Ed Cunningham

February 2026: It's still cold, and it's still grey - which means we're still in peak Sunday roast season. Not simply just a decent hangover cure, Sunday lunch is one of the most winter-y things a Londoner can possibly do. Our latest update to this list has prioritised the cosiest pubs in town, with extra points for roaring open fires (check out French resto Bistro Sable for a great one), as well as nooks and crannies where you can hunker down until spring returns. There are a couple of posh restaurants in the mix too, with a Nordic roast at the plush Ekstedt at the Yard near Westminster, and a serious meat feast at Quality Chop House in Clerkenwell. Our worthy Number 1 is the simple, spectacular roast at London’s OG organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge in Islington.  London’s best Sunday roasts at a glance: 🥩 Central: Duke of Cambridge, Angel 😇 North: The Angel, Highgate ⛪ South: Old Nun’s Head, Nunhead 🌈 East: The Nelson’s, Hackney 🍻 West: The Mall Tavern, Notting Hill Sunday lunch. There’s nothing quite like it. An elemental meal, one that Londoners take incredibly seriously. Debates about what constitutes the ‘perfect’ Sunday roast have been known to last for hours. There is no shortage of top roasts in London. We’ve rounded up the city’s best Sunday meals from a host of pubs, restaurants and breweries all around town. What makes a good roast? For us, it’s simple; a welcoming room is a good start, maybe in a pub with an open fire. Then it comes to the plate – we need

London’s South Asian food scene is a mosaic of flavours showcasing the culinary traditions of everywhere from India and Pakistan to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Rather than one unified cuisine, it reflects the complex cultural tapestry that has evolved through centuries of migration, trade, and gastronomic exchange across the subcontinent. For the diaspora, food goes beyond sustenance; it’s an expression of identity, memory, and community.  Rooted in philosophical teachings, including the mindful and balancing principles of Ayurveda, South Asian food in London emphasises reverence for natural ingredients and the simple joy of eating. From masala-rich Pakistani karahis and delicate vegetarian Gujarati thalis, to the spicy thrum of Bangladeshi bhortha, this list spans the diversity of the cuisine in the city. Whether it’s fine dining, street food at a community centre, trailblazing female chefs, or a family-run canteen, these establishments are love letters to their heritage, connecting Londoners through the warmth of South Asian hospitality, shared flavours and stories.  RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. Shekha Vyas is a London-based journalist who has a special passion for food and travel. She is particularly interested in how food connects people across different cultures and histories, exploring lesser-known food traditions and lore. 

Another year, another stellar lineup of UK music festivals. Sure, Glastonbury – the UK’s tentpole music event, no pun intended – is taking a fallow year, but other lineups are more than making up for Worthy Farm’s absence. Established musical feasts (Reading and Leeds, Latitude) will return amid tantalising new blockbuster additions (Roundhay Festival), alongside the usual more specialised genre and scene events (Supersonic, AVA, FOCUS). While it might seem a little early (and a tad chilly) for planning a sun-glazed weekend of outdoors live music, these days the UK festival season lasts beyond the summer months. The festival calendar is pretty much a year-round affair, with events taking place not just in fields or parks but in venues across cities, from early spring all the way through to late November. Already confirmed for 2026 are several lineups that’ll have the heads drooling at the mouth. Reading and Leeds has Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + the Machine, Fontaines D.C and Raye. Download has Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Guns N Roses. London’s Victoria Park, across All Points East and LIDO, will host Tyler, the Creator, Deftones, Lorde, CMAT and Maribou State. Looking beyond the major fests, the lineups get even better. The 15th anniversary of Outbreak in Manchester has Alexisonfire and Basement topping the bill; Mighty Hoopla has scooped a headline performance from Lily Allen (performing West End Girl in full); FOCUS Wales will boast Fat Dog, Idlewild and S

February 2026: As we start to slowly leave winter behind us, we've highlighted some of the more appropriate seasonal spots for brunch. Try Lolo in Bermondsey if you want a lively Spanish take on brunch; start your Saturday with some heat at Thai-inspired Chet's; and feast on prawn toast scotch eggs at Jikoni in Marylebone. We've also included a few places that prove brunch isn't just a weekend treat, with some recent openings that serve brunch every single day, such as Permit Room Portobello - Dishoom's all-day cafe in Notting Hill - and excellent Syrian cafe Aram, which you can find in the glamorous Somerset House.  The humble brunch is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the modern age, especially if it incorporates pancakes, bacon and eggs. (Or you can enjoy a totally vegan take on proceedings at LD’s at The Black Heart). London is particularly well stocked with places to indulge in the famous breakfast/lunch hybrid. Let us guide you to the best restaurants for a fabulous brunch, from a traditional full English to innovative twists on the majestic meal, such as a bacon bao brunch or fried eggs on chilli-cheese crumpets. Booze optional.  Best brunches in London at a glance: 🌽 Best for vegans: LD’s at The Black Heart, Camden 🍖 Best for Spanish-style brunch: Lolo, Bermondsey 🏰 Best for a spectacular setting: Aram, Somerset House 🌳 Best for an al fresco brunch: Pavilion Cafe, Victoria Park  🌮 Best for a Mexican feast: Corrochio’s, Stoke Newington  RECOMMENDED: Lik

