The A to Z Guide of London’s International Cuisines: Hidden Gem Restaurants Across the City

Eating Your Way Across the World’s Cuisines in London

Updated November 2025

One of the best things about living in London is undoubtedly the huge diversity of cultures that call it home. With ~270 nationalities (are there even that many countries?!), it’s surely the most metropolitan city in the world.

That sparked a simple idea: could you eat your way through the alphabet by finding a restaurant that represents a country for every letter from A to Z — without ever leaving London?

After a year of exploring some of London’s less-travelled corners, the answer is almost yes. A few tricky letters needed creative interpretation (Q, X, O and Z). Where no obvious country or London restaurant exists, I’ve used regions, languages or local naming quirks instead.

Keeping it exotic

Another part of the A–Z challenge was to go as unusual and exotic as possible with each letter. It’s easy to pick France for F, but isn’t it more rewarding to wait half a year for the Finnish Church in Rotherhithe to serve reindeer hot dogs and Karelian pasties?

And this isn’t a list of London’s fanciest restaurants either. The most authentic experiences often come from places you’d walk past without a second glance. We almost thought the Ugandan restaurant in Seven Sisters was closed — until we stepped inside and discovered one of the city’s biggest hidden gems.
So just as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a restaurant by its shopfront.

By the end of the A to Z challenge, you’d have eaten well, discovered cuisines you might never have tried, and found yourself in parts of London you’d otherwise never visit – a big part of the fun. So, let’s get to the London hidden gem restaurant list!

Map of London’s Authentic International Cuisine Restaurants

London’s Hidden Gem International Restaurants

A is for Afghanistan

Namak Mandi, Tooting

This buzzing Tooting establishment represents Pashtun cuisine that transcends Afghan and Northwest Pakistan borders. Be sure to order the fresh Afghan naan, so huge that it comes with its own stand. Then there’s the schnitzel-shaped Chapli Kabab that’s delightfully crispy on the outside yet perfectly juicy on the outside.

Recommended Dishes: Lamb Karahi; Chapli Kabab

Namak Mandi Restaurant, Tooting Bec, SW17 7TS

Alternative “A” Cuisines: Steak lovers should definitely opt for Argentina, with Buen Ayre in Hackney one of its finest Argentinian grill houses in the capital.

Alternative Afghan restaurant: Ariana II in Kilburn is equally delicious.

B is for Bulgaria

Sunny Beach Restaurant, Wood Green

Bulgaria boasts one of Europe’s better cuisines, somewhere between hearty Eastern European and delightfully flavoursome Greek / Turkish. There’s a particular love for clay pots and white feta-like cheese. Don’t let the restaurant’s name Sunny Beach, the infamous and somewhat-of-a-shithole party resort, put you off – ironically on Sunny Beach you’re far more likely to find burgers & chips. The unpretentious Wood Green establishment is loved by locals and the sort of place that puts you in the country.

Recommended Dishes: Thracian clay pot

Sunny Beach Restaurant, Wood Green, N22 6BN

C is for Cambodia

Lemongrass Restaurant, Camden

The lesser-known Southeast Asian cuisine is particularly big on featuring coconuts in their dishes. This Camden joint serves a good range of home-cooked Cambodian dishes at reasonable prices.

Recommended Dishes: Fish amok curry

Lemongrass Restaurant, Camden, NW1 9LT

Alternative “C” Cuisines: Cubana (Farringdon) will give you a colourful taste of Cuba while the Elsantafereno Restaurant in Brixton offers unassuming but generous and authentic servings of Colombian food.

D is for Denmark

Ole & Steen, Piccadilly Circus

Denmark is a rye bread sandwich specialist, and the small London chain Ole & Steen, the only chain in this list, is a great representation of this. As well as, of course, great baked goods, pastries and coffee.

There is a whole bunch of Ole & Steen Danish restaurants / bakeries in London by now (branch map here), but we went to the one in Piccadilly Circus. If you enjoy the rye bread, you can also buy some for home at decent value.

