Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Three Michelin stars. Book six weeks out.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road holds three Michelin stars and, under chef-patron Matt Abé, delivers classical French-influenced precision with service that ranks among London's finest. Lunch is the stronger value play; dinner suits a full special-occasion arc. Book six to eight weeks out minimum — this is a near-impossible table to get last minute.
If you have already been to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road, the question on a return visit is whether anything has changed enough to justify the spend again. The short answer: yes. Chef-patron Matt Abé and head chef Kim Ratcharoen have been running the kitchen for long enough now that this is unambiguously their restaurant, not a museum piece bearing a famous name. The cooking is precise, modern, and confident — and the service, according to La Liste's 2026 assessment (93 points), remains arguably the finest in London. Three Michelin stars, held continuously, confirm that the standards have not slipped. Book it.
The dining room on Royal Hospital Road is intimate in scale , small enough that every table feels considered, large enough that the room does not feel cramped. The interior retains a formal register: smartly suited staff, carefully spaced tables, a pace that signals you are not being hurried. The colour scheme (lilac and grey) has been flagged by reviewers as dating the space, and that is a fair observation , the room has not been refreshed in some time. For a special occasion, the formality works in your favour: this is a room that signals the meal matters. The spatial experience is closer to a classic French grand restaurant than to the sleeker, darker London rooms that have opened in the past five years. If you want drama and contemporary design, Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library delivers more on that front. If the quality of what is on the plate matters more than the room around it, Royal Hospital Road holds its own.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is open for both lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. The lunch sitting runs 12:00–2:15 pm and dinner 6:00–9:15 pm. Three menus are available across both services: the set Prestige menu, the Carte Blanche surprise menu, and an à la carte that includes signature dishes such as the lobster, langoustine and salmon ravioli , a fixture since the restaurant opened.
At this price tier (££££), lunch is almost always the stronger value play at London three-star level, and that logic applies here. You get the same kitchen, the same team, and access to the same menu formats, typically at a lower price point than the evening equivalent. For a business meal or a celebration where the focus is the food rather than a late evening, lunch is the smarter booking. Dinner has the edge for a proper date or an occasion where you want the full arc of an evening , aperitifs, a longer wine list journey, the slower pace that a 6 pm start allows. Both services are serious; lunch is better value, dinner is better theatre.
The wine list is extensive and runs exclusively on an iPad. Expect nothing under £50 a bottle , this is not a room where you will find a casual mid-week pour. Budget accordingly, or lean on the sommelier team for relative value within the list, where better options reportedly exist if you ask directly.
Three Michelin stars since 2001 is a credential worth pausing on. Fewer than ten restaurants in the UK hold three stars, and L'Enclume in Cartmel and The Fat Duck in Bray are the closest comparisons in terms of tenure and recognition. Opinionated About Dining ranked the restaurant 58th in Europe in 2023, 71st in 2024, and 96th in 2025 , a gradual slide in a competitive ranking, but still inside the top 100 classical European restaurants. The World's 50 Best placed it 13th globally in 2008; that era of dominance has passed, but the Michelin standard has not wavered. Google reviews sit at 4.4 from 1,755 ratings, which is a reliable signal that the experience consistently meets expectations across a wide range of guests.
This restaurant is built for special occasions: significant birthdays, anniversaries, client dinners where the room needs to do some of the work, or any meal where you want the kitchen to be operating at the highest technical level London can offer. The service alone , described by reviewers as the finest in the capital, perfectly paced and attentive without being overbearing , justifies the booking for guests who have been underwhelmed by the variable front-of-house at other flagship addresses. For comparison, CORE by Clare Smyth offers a warmer, more contemporary room with comparable cooking credentials; The Ledbury is a stronger choice if modern European cooking with a looser format appeals. Royal Hospital Road is the right call when classical French-influenced precision and service ceremony are the specific brief.
Getting a table here is near impossible without forward planning. Book as far in advance as the reservation system allows , six to eight weeks minimum is a reasonable working assumption for a weekend dinner. Lunch slots on a weekday are marginally more accessible but should not be left to last-minute chance. There is no walk-in culture at this address.
| Detail | Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | CORE by Clare Smyth | The Ledbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars (Michelin) | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Price range | ££££ | ££££ | ££££ |
| Booking difficulty | Near Impossible | Very Hard | Hard |
| Lunch available | Yes (Tue–Sat) | Yes | Yes |
| Closed days | Sun, Mon | Sun, Mon | Sun, Mon |
| Location | Chelsea, SW3 | Notting Hill, W11 | Notting Hill, W11 |
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | ££££ | Near Impossible | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Ikoyi | ££££ | Unknown | — |
How Restaurant Gordon Ramsay stacks up against the competition.
It is one of the most reliable choices in London for a high-stakes occasion. Three Michelin stars since 2001, a small intimate dining room on Royal Hospital Road, and service described by reviewers as among the finest in the capital make it a strong option for significant birthdays, anniversaries, or client dinners. The room is formal but not stiff. If the occasion calls for somewhere that will carry its own weight, this does the job.
The kitchen offers multiple menu formats — a set Prestige menu, the Carte Blanche surprise menu, and an à la carte — which gives some flexibility for dietary needs. At ££££ per head and with three Michelin stars, kitchens at this level generally accommodate restrictions with advance notice. check the venue's official channels when booking to flag requirements; last-minute requests at this price point are unnecessary friction.
At ££££ and ranked 96th on Opinionated About Dining's Classical Europe list in 2025, it sits comfortably in the top tier of London fine dining. The Michelin three-star credential is held by fewer than ten UK restaurants, and the kitchen under Matt Abé is drawing genuine praise rather than coasting on name recognition. Compared to CORE by Clare Smyth or The Ledbury, the experience here leans more classical French; if that format suits you, the price is justified.
There is no bar dining option documented for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. The format is a seated dining room at 68 Royal Hospital Road, and tables should be reserved in advance. This is not a venue where dropping in for drinks and a snack is a realistic option.
This is a three-Michelin-star restaurant on Royal Hospital Road with formally trained floor staff and a room that signals occasion dining. Formal or business formal attire is appropriate. Turning up in casual clothes would be conspicuous. When in doubt, overdress.
The Carte Blanche surprise menu is the format that puts the kitchen most in control, and at a three-star level that is generally where the cooking is sharpest. The Prestige set menu and à la carte are also available if you want more say over what lands on the table. Signature dishes like the lobster ravioli have been on the menu since opening, so if you are a first-timer, either format will cover the benchmarks. Repeat visitors may find the Carte Blanche more rewarding.
Lunch runs 12:00–2:15 pm Tuesday through Saturday and is typically where the better relative value sits at this price tier in London, as set lunch menus at three-star restaurants often offer the same kitchen at a lower entry cost. Dinner runs until 9:15 pm and suits occasions where the full evening format matters. If budget is a consideration, book lunch. If the occasion calls for a longer evening, dinner is the right call.
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