‘Overtourism’. It’s more than a buzzword – in the world’s most popular destinations, it’s a problem that affects almost every aspect of local life, from the environment to the cost of renting, transport and eating out. And when a place is overwhelmed by people, it’s not only locals’ quality of life that suffers; the quality of your trip does, too. But it’s not all bad. Destinations are coming up with ways to redistribute tourism from densely crowded hotspots to lesser-visited regions. Travellers are seeking cooler climes and embracing slow travel, allowing space to discover somewhere new. And they’re still riding the ‘destination dupes’ trend, where overrun holiday destinations are swapped out for less crowded, less expensive, but just-as-good alternatives. On our newly updated list of the world’s most underrated travel destinations, you won’t find your Bangkoks or your Balis, your Amalfis or your Amsterdams. What you will find is the hidden side of Yosemite, the French Riviera’s overlooked twin, a place where penguins outnumber people, and plenty more travel inspo where that came from.Why trust us? Because we’ve been to them all. Every spot on this list was picked by one of our expert editors and globetrotting travel writers, recommended because they offer great (or quiet) alternatives to the classics – and in many cases, because they’re places that actually want tourism. In other words, travelling to any of these 33 criminally overlooked destinations is a win-win situation.

When it comes to big-ticket gigs and musicians touring Britain, how do you follow up a year like 2025? Last year some of the planet’s mightiest stars graced UK stages, from Coldplay and Lady Gaga to Olivia Rodrigo, Lana del Rey and, of course, Oasis. Fortunately, 2026 is shaping up to be just as huge as 2025 – if not even bigger. Sure, we might not have the Gallaghers on the schedule (well, not yet), but plenty of others are lined up to headline British stadiums and arenas over the next 12 months. Plus, even more names are rumoured to be yet to announce a tour (BTS, we’re looking at you).  Lily Allen, Bon Jovi, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande… the UK has all these to look forward to and more in 2026. Here are the best major tours coming to Britain this year. RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The best albums of 2025. 🎶 The best songs of 2025.

Updated for 2026: Whatever you think of Netflix’s theatrical strategy, it continues to produce some of television’s most formally daring works, including Adolescence, a hard-to-watch but impossible to ignore limited series about an unimaginable crime. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s HBO’s hilariously profane The Righteous Gemstones, which stuck the landing in 2025 with its final season. In addition, we have moved Andor into the top 20 after its astounding second and final season.  Television used to be considered one of the lowest forms of entertainment. It was derided as ‘the idiot box’ and ‘the boob tube’. Edward R Murrow referred to it as ‘the opiate of the masses’, and the phrase ‘I don’t even own a TV’ was considered a major bragging right.  A lot has changed. Television is now the dominant medium in basically all of entertainment. The shift in perception is widely credited to the arrival of The Sopranos, which completely reinvented the notion of what a TV show could do. But that doesn’t mean everything that came before is primordial slurry. While this list of the greatest TV shows ever is dominated by 21st century programs, from The Wire to Succession to Adolescence, there are many shows that deserve credit for laying the groundwork for this current golden age.  Chiseling them down to a neat top 100 is difficult, so we elected to leave off talk shows, variety shows and sketch comedy, focusing on scripted, episodic dramas, comedies and miniseries. So don’t touc

London is full of perfect pizza. The finest of fast foods, this delicious staple has been elevated far beyond its humble roots by great Italian restaurants in London, pop-ups, street food vendors and pub residencies, and we know just where to find these world-class wonders, because we’ve been eating our way across London in order to discover the best. Whether it’s delivered in a cardboard box or served in a swish restaurant, excellent pizza is hard to beat. Browse our list of the best pizza places in town and try not to drool on your screen. Recent additions to the Top 20 include some nifty kitchen residencies; Dough Hands at the Spurstowe Arms and Old Nun’s Head, Bing Bong Pizza at You Call The Shots in Hackney, Little Earthquakes at the Railway Tavern in Dalston, and Short Road Pizza at the William The Fourth in Leyton and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. You can find Ace Pizza at the Pembury Tavern in Hackney Downs, but they have also opened their first standalone parlour in Victoria Park. Try also; Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pie with a Michelin-starred chefs touch, Carmela’s on Upper Street for a cosy slice and Vincenzo’s in Shoreditch for no-flop pizza. RECOMMENDED: The finest fish and chips in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

There’s a heck of a lot to get excited about in Britain over the next 12 months or so. Between now and 2027 Brits will gobble down platefuls of new restaurants’ grub, slurp tasty bevs in fresh bars, get cultural fixes at museum exhibitions, spectate at globally-renowned sport events and even witness moments of proper historic importance. In 2026 the UK will see the return of the Bayeux Tapestry (not seen on these isles in 900 years) and the completion of the nation-spanning King Charles III Coastal Path. Among the likes of new music festivals and theme parks will be the world’s biggest Irish cultural event, the premiere of one of this century’s most highly anticipated stage musicals and centenery celebrations for a globally-loved children’s character.  And that’s just the stuff that’s planned – who knows what else will define the year? Without further ado, here are the 16 best new things to do in the UK in 2026, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The 14 best places to visit in the UK in 2026.🏛️ The 26 best new things to do in London in 2026.🌍 The best new things to do in the world in 2026.

