5 Women-Owned Restaurants To Visit In London

Restaurant kitchens have long been dominated by men. And while we’ve come a long way in recent years, gender inequality in the industry remains rife – just a few weeks ago, 70 female chefs signed an open letter calling for a more ‘inclusive and equitable’ work environment. Meanwhile, only one woman-owned restaurant was awarded a new Michelin star in the 2025 awards. With International Women’s Day taking place tomorrow, it therefore feels like a good time to spotlight some of the brilliant women in the food world right now. We’ve pulled together a list of our top five women-owned restaurants in London – not to silo female chefs into their own category, but to encourage visibility in a space in which they are often overlooked. 

Best Women-Owned Restaurants In London

Apricity, Mayfair – Chantelle Nicholson

This low-waste restaurant has been a huge hit since opening in Mayfair in 2022. It’s the brainchild of New Zealand-born chef Chantelle Nicholson, who trained as a lawyer before finding her calling as a cook – and an advocate for regeneration. Apricity is all about ‘conscious cooking and joyful dining’, with a focus on British produce from small-scale farmers. The restaurant’s hyper-seasonal nature means the food offering changes regularly, but to give you an idea, the current tasting menu includes dishes like seared Loch Fyne scallops with Kentish rhubarb, Crown Prince squash with almond butter, and East Devon venison pithivier.

Where? 68 Duke St, London W1K 6JU

BOOK: apricityrestaurant.com

Chishuru

Chishuru, Fitzrovia – Joké Bakare

After moving to the UK from Nigeria over 20 years ago, Adejoké (Joké) Bakare worked in a number of industries before pursuing her dream of being a chef. Joké started out by serving food from a van outside her church in southeast London, but after winning a competition she was able to open her own restaurant pop-up in Brixton, named Chishuru. It quickly garnered rave reviews, and the eatery became permanent, eventually moving to a bigger home in Fitzrovia. Last year, Chishuru secured a Michelin star, making Joké the first black female Michelin-starred chef in the UK. Give it a try to see what all the fuss is about: there are set menus available for lunch and dinner, focusing on vibrant modern west African fare such as fish in banana leaf, grilled red kuri squash with awara cheese, and beef sirloin with bitter leaf sauce.

Where? 3 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 8AX

BOOK: chishuru.com

Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill – Clare Smyth

Clare Smyth’s revered Notting Hill restaurant is one of just nine establishments across the country to have three Michelin stars. The accolades don’t stop there either: Smyth was named The World’s Best Female Chef in 2018, and Core often features on lists of the world’s best restaurants. Sophisticated without being stuffy, the eatery is designed to celebrate the finest British ingredients, with a regularly changing a la carte menu alongside two tasting menus: Core Seasons and Core Classics. The latter features long-standing signatures like the potato and roe, and lamb carrot – both of which showcase a vegetable as the main ingredient. ‘At Core we take humble ingredients and try to use them to create something just as satisfying as something that is very luxury,’ she said in an interview.

Where? 92 Kensington Park Rd, London W11 2PN

BOOK: corebyclaresmyth.com

Jikoni, Marylebone – Ravinder Bhogal

Jikoni is one of Marylebone’s most charming restaurants, focusing on ‘no borders’ cooking which spans Asian, African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Opened by food writer, stylist and chef Ravinder Bhogal in 2016, the restaurant is loved for its warm hospitality, as well as the hearty, flavoursome food on offer. Dishes are sharing-style and feature creative combinations: currently the menu includes the likes of clove-smoked venison samosas with beetroot chutney, turnip polenta with cornbread and cavolo nero, and prawn toast scotch eggs with banana ketchup. Pair with house cocktails, with favourites including the pomegranate negroni and the hibiscus and ginger gimlet.

Where? 19-21 Blandford St, London W1U 3DH

BOOK: jikonilondon.com

Mambow

Mambow, Clapton – Abby Lee

Malaysian chef Abby Lee moved to London on her own aged just 14, going on to train at Le Cordon Bleu before opening her own pop-up in Spitalfields. But the year was 2020, and Covid soon scuppered her plans. She returned to Malaysia, and spent six months immersing herself in the cuisine of her hometown. Then, in 2022, Lee returned to London armed with new knowledge and inspiration, which formed the basis of Mambow, a street food concept in Peckham. It soon developed a cult following thanks to unique, punchy dishes like the otak-otak prawn toast, tangy pineapple curry, and lor bak, a crispy five-spice pork creation. In 2023, Lee went back east to open Mambow in a bigger space in Clapton – which was recently named London’s Best Local Restaurant by the prestigious Good Food Guide.

Where? 78 Lower Clapton Rd, Lower Clapton, London E5 0RN

BOOK: mambow.co.uk