The Chef's Table at Core

Why it is on the list

CORE by Clare Smyth opened in North Kensington in August 2017, won two Michelin stars for 2020 and has held three in every guide since 2021, the 2026 Great Britain and Ireland guide included.¹² The menus are built on named British produce: Cornish turbot, Herdwick lamb, Isle of Harris scallops, Devon duck.³ The Chef's Table seats up to ten and looks straight into the kitchen through a sheet of glass.⁴

It is the wrong table for more than ten, or for a party that wants to order separately: everyone at it eats the same tasting menu.⁴⁵ For the same format in Mayfair, the Chef's Table at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, also three stars, seats up to ten at a pink marble table above the pass.⁶

How to get it

Call +44 20 3937 5086 or write to info@claresmyth.com and ask for the Chef's Table.⁴ The whole table dines from one tasting menu, against a non-refundable deposit of GBP 2,500; the date can be moved up to fourteen days before the visit.⁵ The two tasting menus are GBP 275 (Core Seasons) and GBP 265 (Core Classics) a guest, wine pairing GBP 175, with a discretionary service charge added.³

No sportswear; smart trainers are fine. A guest turned away for dress is charged under the cancellation terms. Small children and babies are not accepted.⁵

Discretion

The table is booked directly with the restaurant by phone or email, for one party of up to ten; a sheet of glass separates it from the kitchen, so the party watches the brigade without sharing the room with it.⁴