Blakes

Is Blakes worth booking for dinner in London?

Yes, if you are looking for Asian Fusion cooking in South Kensington that sits outside the usual fine-dining circuit. Blakes ranked #601 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list in 2024 and climbed to #746 in 2025; a wider list with more entrants, so the persistence of a ranking across two consecutive years signals a kitchen that is performing consistently rather than peaking and fading. For a first-timer, the practical headline is this: it is easier to book than most London restaurants at this recognition level, dinner-only, Tuesday through Saturday, with last entry at midnight.

The Room and What to Expect

Blakes sits at 33 Roland Gardens in South Kensington; a residential street that keeps the restaurant feeling deliberately low-key from the outside. The address is connected to Blakes Hotel, one of London's more characterful boutique properties, the dining room carries that DNA: intimate, designed with intention, scaled for conversation rather than spectacle. For a first-timer, the room will feel closer and more enclosed than the big-room London restaurants; this is not a place for large group celebrations that need visual drama, but it works well for two or four people who want the meal to be the event itself.

Under chef Mariano Russo, the kitchen runs an Asian Fusion programme, a format that, at this level, rewards sitting where you can see the pacing of the kitchen rather than being tucked at a corner table. If bar or counter seating is available, take it: Asian Fusion cooking at this standard benefits from watching the sequence of dishes come together, the closer you are to the pass, the more the format makes sense. Ask when you book whether counter positions are accessible.

Booking and Practical Details

Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated Easy, you are unlikely to need more than a week or two of lead time, though weekend slots will fill faster than mid-week. Hours: Dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday, 19:00 to midnight; closed Sunday and Monday. Dress: No dress code is published; given the hotel setting and the OAD recognition, smart-casual is a safe read. Budget: Price range is not published in available data, contact the restaurant directly or check the current menu online before you go. Getting there: South Kensington Underground (District, Circle, Piccadilly lines) puts you within a short walk of Roland Gardens.

Who Should Book Blakes

Blakes makes most sense for diners who want a credentialled, lower-profile alternative to the high-decibel fine-dining rooms that dominate London's restaurant conversation. If you are visiting South Kensington already, for the museums or the hotel neighbourhood, it is an obvious dinner choice that does not require crossing the city. It also works for occasions where you want the meal to feel considered without the formality of a tasting-menu-only room. If you need a large table, a buzzy atmosphere, or a kitchen that is currently pulling maximum critical attention, look elsewhere. If you want a well-executed Asian Fusion dinner in a room that rewards the food rather than the scene, Blakes earns its OAD ranking.

How It Compares

Blakes operates in a different register from London's most-booked fine-dining addresses. CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury are harder to book, significantly more expensive, built around multi-course tasting menus, the comparison is relevant only if you are deciding how much formality and spend you want. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library both sit at the higher end of London's price tier and carry more theatrical room energy. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal offers comparable accessibility but is a Modern British kitchen, not Asian Fusion, draws a more tourist-facing crowd. Blakes' nearest international peers in format and cuisine type are Dos Palilos in Barcelona and Aalto in Milan, both OAD-recognised Asian Fusion operations in European hotel or boutique settings. The clearest booking logic: if Asian Fusion at a credentialled but accessible level is what you want in London, Blakes is the default recommendation in its category.

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