Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Solid value, serious wine, book ahead.
A Michelin Plate-recognised Modern European restaurant steps from Victoria station, Lorne punches above its Pimlico address with produce-first cooking from chef Peter Hall and a sommelier-led wine list holding a World of Fine Wine 2-Star Accreditation. The set lunch and early dinner menus are among the better value propositions in London at this quality tier. Book two weeks out for dinner.
The lunch and early dinner slots at Lorne fill up faster than the restaurant's modest Pimlico address might suggest. With a Michelin Plate (2025), a 4.7 Google rating across 566 reviews, and a wine list that holds a World of Fine Wine 2-Star Accreditation, demand here is real. Book at least two weeks out for dinner; lunch is slightly more forgiving but don't count on walking in. If you've been once and liked it, the case for returning is strong — the kitchen's produce-first approach and the sommelier-led wine program give you more to work through than a single visit reveals.
Lorne sits on Wilton Road, roughly a five-minute walk from Victoria station, in a stretch of London that doesn't invite much restaurant tourism. That's partly what makes it work. The room is narrow and deliberately unfussy: light wood furniture, booth seating upholstered in deep tangerine, and a skylight that pulls in natural light at lunch. There's nothing theatrical about the setting, which is the point. The experience sits in the register of a smart neighbourhood bistro that happens to be run by people with serious credentials.
Owner Katie Exton is an ex-sommelier, and the wine list is the most direct expression of that background. The selection runs to around 200 bins with a focus on region, variety, and style rather than prestige labels. The pricing structure is notably honest for a SW1 postcode — you can explore half-litre carafes of Sicilian Nero d'Avola or Carricante from Sicily's Etna slopes, or push into Coravin pours of Condrieu and Oregon Pinot Noir without the markup you'd expect in this part of London. Former Chez Bruce sommelier Gianluca Bono co-manages the list, which gives it the depth to reward the kind of back-and-forth with your waiter that good wine service requires.
In the kitchen, chef Peter Hall , working alongside Graham Brown , runs a produce-first menu where the restraint is the technique. Dishes like Cornish cod with smoked eel, and a tartare of cured bream with cucumber, kohlrabi, and smashed beer batter have become stalwarts because the kitchen doesn't overload them. Mains extend to things like rolled saddle and braised shoulder of lamb with curried sweet potato and dukkah, or chalk stream trout with prawn croustillant in a shellfish sauce. Desserts have included a Paris-Brest with whipped pistachio and white chocolate cream, and a mirror-glazed milk chocolate mousse with honeycomb. None of this is showy cooking, but the execution is consistent in a way that's genuinely hard to find at this price point.
The set lunch and early evening menus are the clearest expression of Lorne's value proposition. Two choices at each course, priced well below what comparable kitchens charge, and backed by the same kitchen and wine list as the à la carte. If you're revisiting, the set menu is worth trying even if you went à la carte the first time , the compression forces the kitchen's leading judgment, and the wine pairings at those price points are where Exton's program really earns its reputation.
Service across the room is well-paced and knowledgeable. Staff are genuinely briefed on the menu rather than reciting it, and the mix of regulars, tourists, and business lunchers in the dining room says something about the range the restaurant manages to occupy. It's accessible enough for a first date or a solo lunch, serious enough for a wine-focused meal with someone who cares about the list.
For a returning visitor, the move is to ask about the wine list's current carafe options and let that shape the meal. The kitchen's style rewards pairing: the saline, produce-led dishes give the sommelier team room to work with wines that would overwhelm a richer menu. If you went broad on the à la carte last time, try the set menu at lunch and use the saving on an extra glass.
If Lorne's produce-led Modern European style is what you're after in London, Medlar in Chelsea is the closest comparison at the same price tier and similarly strong on value. Chapter One runs a comparable set-menu format with consistent execution. For a step up in ambition within the Modern European bracket, The Ledbury and CORE by Clare Smyth are the reference points, though both require more planning and a higher budget. If you're curious about how the same kitchen sensibility plays out at the cutting edge, Cycene is worth a look for something more contemporary in tone.
Beyond London, the produce-first, technically grounded approach Lorne represents has strong equivalents at Hand and Flowers in Marlow (for pub-format casual excellence) and hide and fox in Saltwood. For a full splurge in the UK, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, and The Fat Duck in Bray operate at a different level entirely. If you're planning travel around food, Gidleigh Park in Chagford offers a country house version of the same values. For international reference points in the Modern European category, Rutz in Berlin and AIRA in Stockholm are worth knowing.