Recommended Dishes: Smørrebrød – Danish rye bread open sandwiches

Piccadilly Circus, SW1Y 4RN (But there are a few others around London!)

E is for Eritrea

Mosob Restaurant, Maida Hill

Eritrean is a unique cuisine (alongside Ethiopian), both in the flavours and the eating experience. Full of potent and aromatic spices, deliciously flavoursome and beautifully messy (eaten with hands using the spongy injera bread).

I recommend getting the mix of multiple dishes laid out on the injera – you might not know which one is which but who cares, they’re all delectable. Eritrean spiced tea will make for a perfect way to follow up your meal with.

Recommended Dishes: Injera – the spongy sourdough-risen flatbread, eaten with just about everything.

Mosob Restaurant, Maida Hill, W9 3RB

Alternative “E” Cuisines: Ethiopian is almost identical to Eritrean, with more Ethiopian restaurants in London to choose from – including the wonderful Queen of Sheba in Kentish Town. For something different, try a Ecuadorian restaurant – El Inca Plebeyo near Angel is a real hidden gem.

F is for Finland

The Finnish Church in London, Rotherhithe

OK so for this particular letter, you’ll have to wait for the Christmas or Midsummer Scandi fair (June) to try the Finnish rye and reindeer specialties. Because there are no dedicated Finnish restaurants in London as such – the food is served from the cafe attached to the Finnish Church in Rotherhithe. Or the pop-up stand outside – during the special events shared with their Scandinavian neighbours.

Recommended Dishes: Finnish reindeer stew bun

The Finnish Church in London, Rotherhithe, SE16 7HZ

Alternative “F” Cuisines: France of course. Although not exactly adventurous. If you go French, try Mon Plaisir – London’s oldest French restaurant with that charismatic French restaurant atmosphere.

G is for Georgia

Little Georgia, Angel

An incredibly flavoursome and underrated cuisine, full of spices and with a love for cheese & wine. In fact I’ll go as far as to say Georgian was my favourite cuisine on the entire A to Z challenge.

Georgian is sort of like a marriage of Italian and Turkish. If you like cheese, the adjari khachapuri cheese boat with an egg on top is pure heaven, and the walnut-garlic-spices-stuffed aubergine rolls is one of the most unique dishes you must order. There is a growing number of Georgian restaurants in London (at last!), but Little Georgia remains our favourite for now.

Recommended Dishes: Khachapuri – Georgian cheese-filled bread. Khinkali – large, handheld meat dumplings.

Little Georgia, Islington, N1 0HB

Alternative “G” Cuisines: The next best “G” comes in the exotic shape of Guyana, an small Caribbean nation in South America. The restaurant Kaieteur Kitchen Original is a real hidden gem in Elephant & Castle.

Read more: Guide to visiting Georgia: Italy of the Caucasus

H is for Hungary

The Rosemary, New Cross

A Hungarian restaurant in south east London camouflaged as a typical pub serving hearty paprika-heavy dishes that will possibly leave you bloated, but also extremely satisfied. Ideal place to visit on a chilly winter day.

Recommended Dishes: Beef stew with homemade dumplings, Hungarian bean soup

The Rosemary, New Cross, SE14 5AA

I is for Iran

Naroon, Fitzrovia

Amongst Middle Eastern cuisines, Persian food stands out as particularly aromatic and fragrant – finding that perfect balance of favours through the use of herbs and spices like saffron and sweet touches like pomegranate molasses and barberries. Naroon is a perfect representation of that – offering beautifully presented and consistently delicious Persian dishes and generous portions without being pretentious about it.

The best approach is mixing up the starters, tackling your own main and then saving some space for Persian tea (served with saffron-flavoured crystallised sugar stick).

Recommended Dishes: Jujeh Torsh (saffron-marinated chicken kebab dish) and honestly – all of the starters.

Naroon, 65 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 7PS (there’s another branch in Marylebone)

Alternative “I” Cuisines: Italy and India are the obvious ones, but for something a little more unusual how about Indonesian? Bali Bali in the west end does a good job representing the country.

