Bang for your buckwheat – here’s where Londoners say they pay over the odds for dinner
While there are plenty of budget-friendly food options in England's capital, dining in some restaurants – and in some neighbourhoods – can come with a staggeringly steep price tag.
Harden's London Restaurants Guide for 2017, released Wednesday, revealed the results of its 26th annual survey of 7,500 regular restaurant-goers to determine not only which restaurants are the city's favourites, but also which are the most overpriced.
The guide's co-founder Peter Harden told Business Insider: "When people submit a restaurant nomination, they have an option of doing so in one of 18 categories. The categories include top gastronic experience, favourite restaurant and most overpriced."
The winners are determined by the number of votes within each category.
Read more from Peter Harden below the top 10.
10. Hutong at The Shard
A meal with a view at this modern Chinese restaurant at the top of the Shard doesn't come cheap – a hot and sour soup will set you back £8, while the sautéed crispy shredded beef and chilli dish served with carrot and garlic is £28.50.
9. Alain Ducasse, Dorchester
You won't get a meal for under £100 at this French restaurant, where three courses from the a la carte menu come in at £100, with a tasting menu for £140.
8. Le Gavroche
There are no prices listed on the website's sample a la carte menus – a sign in itself that a meal doesn't come cheap – and the tasting menu without wine, which includes the likes of this roast loin of venison, is £130.
7. Pollen Street Social
A small dish like these langoustines with an onion squash & vanilla purée costs £19.50 at this Michelin-starred modern British spot.
6. The Chiltern Firehouse
Even brunch comes with a hefty price tag at this celebrity favourite, with this small (albeit delicious-looking) portion of french toast with smoked bacon and spiced maple syrup costing £14.
However, Harden said the restaurant has fallen from its previous third spot on the most overpriced list. "Whether its a factor of them becoming less overpriced or slightly less fashionable I'm not quite sure," he said.
5. Marcus
According to Harden, Marcus is "a restaurant that needs sorting out," up on the list from sixth place last year.
Three courses cost £85, and past dishes have included the likes of this cod dish.
4. Gordon Ramsay
"Gordon Ramsay is fourth on the list," said Harden. "No real surprises there – it's not a restaurant which has been particularly distinguished in recent times, and it's not surprising to see it be dissappointing."
Three courses at Gordon's Ramsay's famous restaurant will set you back £110, with main dishes including the likes of this poached Isle of Gigha halibut with Atlantic king crab.
3. Oxo Tower Restaurant
While the views of the Thames may be stunning, a main such as this dry aged beef fillet with cauliflower, truffles and cocoa nib sauce will mean shelling out £38.
"The Oxo Tower has held the distinction of being the most overpriced for about 10 years, but there's been a bit of a shakeup in the last couple of years," Harden said.
2. The River Cafe
With a menu that changes every day, most 'primi' pasta dishes at this cult riverside Italian come in at around £18 to £20, while starter dishes like calamari cost £20 and 'secondi' plates such as the "Gallo Cedrone," or whole Yorkshire Grouse served with potatoes and watercress, have a price tag around £40.
"Last year The River Cafe trumped Oxo Tower by being so expensive – despite being very good, people became outraged by the prices," Harden said.
1. Sexy Fish
A platter of five varieties of sashimi will set you back £65 and the assorted sushi plate comes in at £28.60 at Sexy Fish, which is officially the most overpriced restaurant in London according to the city's foodies.
"It's a restaurant which has achieved a lot of buzz, and it's the first time they've achieved this slightly dubious distinction," Harden said. "It came in not having been previously ranked – that was quite interesting."
Why should Londoners take note?
With restaurants opening at the fastest rate ever over the past 12 months, according to the guide, it's never been more important to make sure you're getting the most for your pound when dining out.
The average price of dinner for one at the restaurants in the guide was also up by 1.7% to £51.37 this year, compared to £50.51 last year.
Despite this, Harden told Business Insider: "I don't think it's an overpriced city for eating out at all. Regularly people come to London from the sticks and say the prices are shocking, but it's nonsense.
"Even though costs here are high, the level of competition is so very intense and the market is so deep that most of the better value eating in the country is to be had in London."
Whether you're willing to splash out or budget dining is more your style, see which restaurants the city's foodies consider to be the most overpriced below – along with what you can expect to pay for some of their top dishes.
This story originally appeared on Business Insider UK.