Need a place to stay in London? We’re here to make it easy for you. Every year, a wealth of new hotels open in the capital – a testament to the fact that London remains one of the most desirable places to visit in the world. That can, however, make it rather tricky to decide which hotel to choose. But worry not: we have slept our way across the city and hand-picked our favourites, to bring you this ultimate list of London hotels, from Mayfair to Shoreditch, and from budget to blowout (butler included).  Newcomers to our list include the all-new July in Victoria, apartment-hotels which opened in July 2025, and eco-hotel 1 Hotel Mayfair, as well as a few old classics we’ve re-reviewed just for good measure (hint: The Dorchester is just about as great as we remembered). We’ve got a brand-new number one too, but we won’t give that one away just yet. For everything from genuine good value stays to all-out, Zone 1 luxury, you’ll find something on this list for every kind of trip. Superb bars, great architecture, world-class hospitality and the opportunity to have a home-from-home in the best city in the world await you – here are the best hotels in London.  🏘️ Looking for even more options? Check out our list of the best Airbnbs in London Which area is best to stay in London? It’s not just the range of hotels that’s so impressive – you’re also spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a neighbourhood to stay in London. The city is made up of a sprawling network of dynamic neighb

Copenhagen has risen in popularity recently as one of the best destinations for a weekend city break. Whether you're a tourist travelling from afar or a fellow Dane looking for a change of scenery, renting an Airbnb for a few days is a great way to see the city and experience it like a true local.  The capital of Denmark, one of the world's happiest cities, is a gorgeous place with brightly coloured buildings, amazing food, lots of culture, rich history and architectural design, making it a place worth exploring with lots to do and see. And few cities offer such a resplendent selection of Airbnbs as the Danish capital. No matter your trip, whether you’re hunting for a table at Copenhagen’s fabulous restaurants, spending your days in its captivating museums or boogieing it out thanks to its exhilarating nightlife, there’s usually a phenomenal Airbnb to fit the bill. Here are our favourite Airbnbs right here in Copenhagen.  Time Out tip: The easiest – and quickest – way to get around Copenhagen is on two wheels, but if you prefer to hop on public transport, the DOT ticket app is your best friend.  Updated in January 2026: We think this list is pretty cracking already, but it's even better now that we've added this houseboat in the heart of the city for a truly authentic experience (and one you might recognise from a certain TV show).  Recommended: 🚲See the best things to do in Copenhagen🍷Hit up the best bars in Copenhagen🇩🇰Here's how to spend a weekend in Copenhagen Who m

2026 has officially landed. An entire year of adventure awaits, with Britain set for a deluge of thrilling new things to see and do. Beyond the individual openings, however – the new bars and restaurants, museums and attractions – where should be on your radar for places to visit in the UK?  If you’re up for being inspired here at Time Out, as always, we’ve got you covered. We’ve scoured the listings of all that’s happening in Britain in 2026 and consulted our nationwide network of writers and editors, harnessing all that info to put together a guide to the places that should be on your radar over the next 12 months.  Destinations made it onto Time Out’s list for a vast range of reasons. Some have swaggered onto the scene with a quickfire burst of thrilling new attractions. Others have built their cred slower and reached a point of quiet brilliance, while others still are established spots that simply remain very much worth their rep. Several places will be made even more tempting by those aforementioned 2026 openings, whether that be delicious places to eat and drink, game-changing new transport options or unmissable cultural events.  From trendy seaside towns to revived industries cities, medieval forts to ‘the new Berlin’: here are the UK’s 14 top places to visit in 2026. RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026.📍 The 26 best stuff to see and do in London in 2026. 

Soho, Marylebone and Mayfair – these are not London neighbourhoods that are in short supply of luxury. A hotel that sits at the intersection of all three, therefore, might be expected to be very glamourous indeed. And that the BoTree certainly is, though in a very modern and unstuffy sense, having only opened in 2023. Those familiar with this particular link between Oxford and Wigmore Streets might recognise the BoTree’s address from its previous life as home to the brutalist, geometrically-dazzling Welbeck Street car park. These days it doesn’t really resemble that structure, the eye-catching multi-storey replaced with a shiny grey-ish block – though latticed decoration on the corner does ever-so-slightly hint at the site’s previous life. Approaching the BoTree from Oxford Street, it’s miraculous – and a bit eerie – how the atmosphere shifts so quickly from the hectic stress of Europe’s longest shopping street to sleek, calm, palpably wealthy Marylebone. By the time you’ve stepped into the lobby, the blaring pedicabs, roaring buses and general hubbub of the West End are nowhere to be seen or heard. Why stay at The BoTree? The BoTree’s standout feature is its location, no contest. The primest of prime West End, stumble out of Bond Street station and you’re here – practically all of Soho and Marylebone is within walking distance, and the rest of the city is just a tube away. What are the rooms like at The BoTree? My room was the BoTree Suite, a seventh-floor space wrapping aro

art'otel and Hoxton: on paper, at least, a match made in heaven. Famously arty hotel chain meets famously arty London neighbourhood (well, if you lump Hoxton in with Shoreditch, which is fine by us). The address has arty history, too: the hotel occupies a site formerly home to the legendary Foundry, an ale bar and arts venue once described as ‘crucible of the Britart movement’. Not familiar with art'otel? Let us bring you up to speed. The brand posits its outposts as both hotels and art galleries, with your stay being a chance to encounter real pieces of art. Each location has its own ‘signature artist’, around whom not only is the hotel themed but who gets to actually design a lot of the hotel, from its wall artworks to its furniture. art'otel Hoxton’s signature artist is D*Face (Dean Stockton), titan of English street art known for his chaotic, colourful, attention-demanding works. Approaching the hotel there’s a sense of occasion fitting for D*Face’s rep: the building towers over the fork of Great Eastern Street and Old Street. Two original Banksys sit above the doorway; dramatic escalators glide past gigantic, blinding screens of video art; a human-size sculpture of ‘D*Dog’ (one of D*Face’s best-known figures) greets you at reception as a kind of concierge. It is very much like entering a proper art gallery. Why stay at art'otel London Hoxton? If you’re fond of art – specifically street art, even more specifically the work of D*Face – art'otel Hoxton is a real treat. It’s

You can spot the building that hosts Archives from miles around, a repurposed 1960s industrial tower standing tall above Tottenham Hale’s retail parks and marshland. And it’s a worthy local landmark: since opening in 2024 Archives has regularly hosted blockbuster nights, from James Blake’s CMYK to the second edition of Eastern Margins’ festival Margins United. The space itself is an 8,500-square-foot ground-floor blank canvas with thick concrete columns and capacity for 1,600; the 360-degree soundsystem is solid, the dancefloor is well-proportioned and the outdoor/rest areas are sizeable. The only downside is the bar prices. When I was last here pints were flatly priced at a very steep £8.50 (and £7.50 for cans).