J is for Jamaica

Rock Steady Rum Lounge, Gipsy Hill

Original and flavoursome Caribbean cuisine with lots of influences from African and Indian to British and Spanish. The laidback restaurant really delivered on Jamaican classics like ackee & saltfish, curry goat and jerk chicken. As well as some excellent rum cocktails. The “Festivals” – sweet fried dumpling fingers – are heavenly and a must-try.

Recommended Dishes: Callaloo & salt fish with festivals, jerk chicken.

Rock Steady Rum Lounge, Gipsy Hill, SE19 1PL

Alternative “J” Cuisines: Japan is the obvious one – but you can go beyond the usual sushi & ramen and discover one of the regional Japanese specialties – like the delectable okonomiyaki (Japanese omelette) – Abeno Restaurant are the true specialists in this.

K is for Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan

Pasha Restaurant, Camberwell

Meaty, doughy cuisine with a particular love for greasy rice dishes. The quiet restaurant attached to Pasha Hotel offers a double K bonanza with both Central Asian neighbours Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan represented by pretty much the same dishes. What’s particularly nice is the option to dine sat on the floor as is common in Central Asia. Carpets everywhere!

Recommended Dishes: Plov – rice dish cooked with lamb, spices & vegetables; borsok – fried pastries

Pasha Restaurant, Camberwell, SE5 0EE

Alternative “K:” Cuisines: Nooooo! Pasha has unfortunately closed for good. Worry not – there is always Korea. You could pay visit to K-Town in New Malden for a huge selection of Korean joints, or if you want to stay central, I recommend Assa in Soho.

L is for Lithuania

Smilte Restaurant, Leyton

Lithuania represents a typically stodgy and potato-loving Eastern European cuisine perfect for absorbing vodka shots. Smilte Lithuanian restaurant proved a friendly and merry venue – a private and noisy Lithuanian birthday party adding to the atmosphere when we visited. You’ll definitely feel like you’re in Lithuania – and won’t leave hungry.

Recommended Dishes: Potatoes of every kind and shape, such as the potato pancakes with soured cream.

Smilte Restaurant, Leyton, E10 6AJ

Alternative “L:” Cuisines: If potato paradise isn’t your thing, how about Laos? The Southeast Asian cuisine is definitely more generous on flavours and there’s an excellent small Laotion place in Covent Garden called Lao Cafe.

M is for Malaysia

Roti King, Euston

Malaysian cuisine is a beautiful marriage of Malay, Indian and Chinese, making it one of the world’s most illustrious yet lesser-known cuisines. Roti King is a popular basement haunt that don’t take reservations so you may well need to queue (arrive early!). I personally despise queuing while hungry, but in the case of Roti King it’s not just a trendy place – it’s definitely worth it!

Amongst Malaysian restaurants in London that take bookings, we can also vouch for Malay Fellas in Queensway (and now also Camden)

Recommended Dishes: Roti canai; nasi lemak (a Malaysian classic).

Roti King, Euston, NW1 1LH

N is for Netherlands

My Old Dutch, Holborn

Straightforward, cheesy, heavy and filling. As Dutch food tends to be. My Old Dutch is a nice establishment representing what is an otherwise bland and boring cuisine.

If you have space, there is always a tempting option to share one of the sweet pancakes for dessert.

Recommended Dishes: Crispy bacon & spinach crepe

My Old Dutch, Holborn, WC1V 6PS

Alternative “N” Cuisines: If you don’t feel excited by Dutch food, we get it. Still scratching our heads as to why we picked Netherlands when you have…  Nepalese! A far better and spicier alternative. Try Gurkha’s in Balham and you won’t be disappointed.

O is for Österreich* (Austria)

Kipferl Cafe & Kitchen, Angel

* No real restaurants from Oman, the only legit “O” country – Österreich being the local German name for Austria.

Austrians are desert specialists, including the famous apfelstrudel – the apple pastry. And the Austrian restaurant Kipferl is no exception, serving up an impressive range of sweet-tooth pleasers. But there are plenty of interesting savoury options in this Alpine improvement on German food, including dumplings and sausages of every variety. And of course the famous Wiener Schnitzel. Also works as a good brunch option.

