Over thirty years since the River Café opened, the ethos here is still very much the same, with superlative ingredients at the centre of everything they do. The team seem like one big happy family and servers welcome you with genuine enthusiasm.

The menu is written anew for each service and bursts with authentic Italian flavours; there’s a vigour and honesty to the cooking and dishes are made with top-class produce and come in hearty portions. Pasta is a must-have, as is the perennial Chocolate Nemesis; one bite of the latter and you’ll understand why it never comes off the menu. This iconic restaurant’s location on the banks of the Thames is as much part of the experience as the cooking – ask for a seat on the riverside terrace, or failing that, sit by the window.