Voodoo Ray's
Various locations
You know that friend from New York who's always on about “not being able to get a decent slice in this town”? Take them to Voodoo Ray's, where you can grab quality pizza by the (gigantic) slice – or a whole 26” pie if you're really, really hungry. Toppings go from classic pepperoni or american hot to stuff like spinach, broccoli and ricotta and even fully vegan slices, all backed up by great craft beers and cocktails.
BIRD
81 Holloway Road, N1 8LT
Fried chicken's hard to beat when it's done properly. That's why we like BIRD, which serves free-range fried chicken 'the way it's meant to be'. That means in a variety of sandwiches (Buffalo Blue, we're coming for you), or straight-up on the bone, with loads of sauces to dip it in. It's finger-lick… oh, wait. That one's taken.
Yard Sale Pizza
15 Hoe Street, E17 4SD
What started as a supper club is now a three-branch-strong collection of pizza joints that serve everything from a simple margherita, to leftfield pizzas like the Benedict Cumberland, with semi-dried tomatoes, kale, chilli and cumberland sausage. Ingredients are carefully sourced, super fresh and top quality, so you can eat your pizza guilt-free. Kind of.
Bubbledogs
70 Charlotte Street, W1T 4QG
It's not just the fact that the hot dogs here are paired with an extensive selection of champagnes that makes them fancy (although, clearly, it helps) – it's the array of toppings that really get people swooning. Choose from the likes of the Mac Daddy –slathered with macaroni and cheese – or the BLT, a pimped-out version of the classic with truffle mayo.
Bleecker Burger
Various locations
Countless joints have helped redefine the burger over the last few years, but Bleecker – one of the first wave – is still among the best, with its aged-beef patties the stuff of legend. Bleeker's now grown into a burgeoning restaurant empire, with the latest in the brand-new Bloomberg HQ in the City – but don't panic, you can still get Angry Fries. Phew.
