The Time Out London blog team

The newest batch of lauded-after Michelin stars are being handed out in just a matter of days. But before we find out which British restaurants have earned one of those prestigious stars, there’s another Michelin award worth paying attention to, particularly if you want great food without breaking the bank.   Named after Bibendum, who you’ll probably know better as the Michelin man, the Bib Gourmands were created in 1997 to celebrate places offering ‘tremendous value for money without skimping on flavour’. And as ever, a whole load of London restaurants were handed the accolade.   Before we get into it, remember that these are places that are affordable by Michelin’s standards, not necessarily those of the everyday diner. At most Michelin-starred spots in London, you’re looking at spending somewhere in the range of £100 to £150 per head. Some are even known to cost up to £400 per person.  The second outpost of London’s most-loved Thai restaurant, Singburi, was among those awarded the Bib Gourmand badge. The dishes at the no-frills Shoreditch include a tiger prawn and cucumber curry, raw beef larb, grilled wild ginger chicken thigh and smoked pork belly Panang, with prices ranging from around £6 to £14.50.  Gina   New Time Out favourite Gina in Chingford also made the cut. We gave the neighbourhood resto five stars when we visited back in October. Chingford local and Time Out contributor Sam Willis described it as a ‘kind-of chophouse, serving fresh local fish and proper...

While New York is the city that never sleeps, London’s nightlife seems all-too-fond of an early bedtime. But it is still possible to do an all-nighter in the capital, as shown by a recent report by Metro. Back in 2010, 1,000 venues across the UK had all-day, all-night licenses, with 91 of those in the capital. These days, however, a measly 58 24-hour licenses are left. Back in 2024, the number of 24-hour gyms in the city officially surpassed the number of 24-hour bars and clubs.  Fortunately, the tide could be about to change. Sadiq Khan’s independent London Nightlife Taskforce, which was established in 2025, has put together an action plan to bring London’s club scene back from the dead. The ‘comprehensive’ plan was unveiled in January and includes everything from changes to night-time transport and rethinking approaches to noise monitoring to a Nightlife Future Fund.  Club rats will recognise the iconic Islington venue fabric and Canning Town favourite FOLD as late-night havens. But could there be a new wave of sites staying open – and serving – for longer? Last year new 24-hour licenses were awarded to both Brixton Storeys and Bow’s Starlane Pizza Bar. According to Metro, Lambeth is now reportedly home over 30 pubs and bars with 24-hour licenses, while Islington has 10 licensed venues, including fan-favourite Fabric and NQ64.  Elsewhere, the stats don’t look quite so promising. Greenwich reports 17 venues operating with 24-hour licenses but only one of these – The...

Drivers, beware. More parts of central London could be pedestrianised under proposals from Westminster Council and the Crown Estate.  The road between Piccadilly Circus and St James’s Park could be transformed into a massive public plaza and vehicles could be banned from Regent Street St James’s, Waterloo Place and the south side of Piccadilly Circus. If the proposals are enacted, the pedestrianisation of certain roads would lead to more than 35,000 square metres of new public space, equivalent to more than five football pitches, created in the West End.  Currently, Regent Street St James’s is for northbound road traffic, while its neighbour, Haymarket, is for southbound road traffic. The plans would see vehicles banned from Regent Street St James and Haymarket converted into two-way traffic. Waterloo Place, just south of Pall Mall, could also be pedestrianised. The plaza is home to a number of statues and memorials, including the Florence Nightingale statue, the Guards Crimean War Memorial and the Duke of York column.  Image: Westminster Council Regent Street would have its pavements widened and see cycle lanes installed, made possible by the removal of the island in the middle of the road.  The grand plan was first announced in 2025, but at the end of January 2026 the Crown Estate announced it would continue with the proposals following a positive public response. The final designs by Allies and Morrison architects are due to be revealed in summer 2026, with work...