Five of the best restaurants for counter dining

Counter Culture

The smaller sibling to the renowned The Dairy next door, this relaxed venture from Robin Gill reimagines Spain's social pintxos and tapas culture through a modern British lens. Those lucky enough to bag one of the 14 stools should indulge in an assortment of plates from the reassuringly small menu, showcasing culinary techniques such as pickling and fermenting regularly employed by Gill to derive maximum impact from his ingredients. With a weekly changing wine menu focused on natural, organic and biodynamic variants, as well as the option to BYOB, it's the ideal destination for fine cuisine that doesn't have to break the bank.

16 The Pavement, London SW4 0HY; countercultureclapham.co.uk

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Kitchen Table

There's having a ringside seat, and then there's the experience of feeling like you're actually in the kitchen. It's the latter at which this tiny restaurant, unexpectedly tucked away at the back of hot-dog restaurant Bubbledogs, excels. Spearheaded by chef James Knappett – who cut his teeth at restaurants The Ledbury, Noma and Per Se – and his wife, sommelier Sandia Chang, it serves a daily changing 12-course set tasting menu that shines a light on the very best of British cuisine, for which it earned a Michelin star in 2014. With only 20 stools around the L-shaped bar, this intimate venue encourages interaction with the chefs, giving you a unique insight into the processes, ingredients and techniques that go into each dish.

70 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QG; kitchentablelondon.co.uk

The Ivy

Walk-ins to The Ivy can pull up a stool at the shimmering central dining counter, the perfect vantage point for an impromptu evening of celeb-spotting at this legendary dining destination in the heart of the capital's theatre district. Choose from the diverse a la carte menu, where executive chef Gary Lee has introduced bold and fresh Asian-inspired flavours into a roster of otherwise classic British dishes. Recently celebrating its centenary, you'd be remiss to leave without sampling some of the signature plates that have secured its success over the decades, including its famous high-end take on the humble shepherd's pie.

Image by Paul Winch. 1–5 West Street, London WC2H 9NQ; the-ivy.co.uk

Spuntino

After bringing a taste of Venetian cuisine to the UK capital with Polpo, renowned restaurateur Russell Norman trawled the backstreet diners of the Big Apple to find inspiration for his next mini-chain of restaurants, Spuntino. From a bijou outpost in London and another located inside a shipping container in Bristol, he serves his own unique take on American comfort food. The casual surrounds, featuring quirky, industrial-style interiors, provide a fitting backdrop for the array of snacky small plates of mac and cheese, truffled egg toast and a unique version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to finish.

61 Rupert Street London W1D 7PW and Unit 12, Cargo 2, Wapping Wharf, Bristol; spuntino.co.uk

Palomar

One of the best seats at this popular Soho restaurant is at the long zinc bar, where you can soak up the buzzy atmosphere while having a front-row view of the kitchen. Keeping an eye on outgoing dishes may help with the difficult decision of what to order from the tempting menu, which deftly brings together the rich culinary cultures of Southern Spain, North Africa and the Levant. Start with some kubaneh, a Yemini bread served with tomato and tahini, before moving onto the wide-ranging list of mains spanning delicately spiced seafood, such as mussels cooked in a rose harissa broth, to hearty plates of beef and lamb shakshukit and confit duck.

34 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DN; thepalomar.co.uk