Don’t Tell Dad: comfort eating is hot stuff at this new London bakery and restaurant

A bakery in the morning, a restaurant from lunchtime, Don’t Tell Dad is the talk of Queen’s Park

Don’t Tell Dad London bakery and restaurant
(Image credit: Courtesy of Don’t Tell Dad)
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A neighbourhood bakery by day, Don’t Tell Dad’s ambitions extend beyond Queen’s Park come lunch and dinner, when half the space transforms into a full-blown restaurant. The bakery has already wowed locals with its hazelnut brown-butter croissants so hopes are high for the dining room, not least as owner Daniel Land is one of the founders of pasta specialist Coco di Mama. Don’t tell dad, but do tell your mates.

The mood: An effortless day-into-night outfit

Don’t Tell Dad London bakery and restaurant

(Image credit: Courtesy of Don’t Tell Dad)

Daisy Peat, co-founder of the global arts club The Cultivist, has teamed up with architect Ruben Everett of Nothing is Not Nothing to style a space that reflects the artisanal approach of the bakery and restaurant. Both halves of the operation are connected by a copper-fronted bar, where bespoke swivel stools appear for drinkers in the evening, with a ringside seat in the open kitchen. Elsewhere the rust and cream colour scheme is picked up by the handmade glazed Moroccan zellige tiles on the floors and the walls.

Don’t Tell Dad London bakery and restaurant

(Image credit: Courtesy of Don’t Tell Dad)

The food: Comfort eating for greedy appetites

Don’t Tell Dad London bakery and restaurant

(Image credit: Courtesy of Don’t Tell Dad)

Head chef Luke Frankie has done time in the kitchens of Spring and Noble Rot, so knows a thing or two about mixing seasonality with greediness. Say goodbye to sharing plates: this is gloriously indulgent food meant to be enjoyed without divvying up around the table. Oxtail crumpets with a dripping crumb are likely to achieve fame way beyond Queen’s Park, while the British larder is raided for a wintry dish of spiced partridge with carrot and date purée, bacon and kale.

Don’t Tell Dad London bakery and restaurant

(Image credit: Courtesy of Don’t Tell Dad)

Don’t Tell Dad opens on 17 January 2025 and is available to book now. It is located at 10-14 Lonsdale Road, NW6 6RD; donttelldad.co.uk

Need more inspiration? See our reviews of the best new London restaurants

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Ben McCormack

Ben McCormack is a London-based restaurant journalist with over 25 years’ experience of writing. He has been the restaurant expert for Telegraph Luxury since 2013, for which he was shortlisted in the Restaurant Writer category at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. He is a regular contributor to the Evening Standard, Food and Travel and Decanter. He lives in west London with his partner and lockdown cockapoo. 

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