And so that was 2008! A year full of your reviews, photos and videos. There were lots of great new places added by you to TrustedPlaces and some old favourites that remain ever popular. We analysed the content of our database and pulled out your Top 10 favourites for the year, based on the number of reviews written and the ratings given by the TrustedPlaces community. If you haven’t been to all of these, it’s highly recommended that you go!

1		Brick Lane Beigel Bake - rated 4.56 by 34 votes - andybrown says: “On a cold winter’s night, in the blank space between alcohol and a sweaty night bus, the black hole of the beigel is the event horizon to my appetite’s atmospheric particle, drawing me inexorably towards it, filled with moist chewy salty hunks of brisket, oozing with the sweet hot bite of english mustard and comehereyoubeautycometopapa!”
2		Shunt Vaults - rated 4.61 by 23 votes - Louisa says: “I don’t know about you, but I have never entered a bar and been scared out of my wits. At least, not since last Friday, when walking into the Shunt Vaults under London Bridge tube Station. Going to this bar was a completely effing and blinding experience. The whole ordeal firstly petrifed me to the core, and was even scarier than watching The Shining in a ram-shackle house in Dorset.”
3		Yauatcha - rated 4.55 by 20 votes - barbd says: “This is a special place - for those dreary London winter afternoons. Quite pricey but as always, you get what you pay for. Simply delicious dim sum, and many other tasty treats too, washed down with a cold fresh white wine. Can’t think of anything else that I’d rather be doing (well one or two things ;)”
4		Flat White - rated 4.70 by 20 votes - lady_catherine says: “The soy cappucino is absolutely divine even if it is a little decadent pricewise, it’s so worth it. I’m in there on a daily basis as my boss and I won’t drink coffee from anywhere else. You can’t beat it. Every last drop is sanctuary.”
5		Arbutus - rated 4.41 by 17 votes - bellaphon says: “What an absolute pleasure; surefire food, surefire waiting staff (this is one of the few places where the 12.5% service charge is fully justified.) and surefire ambience. My starter of squid and mackerel ‘burger’was a perfectly judged concept as was my mains of pollock with Cornish cockles. The portions were more than perfectly adequate, I’m still quite full as I’m typing this review at 8.30pm. Well done Arbutus, a surefire triumph. Wild Honey next.”
6		Monmouth Coffee Company - rated 4.60 by 15 votes - claypole says: “The best coffee I have had anywhere (well, except Laos but that’s a bit further afield!). Great location bang in the heart of Borough Market (which also gets 5 stars), there is another Monmouth Coffee Company in the Market itself, which is more like a market stall, great for a quick takeaway.”
7		Song Que - rated 4.71 by 14 votes - Alita says: “I really want to try more of the non-Song Que Vietnamese cafes along Kingsland Road but this restaurant draws me back time and again. Choose the right dishes and you’ll get a selection of some of the most cheap, fresh, delicious food to be found anywhere in London.”
8		Barrafina - rated 4.46 by 13 votes - allolex says: “As far as I’m concerned, Barrafina has no direct competition in London. The food is excellent, service very food, the location ideal, and the lack of comfortable seating keeps the non-serious eaters away and the serious ones from settling in for too long. But we keep coming back.”
9		El Parador - rated 4.83 by 12 votes - Beadle says: “OK it’s not the most romantic of places but for an intimate gathering of friends this is the best tapas venue in town! The food is AMAZING, the menu regularly changes and the specials are irresistible. Also it is really, really good value - probably average about 15 per head even when ordering excess food.”
10		New Tayyabs - rated 4.58 by 12 votes - chrisp says: “Tucked away on an improbable anonymous backalley somewhere near Whitechapel, the place itself is notable first of all for the huge queue of people waiting to get in, this at 6:30 on a Thursday night… It was all delicious - the mixed grill of tandoori meats (lamb chops, chicken and kebab thingy) were cooked perfectly and spiced to perfection (as far as I know).”

Have you visited all of these great places? Are your favourites on this list? If not, review them and let the TrustedPlaces community know about them!