Browse our full London restaurants guide, London hotels, London bars, London wineries, and London experiences for more Pearl recommendations.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorne | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | London restaurant Lorne’s wine list is run by owner and ex-sommelier Katie Exton and Gianluca Bono (ex-Chez Bruce sommelier). It’s a 200ish bin list that focuses on regions, varieties and wine styles...; They keep things honest at this narrow little restaurant and you can see the pay-off: a dining room full of happy customers, who are a mix of locals, tourists and business types. Staff are on the ball and well-versed on the menu, while the classically trained kitchen sends forth reliable and consistently good dishes, like Cornish cod with smoked eel, and chocolate delice with cookie crumble. The lunch and early evening menus are very good value.; There's an enjoyable feeling of sitting in Katie Exton's smart neighbourhood bistro within unlikely proximity of Victoria station. Light wood furniture and comfortable booth-seating, upholstered in juicy tangerine, combine to make a happy, elegant space, with the sun pouring in through a skylight. Exton previously worked as a sommelier, and the carefully curated wine selection is a brilliant bass note of the assured performance here. In the kitchen, Graham Brown works with skill and proficiency, producing those appealingly simple, produce-first dishes that can be hard to find these days. For starters, a generously portioned tartare of cured bream with cucumber and kohlrabi in a nest of smashed beer batter is a menu stalwart that still delights, while an unctuous confit rabbit leg with farfalle and pangrattato flaunts a sophisticated understanding of the prinicples of Italian ragù. Mains might bring on rolled saddle and braised shoulder of lamb with curried sweet potato, spinach and dukkah or chalk stream trout with prawn croustillant in shellfish sauce. Desserts are a treat. A version of Paris-Brest made with whipped pistachio and white chocolate cream came studded with strawberries, while a mirror-glazed milk chocolate mousse was topped with honeycomb. The lunch and early-evening set menu (a pair of choices at each course) is very good value. Warm, intelligent and attentive service sets the tone, and the wine list cries out for exploration, particularly as the pricing structure is not at all what one might expect in this prime postcode. The glass selection also comes in half-litre carafes, running from waxy, citrussy Carricante and plummy Sicilian Nero d'Avola to Coravin measures of Condrieu and Oregon Pinot Noir.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Recommended (2023); {"wbwl_source": {"slug": "lorne", "page_type": "star_accreditation", "category_slug": "2-star-accreditation", "award_result": "Accredited", "is_global_winner": "False"}, "scraped_details": {"hero_image": "", "page_title": "2-Star Accreditation", "page_url": ""}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Lorne"}} | Moderate | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Lorne is a compact, quietly confident neighbourhood restaurant on Wilton Road, a short walk from Victoria station. It holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and is run by ex-sommelier Katie Exton, so the wine list gets as much attention as the food. The room is small and fills up, so book in advance. The lunch and early-evening set menus offer the strongest value entry point.
Lorne does not operate a tasting menu format. The kitchen runs à la carte alongside a set lunch and early-evening menu. For the format on offer, the set menu is where the value case is clearest — multiple courses at a price that undercuts most Michelin-recognised London restaurants at the £££ tier.
The menu changes with produce availability, but documented dishes include tartare of cured bream with cucumber and kohlrabi, confit rabbit leg with farfalle, and rolled saddle and braised shoulder of lamb with curried sweet potato. Desserts have included a Paris-Brest with pistachio and white chocolate cream. The wine list — around 200 bins, with half-litre carafes available — is worth approaching with the same seriousness as the food.
Book at least one to two weeks ahead for dinner, longer for Friday or Saturday. The room is small and the Michelin Plate recognition has raised its profile. Lunch slots may have more availability midweek. Lorne is closed Mondays and Sundays.
At £££ and with a Michelin Plate (2025) plus a 2-Star Accreditation from World of Fine Wine's awards, Lorne delivers competitive value for its tier. The set lunch and early-evening menus are specifically noted as strong value. For comparison, Medlar in Chelsea operates at a similar price and style level, but Lorne's wine programme — overseen by a former Chez Bruce sommelier — is a differentiator worth factoring in.
The venue data does not confirm a bar-seating option. Lorne is described as a narrow restaurant with booth seating and a compact dining room, so counter dining is not a documented feature. check the venue's official channels to confirm before planning around it.
Lorne is a small restaurant — groups of more than four should check directly on capacity and configuration. The room uses booth seating, which suits pairs and small groups well. Larger parties expecting a private dining room should not assume that option exists without confirming with the venue.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
