From hearty root vegetables and spring greens grown in restaurant gardens to beef offcuts crafted into burger patties, explore the many green and innovative ways chefs are minimising waste and supporting sustainable food and drink in London.
Sustainable restaurants London
1. Apricity
Michelin Green Star restaurant, Apricity in Mayfair champions small-scale British farmers and a low-waste approach to cooking. Its menu offers low-intervention English wines, seasonal vegetables, regeneratively farmed meat, and sustainably caught fish from the British Isles.
With sustainable and restorative design in mind, Apricity diverts items from landfills by giving them a new life in the restaurant. Each chair is made from 111 recycled Coca-Cola bottles, the lampshades are recycled coffee grounds and the hanging lights are crafted from cut oyster shells.
Where: 38 Cursitor Street, WC2A 1EN
2. Petersham Nurseries
Idyllic Richmond is home to Petersham Nurseries, a glasshouse restaurant brimming with bougainvillea, vines and jasmine. Much of the ethical produce that inspires the seasonal Italian menu comes from the family farm in Devon and the kitchen garden. Any food waste is odourlessly turned into water using an aerobic food digester and the chefs jackets are made from recycled bottles.
Start with a delicious antipasti of bruschetta with San Marzano tomato and basil before moving on to a summer squash and yellow courgette risotto, slow cooked ragu or grilled whole Cornish sole with puttanesca tomato and fennel.
Where: Off Petersham Road, TW10 7AG
3. Jikoni
Jikoni is the UK’s first independent restaurant to go carbon neutral. Powered by solar power, wind power and carbon neutral biogas, this Marylebone eatery responsibly sources its ingredients to create diverse, authentic dishes.
From paneer pierogi to prawn toast scotch eggs served with banana ketchup, Shetland mussels moilee and okra fries with curry leaf mayonnaise, expect a variety of flavours hailing from Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Britain.
Where: 44 Blandford Street, W1U 7HS
4. The Culpeper
Nestled in vibrant Shoreditch is The Culpeper, an English bistro serving a small menu of responsibly sourced ingredients and seasonal produce. What makes this east London eatery stand out is its rooftop garden growing anything from salad leaves and courgettes, to beans, tomatoes and aubergines.
Try the delicious rooftop grill lunch menu offering British day boat fish and free-range farmed meat alongside a local English wine or a cocktail garnished with herbs grown just a few feet away.
Where: 40 Commercial Street, E1 6LP
5. Pizza Pilgrims
The Selfridges branch of Pizza Pilgrims marks the brand’s first step towards more sustainable pizzerias. To reduce its environmental impact, the popular pizzeria offers all your delicious favourites using regenerative wheat for the dough, hydroponic basil, sustainable British charcuterie and mozzarella made from local milk. But, it’s not just the food that’s sustainable.
The upholstery is Pinatex, a leather alternative made from pineapple leaves, while the tabletops are made using reclaimed plastic waste. Even the giant mural of the bay of Naples was crafted using 2,000 recycled glass water bottles.
Where: Fourth floor, 400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB
6. Barge East
Step aboard a 125-year-old Dutch barge on the canal for a seasonal menu of sustainable British produce and freshly harvested ingredients. With 37 different types of plants and produce grown in its very own Barge East Gardens, the award-winning restaurant prevents crops going to waste by planning dishes according to what’s available outside. It also composts kitchen and garden waste on-site in an eco-friendly way.
Share a selection of small plates including pork belly tacos, Cornish octopus "sando" and a wild rice cracker with goats cheese mousse, courgette and mint. Or, feast on hearty mains from British market fish over coals to a Norfolk Angus onglet.
Where: River Lee, Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Lane, E9 5EN
7. Manteca
Manteca’s Italian-inspired menu champions nose-to-tail cooking and whole animal butchery. Ingredients are sourced from small independent farms and producers, right through to the pasta and bread, which is made from wildfarmed flour.
Menu highlights include house-made ricotta, duck liver parfait with black date jam, pork and fennel ragu, slow cooked hogget shoulder, nduja steamed mussels and fried ciccioli. Pair low-intervention wines with dry-cured cuts from the in-house delicatessen.
Where: 49-51 Curtain Road, EC2A 3PT
8. The Duke of Cambridge
Located in a quaint back street of trendy Islington, you can find Britain’s first organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge. Certified by the Soil Association since opening in 1998, this north London pub takes pride in sourcing quality ingredients from local organic farmers and growers.
Its rotating menu delivers comforting dishes such as Rhug Estate lamb with piperade and wild garlic pesto or roasts served with braised red cabbage, carrot puree and bashed roots.
Where: 30 St Peter’s Street, N1 8JT
Zero waste restaurants in London
9. Silo
Recognised as the world’s first zero waste restaurant, Silo in Hackney Wick follows a “no bin” concept. Its tasting menu demonstrates quality cooking while maximising the entire potential of an animal and vegetables. To reduce food miles and over-processing, Silo has an in-house flour mill and churns its own butter.
Diners can sit at tables made from reconstituted food packaging, tucking into dishes served on plates made from plastic bags with crockery forged from crushed wine bottles. Also, the floor and ceilings are formed from cork and sheep’s wool.
Where: First floor, Unit 7 Queens Yard, White Post Lane, E9 5EN
10. Spring
Delight in simple and nutritious dishes at Spring, Somerset House’s bright and elegant sustainable restaurant. Headed by acclaimed chef, Skye Gyngell, the daily changing Scratch Menu innovatively transforms waste produce and surplus ingredients into delicious offerings – think beetroot tops, potato skins and yesterday’s bread.
Reserve a table for lunch before rambling along the river Thames, spotting iconic landmarks such as Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye.
Where: Somerset House, WC2R 1LA
11. Rabbit
Bringing a slice of the countryside to Chelsea, Rabbit is a cosy eco-friendly eatery with a zero-waste and nose-to-tail approach to cooking. Conceived by the Gladwin brothers, Rabbit’s farm to fork menu features produce from the family’s Sussex farm, bycatch specials, and wild, foraged ingredients.
Enjoy a variety of wholesome dishes including handmade gorgonzola and truffle ravioli, chargrilled pork chop with Kentish rhubarb, Sussex chorizo or mushroom marmite eclairs.
Where: 172 Kings Road, SW3 4UP
12. temper Burger, White City
Tuck into a delicious smash burger at the renowned temper steakhouses’ newest joint, temper Burger. Focusing on sustainability and whole-animal butchery, the restaurant serves juicy burgers made from a variety of offcuts from its steak restaurants. This means you get to enjoy the same premium beef while minimising waste on both ends.
Opt for one of the classic burgers featuring two aged beef patties on a brioche bun, or savour one of the unique combinations such as the "kimcheese", with smoked raclette, chipotle sour cream and kimchi onions.
Where: Unit 8, 2 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, W12 7FR
Discover more ways to be sustainable in London, including supporting sustainable shops and visiting green spaces.
