Small plates are quickly becoming a favourite way to dine in London. Whether you're looking to share with friends, bond on a date night or you're just too darn indecisive, they're perfect for spreading across a table and diving in. While tapas will always have a place in our hearts, there’s plenty of dishes from around the world to sample, from Italian cicchetti to Middle Eatsern mezze, graze your way across continents with our guide to small plates in London.
Last edited by Lauren Cole
Last updated on 14th November 2024
While Andrea Ludgate Hill is certainly a looker, found in a Grade II-listed building boasting ornate yet stylish interiors, the menu is equally as enticing. Delve into Asian-British small plates, like salt and pepper tofu, chicken bites with coconut curry mayo and scallop cakes accompanied by fennel salad.
With quirky cocktails and small plates galore, Oriole is bringing us speakeasy vibes in Covent Garden. Dig into a range of delicious bites including mushrooms with egg yolk, beef tartare and smoked cauliflower, while enjoying their live piano music and stunning sips like the chocolate miso whisky concoction Mizuwari.
Whatever you're in the mood for, you'll find it in small plate form at Lula in Queen's Park. This charming eatery is full of pretty plants, rustic wooden furniture and white brick walls, with a gorgeous loft space for private hire too. What's more, you can dine on tasty bites like beef tartare, grilled tataki salmon and king oyster mushrooms here.
A traditional boozer in Mayfair that's been transformed into a slick pub and wine bar, The White Horse is also home to a mega menu of small plates. While regularly changing, you can expect international bites that place a strong focus on Italian flavours.
This Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is a glamorous haunt boasting a menu of Spanish and Italian small plates, alongside signature Mexican and Peruvian offerings from sister sites Monmouth Kitchen and Leicester Square Kitchen. Signature dishes include their deliciously dainty tacos, jamon and machego croquettas and chilli panko tiger prawns.
Aqua Nueva is a stunning Spanish restaurant and bar for enjoying small plates in London. Located in a prime central London location, just a stone's throw from Regent Street, the venue takes inspiration from Northern Spain with traditional decor and tapas dishes.
After Pan-Asian small plates? Everything from dim sum to sushi and wok-fried squid in sambal suace is on the cards at Gura Gura. Plus, this destination is all kinds of pretty, from foliage ceiling installations to wall art and murals.
From hot sauce-smothered halloumi served alongside lemon yoghurt, to tamari soy-glazed pork belly bites and a range of different tacos, the small plates at The Street Easy are crowd-pleasers that are designed to be shared. Plus, you can wash it all down with cocktails at this Exmouth Market spot.
This gorgeous wine bar and bottle shop not only serves stunning dynamic wines from unique producers, but it also happens to dish up some particularly impressive small plates. Swing by to sip on refreshing drinks paired expertly with fresh cheese plates, cured meats and more.
Located within a former power station, don't be deceived by this imposing 9000 sq.ft venue, the small plates here are as good as any cosy independent nook. With offerings such as clam, nduja and cider linguine, and smoked tomatoes served with burrata and basil oil, the focus at Wild by Tart is on sustainable local produce and the highest quality ingredients.
On the hunt for delicious small plates in Chelsea? Ollie's House is the stunning, tropical-style restaurant that's dishing up the goods. Pop by for bao buns filled with sticky jackfruit, lamb madras fries and chicken gyozas cooked how you like 'em.
For Italian small plates in London? Check out Osteria Vitis, found on Major Draper Street in Woolwich. Their charming, historical building dates back to 1671 and has been tastefully updated, yet still includes exposed brick, warm wood accents and a cosy vibe to create a true Italian osteria.
Small plates here include all-day brunch dishes like flaked poached salmon on an Italian stracchino cheese-slathered toast and whipped ricotta, honey walnut and figs atop warm waffles, alongside other dishes like the tender slow-cooked squid in a white wine-tomato sauce and traditional Sicilian arancini.
If you're looking to keep your small plates a strictly Spanish affair, look no further than the gorgeous Iberica venues dotted all across London. Think jamon Iberico, croquetas and seafood, all washed down with vino or sangria.
