4444 WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS SEPTEMBER 2019
PERFECT. It’s the word that best
describes everything about St. John,
a restaurant that has had a massive
influence on London, the U.K., and
the world and is still one of the most
satisfying eating experiences any-
where on earth. Twenty-five years
after opening, Fergus Henderson
and Trevor Gulliver’s Smithfield ode
to all things British and meaty and
delicious is still as utterly thrilling
a s eve r.
There are famously no flowers
on the tables in the simple dining
room (housed in what was once a
smokehouse), no piped-in music.
The staff is courteous without any
unnecessary pomp. In other words,
there is nothing to distract you from
the task at hand, which is eating and
eating very well.
Of course, you should order the
marrow: four massive cylinders of
ST. JOHN
LONDON, ENGLAND
44
bone housing the wobbly essence of
meat, served with toast and a pert
parsley salad. It is St. John’s most
famous dish because it encapsulates
everything about the place: the in-
tensity of its dedication to simplicity
and meat and quality.
I ate there in early spring, and
alongside my marrow I enjoyed a
plate of asparagus, served plain with
a dish of melted butter and a pile
of salt—a pure springtime pleasure.
From there I moved on to a bowl of
braised rabbit with white beans
and then a fantastic steamed blood-
orange pudding with a dollop of
cream so thick it was like cutting
through butter.
I’m not sure I’ve ever been so
satisfied, on so many levels, as I was
at the conclusion of this meal. I was
even happier when the bill came. In
this world of exceedingly expensive
dining experiences, St. John is a
comparative bargain.
It was, and is, simply perfect.
SORBILLO
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WITH A LINE ALMOST as legendary
as the pizza, it can be tempting to
skip Sorbillo for one of the other
very good pizza shops in the city. But
if you arrive at the OG location on
Via dei Tribunali a little before the
noon opening, it’s likely you’ll make
it into the first seating of the day. A
seat downstairs offers a view into the
kitchens, where the pizzaiolos spin
and sweat in front of giant ovens.
What is it that makes Sorbillo so
legendary? It’s hard to say. Perhaps
it is the specific char created by the
wood-fired ovens, or the organic
tomatoes that go into the sauce, or
the care that owner Gino Sorbillo
puts into his dough. As is the case
with all great pizza, there is likely
a little magic involved. In this case,
that magic becomes the best pizza
in Naples, and by extension the best
pizza in the world.
There’s no English menu, but
you’ll do just fine guessing and
pointing—it’s the method that landed
me an artichoke-heavy vegetarian
option with a glorious, pure acidity.
Some things are worthy of pil-
grimage. And to eat Neapolitan pizza
this good in Naples with a glass (or
three) of fantastic local wine came
close to a religious experience.
NAPLES, ITALY
St. John’s iconic bone
marrow dish is a thing
of simple indulgence.
The historic
Naples street
with Sorbillo’s
entrance.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CEDRIC ANGELES
