurant at the Novotel is a definite standout. If you prefer staying in lastminute hotels in London that boast premium cuisine, put this spot at the top of your list. A full a la carte menu is available at Mirrors, including vegetarian options as well as food that will thrill the carnivores of the group.