The Good Food Guide is compiling thousands of votes for its list of the UK’s top 100 independent neighbourhood eateries in partnership with Square.
It has released the 13 restaurants in the mix to take the title of Britain’s Best Local Restaurant 2025 – with Cinder in St John’s Wood in strong contention.
The Guide urges diners to give their favourite dining spot the recognition it deserves, saying “A best local restaurant is likely to be a casual kind of place, with excellent cooking using local suppliers and a brilliantly warm welcome for whoever walks through the door.”
“It’s the kind of restaurant that draws you back time and again.”
Cinder opened its first branch in Belsize Village in 2021 before expanding to a larger second location in St John’s Wood in late 2022.
Head chef and owner Jake Finn is at the helm of the menus which specialise in ‘food cooked by fire’ over coals in the Josper oven.
He previously worked at La Petite Maison, Coya and The Ritz, and according to the Cinder website, has an aversion to the trend of style over content – preferring to let his food speak for itself with “the biggest heart and the tastiest menu, with a focus on flavour and conviviality”.
Cinder’s seasonal menu features the likes of barbecued octopus with potato salad and pickled cucumber; chicken leg, with harissa yoghurt and herb salad; braised sticky beef rib, with pink peppercorn and gremolata; whole john dory with chicken jus, tomato and caper, and their signature dish of cedar plank salmon with pickled cucumber & shallots.
A recent diner left a 5/5 Google review praising the juicy chicken, smoky flavours, excellent service, and cosy atmosphere.
“Everything was simply amazing. I will definitely be back.”
Cinder is at 5, St John’s Wood High Street and 66, Belsize Lane.
