Until 4 July, when non-essential businesses were allowed to reopen, one of the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown period was the hospitality sector. As part of the government’s attempt to boost spending in the embattled sector, as well as reassure a cautious public, several measures have been introduced from protective screens in restaurants to the national track and trace database.

Luxury London has done the leg work by rounding up a selection of the capital’s best restaurants taking part in the scheme, from Michelin-starred stalwarts and sizzling grills to popular neighbourhood boltholes.

Mayfair & St. James’s

Scott’s

Go for: the fish of the day, people watching, a sense of occasionMenu at a glance: plateau de fruits de mer for two (£45.00 per person), Fish of the day (£38), full grilled lobster with garlic butter and seashore vegetables (£48)

20 Mount Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 2HE

Hakkasan Mayfair

Go for: Michelin-starred Chinese, east-meets-west plates in a dark and scintillating settingMenu at a glance: Hakkasan signature Peking duck with Heritage caviar (£320), soft shell crab (£19), smoked beef ribs with jasmine tea (£37)

17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 6QB

34 Mayfair

Go for: the grill (custom-made and imported from Argentina), decadent food and British game Menu at a glance: Argentine grass-fed Angus sirloin (£33), lobster macaroni with formaggi sauce and black truffle (£36), Iberico pork chop with broad bean hummus and chorizo (£28)

34 Grosvenor Square, South Audley Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 2HD

Chisou Mayfair

Go for: gimmick-free Japanese cuisine in an intimate and zen-like bolthole Menu at a glance: fried tofu with spring onion and bonito flakes (£7), 14 pieces Nigiri sushi mix (£40), Grilled Australian wagyu meatballs with teriyaki sauce (£13.50)

22-23 Woodstock Street, Mayfair, London, W1C 2AR

Hide

Go for: Ollie Dabbous’ unique brand of Michelin-star fine dining and Europe’s largest wine list Menu at a glance: turbot steak cooked on the bone over charcoal (£38), barbecued octopus, white miso, Moscatel grapes and lovage (£36), roast Herdwick lamb with summer vegetables and clover (£36), barbecued Iberico pork, peanut praline, sweetcorn & baby gem (£38)

85 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NB

El Pirata

Go for: sharing plates and home-style tapas within an authentic Spanish atmosphereMenu at a glance: croquetas de jamón ibérico (£6.50), grilled asparagus with tomato & manchego (£7.50), introduction to tapas for two (£20)

5-6 Down Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 7AQ

Gymkhana

Go for: Michelin-starred Indian amid seductive and moody interiors Menu at a glance: kasoori chicken tikka, moong sprouts and kasundi kachumber (£16.00), pork cheek vindaloo (£24.00), guinea fowl pepper fry, malabar paratha (£17.50)

42 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4JH

Ikoyi

Go for: one of London’s most unique restaurants, serving Michelin-starred West-African cuisineMenu at a glance: crab and daikon roll (£22), fried half chicken and hot sauce (£28) smoked jollof rice, aged sheep kebab and crab custard (£25)

1 St James’s Market, London, SW1

Soho

Blacklock Soho

Go for: great-value, large portion cuts of meat, and a renowned Sunday roast.Menu at a glance: skinny chops; beef, lamb, pork (£4 each), sides; ash roasted sweet potatoes, heritage carrots, charred courgettes (£3 per side), beef rump fillet (£12)

24 Great Windmill Street, Soho, London W1D 7LG

Ham Yard Hotel

Go for: the wonderfully calm alfresco terrace, seasonal menu with an emphasis on fresh British produce.Menu at a glance: dry aged beef tartare, mustard, tarragon and egg yolk mayonnaise, Chalk Stream trout fish cake, tartare sauce and watercress salad (£35 for two courses)

1 Ham Yard, Soho, London W1D 7DT

Randall & Aubin

Go for: something of a Soho institution since opening in 1996, photogenic (and delicious) plats de fruits de merMenu at a glance: eight rock oysters, whole dressed crab, Atlantic shrimps, tuna carpaccio, whelks, surf clams, Native mussels, Mediterranean prawns, cockles (Minimum 2 persons) £44.50 per person; Garlic roasted large Mediterranean prawns with pommes frites (£18.50)

14, 16 Brewer Street, Soho, London W1F 0SG

Marylebone

The Wigmore, at The Langham Hotel

Go for: modern British pub food in a traditionally-styled boozer, moments from the shops of Oxford CircusMenu at a glance: chicken & bacon pie and mash (£15.00), grilled salmon, braised peas & artichoke (£18.00), cheeseburger, grilled ox-tongue, crispy shallots (£14)

15 Langham Place, Marylebone, London, W1B 3DE

Fischers

Go for: classic Austrian fare and a cosy space that will transport you back to Vienna’s golden ageMenu at a glance: roast supreme of cod (£18.50), chicken schnitzel (£17.50), Hungarian beef goulash (£24.50)

