A recent story from the Popbitch newsletter told of a Hollywood star who was asked what she would be doing if she weren’t a famous actress. “Eat” was the rather depressing answer. While celebrities might not have a reputation for possessing the biggest appetites, to some you are where you eat, not what you eat.
Restaurants, then, are as powerful a way of signifying an A-lister’s taste as any other aspect of their image. Or maybe, like the rest of us, they just go to a restaurant to have a good time. Short of sitting in the front row of the theatre, a seat in a London restaurant offers one of the surest ways to see a famous face up close and personal.
Even if you don’t come home feeling like you’ve spent a night at the Oscars or Brits , the restaurants below do all at least guarantee a good night. And if a big name is in, just remember that it’s rude to stare. Showbiz hasn’t seen a celebrity comeback like Julie’s since John Travolta shimmied his way through Pulp Fiction.
Originally opened by interior designer Julie Hodges in 1969, the restaurant welcomed pop royalty and the real thing through its doors for the final decades of the 20th century, when one might have been sitting next to anyone from Tina Turner to Princess Diana. This century hadn’t been quite as memorable until new owner and Holland Park local Tara MacBain relaunched Julie’s in 2024 and once more made the old girl the hottest table in town. The only way one is likely to bag a booking is by .