Anyone that knows me, knows that my go-to for finding where to eat is looking where the closest Bib Gourmand restaurant is. Michelin explains a Bib Gourmand award as, “Not quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize, the Bib Gourmand – named after Bibendum, the friendly Michelin Man and the official company mascot for the Michelin Group – is a just-as-esteemed rating that recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.
According to the guidelines, you should be able to have three courses at a Bib restaurant for under approx. £30 – a bagain, esepeccialy in London. This year London has one promotion – Hām – and three new additions: Evernight, Plaza Khao Gaeng and The Pelican. I personally love The Pelican in Notting Hill and am surprised it took them this long to receive a Bib Gourmand – they serve excellent and well-priced pub food in a beautiful venue. My other favourite restaurants below are Paradise and Bancone. Paradise serves up vibrant and fresh Sri Lankan food in a small brutalist-style restaurant in Soho, I always seek it out when I happen to be around and there is often space for walk-ins at their counter which faces out to bustling Soho, it is a great place to dine alone should you want to treat yourself to some brilliant food on a whim. Bancone serves up some beautiful pasta dishes that make most others I eat feel extremely disappointing in comparison, located right by The National Gallery it is the perfect spot for lunch, have one dish to yourself or go with a group to try all as many of their dishes as possible, and don’t forget to have it with one of their fantastic negronis!
See below for my master list of current (March 2023) Bib Gourmands, their Instagram and their websites – as well as a map of all of their locations.
