The story
Cinder Belsize Park is a Mediterranean restaurant at 66 Belsize Lane, Belsize Park, NW3 5BJ, London, and holds one AA Rosette for culinary excellence (2026). The menu is built around cooking over flame, with most dishes finished on the Josper grill.
Chef Jake Finn opened Cinder from a long fascination with fire that began in childhood. He sources ingredients carefully and lets the grill do much of the work. Before opening his own room, he cooked in London kitchens including La Petite Maison, Coya and The Ritz. He says he would rather serve hearty tables than pretty plates.
The Good Food Guide describes a meal that opens with grilled flatbreads, confit garlic tahini and burnt tomato salsa, with an ashy, moreish edge. Courgettes come with stracciatella, pine nuts and sour cherry molasses, and lamb loin chops with yoghurt, maple and sage. The fish is worth a look too, whether cod with a smoky finish or a whole sea bream with fennel and radish. Desserts are a short list, with crème brûlée and lemon posset.
Indoors seats 18, so tables sit close, with a long banquette running along one side. The room has an easy, neighbourly feel, and staff know many of the regulars. Outdoor seating is also available. The wine list is classical, with plenty of options by the glass, and the cocktail menu adds range to the drinks.
Recognition
Details
History
Post-lockdown, chef Jake Finn’s Belsize Park eatery started with outside seating only but quickly became a vibrant addition to the local community. With just 18 covers indoors, it’s a tight squeeze (a few tables lined-up alongside a long banquette), but there’s an easy-going, convivial vibe about the place – ‘like sitting in someone's front room,’ observed one visitor. Relaxed, well-informed staff know the crowd and go about their business breezily. The menu isn't fussy either, there's plenty of choice and almost everything is ‘kissed by the flames’ of the Josper grill. Proceedings start well, with moreish, almost ‘ashy' grilled bread, confit garlic tahini and burnt tomato salsa. After that, it's all about full-on flavours and intelligent ideas, with plenty of char to boot – from courgettes with stracciatella, pine nuts and sour cherry molasses to lamb loin chops dressed up with yoghurt, maple and sage. Fish is also worth a punt – our cod had a special texture and smoky edge, or there might be whole sea bream with fennel, radish and fresh herbs. A couple of desserts (crème brûlée, lemon posset) round things off. Drinks are reasonably priced across the range, from an impressive cocktail menu to a fairly classical wine list offering plenty by the glass, and the place is now open for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. In short, Cinder is ‘exactly what you want from a neighbourhood restaurant.’
1 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
Instagram