Ed Cunningham

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened in the past year and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which features everything from modern Korean cookery at Miga in Hackney, bawdy British fare at Rake in Highbury, Brit/Thai mashups at AngloThai in Marylebone, vegan Michelin star goodness at Shoreditch’s Plates, hip fish bar Tollington’s in Finsbury Park, Iberian inventiveness at Tasca in Bethnal Green and The Most Controversial Restaurant in London™, The Yellow Bittern in King’s Cross. This list is updated regularly, so check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

Once upon a time, the only reason to grab a bite at King’s Cross was if you were waiting for your train. But this once-grimy post-industrial area has undergone an enormous regeneration, and these days it’s packed with fine restaurants. Be it the lofty, warehouse-sized joints around Granary Square, the trendy cafés in Coal Drops Yard or the hip little spots around lower Pentonville, and a selection of Cantonese cult classics, there’s something for all tastes (and budgets, high or low). Check out our list of the best. RECOMMENDED: These are the best pubs in King’s Cross. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

We'll always be NYC's biggest cheerleaders, why wouldn't we be? The city has it all! But everyone needs a breather from the bustle of city life every once in a while. Luckily, you don't need to travel very far for some well-deserved R&R. The Catskills are the place to be. Not too far from the city, but far enough to escape the center. So, pack your best knitwear, dig out those hiking boots, and book a weekend away. Okay so, you've got the destination down, but where to stay? That’s where we come in. We’ve scoured Airbnb to find some of the Catskills’ most unique, stylish, and memorable getaways, from group adventures near the mountains to romantic hideaways, we've ticked every box. Scroll on to discover your dream rental ...  RECOMMENDED: 🪵Check out the best Airbnbs in Hudson Valley🏊‍♀️See our list of best New York upstate resorts⛰Discover the best of upstate New York Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Want a drink? You've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joints to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? Well, our critieria for inclusion on this list is simple; a menu of genius drinks is important, but so is overall vibe – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bins. To make the Top 50, a bar has to be fun, inclusive, and full of lovely folk as well as looking the part.  April 2025: A rash of great new bars have opened in London over the past year or so and many of them have made the immediate jump to our hallowed Top 50. The latest additions to our list include rowdy sports bar meets 80s horror movie set Bloodsports in Covent Garden, whisky wonderland Dram Bar on Denmark Street, the hypnotic Bar Lotus in Dalston, Below Stone Nest in Chinatown, Rasputin’s by London Fields, and Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath a famous Soho deli. Now go forth and drink. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and she'll have a gibson marti

This year of music has started with a bang. We’ve seen Chappell Roan go country, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco smothering audiences with gushy love songs and Playboi Carti’s rapturous return from the underground. Alongside these pop heavyweights, we’re witnessing rap superstar Doechii continue her chart domination and the breakthrough of Gen Z artists like 2hollis and Tate McRae. What songs are defining 2025? Well, we’ve searched through our playlists and extracted the best songs of the year so far, below. But it doesn’t stop there. Keep your eyes peeled for updates to this list throughout the year as we’re still awaiting albums from Turnstile, Lorde, Addison Rae, Miley Cyrus, Pulp, A$AP Rocky and many more.  Georgia curates Time Out’s music section. If she's not blabbering about music on the website, she's doing it in-person (much to the office’s dismay). For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: 🎧 The best albums of 2025 (so far)🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)📺 The best TV of 2025 (so far)

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 Lenny's Apizza at The Bedford Tavern in Finsbury Park.  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.

Thinking of heading to the UK? Great choice. England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are packed with jaw-dropping sights, fun-filled nights out and endless cultural offerings for you to fill your calendar to the brim. The Time Out team has spent a hell of a lot of time travelling up and down the country, really getting to know the big sights and local legends – and by now, we like to think we know a thing or two about what is actually worth your precious time. And trust us: you won’t be disappointed. From Cornwall’s crashing surf to Scotland’s rugged peaks, to the buzz of Notting Hill Carnival and secret spots locals whisper about, there’s something for everyone here. These are the best things to do in the UK in 2025.  What are the best events in the UK throughout the year? Where do we begin? In April, join in infectious crowds at the Manchester or London marathons. Head to Somerset for Glastonbury in June (if you’re lucky enough to get tickets, that is), and go up north for all sorts of cultural happenings at the Manchester International Festival come July. In August, we’d recommend Brighton for Pride, London for Notting Hill Carnival and Edinburgh for the month-long Fringe arts festival. The Scottish capital is also a great place to celebrate New Year’s Eve with their Hogmanay street party to see out the year.  Where are the most scenic places to visit in the UK? If it’s dramatic landscapes you’re after, no trip to the UK is complete without spending time in the Scott

