Where to dine with your mum on 19 March
Wondering how to spoil your mum this Mother’s Day (19 March)? You can’t go wrong with a lovely Sunday lunch: quality time, great food and a glass of champagne or two always goes down a treat. London is jam-packed with top restaurants, but these ones are best suited to special lunches with your mum, featuring chic interiors and special menus. From world-famous hotels to cosy neighbourhood restaurants and sky-high afternoon tea, these are the best restaurants for Mother’s Day 2023.
Best Restaurants For Mother’s Day Lunches in London
Petersham Nurseries Café
A botanical haven housed inside a greenhouse in Richmond, the original Petersham Nurseries was destined for leisurely Sunday lunches. It’s an undeniably beautiful spot, set beneath a canopy of bougainvillea, vines and jasmine, serving a seasonal Italian-inspired menu made using produce from the organic family farm in Devon. Treat your mum to dishes like grilled polenta with caramelised onions, tortelloni with black truffle and ricotta, and Haye Farm beef sirloin with kale and carrots, alongside Italian wines. Better still, the restaurant is a pioneer in eco-minded dining, and was recently awarded a Green Michelin Star for its sustainability efforts. Afterwards, you can browse the plant nursery and deli, or go for a walk around Richmond Park
Off Church Ln, Petersham Rd, Richmond TW10 7AB, petershamnurseries.com
JIJI
For something a bit different, book a table at the recently launched JIJI in Islington, a fusion restaurant that draws on Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine. There’s a special family menu on offer this Mother’s Day, which kicks off with a selection of fresh sushi and nigiri ahead of salmon tacos, chicken gyozas and mixed fish carpaccio. For mains, tuck into the likes of slow cooked pulled lamb and beef shawarma. On the drinks side, the Picanteria is a must-try (JIJI’s take on a spicy margarita), or there’s a wide range of wine and sake to choose from.
6g Esther Anne Pl, London N1 1WL, jijirestaurants.com
Spring
Skye Gyngell’s restaurant Spring, set in a 19th century drawing room within Somerset House, is up there with London’s prettiest restaurants. Think cloud-like chandeliers, blonde wood, blush-toned fabrics and plants aplenty, plus an art installation of white porcelain petals lining the walls. High ceilings and large windows create a tranquil atmosphere – perfect for lunch with mum. An equally beautiful Italian-inspired menu features dishes like burrata with radicchio and artichokes, and Chalk Stream trout with preserved lemon and chilli, with most ingredients sourced from Skye’s biodynamic farm in Hertfordshire. There are some lovely cocktails on offer, too – think jostaberry-infused margaritas and rhubarb gin tipples – and afterwards you can pop into one of the exhibitions on show.
Lancaster Pl, London WC2R 1LA, springrestaurant.co.uk
Kitchen at Holmes
Marylebone restaurant Kitchen at Holmes is loosely inspired by its namesake Sherlock Holmes, but it’s certainly no gimmick – the only evidence of the detective is a special cocktail (the Sherlock’s Pipe) and some deerstalker hats dotted around. Aside from this, it’s just a stylish dining room serving a lovely, Mediterranean-inspired menu developed by Head Chef Stefano Motta. This March, the restaurant has a Mother’s Day offering featuring the likes of artichoke tempura with lamb kofta, sea bass ravioli and miso aubergine, alongside an amaretto, dark chocolate and caramel dessert. Pair with an afternoon wandering round the shops of Marylebone for the perfect Mother’s Day.
108 Baker St, London W1U 6LJ, kitchenatholmes.co.uk
Shangri-La The Shard
A trip up The Shard always feels special – especially when there’s an afternoon tea waiting for you at the top. Treat your mum to the spring-inspired Skyline Afternoon Tea at the wisteria clad TĪNG Lounge, found on the venue’s 35th floor and offering panoramic views of the capital. Tuck into finger sandwiches (coronation chicken, smoked salmon and cucumber, and truffle egg and cress) alongside scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream before getting stuck into the sweet treats. There’s an elderflower sponge with strawberry cream and jelly, pistachio profiteroles, and a heart-shaped pastry filled with white chocolate mousse – all accompanied by rosebud tea and/or champagne.
