Tendril

Tendril, London: The Verdict

At the ££ price point, Tendril is one of the more convincing arguments for vegetable-forward dining in central London. The Michelin Plate (2025) signals a kitchen operating with genuine technical intent, not just a venue riding a dietary trend. If you have been once and left thinking the cooking was more interesting than you expected, you are right to come back — the menu's global range and textural precision reward repeat visits more than most restaurants in this price tier.

The Space: Where You Sit Matters

Tendril occupies a site on Princes Street in W1B, close enough to Oxford Circus to be genuinely convenient without the tourist-trap atmosphere that kills so many central London restaurants. The room divides clearly into two distinct environments, and choosing between them should be your first decision when booking.

The front room pulls in natural light, making it the more practical choice for lunch. If you are returning after a first dinner visit and want to see the food as it was meant to be seen, a front-room lunch reservation is the move. The rear of the restaurant shifts into a moodier register — lower light, a more enclosed feel , which works better for an evening where the focus is on the table rather than the room. For a group of two wanting a proper dinner, request the rear. For a weekend lunch, the front. The venue has the feel of a neighbourhood restaurant despite its central postcode, which keeps the atmosphere from tipping into the stiff formality you get at nearby dining rooms charging twice as much.

The Food: Global Influences, Real Technical Skill

The kitchen's approach pulls from a wide geographic range , massaman sauce with pak choi, 'Chinatown' purple potatoes , without the resulting dishes feeling like a world food survey. What holds the menu together is a strong command of texture. Vegetable-led cooking at this level tends to fall into one of two traps: either it mimics meat dishes awkwardly, or it retreats into safe salad-territory. Tendril does neither. The Michelin assessors noted technical skill specifically, and that assessment tracks with what the menu signals: this is cooking that understands how vegetables behave under heat and pressure, not just how to plate them attractively.

Restaurant describes itself as 'mostly vegan', which in practice means the kitchen's default position is plant-based, with occasional departures. If you are a returning guest who explored the more familiar dishes on the first visit, the global-influence sections of the menu are worth more attention second time around , the massaman and the Chinatown preparations represent the kitchen at its most distinctive.

Brunch and Weekend Lunch at Tendril

Front-room setup at Tendril makes it particularly well-suited to weekend lunch or a late-morning visit. Natural light transforms the experience of eating vegetable-focused food: colours read differently, the room feels less precious, and the pace tends to be more relaxed than the dinner service. For London vegetarian dining specifically, this is a more comfortable daytime format than you get at higher-end plant-based restaurants, where the tasting-menu structure makes lunch feel like a committed event rather than a meal.

If you are planning a weekend visit, a front-room table in the early afternoon gives you the leading of what Tendril does well: the cooking without the pressure of a special occasion format, the room at its most open, and a price point that keeps the bill manageable even across multiple courses. Booking difficulty is low relative to comparable Michelin-recognised venues in W1 , this is not a three-week chase for a table.

Ratings and Trust

• Google rating: 4.6 from 853 reviews , a meaningful sample for a restaurant of this scale
• Michelin Plate (2025): recognition for cooking quality, not just ambiance or service
• Price range: ££ , mid-range for London, accessible for the quality level

Booking and Practical Details

Tendril is at 5 Princes Street, London W1B 2LF. Booking is direct for this part of London , you are not competing with the three-Michelin-star scarcity that makes dining planning in W1 frustrating. For a weekend lunch in the front room, booking a week or two ahead should be sufficient. Evening reservations in the rear, particularly for Friday and Saturday, may require a few more days' notice. There is no published phone number in current records, so booking online is the default route. The ££ price range means this is a realistic option for a mid-week dinner as well as a considered weekend lunch , you are not committing to a £££+ spend before you have ordered a drink.

How Tendril Fits the London Scene

For returning guests considering where to place Tendril in a broader London dining rotation, it sits in a category most of the city's high-profile restaurants do not occupy: technically credentialled, genuinely affordable, and open to the kind of casual repeat visit that ££££ venues structurally cannot offer. If you are building a regular dining rotation in London, Tendril belongs in it alongside restaurants from our full London restaurants guide. For days around a visit, our London bars guide and London hotels guide cover the surrounding logistics.

For vegetarian dining at the more ambitious end globally, Fu He Hui in Shanghai and Lamdre in Beijing operate at a comparable technical level with very different cultural registers. Within the UK, the country's most-discussed kitchens , The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton , are all operating at a different price tier and with a different format commitment. Tendril's value is precisely that it does not ask you to make that commitment.

FAQs: Tendril, London

• Does Tendril handle dietary restrictions? Tendril describes itself as 'mostly vegan', so the default menu is plant-based. If you have specific allergen concerns beyond a vegan or vegetarian diet, contact the restaurant directly before booking , no phone number is currently listed, so reach out via their website booking system.
• What should I wear to Tendril? Tendril reads as a smart-casual room. The ££ price point and neighbourhood restaurant atmosphere mean there is no formal dress expectation. Smart jeans and a jacket for dinner in the rear room works; the front room at lunch is more relaxed still.
• What should a first-timer know about Tendril? Book the front room for a weekday lunch to understand the space at its most approachable. The cooking is technically stronger than the price suggests , a Michelin Plate at the ££ tier in London W1 is a meaningful signal. Expect global influences, strong textural work, and a mostly vegan menu.
• Is Tendril worth the price? Yes, clearly. A Michelin Plate at ££ pricing in central London is rare. The technical cooking and considered menu make this a better value proposition than most vegetarian restaurants in this part of the city, and the relaxed format means you are not paying a tasting-menu premium for the experience.
• What are alternatives to Tendril in London? For plant-based dining at a comparable or higher price point, London's options are limited at this quality level. For very different experiences in terms of cuisine and budget, CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury both operate at ££££ with meat-inclusive menus. Tendril is the stronger choice if budget and a plant-based focus are both factors.
• Is Tendril good for a special occasion? Yes, with caveats. The rear room works well for an intimate dinner , the mood is right. But the ££ price point means it reads as a considered restaurant meal rather than a grand occasion venue. If the occasion calls for a more formal register, Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay offer a more ceremonial setting. For a meaningful but low-pressure celebration, Tendril delivers.