Looking to make a splash with your next family day out? How about some wobbly water obstacle courses, chaotically fun wave machines and slides so long you’re not sure where they end? Waterparks come in all shapes and sizes in the UK, and luckily for us, most are open all year round – offering a great day trip to keep kids entertained for hours on end while you brush up your butterfly stroke. From epic outdoor inflatables to weather-proof indoor pools with flumes galore, you’ll find excellent waterparks dotted all over the country – and many of them feature standard swimming facilities and spas, too, as well as other child-friendly activities such as adventure parks. Time to blow up the armbands and grab your towel: these are the 14 best waterparks in the UK, updated with new additions for 2025. RECOMMENDED:☀️The best outdoor swimming pools in the UK🚴The most beautiful bike trails in the UK🌴The most stunning hidden beaches in the UK🏊The best waterparks in London

If you’re dreaming of finding sand in your shoes after a long day out and queuing too long for ice cream, then you could do a lot worse than venturing out of the city and planning a trip to one of the UK’s seemingly endless coastal towns. This is an island nation, after all, which means it’s packed with rugged cliffs and windswept headlands as well as quaint fishing villages and shoreline surf spots. We might not have the sunkissed weather of our European neighbours, but when it comes to costal charm, the UK ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. Planning a trip to the seaside? Check out our list of the best coastal towns in the country, from Scotland to Cornwall.   Which UK seaside towns get the best weather?  If you’re chasing sunshine, you’re probably going to want to go south. Brighton, Margate, St Ives, Salcombe and Falmouth can clock some serious sun hours in the right season – but we can’t make any promises, so be sure to pack a raincoat to be on the safe side.  Where are the best beaches in the UK? If beach walks and swimming in the sea is what you’re after, look no further than our list of the best beaches in the UK. From the list below, we’d recommend Brighton if you’re more of a pebble person. Head to Nefyn for natural beauty and extreme quiet. Try North Berwick if you want sand between your toes and can stomach chillier waters. And for higher temperatures, head to East Portlemouth beach and stay in Salcombe.  RECOMMENDED:🌊The best outdoor swimmming pools in the UK🏖️T

The humble brunch is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the modern age. Breakfast is too early to really get stuck into, while eating eggs and downing buckets of coffee at lunchtime seems odd. Brunch, then, is the one true morning-ish meal, especially if it incorporates pancakes, bacon and those aforementioned 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 – one of the latest additions to this list is FKA Black Axe Mangal in Highbury, (don’t forgot to order a pig cheek and prune donut). 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.  RECOMMENDED: Like unlimited fizz with your fry-up? Here are the best bottomless brunches in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. April 2025: We've had fresh fiddle of this list, removing some of the staler options and giving you only the finest brunches in London for spring and into summer. We've included a few places that prove brunch isn't just a weekend treat, with some of these spots serving brunch every single day. Make the most of the warmer weather by bagging a terrace table somewhere like The Laundry in Brixton. Hate the heat and would rather sulk in the dark? Then it's off to LD's at The Bla

Television has been around for 70 years, but only in the last two decades has it earned true respect as an artistic medium. Up to that point, elitists referred to TV as ‘the idiot box’ or ‘the boob tube,’ and if you worked in it, you were either a hack or an upstart hoping to make the leap into the more dignified world of movies. Was its poor reputation deserved? Sure, there were blips of brilliance between The Ed Sullivan Show and The Sopranos, but by and large, the garbage outweighed the gold. Maybe it’s unfair, but the fact that it was all being beamed directly into our living rooms made the dreck more noticeable.  That’s all changed. Television has nudged film out from the center of popular culture, to the point that some of cinema’s truest believers – Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh – are making movies specifically for the small screen. The shift may have started with HBO and The Sopranos, but the advent of streaming has made it so that hundreds of new shows are now continually flipping the script every few years, if not months. But that doesn’t mean everything before 1999 is pure dross. While this list is dominated by 21st century programs, there are hundreds of shows that deserve credit for pushing TV forward into its current golden age, and 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. Even then, it proved to b

There’s a lot of talk about the state of London nightlife right now. Naysayers lament the fact that venues are closing at an alarming rate, blame Gen Zs for not going out and claim that it’s impossible to get a drink in central after 1am (it’s really not). With all that negativity and uncertainty, it’s tempting to just stick to what you know – or worse, stay in – rather than get out there and experience what this vast city has to offer after dark.  There are new nights popping up all the time. Heart of Soul, Jungyals and Gays, Club Stamina and Joyride are all relatively new (and totally brilliant) additions to London’s club scene. There’s also the nights that have remained classics for good reason – Rowans, the Palm Tree fridays, K-Hole – as well as more wholesome late-evening activities like life drawing, spoken word nights and supper clubs.  There’s nights out for everyone in this city. Nights for foodies, film buffs, audiophiles. Nights for marathon ravers, old-school movers and for when you need a proper good singalong. Even nights out for when you just want a nice sit down.  We curated this list by asking Time Out staff members for their favourite nights out in the city – and trust us, we know our stuff. Our list features nights in central London, east London, west London, north London and in south London. They all take place frequently, or semi-frequently, throughout the year and each offers something unique. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your next night o