Recommended Dishes: Apfelstrudel – what else! Well, Wiener Schintzel too.

Kipferl Cafe & Kitchen, Angel, N1 8ED

P is for Poland

Autograf Restaurant, Wood Green

Classic Eastern European heavy comfort food – dumplings (pierogi), meat stews, pickled things and soups. Filling and at excellent value. For something different, try the healthy grain popular in Poland – buckwheat – as your garnish.

Amongst the plethora of Polish restaurants, Autograf was our favourite, but if it’s far to reach and you live more south I also recommend Smaczny Kasek in Tooting.

Recommended Dishes: Pierogi – Polish dumplings with meat; cottage goulash with buckwheat

Autograf Restaurant, Wood Green, N15 3DA

Alternative “P” Cuisines: Peruvian cuisine is one of the world’s finest. actually thinking back, not sure why I went with Poland over Peru. Either way, Tierra Peru in Angel is a great option that isn’t pretentious or overpriced.

Q is for Quebec*

Maple Leaf, Covent Garden

* No countries beginning with Q either – besides Qatar which isn’t represented by a restaurant in London.

Maple Leaf offers the perfect hangover food originating from Canada’s French half. Basically variations of dirty fries named something that sounds like one infamous Russian dictator. Doubles up as a nice, lively bar in the heart of London.

Recommended Dishes: Classic poutine – chips covered with gravy and squeaky cheese curds.

Maple Leaf, Covent Garden, WC2E 7LJ

R is for Romania

Restaurant Noroc, Palmers Green

Another great discovery – a delicious mix of Hungarian, Germanic and Ottoman influences. Romanian cuisine is hearty and underrated. Polenta is a popular side dish that I recommend with your meats, and the soups are outstandingly flavoursome.

Recommended Dishes: Tochitura Moldoveneasca – Spiced sausages with polenta, white cheese and fried eggs; Beans & smoked bacon soup.

Restaurant Noroc, Palmers Green, N13 4SP

Alternative “R” Cuisines: Russian is definitely worth a try. Mari Vanna in Kensington is on the pricey side but the food and decor are both top notch. You even get a stool for your bag. Borscht, pelmeni (dumplings) and the honey cake are some of the highlights.

S is for Sri Lanka

Jaffna House, Tooting

Buzzing with flavour, an interesting twist on southern Indian in an unpretentious BYOB restaurant in London’s Sri Lankan hub that is Tooting. Yes you can go to that trendy Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho, but Jaffna House just feels far more authentic and at great prices. 

Recommended Dishes: String hopper with seafood, masala dosa

Jaffna House, Tooting

Alternative “S” Cuisines: Bohemia is an interesting Slovak (and Czech) restaurant set in what looks like a stately West Hampstead home. Expect hearty food and great beers.

T is for Taiwan

Old Tree Daiwan Bee, Soho

A fascinating cuisine born from Taiwan’s famous street food culture which is much more than the well-known bao. Taiwanese cuisine has strong Chinese roots, but is less greasy than typical Chinese food. As per the Taiwanese norm, I recommend you order several dishes to share. Get staff to recommend if unsure.

Recommended Dishes: Oyster noodles, thousand-year egg

Old Tree Daiwan Bee, Soho, W1D 6DH

Alternative “T” Cuisines: Turkey is always a great option. For the biggest cluster of great restaurants, head to Haringey ladders in North London to what is practically Little Turkey. If you’d like to try something new – give ÇiğKöftem a go – wonderfully flavoursome, healthy and vegan-friendly wraps.

U is for Uganda

Jambo Restaurant, Seven Sisters

What a discovery! A real hidden gem and a perfect case of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. Jambo looked closed from the outside, but once we dared enter we were served up an intriguing cuisine by a wonderful friendly owner, at fantastic value. Ugandan cuisine felt like a cool mix of Asian, Arabic and English influences, but with its own unique twist.

Recommended Dishes: A whole shallow fried tilapia fish; spinach groundnut stew.

