The Time Out London blog team

Remember when we told you that Stansted and Southend airports would finally catch up to the rest of London’s airports and introduce contactless payments? Well, it looks like that’s actually not going to happen for a little while longer.  Stansted and Southend were both supposed to start rolling out tap-in-tap-out tech from December 14 alongside 48 other stations in the southeast of England. The move would have meant that people would no longer face fines of up to £100 at Stansted Airport for not realising that they couldn’t use contactless payment for Stansted Express like they can across the rest of London (though there are big red signs at Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale stations warning you).  But the plans have now been delayed. On Wednesday (December 3), Greater Anglia announced that it’s postponing part of its contactless rollout until summer 2026. Thirty stations across the southeast, including Stevenage, Luton, Oxted and Reigate, will still join the contactless network next week, but the remaining 20, including Stansted and Southend will have wait.  Greater Anglia said that during testing for the technology, issues arose that could have affected the price paid and prevented the technology from working as intended. Contactless fares have to be fully integrated into Transport for London’s fare system in order for the machines to work properly, but this hasn’t been done in time for the initially planned rollout. The train operator said that ‘additional work is...

We’ve just crowned Sabiib in Acton as the best east African restaurant in London. The Somali restaurant topped our brand new, expert-curated list of the top 20 east African eateries in London, which also comprises Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, as well as food from Kenya and Tanzania.  Writer Paula Akpan praised the ‘sleek Somali spot… that plates traditional dishes with flair’, recommending the ‘hummus oodkac (traditional dried beef jerky) and meat sambus (filo pastry parcels) with homemade spicy bisbaas sauce, and nafaqo (mashed sweet potato, sauteed spinach and mixed veg)’ as well as the ‘signature haniid (slow-cooked lamb shoulder).’ Sabiib also has a restaurant on Green Lanes in Harringey.  The top 20 features long-standing Ethiopian favourites such as Addis in King’s Cross, the family-run Wolkite in Upper Holloway, and Lalibela in Tufnell Park.  Mauritian restaurant Le Chamarel in Turnpike Lane, Zanzibari street food spot Mwendo Kasi in Docklands, and family-run Eritrean restaurant Laza in Canonbury also make the list.  The guide was written by Time Out contributor Paula Akpan, a Nigerian-Trinidadian writer and historian from London, who recently published her first book, When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors. The best east African restaurants in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the...

Dave’s Hot Chicken has had a spectacular first year in the UK. The Drake-backed brand launched its first chicken shop this side of the Atlantic in December 2024, with people lining up around the block just to get a bite of its fried delights. Within 12 months, Dave’s expanded to Birmingham, Manchester, Stevenage and Leicester, opened a second London outpost in Westfield White City and revealed plans to introduce almost 60 more locations across the UK. Now a third Dave’s is coming to the capital. The viral chain’s newest chicken shop will open at 7-11 High Street in Croydon on December 16. It’ll be open from 11am until 10pm Monday to Thursday and Sundays, but 11am until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Jim Attwood, managing director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, told the Metro: ‘We can’t wait to close out the year with our sixth new opening and bring our signature heat to Croydon. This dynamic borough, known for its fried chicken shops, has a vibrant food culture and an energy that fits Dave’s attitude like a glove.  ‘We’re looking forward to opening our doors to welcome both new and returning fans to experience our unique spicy chicken. This launch isn’t just an expansion, it’s us bringing big flavour to one of London’s most iconic communities.’ Time Out’s food editor Leonie Cooper paid Dave’s a visit earlier this year to see what all the fuss was about. She reported that the chicken ‘is actually really very good, with a crunchy, quality batter and soft, well-cooked meat’ and...