A country home amid gargantuan piles of slate, Plas Weunydd sits atop a hill overlooking not just an old industrial town but the vast landscape of Snowdonia National Park. Needless to say, the hotel is all about its location: the location on a map, sure (it’s pretty much at the dead-centre of Snowdonia and surrounded by all manner of outdoorsy activities) but also its topographical location, with views galore.  For my visit to Plas Weunydd, the approach by car saw me wind my way past the hills and valleys of the national park, through old mining town Blaenau Ffestiniog and most of the way up a not-unsteep hill. The hotel is perched near the top, at the same turning as much-hyped adventure attraction Zip World and a mountain-biking course.  Why stay at Plas Weunydd? If you’re in Snowdonia for an adventure or outdoorsy holiday (and this is very much a region famous for that), Plas Weunydd is extraordinarily well-located. Hiking, cycling, mountain biking, zip-wiring and more is almost literally on your doorstep – as previously mentioned, Zip World is across the road – while countless mountains, waterfalls, lakes or rivers in Snowdonia National Park are no more than a half-hour drive away.  The building itself was built in 1870 as the home of John Whitehead Greaves, the founder of nearby Llechwed Quarry. It was turned into a hotel in 2021, and it relaunched in April 2025 following further refurbishment. Plas Weunydd prides itself on being an adventure holiday base, but also for b

Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson are good at this by now. Excellent, in fact. The pair have put together a small chain of top Indian eateries; Islington’s Tamil Prince and Tamil Crown, and the first Tamila in Clapham. Fourth time around with Tamila King’s Cross, the experience is more refined than ever. London’s second Tamila is at the other end of Caledonian Road from the Tamil Prince, and, like the Clapham edition, isn’t a ‘desi pub’ but a curry house for fast, casual dining and with an all-day menu. Without the loveable musk of an ex-pub, the space is much airier and restaurant-y, while the service is sharper and more attentive. Food-over-booze indicators don’t get much more obvious than Tamila’s massive interior window directly into the kitchen.  The dhal flashed all sorts of vegetables across your tongue, while paneer butter masala was creamy and mightily generous Our drinks flew out at an impressive pace. A bold harbinger of the strong, spiced flavours to come, the gunpowder margarita, boasting masala dust for salt and earthy smokiness, was sumptuous. The paloma had grapefruity sweetness but a proper, heaped dash of ginger that lingered powerfully.  Tamila’s dishes verge on the more generous side of ‘small plates’. On platters so spotless and shiny they’re genuinely mirrors, come miraculously un-greasy onion bhajis, each one just more than a mouthful of prickly, salty crackle. Retaining integral crispiness beneath dollops of mint chutney, one gets the impression that th

If you’re a history buff (particularly a pottery history buff), the surroundings of this DoubleTree alone will be enough to have you in awe. The hotel is attached to Etruria Hall, a neo-classical Grade II-listed structure once home to Josiah Wedgwood – renowned industrialist and the founder of Wedgwood, one of the world’s most famous pottery companies.  Etruria Hall is no longer a stately home but an events venue, and since the 1980s it’s been attached to a hotel. In 2020 that hotel opened as a Hilton, specifically of the DoubleTree brand – yet despite being part of an all-conquering global chain, it’s maintained plenty of character. Beyond the obvious (the in-house restaurant is called Josiah), the corridors and rooms come lined with nods to local heritage; bottle oven skylines, Stoke dialect phrases, that sort of stuff.  Stoke-on-Trent’s DoubleTree, therefore, not only occupies a special historical site but makes sure you fully aware just how special it is. But it’s also a comfortable, well-kitted-out place to stay. I stayed in a king guest room that was extraordinarily spacious and flawlessly clean, with a sprawling, comfortable bed, fast wi-fi, effective blackout curtains and a practical bathroom.  The staff couldn’t have been friendlier or more helpful, the common areas were bright and welcoming, and there was a very sleek indoor pool and leisure centre. There’s on-site parking, too.  Given the building’s age, some of Stoke’s DoubleTree is understandably rough around the

When Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn opened in 2020 it was the city’s first and only Hilton. Admittedly it didn’t hold that title for long (the DoubleTree in Etruria was rebranded a month or so later) but you get the sense that this was a statement opening. A terracotta titan towering over Hanley, this Hilton Garden Inn cost £20 million and is part of the wider redevelopment of Smithfield – a mixed-use quarter named after the area’s old bottle works. Given it’s getting on for half a decade old, Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn still looks and feels shimmeringly new. Sure, stepping into the lobby feels very much like stepping into any new-ish Hilton, anywhere, but this one is exceptionally well-kempt, making it very much a slick, shiny beacon of modern comfort.  I stayed in a ‘king room’ up on the sixth floor, a tidy and well-proportioned space with plenty of light and a bunch of amenities tidily packed in. The décor was pared back, minimalist(ish) and very much of-this-decade, and the room’s simplicity made it feel bigger. Stoke touches on the walls (images of pottery ovens and so on) reminded you where you were – as did my view, stretching out westwards towards Etruria, Burslem and Shelton. The rest was very much as one might expect of a somewhat new Hilton. The mattress was supple, the pillows and duvet ideally sink-in-able; the shower worked as required, accompanied by fragrant Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and the flashy touch of an anti-steam mirror. The room was well insulated for so

