How London Best chooses the capital's best
How London Best's editors choose the businesses in each list: what Londoners say, a search across every borough, confirmed facts, quality and honest list sizes.
London's size is both its great strength and its great problem. There is almost always a good option nearby; the difficulty is knowing which one. Each of our rankings follows five steps, adapted to a city where a short distance on the map can be a long journey on the Northern line.
Starting with what Londoners say
Our first question is how a business has stood with the people who use it, over years rather than weeks. We look for places customers keep returning to and recommend to colleagues and neighbours, where the same praise comes up again and again. A fashionable month or a busy launch does not count for much.
Every borough in the frame
We then make sure the search covers the whole capital. Candidates in Walthamstow, Lewisham, Harrow or Kingston are weighed alongside the Soho and Shoreditch names that already get the attention, because most Londoners live, work and shop well outside Zone 1. Suburban high streets from Bromley to Enfield are part of the search too.
Confirmation of the facts
Before publication we check that each business is still trading where we say it is, that its telephone number and website are current and that its opening times are right, bank holidays included. If those basics cannot be confirmed, the business waits until they can.
The standard of the work
We think about what a customer needs from each type of business. A pub is judged on its welcome and how well it keeps its beer, a solicitor on clarity and responsiveness, a hotel on where it sits, how clean it is and how guests are treated. Consistency, week in and week out, counts for more than flair.
Sizing each list honestly
Some categories in some parts of London have a dozen excellent candidates; others have three. We let the list reflect that rather than padding it out, and where the field allows we include a spread of areas and budgets so there is something for most readers.
Corrections and changes
London never stands still, so neither do our lists. We review them on a regular cycle and act quickly on reports from readers. If a business has closed, moved or been overlooked, email info@londonbest.uk with the name and the nearest Tube or rail station, and we will look into it.