Arlington
My top pick for dinner in London. Arlington Street off St. James's — the kind of address that sets expectations and then meets every one of them. Classic cooking done with total confidence in a room worth dressing for.
Arlington sits on Arlington Street, steps from the Ritz and the park. The room has the proportions that London does well when it commits to them — high ceilings, considered lighting, the sense that the people who designed the space understood what dinner is actually for.
The cooking is classically British with the French influences that British cooking at this level always has. There is no trickery. The Dover sole is the order if it is on. The sauces are the thing that separates this kitchen from the restaurants that are merely good.
This is Albert's top restaurant pick in London. Not the most-talked-about, not the newest — the one we would book on the first night of any London trip if the table were available.
Classic British and French technique applied without apology. The menu changes with the season and the kitchen's confidence is visible in every course.
High ceilings, warm lighting, the correct proportions. A room that makes you want to dress for dinner — and where dressing for dinner is the correct decision. The bar is worth arriving early for.
The Dover sole. The steak. Whatever the waiter suggests as the kitchen's current strength.
Reserve well in advance. Dress properly. Order the Dover sole. This is the dinner that makes the rest of the trip feel like it was built around the right choices.
Book ahead — reservations are essential on weekends and for prime dinner times.
Dress the part — the room rewards a jacket, and lunch is a smart alternative to dinner.