Rules

Rules on Maiden Lane, founded by Thomas Rule in 1798, is London's oldest restaurant — a shrine to traditional British cooking and game, its own estate in the Pennines supplying the grouse and venison. In two and a quarter centuries it has had just four owners; the current one, Ricky McMenemy, worked there for 35 years before buying it in 2022, so it remains a single, independent restaurant rather than a group's asset. The dining rooms are a red-plush time capsule. Come for the game in season, and the sheer continuity of the place.