Down the cavernous halls of Whitehall’s Old War Offices, surrounded by opulent Michelin-starred restaurants and the supremely swish Raffles hotel, lies Kioku Sake Bar – less blindingly flashy, sure, but just as high-calibre. The street-level accompaniment to Kioku’s top-floor, five-star sushi restaurant has the effortless style and homely hideaway calm of a Japanese listening bar, prim décor and lines of hundreds of sake bottles sitting beneath immaculately balanced light. And Kioku’s substance more than matches its style. There are over 140 sakes on offer, each affectionately described, plus a trim list of sake cocktails and a refined menu of innovative, Japanese-infused small plates. The drinks and food are entirely different to those of the upstairs restaurant Kioku By Endo, making the bar very much worth a separate visit.  Order this The Daikon Gibson suspends itself entirely on the front of your tongue, with silky and potent Ginjo sake ‘vermouth’ and tangy pickled daikon combining with clean Roku gin and yuzu tang. Kioku’s cocktails all exude a sense of craft – and this does even more so. Time Out tip Make the most of Kioku’s formidable sake collection and the bar’s in-house sake sommelier to explore the tipple. Discover how the vessel material affects each sake, get a taste of the many, many different styles and regional varieties – and find a new favourite.

Stepping into the atrium of The Conservatorium, it’s immediately obvious that this is a very special hotel indeed. Rich red brickwork meets sharp glass angles, heritage details fit snugly among silky modern luxury; from the fittings and furniture to the architecture, wherever you look something catches your eye. The Conservatorium’s sense of occasion is tied to the building’s history. Many of its cavernous halls date back to 1897, when it was built as a bank. In the 1980s it became a conservatoire, then it was reconfigured into a hotel by starchitect Piero Lissoni in the 2000s. It opened as a founding member of the luxurious Set Collection in 2011. The Conservatorium’s rooms, appropriately for a hotel inhabiting a building of many previous lives, vary massively – yet they share plenty of common ground. Whether one is in the basic ‘deluxe room’ or the three-floor, roof terrace-boasting ‘I Love Amsterdam’ suite, well-proportioned rooms boast plush beds, spacious bathrooms, bountiful storage and thoughtful, refined décor. My room was a ‘royal duplex suite’, with elegant double-height windows looking out onto the humming trams and cafés of Van Baerlestraat. The essentials – bed, space, storage, bathroom, toiletries – were all faultless. Little touches of Dutch-ness (decorative clogs, a Van Gogh coffee table book, Delftware ceramic plates) were unsubtle but still tasteful, restrained. Beyond the room, breakfast (served in the Lounge) was high-calibre and the staff were as helpful

What comes to mind when you think of a treehouse? Woodlice, splinters, cold – yes, probably all those things. But treehouses are also secluded and peaceful, dwellings a few feet up in the air that feel that bit away from the rabble below and closer to nature. And a treehouse, crucially, is all yours.  The treehouses of TreeDwellers in Cornbury, northeast Cotswolds, are treehouses in a spiritual sense. No, they aren’t up trees (nor do they even touch them), but they’re surrounded by them, sitting an impressive height above the forest floor. TreeDwellers takes the idea of a treehouse – as something special, private, embedded in nature – and turns it into a luxurious experience genuinely unlike anything, anywhere else. Pulling up to a TreeDwellers dwelling (a TreeDwelling?) has a supreme sense of occasion. This is the sort of architectural magnificence you thumb through in glossy mags, lustfully dreaming of one day giving it all up for. Handsomely curved tubes are perched atop stilts; inside is all sleek, clean wood and floor-to-ceiling windows, each and every convenience slotted in with impossible neatness. It’s all so stunning that you could easily be satisfied with the design and that alone, left gawping at it for days on end. But these treehouses aren’t just flashy façades: they’re comfortable and practical, too. You check-in with slick door-code entry, the heating is underfloor and toasty on your toes, everything you could possibly need is on a tablet (or on hand from delig

On the face of it, Portobello’s neat, proper Holy Carrot and Dalston’s fire-worshipping feast ACME Fire Cult share little common ground. ACME is roaring and showy, as much a swaggering religion as a restaurant; Carrot is prim as a perfume shop, soft clay surroundings fronting a menu that is plant-forward, ‘root to peel’ and sustainable.  But there’s a clear link between the two – namely Daniel Watkins. The ex-ACME founder is now executive chef at the first permanent home of Holy Carrot (previously known for its supper clubs and Knightsbridge residency), and brings his ‘fire and ferment’ ethos across the capital from one neighbourhood of cool to another.  More than just Holy Carrot’s first proper restaurant, it’s also a Watkins-helmed reboot – and it has plenty of his signature punch. From the off, the pre-starter ‘snacks’ offer a studied but unshowy sort of tastiness. Pillowy insides dramatically burst out of crisp ‘honey’ drenched Jerusalem artichokes; one couldn’t help but mop up the warming chilli ragu with ultralight koji bread. Two cold ‘smalls’ followed suit, both intricately flavoured: each mouthful of the smoked beetroot breathing freshness, each spoonful of the stracciatella with persimmon and bitter leaves with deftly measured amount of creamy tang and gentle crunch. This is innovation of a dependable, not reckless, sort Imprinted upon my memory the most, however, was one of Holy Carrot’s ‘larges’: the crispy celeriac with pickle butter. I know what you’re thinking

