I was planning to introduce Town as Stevie Parle’s new restaurant, but since opening he has also just launched Motorino, a London-Italian spot in Fitzrovia with Luke Ahearne (ex-Lita) heading up the kitchen. Anyhow, let’s allow that one to bed in a little and head back to Town.
Town feels expensive and stylish, with an interior design style I will call retro-futuristic luxury; the kind of place that would have prompted Lady Penelope to ask Parker to fetch the Rolls. Vintage car art, 70s-vibe glossy burgundy and green colour scheme, extraordinarily comfortable chairs and deep leather banquettes, and rounded corners everywhere: tabletops, chair backs, light fixtures, columns, everything is curved and softened.
On my first visit I was overcome with curiosity, FOMO and yes, let’s just call it greed. I ordered most of the starters as lunch, a strategy which worked surprisingly well. I chose the wittily-named “Second-Cheapest White” (which turned out to be an easy-drinking Douro) in a 375ml carafe perfect for solo diners; after tasting and pouring it was taken to nestle in a nearby ice bucket until needed, a nice touch for such a modest order. The cocktail menu is courtesy of Kevin Armstrong, owner of the wonderful Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green, which recently made number 21 in the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Town has a sleek counter bar within the restaurant but I am intrigued to see what they do downstairs if the planned addition of a separate bar goes ahead, as that could be a game-changer.
It’s big, shiny and impressive; I like it – I’m just not sure I love it
Stevie Parle is well-known for his focus on British ingredients and has been cultivating the very best suppliers throughout his career; this deep-seated respect for produce gives his menu all-star provenance. There’s Wildfarmed beef, Coombeshead Farm charcuterie, honey from his own bees, cheese from his brother’s dairy and East Kent asparagus from farms near his home. He’s also hired wisely: Olly Pierrepont (ex-Luca and La Trompette) as executive chef and Andy Bright (ex-Kerridge’s Bar & Grill and Fera at Claridge’s) as head chef.
As you would expect, this carefully sourced produce is treated with a light but expert touch. Asparagus is just-cooked, served with a soft-focus drape of mangalitsa lardo in a marriage of freshness and deep savouriness that accentuates both ingredients. There is a single Isle of Mull scallop, the flavours reminiscent of XO with its deep amber burnt chilli butter, and a spectacularly fresh crudo with tomatoes, Todoli grapefruit, basil oil and tomato water.
It is this last dish that stole the show, and my heart; if there was ever an argument for the importance of quality produce, it’s here. The day boat fish was delicate and translucent, the tiny wedges of grapefruit brought a spring of acidity but, oh lord, those tomatoes. I was suddenly whisked back to early childhood and the memory of being given a freshly-picked tomato from my neighbour’s greenhouse, warm from the sun and still with that intoxicating herbal tomato-leaf scent. Skin taut with ripeness, it burst like a peach in my mouth, juicy, fresh, sharp and sweet, with a bright fullness of flavour that encapsulates summer for me still. It’s so sad that, for many, that benchmark memory is a supermarket tomato: mass-produced, pappy, bland and barely worth eating at all. In this crudo dish, the tomatoes are back to their full glory.
Crudo with tomatoes, Todoli grapefruit, basil oil and tomato water
Saffron risotto with bone marrow
Day boat fish with marinated courgettes and spiced peppers
I immediately started planning when I could eat it again; however, with top producers comes hyper-seasonality, and by my next visit it had been replaced by a Cornish tuna crudo with cucumber, apple, soy and English wasabi. That dish has stuck in my mind like a summer romance, inevitably fleeting and all the more delicious for it. I already know it’s going to be one of the top five things I’ve eaten this year.
The saffron risotto with bone marrow, popping up on every foodie Instagram right now, is exactly what it says on the tin: a generous bowl of perfectly-cooked risotto, golden and earthy with saffron, topped with an unapologetic chunk of split bone full of beefy, buttery roasted bone marrow. Of course it adds another level of flavour, but I think it is as much a delivery mechanism; the rich, gelatinous marrow coats your palate, carrying the subtlety of the risotto with it. It’s a great double act, although I did find myself craving some freshness or a touch more acidity about halfway through (the wine helped).
The front of house staff are lovely but seem to swap in and out like synchronised swimmers; admittedly they never miss a beat, but it can be a little disorientating. On my first, early visit Stevie Parle himself was front and centre, behind the pass and bringing drinks to diners, which was good to see. Although this is very different from his other current spot Pastaio, Town has the clear stamp of his ethos and goals. Reflecting the location, there is a very good-value lunch and pre-theatre set menu, which includes an excellent steak tartare.
Attention has been shown to the dessert choices, including a recommended drinks pairing. The Alphonso mango dish featured a yogurt sorbet with a mango centre on a bed of coconut tapioca and fresh mango pieces. It was pretty as a picture and, for someone without much of a sweet tooth, a texturally interesting and well-balanced way to finish the meal.
The Nikka whisky kashi is a very pleasing couple of mouthfuls, like a miniature canéle with a burnished, deeply caramelised exterior revealing a satisfyingly chewy centre. The menu suggests pairing it with a C & C Old Fashioned – cognac VSOP, coffee, salted maple syrup and walnut bitters – which sounds like one to try on my next visit.
Would I recommend you go to Town? Yes, absolutely. The food is excellent, the service generally charming and the prices very reasonable for the quality and location. It’s big, shiny and impressive; I like it – I’m just not sure I love it. I don’t think it’s the kind of restaurant that will ever feel like a second home but, if you’re meeting that critical, hard-to-please friend, booking a business lunch or just want a reliably good – and who knows, potentially exceptional – meal, then this is your spot.
26-29 Drury Lane
London
WC2B 5RL
November 2025
