Big secret
Don't Tell Dad (Queen’s Park)
RESTAURANTS • First Person
The power of a restaurant to transform a neighbourhood? That’s the energy Don’t Tell Dad has brought to Lonsdale Mews in Queen’s Park since its January opening. It’s the kind of place that feels readymade for locals — but it’s already drawing chic diners from every corner of London. And I love everything about it.
By day, a cosy bakery — one that I reckon the French would be proud to call their own — takes up about a quarter of the elongated space, serving baguettes, cookies, and innovative pastries (though lately they’re sold out of almost everything by 11a). They also, blessedly, do the kind of proper coffee that’s hard to find in this neighbourhood, “roasted by casual obsessives.” Each morning when I walk by, there’s a line out the door, mostly full of locals on their way to work. Inside, new mums chat with snoozing babies in tow, all creating a chill, neighborhood feel.
Come Saturday at 8p, when we showed up for dinner, it’s a wholly different vibe: perfectly designed, lit by candlelight, effortlessly chic, and just the right amount of buzzy, Don’t Tell Dad had all the magic of a special dining experience without the fussy, overdone bits. My husband and I chose seats at the bar during their soft opening and found a lively, familial warmth in the air.
The menu mixes playful surprises with dependable classics. I had perfectly cooked wild bass over buttery Jerusalem artichoke and Swiss chard. The beverages, including beer, wine, cocktails, and digestifs, are just as much a draw as the food. The night we visited, they featured a 2021 Blanc de Blancs from Burn Valley Vineyard right up in Norfolk — a rival to any Champagne. Their list has a selection of alternative “fizzes,” plus reds, whites, oranges, and rosés. There are also four signature concoctions and an equal number of non-alcoholic mixes.
The radicchio salad, tangy and sweet with a crunch of nuts, is one you might spend years trying to recreate at home. For starters, both the duck crumpets and the tea smoked trout with soda bread, horseradish, and pickles were extraordinary. And finally, a simple, perfectly executed dessert of baked chocolate, clotted cream, and brandy prunes.
Don’t Tell Dad is the brainchild of Coco di Lama founder Daniel Land. During our visit, he wandered about, smiling like someone who knows he’s created something special and offering samples of the amazing bakery bread. The open kitchen is helmed by Queen’s Park’s own Luke Frankie. And the rest of the staff couldn’t have been sweeter.
As the rest of London begins to catch on and DTD becomes one of those impossible-to-book spots, we’ll be proud to say we loved it first. –Lucy Barzun Donnelly
→ Don't Tell Dad (Queen’s Park) • 10-14 Lonsdale Rd • Bakery: Mon-Sun 8a-3p, Dinner: Tue-Sat 530-930p, Sun 530-8p • Book.