The Nobu brand, in a word? Dependable. Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japan-via-USA restaurant empire both draws celebrities and is a celebrity itself, but it’s best regarded for its high-quality dining: nearly 30 years after it opened, Nobu’s Park Lane spot remains one of London’s best places for sushi. These days Nobu isn’t just a restaurant chain but a hotel brand too, with two outposts in London. The Shoreditch one, which opened in 2017, was the first of these – not just London’s first Nobu hotel (since followed by Nobu Portman Square in Marylebone) but the first in all of Europe. The greatest compliment one can pay to this place is that the dependability of the Nobu name transfers seamlessly from restaurant to hotel. This is a sleek and comfortable choice, a beacon of minimalist taste in the midst of Shoreditch’s gaudy pick-me bars and tech-bro co-working spaces. Nobu as a chain is Nippon-by-’Murica, and its hotels are too – Japanese style meets American comfort and convenience. From the front Nobu Shoreditch resembles a Pacific battleship, from the side it’s a hillside Kyoto villa. And inside the hotel offers plenty of that same cultural middle ground: polished black wood, sleek furniture and a tea set in every room, but also huge plasma TVs, delightful staff and an in-house spa.  All aided, of course, by housing a Nobu restaurant, the chain’s third in London. You know exactly the deal here: a spoiled-rich clientele, sure, but also generous portions, attentive service (I did exceptio

These days, brutalist buildings are among London’s most celebrated works of architecture. But it hasn’t always been this way. Back in 1967, the Southbank Centre, one of the city’s most striking examples of the style, was voted Britain’s ugliest building by readers of the Daily Mail. In the latest indicator of just how much times have changed, today (February 10) the Southbank Centre has been awarded listed status by the Department for Culture Media and Sport. The complex, which includes the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the skatepark, now has Grade II status and is thereby protected for future generations. Now, you might look at the Southbank Centre, with its mesmerising staircases and spectacular interior spaces and think ‘yeah, this is obviously a work of art’. But the journey to listed status hasn’t been easy for the Thameside icon. The Twentieth Century Society and Historic England recommended the Southbank Centre to be listed six times since 1991. It’s also been threatened by a number of demolition plans over the years. Today’s decision ends a 35-year impasse. Photograph: Shutterstock The Southbank Centre was designed by a team under the leadership of Norman Engleback (who was also behind Crystal Palace’s National Sports Centre) and it opened in 1967. The place had a sizable revamp in 2018, with the Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room at the centre of a restoration and conservation project. Grade II status means that a struc

The Milan Winter Olympics have finally kicked off, blessing us with some top-tier sporting entertainment that’ll hopefully get us through the final few weeks of darkness and dreary weather. But you might have noticed something different about the official title of a competing nation: the Czech Republic, or ‘Czechia’, as it’s known in the competition. Has the country officially changed its name, or does the shortened title only apply in certain circumstances? We’re here to explain. Below is a guide to why the Czech Republic is also known as Czechia. Why is Czech Republic now called Czechia? Czechia and the Czech Republic have both been used in an official capacity for years (since 2016, in fact), with the former being simply a shortened form. For the last two years, however, the Czech Republic has only been used in things like official government documents, legal correspondence and embassy business. Sort of how France is called the ‘French Republic’ in some very formal contexts. Czechia, on the other hand, is what the country would prefer to be called in less formal situations – stuff like literary works and newspapers, as well as by people representing the country like sportspeople. For example, ‘Czechia’ is the official name of the national men’s football team, listed as such by UEFA and FIFA, and it is increasingly being used by commentators and pundits for football tournaments, including during the UEFA Euros 2024. Cast your minds back to the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Team

Pub-loving north Londoners, we come bearing sad news. The Orange Tree, one of Enfield’s top pubs, is reportedly set to close. The Winchmore Hill boozer, which featured in Time Out’s latest ranking of the top pubs in London, is an independent establishment run by landlords John and Marie Maher. The Enfield Society reports that John and Marie will retire this month, as revealed at last week’s pub quiz on Thursday February 5. In our best pubs guide, writer Jimmy McIntosh described the Orange Tree as ‘a suburban jewel with a splendid garden’ and noted that the pub has been in CAMRA’s Good Pub Guide for over 30 years. He said: ‘Real ale aside, the pub really is your archetypal backstreet boozer, the kind of which you could once find in every London suburb. Warm, welcoming, and serving up incredibly well-kept hooch, the Orange Tree is the perfect pitstop on a winter’s yomp or, thanks to its generous beer garden, a summer one as well.’ As a Winchmore Hill local, I very much agree with all the above. Always friendly, always serving up perfectly crisp pints, the Orange Tree has long been very fine place for a snifter. Its closure will leave locals with scant opportunities for boozing that isn’t in a gastro or gastro-adjacent joint, with only the Little Green Dragon and Dog & Duck still standing. Whether the pub will be taken over by new landlords is yet to be seen. The 50 best pubs in London, according to Time Out. Plus: central London is getting a new Wetherspoons next to a major tra

