London restaurants best for... Taking the parents

Back in 1997 when Moro first opened, Exmouth Market was still a scruffy Clerkenwell street and this restaurant with its implausibly good looking bar staff and open kitchen was the second most exciting thing to happen to the area food-wise since The Eagle threw open its doors. Run by the marvellously-monikered Sam and Sam Clark, it's still turning out great food in a room that's packed every day of the week.

Spring is Skye Gyngell's first solo venture, who had such a big success at Petersham Nurseries. She has set up shop in the "new" wing of Somerset House which hasn't been open to the public for 150 years and serving fair like Grilled langoustine with seaweed butter and Roasted turbot with porcini and bone marrow.

This is Corbin and King's Marylebone outpost (the people behind the Wolseley, Brasserie Zedel and The Delaunay). This restaurant is intended to be evocative of early 20th Century Vienna so the menu has a distinct Austrian bent with schnitzels, strudels and more the order of the day.

This Chelsea brasserie has a lot of respected restaurant folk behind it who have worked at Brasserie St Jacques, The Greenhouse, Brown’s Hotel, The Ritz Hotel, Harry’s Bar and The Arch. Expect classic French brasserie dishes with a lot of trolley service too.

Want to be looked after to within an inch of your life? Well, this is the restaurant you come to. Properly old-school French, Otto's has carved out a niche for itself because of a serious bit of kit called the duck press and its fans are legion.

Situated in a revamped Victorian warehouse this Shoreditch spot is all about the super seasonal, with a regularly changing menu that combines European influences with British produce. There's a large bar area too that doesn't get too packed, making it a godsend in these parts.

This is Aqua's brand new concept for London, with a focus on contemporary British cuisine from exec chef Anthony Garlando, who has created a menu which combines British ingredients with "Garlando’s innovative international cooking techniques". Expect the cocktails to reflect the British focus too.

This is the main restaurant at the London Edition and Jason Atherton is in charge of things. Expect a more upmarket affair to some of Atherton's other spots and a frankly jaw-dropping room too.

The Aqua group picked The Shard for their first European branch of Hutong - Yeo's Hong-Kong based restaurant which is known for serving up fiery Northern Chinese food. The duck is always wonderful and the red lantern crispy soft shell crab with chilli is always on the menu and worth ordering. Oh the views aren't bad either.

Duck and Waffle has a well-earned reputation as being one of the best restaurants with a view in London - and what a view. It's almost worth a visit for the elevator ride alone. The restaurant has much to recommend besides the view, including the signature Duck and Waffle itself.

One of London's oldest restaurants, there has been a Rules serving food in and around this part of Covent Garden since 1798. Here is where you come if you're after history and classic British dishes, served well. The upstairs cocktail bar is legendary.

Quo Vadis has Jeremy Lee in the kitchen and he's been cooking up a wonderfully British menu. Alas, the restaurant isn't quite what it used to be - with over two-thirds of the space given up to Barrafina. But the food is still great and if you're a member, there's an excellent upstairs restaurant too.

D&D London, are behind this restaurant which is part of the South Place Hotel in the City. This restaurant sits on the top of the hotel and, as you can imagine from the title, does have a focus on fish. Expect a fine fining experience which has gained the restaurant a Michelin star.

The Goring has been a London institution for over 100 years. It's around the corner from Buckingham Palace and the Queen has been known to pop in from time to time, so if you're lucky you might see a royal or two. Here you'll find high-end Michelin-starred dining. Don't miss out on the eggs drumkilbo - they were a fave of the Queen Mother.

Gordon Ramsay launches the new Savoy Grill, with head chef Stuart Gillies in charge and now with an added champagne bar.

Probably Islington's most famous (and hard to get into) restaurant, this Italian affair sees Jordan Frieda, formerly front-of-house at The River Cafe teaming up with chef Tim Siadatan - one of the original trainees at Fifteen. Expect superlative Italian cuisine. If you're having trouble getting into Padella, from the same team, then booking a table here will help you avoid that queue.

Daniel Boulud is one of the top chefs in Manhattan, where his restaurant Daniel has been the favourite of many a critic. This is his London base and he was one of the trailblazers for non-UK restaurants making a base in London. Here it was all about getting things right - service is top notch, and the famed burgers are some of the best in town. Always a good bet in Knightsbridge.

Brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin run this restaurant, set in the frankly stunning St Botolph's Hall. Think fine, French, Michelin-starred food in historic surroundings.

It takes a lot to make yet another gastropub opening stand out from the crowd in London but the Bull and Last appears to have stuck to the tried and tested formula of serving simply fantastic food. They call themselves a Pub and Kitchen, but reviewers felt the food surpassed usual gastropub fare to be truly gourmet.