50 Marylebone High Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 5HN

Knightsbridge

Zuma

Go For: High-end Japanese cuisine with a side of celebrity spotting. Menu at a glance: chef’s selection of nigiri sushi (£23.40), crab salad, sesame dressing, Japanese mizuna and tobiko (£24), jumbo tiger prawn with yuzu pepper (£26)

5 Raphael St, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1DL

Belgravia

il Pampero at The Hari

Go for: Italian dining within a contemporary, glamorous setting, and the al fresco at the Garden TerraceMenu at a glance: Grilled halloumi and chicory salad (£12.50), Vegetarian panuozzo (£16), Tagliatelle with tiger prawns, courgettes and lime (£18)

20 Chesham Place, London, SW1X 8HQ

High Street Kensington

San Pietro

Go for: freshest seafood this side of London, charming and genuine Italian staff, local-neighborhood vibeMenu at a glance: Stone baked large fillet of sea bass with mussels, clams, prawns, garlic, chili and cherry tomatoes (£29.50), Pizza Ortalina (£12.95), Charcoal grill Octopus tentacles with mashed and crispy potatoes, Anduja spicy salami (£15.50)

7 Stratford Rd, Kensington, London, W8 6RF

Il Portico

Go for: family-owned restaurant since 1967, serving simple, authentic Italian food from their home region of Emilia Romagna. A must-go for Italophiles.Menu at a glance: Grilled D.O.P Tomino cheese, wild honey, balsamic, braised radicchio (£10) Fresh Pappardelle with pork belly ragu (£16.50) Pan fried thin calves liver, butter & sage (£17)

277 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NA

Notting Hill & Holland Park

The Shed

Go for: Lively British tapas-style cooking from the Gladwin Brothers. Look out for the bar fashioned out of a tractor bonnet – a nod to the owners’ farming heritage Menu at a glance: mushroom marmite eclairs (£5), charred octopus (£13.50), beef shin ragu tortellini (£6)

22 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, London, W8 4RT

Farmacy

Go for: A sophisticated plant-based menu, with fresh juices and biodynamic wine Menu at a glance: vegan mac ‘n’ cheese (£11) loaded mushroom tacos (£12), macro bowl (£15), got no beef burger (£16)

74-76 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5SH

Julie’s

Go for: quirky interiors and upmarket cuisine, set on one of Holland Park’s prettiest roads Menu at a glance: potted guinea fowl (£11), chanterelle mushroom risotto, fresh almonds, black garlic, Comte (£23), glazed short rib, white polenta and gremolata (£30)

restaurant review

35 Portland Road, Notting Hill, London, W11 4LW

Farm Girl

Go For: Instagram-perfect pink rose lattes, coconut ‘bacon’ sandwiches and generous breakfast plates, which draw round-the-block queues on weekends Menu at a glance: farm Sandwich (£9), Açai Bowl (£10), merguez sausages flatbread (£13)

59A Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London, W11 3DB

The City

1 Lombard Street

Go for: the chance to see how an ex-bank-turned-brasserie became a City institutionMenu at a glance: Moyallon bacon chop with Poole cockles and laverbread (£22.00), Fillet of Torbay cod with chanterelles and seashore vegetables (£26.50), Roast barn-reared Indian Rock chicken with straw potatoes and baked new season garlic sauce, for 2-3 to share, (£45.00)

1 Lombard Street, London, EC3V 9AA

The Ned Hotel

Go for: spectacular surroundings and the choice of nine different restaurants Menu at a glance: choose between French (Café Sou & Bar), )Italian (Cecconi’s), American (Zobler’s Deli & Diner, Malibu Kitchen, The Nickel Bar), Asian Pacific (Kaia) and modern British (Millie’s Longue, Ned’s Feast)

27 Poultry, London, EC2R 8AJ

M Threadneedle

Go for: premium plonk and slap-up steak in a swish settingMenu at a glance: Dingley Dell pork belly (£22.50), USDA prime wet aged fillet 150g (£85), Blackmore Wagyu Wet Aged Sirloin 150g (£85), Kobe Grade 10+/A5 fillet 100g, (£120)

60 Threadneedle Street, London, EC2R 8HP

Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden

Go for: seasonal British dishes served at London’s highest rooftop brasserie Menu at a glance: rolled lamb shoulder, mint yoghurt, Greek salad (£28.50), grilled Caesar salad (£14.50), corn fed confit chicken leg (£22.50)

Level 36 Sky Garden, 20 Philpot Ln, London, EC3M 8AF

Duck & Waffle

Go for: a quirky take on British dishes, including its signature dish – a fried duck leg and fried duck egg on a crispy waffleMenu at a glance: duck and waffle (£20), summer vegetable risotto (£16), roasted seabass (£29), whole roasted corn fed chicken (£45)

110 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AY

SushiSamba

Go for: sizzling fusion food – Japanese, Brazilian Peruvian – served in a sultry, sky-high settingMenu at a glance: samba rolls (from £10), shrimp tempura (£14), three pieces of tuna sashimi (£10), pork belly butterscotch miso (£15.00), ribeye ají panca (£22.00),