Is ‘Talk to Me’ your song of the year so far? Can’t wait for Sexistential to drop in March? Listen up, Robyn fans: the Swedish pop icon is going on tour this summer and she’s set to play some of the UK’s biggest arenas. Sexistential will be Robyn’s first studio record since 2018’s Honey. To mark the album’s release, she’s announced a huge tour of venues across Europe, North America and Australia. There are three UK dates so far confirmed. Up for seeing Robyn perform hits like ‘Dancing On My Own’ and ‘With Every Hearbeat’ live and in the flesh? Here’s what you need to know about the Sexistential tour in Britain. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best major music tours coming to the UK in 2026. When is Robyn going on tour in 2026? The popstar’s UK dates are spread across June and July 2026. What UK tour dates have been announced so far? Find all the confirmed Robyn shows in the UK below: June 26 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro June 27 – Manchester, Co-op Live July 3 – London, O2 Arena When do Robyn tickets go on sale? General sale starts for all dates on Friday February 13 at 10am GMT. Get tickets on Ticketmaster here. Presale details There are a few presales to know about. Find out all you need to know below: Album preorder presale – from 10am on Tuesday February 10 (all dates) Artist presale – from 10am on Wednesday February 11 (all dates) OVO presale – from 10am on Wednesday February 11 (Glasgow only) Co-op presale – from 10am on Wednesday February 11 (Manchester only) Spotify presale – from 10am

Are we witnessing the death of the British high street? Maybe that’s a tad dramatic, but many UK town centres have certainly seen better days. In 2025 Britain witnessed a huge number of chains closing locations – and that trend is continuing so far in 2026. Retailers have been sounding the alarms for some time now. Costs are rising, consumers’ budgets are shrinking and shopping habits are moving online, meaning that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make a profit on the high street. Some bosses, such as the CEO of Shoezone, have also said that government tax hikes are cutting into already tight margins. Several British high-street staples have already confirmed closures for 2026. Here are the ones that have so far announced that locations will be shutting.  All the UK high street closures in 2026 GAME Most standalone GAME shops shut in 2019 when the company was taken over by Frasers Group. The final three outposts will shut from April onwards (though the online shop will remain operating, and the 200 locations in Sports Direct and House of Fraser will stay open).  Merry Hill, Dudley Nicholas Arcade, Lancaster Times Square Shopping Centre, Sutton Find out more about GAME’s closures here. Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba The Revel Collective, which owned bar chains Revolution, Revolucion de Cuba and Peach Pubs, went into administration this year. While over 1,500 jobs were saved and 41 sites will stay open, 21 venues have shut. Here are the locations that have closed

Lay down your controller for a moment of remembrance: an era is officially ending. It’s been confirmed that the UK’s last high-street GAME stores will shut. Now, we know what many of you might be thinking: didn’t GAME close years ago? Well, most of the gaming retail business’ standalone physical outposts did indeed shut back in 2019. Only a few shops remained, with five open at the start of 2026. As reported by The Game Business on its podcast, following the closure of GAME outposts in Chatham and Belfast in January, the remaining three shops will shut from April. Those locations are in Dudley, Lancaster and Sutton. To be clear, the company isn’t disappearing and it’s very much just the standalone shops that are shutting. The 200 GAMEs that are part of Sports Direct and House Of Fraser will remain open, as will the online store. GAME was founded in 1990 by Peter Wickins and Neil Taylor. Over two decades the company expanded with outposts across Europe and even as far as Australia, before it was taken over by Frasers Group in 2019. These days you can only find GAME shops in the UK, Ireland and Spain. GAME store closures It hasn’t been confirmed exactly when GAME’s final stores will shut, but these are the locations: Merry Hill, Dudley Nicholas Arcade, Lancaster Times Square Shopping Centre, Sutton Full list of UK high street closures confirmed in 2026: including Poundland, River Island and Revolution bars. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the

When it opened in 2021, Brixton Market’s Temaki quickly became a hit with the city’s sushi aficionados. The restaurant, which was London’s first dedicated to handroll sushi, received a Time Out reviewer’s praise for its ‘triple whammy of expertise, exceptional produce and classy execution’. Alas, the south London Temaki wasn’t to last. The California-style sushi joint shut its Brixton outpost last summer. Now, however, Temaki has announced a grand return to the city – this time in central London. A new location will open on Mayfair’s Maddox Street in March. Handroll sushi, for those not in-the-know, is called temaki in Japanese. It differs from other sushi styles in that it is cone-shaped and eaten with your fingers, though it has the same core ingredients of steamed rice, nori (dried seaweed) and fillings like fish and vegetables. Temaki (the restaurant) in Mayfair will span two floors, with a 16-seat upper room surrounding a sushi counter and a 28-seat downstairs inspired by Japanese listening bars. It won’t just serve traditional temaki, either. Inspired by Californian sushi bars, Temaki Mayfair will serve dishes like crispy rice topped with premium cuts of fish and A4 wagyu sliders. For drinks will be sake (obvs), wine and cocktails. Temaki founder and restaurateur Alexander Dupee said about the new opening: ‘We loved our time in Brixton, and with our new creative team we are so excited to build on that success in central London, on Mayfair’s Maddox Street. ‘We’ve been wo

Rugby union fans, the wait is finally over. The Six Nations, one of the mightiest tournaments in the rugby world, is back for 2026. The month-and-a-half competition will see France attempt to defend their 2025 title, with England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales out to stop them. When is the Six Nations 2026? Between February 5 and March 14, several of the planet’s greatest rugby teams will face off in some of Europe’s mightiest sports venues. And if you can’t get to one of the matches yourself, worry not: every moment will be broadcast on free-to-watch TV for UK audiences. As before, BBC and ITV share the broadcast rights for the Six Nations. Find out everything you need to know about catching every try, kick, tackle and scrum below. How to watch the Six Nations 2026 The tournament’s games will all be shown on either ITV1 or BBC One. They’ll also be streamed on those broadcasters’ respective streaming services: ITVX and BBC iPlayer. RECOMMENDED: 🍻 The best rugby pubs in London. 🏉 The best places to watch the Six Nations in London. Full TV schedule and fixtures Here are all the Six Nations 2026 fixtures, with kick-off times and channels. Thursday February 5 France v Ireland: 8.10pm, ITV Saturday February 7 Italy v Scotland: 2.10pm, BBC One England v Wales: 4.40pm, ITV Saturday February 14 Ireland v Italy: 2.10pm, ITV Scotland v England: 4.40pm, ITV Sunday February 15 Wales v France: 3.10pm, BBC One Saturday February 21 England v Ireland: 2.10pm, ITV Wales v Scot