£71pp or £81pp with a glass of champagne. Level 35, 31 St Thomas St, London SE1 9QU, ting-shangri-la.com
The Ritz
One of the world’s most iconic hotels, The Ritz has a real sense of occasion about it. A visit to its Michelin-starred restaurant is sure to impress: the epitome of timeless elegance, with faultless service and a top-quality food offering spearheaded by Executive Chef John Williams – and this Mother’s Day, there’s a three-course Sunday lunch on offer to boot. Begin with starters like duck liver ballotine or white asparagus with wild garlic ahead of a hearty main, such as roast beef sirloin or gnocchi with truffle and artichoke. Finish on a sweet note with a hazelnut, milk chocolate and salted caramel dessert or a Seville orange souffle. If you’re dining with a little one, there’s a dedicated children’s menu too.
£175 per adult, £85 per child. 150 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9BR, theritzlondon.com
Nobu Hotel London Portman Square
Nobu’s Portman Square outpost is hosting a special afternoon tea this Mother’s Day, which is running alongside an Ikebana workshop – the Japanese art of flower arranging. Begin with a 90-minute session in the hotel’s The White Box, where experts from Aoyama Flower Market will teach you to create your own Japanese masterpiece with spring flowers. Afterwards, head to The Lounge for a Nobu twist on afternoon tea featuring sushi, mushroom tacos and crispy kara-age ahead of sweet treats inspired by the spring season in Japan: there’s a Momo Yuzu Macaroon, Miso Chocolate Caramel Tart and Passion Fruit Mandarin Madeleine, among other creations.
The Ikebana workshops will be taking place 4, 5, 10, 11 & 12 March at 12pm and 2pm. The Aoyama Flower Market Ikebana Workshop with Afternoon Tea for two is priced at £270.
22 Portman Square, London W1H 7BG, london-portman.nobuhotels.com
Bluebird
With its plush interiors, idyllic courtyard and modern European menu, King’s Road stalwart Bluebird is a failsafe restaurant for a Mother’s Day outing. This year, the venue is teaming up with nearby hair salon Duck & Dry on a special brunch and blowdry offering, available throughout the weekend. Kick your day off with one of Bluebird’s brunch classics, like avocado on sourdough, French toast or Eggs Benedict, paired with a coffee or glass of fizz, before strolling down to Duck & Dry to refresh your hairdo. Alternatively, visit later in the day for lunch, where you can enjoy dishes like truffle and burrata ravioli, tandoor monkfish masala or miso marinated salmon.
£55pp for brunch and a blowdry, tickets at shop.danddlondon.com. 350 King’s Rd, London SW3 5UU, bluebird-restaurant.co.uk
Chotto Matte
If you’re looking for somewhere with a buzzy vibe, you can’t go wrong with Chotto Matte, the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant with branches in Soho and Marylebone. Food here is fittingly colourful and eccentric, offering Nikkei cuisine with punchy flavours and artistic presentation. Think sushi platters and fiery robata dishes cooked up theatrically on the open kitchen, best enjoyed alongside Pisco Sours.
11, 13 Frith St, London W1D 4RB (Soho) and 26 Paddington St, London W1U 5QY, chotto-matte.com
Quaglino’s
Dress up for an afternoon at the ever-glamorous Quaglino’s in Mayfair, which is celebrating Mother’s Day with live music and food. There’s a set menu on offer featuring starters like Herefordshire beef tartare and maple cured salmon, ahead of mains including mushroom and winter truffle risotto or a classic roast. Dessert is either a pear and blackberry crumble cake, mulled wine and red currant sorbet, or valrhona chocolate raspberry fondant with tonka bean ice cream. While you dine, enjoy live music from artists Katy and Otty, plus cocktails from the special ‘Art within Mixology’ menu.
£70pp. 16 Bury St, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6AJ, quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk
Sparrow Italia
This uber-cool LA import dropped in Mayfair last year, offering modern coastal Italian cuisine amid stylish surroundings. You and your mum can enjoy an excellent menu from executive chef Ivan Simeoli: think crispy arancini, burrata and heirloom tomatoes, fresh pastas, seafood and grills. This Mother’s Day, there’s a special cocktail on offer too: the Amore Di Mama (‘mother’s love’ in Italian), a spring aperitif made with mezcal, ocho reposado, briotette peche, lemon, strawberry cordial, and strawberry gold dust.
1-3 Avery Row, London W1K 4AJ, sparrowitalia.com
Featured image: Petersham Nurseries
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