A Guide To Olympia London’s Food Scene

The regeneration of Olympia London has been hotly awaited – it is, after all, the result of £1.3 billion in investment – not least because it marks the opening of a food scene in an area that has been historically a dead spot for dinner. No longer do those here for a dressage display or conferences like London Tech Week need to turn to nearby Hammersmith or Kensington. The 140-year-old events venue has been totally reimagined by architects Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC (you can read more about the rest of its plans here). And the hospitality is aiming high and quite literally so, as Emberton Walk is a rooftop level street positioned on top of the historic exhibition halls, with something of Tokyo’s Miyashita park to it. 

If you’re in the area – whether at a gig in the new British Airways ARC live music venue or, soon, enjoying a show in the biggest new theatre venue to open in 50 years – here’s what you need to know about the restaurants in the area.   

Where To Eat In Olympia London

Lillie’s

The land Olympia sits upon was, once upon a time, used to cultivate plants and flowers as a garden nursery. Lillie’s, its open-air restaurant and wine bar, nods to that not only in name but with pretty much everything on the menu. The cocktails draw inspiration from the English garden, and you’ll spot (and smell) bursts of flora and foliage throughout the restaurant. Meanwhile, its menu spans land, field and sea and boasts a raw fish bar, too, where it’s less about if you should order oysters but from which part of the UK (which arrive on dramatic perches).

Lillie’s is open-air but – thankfully, given British weather – has a retractable roof

For your mains, plump for the smoked eel for a regional British classic or pore over an artisan cheeseboard from Neal’s Yard that’s served with caperberries and heritage tomatoes. And don’t worry about rain – there’s a retractable roof for stormy season, and it feels fittingly Britannic to roll it out. Book a table via lillieslondon.co.uk

Wolves of Tokyo

Wolves of Tokyo has a cool, slick energy. The official line is that it’s inspired by Japanese noir, a dark, edgy film genre and, true enough, the restaurant has a cinematic-feeling in how well composed it is. The colours run dark navy, green and black, with metal bars and grates separating the dining booths. And it’s massive: stretching over 8,000 sq/ft, it comprises both a restaurant with counter seating and open kitchen as well as the rooftop cocktail bar where you can catch DJ sets.

Sushi at Wolves of Tokyo

Drinks take Tokyo-drifts on popular classics – think a Shiitake Old Fashioned or a Sake martini – while the food is to the straight and narrow: fresh sashimi, large plates, donburi, kushiyaki, and so on. An absolute hero dish is the chicken karaage – fried chicken balls coated with a tapioca mix and served alongside a spicy kewpie sauce. Book a table via wolvesoftokyo.com

Bar Arriba

Bar Arriba is a buzzy Mexican-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar that promises to be your new spot for sundowners and afterwork drinks. The menu is a tour of Mexico’s best exported dishes: think impeccable soft-shelled pork birria tacos, smokey dips and salsa verde with chips on the side, and three kinds of tostada (tuna, crab and ancho mushroom), among other things. The tequila list is naturally massive, ranging your fancy stuff – Clase Azul – to novel picks like a rosa tequila by Código, which is aged for a month in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.

As well as an extensive tequila menu, there are agave-based cocktails on the menu

On Saturdays, Casa Arriba is its recently launched bottomless brunch menu where, for £45pp, you can stuff yourself full with a constant tap of tacos, tostadas and quesadillas (add bottomless drinks for an additional £30pp) – accompanied, of course, by DJs. Book a table via bararriba.co.uk

Arbour

If you have a group of friends with diverse tastes – that is, they’ll fall out over the choice of cuisine – Arbour, Olympia’s food hall, will settle the mark. A food hall with options ranging fried chicken, nice salads, smash burgers or coffee and cakes, it’s a little bit more casual and quick than the other Emberton Walk restaurants. Walk-ins only, more information at 

Idalia

If you’re seeking a restaurant with wow-factor interiors, look no further than Idalia. This new open in the Grade II-listed Pillar Hall – subject to an enormous facelift as part of the area’s redevelopment – is by Des Gunewardena and D3 Collective, who have created similarly immersive restaurants like Engel and Jang. Its decor is striking: glib, wigged mannequins rink the room, while there’s a veritable jungle in climbing, crawling plants. Grab a nook or booth and order a slushie Casamigos margarita from the art deco central bar, or one of its theatrical cocktails (the D&G, which is a tequila highball, arrives in a glass handbag).

The interiors at Idalia feature climbing vines and marble arches

It’s quite fantastical, all in all, but the food is no nonsense and broadly global; think buttery chicken curry with saffron rice and dhal and a decadent, bright green pistachio cheesecake. Book via pillarhall.co.uk

Pepperbird

Pepperbird is an underground speakeasy set downstairs at Pillar Hall. Another from Gunewardena, the name is inspired by Afric Pepperbird, a progressive jazz album from the 1970s by Jan Garbarek Quartet. That kind of nod to Olympia’s music heritage – 60s and 70s jazz and rock – runs throughout the visual identity of the space, with lots of groovy vintage detailing, as well as its cocktail menu. On this latter point, cocktails are named for songs – there’s the on-the-nose Kiss and Say Goodbye which is both a song by the Manhattans, and here a Scotch Manhattan, for example. It purports to be guest list-only, so call ahead to book a table. No walk-ins, more information at pillarhall.co.uk

Are The Restaurants At Olympia London Coeliac-Friendly?

Each has gluten-friendly options, but Bar Arriba is particularly excellent in this regard. There’s an extensive allergen matrix here and the team goes to extreme effort to prepare coeliac-safe alternatives to the main dishes.