Well over a year since it launched its first UK location in London’s West End, the hype is yet to die down for Dave’s Hot Chicken. The viral chicken chain, which is backed by Drake and Samuel L Jackson, has expanded with subsequent British outposts in Croydon, Birmingham, Manchester and Westfield White City. And Dave’s isn’t stopping there. Last autumn the Nashville-style, Los Angeles-born hot chicken chain revealed plans to open nearly 60 new UK restaurants – and now we know where the next three will be. Leicester, Sheffield and Bristol will be the next lucky (or clucky?) places to get a DHC. The first of those openings will be in Leicester, which will start welcoming customers this very week. Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Gallowtree Gate this Friday February 6. The Sheffield and Bristol locations don’t yet have official addresses or opening dates. The Sheffield location is rumoured to be at Cambridge Street in the city centre, with the opening set for this month. The Bristol edition, meanwhile, is set to open in Cabot Circus in March. Photograph: Dave’s Hot Chicken All three restaurants will offer Dave’s signature menu of chicken tenders and sliders, seasoned with a secret spice blend and on the brand’s legendary seven-point spice scale (which starts from No Spice and goes all the way up to the infamous Reaper, which requires customers to sign a waiver before ordering). As well as chicken, the menu will feature sides like loaded fries, mac and cheese and kale slaw, as w

If you’re an art deco architecture geek, you’ll no doubt know all about Ibex House. The shimmering pale office building, which you’ll find on the east side of the Minories in the City, is renowned for its long streamline moderne curves and mesmerising black-framed windows. The vast H-shaped structure is Grade II-listed and one of London’s most remarkable surviving art deco buildings. Ibex House was designed by Fuller, Hall and Foulsham and finished in 1937. Now, after nearly 90 years, it’s been confirmed that the building will change purpose. An application to transform the 250,000 square-foot building into a hotel has been approved by the City of London. Ibex House was acquired by hotel developer and operator Dominus (as well as investment firm Cheyne Capital JV) in December 2025. They’ll enlist designers Studio Moren to turn the office building into a 382-room hotel – and much of the original structure will remain the same. All of the building’s substructure and 90 percent of its superstructure won’t be touched by the plans. As well as a hotel, the redeveloped address will feature a conference centre (with a ballroom), café, hospitality training academy and, excitingly, a reopened pub.   Image: Studio Moren / Dominus The Peacock pub, which sits at the corner of the building and opens onto Minories and Portsoken Street, closed around 2017. Part of the redevelopment of Ibex House will see the Peacock reopened, though the boozer will also double in size from 2,300 to 5,000 s

Regular users of Liverpool Street Station, heads up: Network Rail has revealed plans for an entire month’s worth of major disruption at the City of London travel hub. All routes and services to and from ’Pool Street will be impacted by works throughout March. The good-ish news is that the works won’t impact weekday commuters, as the disruption is scheduled for weekends. Network Rail says the closures will enable ‘vital maintenance, renewals and repairs’ to be undertaken. In total, Liverpool Street’s mainline station will shut for five days, during which its concourse will also be closed. The closures will impact Elizabeth line, London Overground and National Rail services, including Greater Anglia and c2c. So, what specifically is being done to Liverpool Street during the closures? Well, at the station itself engineers will improve roof drainage. Elsewhere, works will focus on stuff like track drainage and maintenance, as well as vegetation management and litter clearance along railway lines. There will also be works at a bunch of stations served by Liverpool Street trains, including Stratford.   London Liverpool Street station closures in March 2026 Disruption-wise, here are the weekends you need to watch out for at Liverpool Street next month. March 15: whole station closure London Overground services will instead run from London Fields Elizabeth line services will be running, though no access to the main concourse March 21-22: whole station closure On March 21 Elizabet

As a gargantuan structure perched atop a fairly sizeable hill, Alexandra Palace can be seen from across north London (and far beyond). If you’ve always wondered what the view must be like atop the Victorian entertainment venue, this month you’ll be able to do just that thanks to a new roof walking experience. Summit Ally Pally won’t just let you clamber all over a London icon: it’ll be the highest rooftop walk in the entire UK. The experience, which will have guides take climbers all the way up to the Angel of Plenty statue at the top of Ally Pally, will offer views from 130 metres above sea level. What exactly can you see from 130 metres up? Well, put simply, a heck of a lot. Time Out Travel Editor Grace Beard got a sneak peek at the experience and remarked that you get extraordinary views of ‘architectural beacons like St Paul’s Cathedral, the Shard and Canary Wharf’, as well as nearby landmarks like a church spire in Muswell Hill. Photograph: Alexandra Palace Apparently a whopping 28 of London’s 32 boroughs are visible from the top of Ally Pally, while it will be bookable for special climbs at sunset and at night. Intriguingly, apparently you’ll be able to book your climb during the venue’s legendary fireworks displays. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out London (@timeoutlondon) You can read more about what to expect from the experience here. The experience was announced in December but it will officially launch this month. Summit Al