London is most expensive place to eat out in the world

London diners face highest restaurant prices in the world

London is the most expensive place to eat out in the world, according to a new study.

The Zagat restaurant guides carried out reviews on 705,000 meals in more than 1,000 London eateries, and found that the capital has overtaken Tokyo and Paris as the most expensive city for eating out.

A three-course restaurant meal costs an average of £39.09 per head, including service and a drink, making it on average £4 more than its nearest competitor, Paris.

But it's not just purse-pounding prices we have to face - in league tables for the quality of restaurant food and service in 13 cities, including New York, Paris and Tokyo, London came 12th and 10th respectively.

Founder of the guides, Tim Zagat, insists there is great-value dining still available in London, despite an average increase of £10 per meal since 2001. He told the Independent: 'There is no doubt that London is now the most expensive city in the world to eat out but the picture is quite nuanced. For example, it costs on average £50 less for a meal at Chez Bruce than it does at Gordon Ramsay.

'There are good quality and affordable restaurants throughout London. But the problem is people see a huge gap between the food they eat and the way they are treated. While the focus on food has created a generation of celebrity chefs, the front-of-house operation has tended to be forgotten.'