London Shepherd's Bush Restaurant Guide

“Wow! – How to describe the extraordinary gastronomic experience created by master sushi chef, Endo, and borne from his obsession with quality and refusal to compromise on even the tiniest detail?” Diners are blown away by Endo Kazutoshi’s 16-seater on the eighth floor of the old BBC TV Centre in White City, where he presents over 20 courses at the cost of £250 per person. “Every dish is an experience and the theatre of chef Endo’s entertaining presentation and explanations is a delight. It may seem like no bargain, especially if you take the (recommended) sake pairings, but it is nevertheless excellent value”. It closed for a five-month refurb over summer 2024 – “Good luck getting in here after the reopening!” Since 2020 it has been recognised by Michelin, but “we have no clue as to how this has just a single star, while Alain Ducasse for example has three!”

At the foot of a large, Hong Kong-owned hotel beside Shepherd’s Bush Green gyratory, this modern (rather anodyne) dining room has built a reputation, since it opened nearly ten years ago, for “absolutely wonderful” dim sum and superior roast duck from a wide-ranging menu. The food rating dropped a notch this year on the back of one or two reports of “average” results.

“Authentic cooking from the open kitchen” elevates this Indian venue, easily missed amidst the anonymous units around Westfield Shepherd Bush’s Southern Terrace. It’s the London representative of a chain founded in 1972 in Bombay by JK Kapur (with 15 locations in India) and specialises in North Indian cuisine.

“More hit ’n’ miss than they used to be, but still a go-to chain” – the Elliot brothers’ successful group is heading towards 20 branches in the capital, but “still producing quality dishes despite becoming quite a brand”: “lovely scorched, pillowy-based pizzas with plenty of power in the ingredients” and “reasonably priced for the quality!” Latest to launch, in June 2024, was a branch by Euston.

“All falafels are definitely not created equal”, agree fans of this 25-year-old family-run spot that’s “well worth seeking out in marvellous Shepherd’s Bush Market” – “the freshly fried falafels and all the trimmings are eyebrow-wagglingly good!”. Motto ‘We Speak Falafel Fluently’ – you can order the dish in various styles from around the Arab World, including the owners’ native Palestine. “Arrive early to grab a table and avoid the queue”.

“A reminder of how good Italian cooking can be” is to be found at Giulia Quaglia’s neighbourhood two-year-old in ever-posher ‘Askew Village’, which offers a short menu of three-four options for each course (including ‘primi’). “Even the bread is exceptional” and even those who consider it “expensive for Shepherd’s Bush” say “you won’t be disappointed”.

Bringing a “welcome dash of glamour to Shepherd’s Bush Green”, the recently arrived Hoxton Hotel has a stylish and spacious diner featuring the cooking of LA chef Kris Yenbaroong, whose “Californian-Thai food is perfectly enjoyable (if no more than that)”. Service is personable, and it’s a fun place to linger for an “excellent post-meal G&T” in their rather swish bar/lounge.