Found near the British Museum, on Great Russell Street and minutes from Tottenham Court Road station is the conveniently located Bloomsbury St Lounge. The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is tucked away inside Radisson Blu Hotel, serving moreish chilli garlic prawns, aubergine, goma and crumbled feta with crisp flat bread, and habanero-spiced chicken across its small plates.
Finsbury Park's Must Day & Night is a great pick of small plate restaurants if you're after Mediterranean dishes aplenty. Think beetroot carpaccio, calamari, patatas bravas, falafel and more across an extensive list, all washed down by cocktails.
Nothing beats sipping on cocktails while nibbling on a few small plates, so head on over to Act Bar in Notting Hill for Indian fare. Tuck into their tandoori basil salmon with carom seeds, yoghurt and mustard mooli or opt for onion bhajia with red lentils, gram flour, and coriander.
Gallio is a gorgeous Mediterranean restaurant in Canary Wharf that dishes out delicious mezze plates all day long. You can expect everything from patatas bravas and fried halloumi to lamb kofte and traditional Greek salad, alongside plenty of tasty seafood options too.
For a welcoming ambiance and a stunning selection of cocktails, head to the award-winning Little Bird Battersea. As for the menu, they boast a diverse selection of dishes including prawn dim sum, filo feta cheese and falafel tacos.
When it comes to Mediterranean small plates, the team at Arthur Hooper's know what they're doing. Head to the London Bridge restaurant to spend the night digging into cheese, cured meat and colourful salads.
Searching for authentic Indian small plates? Head to the West End and feast on tapas-inspired dishes at Roti Chai. The restaurant's casual dining space takes inspiration the street hawkers, roadside cafes and railway stations of the sub-continent with its innovate take on traditional cuisine.
Sometimes nothing beats tucking into some delicious small plates or sharing them with friends, so be sure to check out Hannah in Clapham. This stunning haunt not only offers mouthwatering plates, but they also have a crackin' drinks menu to be enjoyed in their stunning space.
Offering a gorgeous array of small plates at both their Haggerston and Bethnal Green venues, Arepa & Co is the place to go for delicious Venezuelan eats, including yuca chips, tequenos, tostones and much more.
Kentish Town's Never For Ever serves up small plates a-plenty with a focus on sustainability and seasonal grub. Munch on nduja and scamorza croquettes, crispy squid and watermelon gazpacho, all swilled down with a choice of craft beers, cocktails or global wines.
At Ciro's in Islington, you're bound to be pleased when you feast your eyes on its authentic Italian small plates menu. The wine bar and restaurant specialises in tempting dishes of lasagne, gorgonzola dumping and various crostinis like anchovy and lemon, paired with refreshing cocktails or a glass of red.
Craving some small plates? Then venture to Hawksmoor Bar Wood Wharf. This floating venue offers up a range of grub, from bone marrow oysters to langoustine scampi and salt beef nuggets in the gorgeous space. If you're thirsty, try out the martini menu.
Small plates on a rooftop? If that sounds like your thing, then Sabine is just the place. Expect to tuck into a seasonally-changing list of sumptuous dishes, all while swilling them down with cocktails and enjoying views of St Paul's.
If you're in North London, you don't have to look too far for some of the best small plates around thanks to Chuku's, the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant. Nestled on the High Road, this contemporary eatery is known best for whipping up innovative dishes, presenting the flavours of Lagos and beyond in a new light. Menu standouts include the plantain waffles, topped with blueberries, maple syrup and dairy-free ice cream, and the tender, suya meatballs. You won't be left thirsty either, as it offers an array of signature tipples, from Nigerian Guinness to coconut rum-based The Obi.
Fodder will be taking up residence at Brixton's cosy cocktail bar Shrub and Shutter from Wednesday right through to Saturday. Their small plate menu has sustainability at its heart, using lesser-known ingredients to create delicious zero-waste plates such as pigeon offal yakitori and salt-baked baby celeriac with walnut, chanterelle, wild rocket and three-corner leek.
A Mayfair restaurant that draws in some of London's biggest socialites, MNKY HSE also aren't shy a small plate or three. From beef brisket tacos to Latino plates brimming with British produce, you're sure a unique dining experience.