Jambo Restaurant, Seven Sisters, N15 5AA

Alternative “U” Cuisine: Uzbekistan – the food is both unique and exotic. The central Asian country loves their plov (hearty meat rice) and spices – and one of the spots that best represents this is Uzbek Corner in Queensway.

V is for Venezuela

Arepa & Co, Haggerston

South American vibes with a focus on corn-based fried pastries, plantain and beans.

The hidden gem spot next to the Regent’s Canal towpath is a cosy little venue with friendly staff and more importantly a representative selection of affordable Venezuelan dishes like cachapas, arepas & tequenos. Makes for a great brunch or lunch option as part of a stroll along the canal.

Recommended Dishes: Cachapas Pabellon – Venezuelan corn crumpets with shredded beef, plantain, roasted vegetables and white cheese

Arepa & Co, Haggerston, N1 5SB

Alternative “V” Cuisine: Vietnamese is one of Asia’s finest and healthiest cuisines. Kingsland Road in Shoreditch is a Vietnamese enclave lined with mostly authentic joints, with Song Que Cafe one of its mainstays.

W is for Wales

Tom Simmons, Tower Bridge

Probably the most expensive place in this A to Z list, but it was surprisingly hard to find a Welsh restaurant in UK’s capital. Or even a good Welsh rarebit for that matter. Tom Simmons is a modern take on typical British fare, that stood out for the quality of its meats.

Recommended Dishes: Fillet of Welsh beef & Welsh spring lamb loin

Tom Simmons, Tower Bridge, SE1 2RA

X is for Xinjiang*

Silk Road, Camberwell

* As you probably know, no countries start with X. So we picked the troubled wanna-be-autonomous Muslim Uyghur state of Xinjiang in China’s northwest.

China meets central Asia in this local Camberwell favourite – in our very subjective opinion this is one of the absolute best restaurants in all of London. Here you can enjoy spice-infused kebabs, thick handmade noodles with incredible texture as well as a great variety of meats (as tends to be the regional Uyghur focus).

It’s deservedly a popular spot – so book ahead.

Recommended Dishes: Xinjiang-style hand-pulled noodles with lamb, and cumin-spiced skewers

Silk Road, Camberwell, SE5 8TR

Y is for Yemen

Queen of Sheba, Paddington

Come hungry for classic Middle Eastern food with outstanding, freshly-baked flat breads, huge portions and even shisha pipes if you fancy it. The low-key Yemenite restaurant on a quiet Paddington street boasts an interesting atmosphere and lovely staff.

Recommended Dishes: Fish mukhbaza – whole seabass marinated in spices, served with fresh ratab bread

Queen of Sheba, Paddington, W2 1RE

Z is for Zululand, South Africa

Vivat Bacchus, Farringdon

OK so admittedly this last one was tough to pick. Neither of the two Z countries – Zambia & Zimbabwe – are represented in London (last Zambian venue closed 10 years ago). So I had to get creative. Zulu people are a major ethnic group in South Africa (and especially the country’s KwaZulu-Natal region), so as someone who enjoys a good steak I couldn’t not pick South Africa – also known as Zuid Afrika.

Vivat Bacchus serves up a sophisticated modern international menu with a focus on steak & wine. If you weren’t aware of the South African connection, you might not ever notice it bar the biltong & droewors cured meat appetisers and the Namibian lager on offer. Instead it’s braai, the South African name for barbecue, where the restaurant really shone with some of the finest Cote du Boeuf steaks I’ve had the pleasure of tasting in London.

Recommended Dishes: Braai – South African BBQ cote du bouef steak

Vivat Bacchus, Farringdon, EC4A 4LL

I hope our culinary A-to-Z adventure inspires you to try new cuisines in London, or even do your own A-to-Z foodie challenge! Know of a hidden gem I missed, or has a restaurant closed since I visited? Leave a comment below — we’d love to hear from you.

Read next: You might enjoy these foodie and London hidden gem guides:

• 10 Hidden Gem Day Trips from London by Train
• The 13 Hidden Gems of South London
• 11 Hidden Gems Across the UK
• 13 of the World’s Greatest Cities for Foodies

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