The Ivy

You don't have to be famous to get a table at this near-century-old theater-area haunt — reinvented in 1990 by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King — but it does help. And once you're in, you will feel as if you're a club member for the evening. Unpretentious, warm, formal, casual, glamorous, sui generis and not bank-breakingly expensive. The reassuring savoury menu caters to nearly everyone, from caviar, calves' liver and kedgeree to salt beef hash, Ivy burger and dressed crab, with sticky toffee pudding and baked Alaska to follow. And it's kind to vegetarians. In 2005 restaurant superman Richard Caring bought Caprice Holdings — with the Ivy in its domain — and in May 2015 relaunched the restaurant after a few months of thoughtful, seemless and subtly fabulous reinvention. The warmth and specialness (and comfort food) remain, but for a new age. The food is more inventive than before but not distractingly designery. A handsome, triangular and welcoming bar sits centre stage in the middle of the floor, with stools all around – great for drinkees or dinner. Satellite venue the Ivy Café (96 Marylebone Lane) opened October 2015, followed by multiple offshoot brasseries, including the Ivy Kensington Brasserie (99 Kensington High St) and the Ivy Soho Brasserie (26–28 Broadwick St), plus Covent Garden, Victoria, Tower Bridge etcetera.