Heron Tower, London, EC2N 4AY

Chelsea

Colbert

Go for: Parisian pastiche and people-watching define this Chelsea institution, with an all-day French brasserie menu Menu at a glance: Steak Haché Colbert with fried duck egg (£15.75) Soupe à l’Oignon (£8.25), Duck Confit, flageolet beans (£18.75)

50-52 Sloane Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 8AX

Hans Bar & Grill

Go For: Modern British cuisine in an elegant dining room on Chelsea’s Pavilion Road, adjoined to 11 Cadogan Gardens hotel

Menu at a glance: falafel burger (£15) Paillard of free-range chicken (£22) Ribeye on the bone (£35)

restaurant review

London Bridge

Wright Brothers

Go for: an alfresco menu of Mediterranean-inspired seafood under the beautiful art-deco Borough MarketMenu at a glance: shellfish platter (£45.00), St Austell Bay mussels, white wine, butter, shallots and French fries (£18.00), butternut squash risotto, Pecorino, gremolata (£15.00)

Borough Market, 11 Stoney Street, London, SE1 9AD

Hutong, The Shard

Go for: upmarket, northern Chinese cuisine and possibly London’s best Peking duckMenu at a glance: eight-piece dim sum platter (£19.50), roasted Peking duck (£74 whole, £38 half), sautéed tiger prawns in Lao Gan Ma sauce (£39)

The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY

Oblix, The Shard

Go for: sophisticated British-American rotisserie dishes served in sexy, low-lit surroundingsMenu at a glance: 300g sirloin steak (£36), free range pork chop (£26.50), BBQ black cod (£42)

The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY

Aqua Shard, The Shard

Go for: modern British food stuff served alongside some rather breath-taking viewsMenu at a glance: South Coast line-caught sea bass (£37.50), Hereford 28-day dry-aged beef fillet (£49), Roasted lamb saddle (£34)

The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY

Ting Restaurant, Shangri-La at the Shard

Go for: signature Asian serves and British favourites with an oriental twist – plus to say you’ve eaten at the highest restaurant in London’s tallest buildingMenu at a glance: pad Thai (£28), Singapore curry laksa (£26), rib eye steak (£45)

The Shard, 31 St Thomas St, London, SE1 9RY

Hawksmoor Borough

Go for: probably the best steak – and some of the best sustainable seafood – south of the riverMenu at a glance: whole roast sea bream (£21.00), herb-fed chicken (£17.00), fillet steak (£36), sirloin steak (£32)

16 Winchester Walk, London, SE1 9AQ

Flat Iron London Bridge

Go for: top-quality steak and decent red wine at reasonable(ish) pricesMenu at a glance: the Flat Iron steak (£12), 300g rib eye (£20), truffled Wagyu shortrib cheeseburger (£12)

112-116 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2TH

East London

Pidgin

Go for: Michelin-starred fine dining, currently for collection only.Menu at a glance: a new three-course Homing Pidgin menu (£25), which changes weekly.

52 Wilton Way, Hackney, London E8 1BG

St John Smithfield

Go for: Michelin-starred, best-of-British pub grub (and then some) and an exemplary wine listMenu at a glance: roast pigeon, courgettes and mint (£22.80), grilled mackerel, beetroot and horseradish (£19.80), smoked eel, bacon and mash (£27.00), tripe and onions for two (£26.00)

26 St. John Street, London, EC1M 4AY

South London

Coal Rooms

Go for: the chance to eat charcoal-grilled meat and fish in the Grade II-listed former ticket office of Peckham Rye stationMenu at a glance: Coal Rooms is running things slightly differently and will be operating its new, fixed price, five-course tasting menu (£48) from Thursday through to Saturday and its roasts every Sunday

Coal Rooms, 11a Station Way, London SE15 4RX

Kriket, Brixton

Go for: modern Indian cuisine beneath a railway arch in BrixtonMenu at a glance: Samphire pakoras (£7.50) Bombay toastie with Lincolnshire poacher, piccalilli, tarragon mayo (£8), Keralan fried chicken with pickled mooli, curry leaf mayo (£9)

41-43 Atlantic Road, Brixton, London SW9 8JL

Levan, Peckham

Go for: contemporary sharing plates, drawing influence from Barcelona to Stockholm, in a laidback, cosy setting from the team behind Brixton’s popular SalonMenu at a glance: comte fries, saffron aioli (£6.90), crab raviolo (£12.90), potato, mushroom and Roquefort pie (£15.90)

Coal Rooms, 11a Station Way, London SE15 4RX

Olivelli Waterloo

Go for: a taste of authentic Sicily in a relaxed, low-key Italian settingMenu at a glance: pollo Milanese (£14.95), asparagus ravioli (£13.95), pistachio salmon (£17.45)

61 The Cut, Bishop’s, London, SE1 8LL