Eater

8 months ago

10

Ruth Rogers and the late, great Rose Gray have had a profound impact on the restaurant industry in London. This leafy riverside overlook might not be the cheapest place to eat “simple” Italian food, but its unshakable commitment to the importance of ingredients has influenced a generation of chefs. The River Cafe alumni roster reads like the Harlem Globetrotters of food: Jamie Oliver, Theo Randall, April Bloomfield, Sam Clark, and Anna Tobias. It remains the benchmark for Italian food outside of Italy, producing bagna cauda, risotto verde, and fritto misto to challenge the most wizened trattorie.