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Jay Rayner

Jay Rayner is the Observer's restaurant critic and a feature writer. His most recent book is Nights Out At Home. He keeps an archive of all his journalism at jayrayner.co.uk

March 2025

  • Sharmilee Restaurant Review<br>For Observer Magazine Jay Raynor Restaurant Review. Pictured is the Sharmilee Indian Restaurant on Belgrave Road in Leicester. Photo by Fabio De Paola

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Sharmilee, Leicester: ‘It really is worth your time’ – restaurant review

  • Nord Restaurant Liverpool

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Nord, Liverpool: ‘It’s very much a win’ - restaurant review

February 2025

  • Gilgamesh, 4a Upper St Martin's Ln, London, for Jay Rayner's restaurant review, OM, 12/02/2025. Sophia Evans for The Observer

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Gilgamesh, London: ‘It’s a weird trip’ - restaurant review

    We’re here for a ‘culinary journey’ apparently, but where on earth to?
  • Jay Rayner Happy Eater Illustration

    Happy eater
    This is my final OFM column. Here’s what I’ve learned about buffets, ‘clean eating’ and what not to serve food on

    Jay Rayner
    Much has changed in the food world but there are a few truths that still hold

    • Jay Rayner on restaurants
      Don’t Tell Dad: ‘It’s a class act’ – restaurant review

    • Jay Rayner on restaurants
      The Great Indian, London: ‘A thoroughly delightful food pub’ – restaurant review

    • Jay Rayner on restaurants
      Yemen Heaven, York: ‘Very hard not to like’ – restaurant review

January 2025

  • Dzo Viet Kitchen, Upper Street, Islington, for Jay Rayner's restaurant review, OM, 15/01/2025. Sophia Evans for The Observer

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Dzo! Viet Kitchen, London: ‘Worth your money and your time’ – restaurant review

    This charismatic Vietnamese place stands out, even among all the attention-seekers on Upper Street Islington
  • Illustration of Jay Rayner holding a masala dabba and sniffing spices

    Happy eater
    It’s time to declutter my chaotic spice cupboard. Luckily, I have a secret weapon

    Jay Rayner
    A new bit of kit gave me a chance for a kitchen declutter, and revealed my most used spices

    • Jay Rayner on restaurants
      The Blue Stoops, London: ‘It’s all about the details’ – restaurant review

    • Jay Rayner on restaurants
      Fonda, London: ‘An exuberantly good meal’: restaurant review

    • Jay Rayner on restaurants
      Lucky Yu, Edinburgh: ‘An amiable, relaxed kind of chaos’ – restaurant review

December 2024

  • Chef proprietors of the Maida Grill House in Salford in front of their food counter and kitchen

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    2024 restaurant roundup: looking back on the year’s culinary highs

  • The Don, 20 St Swithin's Lane, London EC4, for Jay Rayner's restaurant review, OM, 20/11/2024. Sophia Evans for The Observer

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    The Don, London: ‘The expectation was for something warmer’ – restaurant review

  • ‘A huge, elegant block of a space’: Claro, London.

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Claro, London: Many of the dishes are wonderful, but the endless emails are a real pain – restaurant review

  • Hachi Japanese BBQ restaurant, Brewer St, Soho, for Jay Rayner's restaurant review, OM, 13/11/2024. Sophia Evans for The Observer

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Hachi Japanese BBQ, London: ‘Proper fun’ – restaurant review

  • Happy eater
    I’ve made Christmas lunch for the past 30 years. Now I want a year off

    Jay Rayner

  • Jay Rayner on restaurants
    Desi Yew Tree, Wolverhampton: ‘Part of the brilliance of Desi pub culture’ – restaurant review

November 2024

  • Jay Rayner The Guardian The Martlet Kitchen 04 11 2024 3453

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    The Martlet, Rochdale: ‘A victory of professionalism’ – restaurant review

  • Once bittern: Hugh Corcoran and Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal in the dining room.

    Jay Rayner on restaurants
    The Yellow Bittern, London: ‘Leaves you muttering about school dinners’ – restaurant review

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