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

If you plonked a point on a map denoting Stuttgart’s absolute centre, I’m fairly certain it’d be directly right on top of the EmiLu. Or it may as well be. Dead opposite the city’s Rathaus (town hall) and a few steps from Königstrasse (Stuttgart’s main shopping street), EmiLu is within easy walking distance of most city-centre sights. Just a couple of years old (it opened in 2022), EmiLu occupies an old mid-century city government building and gets its name by combining the names of its co-owner (Petra Luise Bräutigam) and her daughter (Emilia). A self-professed ‘design hotel’, it boasts 90 ‘unique and special’ rooms that range reasonably in price per night from €85 to €200 (£72 to £170). So, the good: EmiLu, with its focus on individual, tasteful design, is a handsome and neat establishment. The chic reception is kitted out with dark wooden furnishings, while the rooms are airy and uncluttered. Cuboid furniture and crisply-shaped décor work well with bare-material walls; an open shower-room (with a curtain) and a mini-bar cut into the corner wall fit the minimal, trendy vibe. In another positive, my room looked out over the atmospheric street below (with floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony) but also boasted exceptional sound insulation – an entire crowd of football fans in the space outside were reduced to noiseless silhouettes. Elsewhere, EmiLu’s staff are delightful, the rooftop space is great for taking in Stuttgart’s skyline and the ‘fitness area’ is remarkably well-eq

Over the years, London has done a fabulous job of finding new uses for its many, many historically fascinating buildings. The Bankside Power Station is now the Tate Modern. Churchill’s Old War Office is a hotel and apartments. County Hall houses restaurants, an aquarium and That Shrek Thing. Another of those retrofits is the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, a Grade II-listed building which dates back to the 1820s and was once the Ministry of Defence’s old library. Sitting at an address best known for also housing the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the building has been a hotel for a while – though was spruced up a few years ago with a £75 million revamp.  Admittedly, the words ‘Scotland Yard’ do not exactly scream ‘mega-luxe five-star hotel stay’, but… maybe they could? This 151-room Hyatt is as deeply, thoroughly refined as hotels in this city get.  Each step of a stay at Great Scotland Yard is virtually faultless. The neat rooms are full of light, with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies looking out over the turrets, towers and courtyards of the Palace of Whitehall. Full of modestly luxurious conveniences (like Chromecast TVs and fancy Japanese Toto loos), the rooms are also of a satisfyingly comfortable size: neither small and cluttered nor massive and awkwardly empty.  Beyond the rooms, Great Scotland Yard is far from a copy-paste Hyatt. Playing into the history of the building and address, the doors are slathered in a deep and polished police blue. The fo

If you’ve ever spent time in Leeds, you’ll know the Queens Hotel. Quite literally on top of (part of) the Yorkshire city’s train station, it’s an art deco concrete titan and inarguably the city’s most famous hotel. Dating back to the 1930s, the Queens was the first British hotel to have air con and ensuite bathrooms in every room, and over the years it’s welcomed the likes of Cary Grant and Nelson Mandela. While the Queens could easily rest on its historical prestige, in recent years it’s attempted to keep with the times and undergone a vast refurb. A whopping £16 million has been pumped into bringing the place back up to snuff, glamming it up with communal areas, a huge new dining venue and more rooms. How does all that sprucing up actually feel? In short, pretty damn good. The moment you step into the Queens’ lobby, with its endearingly gauche décor and genially raucous ambiance, you get a proper sense of occasion that feels appropriate for somewhere so stacked with history. The Queens might have been hauled into the 21st century, but it embraces its historical glamour – and the refurb certainly hasn’t sucked out any of its soul. The Queens is entirely decked out in stuff that harks back to the art deco 1930s – and what isn’t from the Queens’ original period (or directly linked to it, like the hallways’ historic photographs) is tastefully matched. The Queens balances modern polish and historical character in a caring, detailed sort of way, ensuring all additions – everythin

Few London hotels so boldly take inspiration from their surroundings as the Ampersand. Steps from Kensington’s Museums Quarter, this boutique riffs off the studies and research of nearby world-leading institutions like the Science Museum and Natural History Museum, combining it all with many of the bells and whistles of a luxury hotel. From ornithological wallpapers and artworks to complimentary galactically-themed macarons, everything at the Ampersand plays heavily into the hotel’s neighbours. Its ‘science’ afternoon tea spectacularly involves making your own lemonade (with wacky test tubes and all) plus dry-ice and space-themed treats. Sure, this sort of stuff will no doubt be naff to anyone wanting a frilly, snooty sort of posh hotel; but it also makes everything a bit more fun, much less stuffy, and a lot more memorable. Beyond that, lots of the rest is solid, occasionally a bit more. Rooms are decked out with nice stuff: vast, comfy beds, sizeable TVs, Malin + Goetz toiletries, a standalone bath (with full view of the telly), nifty, sleek desk and huge, glitzy headboard. You’d be hard-pressed to criticise the style or function of any individual pieces within the Ampersand’s rooms, while the first three floors of Victorian ceilings are spacious and fresh.  The staff are as helpful as you’d want them to be, everything is delightfully clean, there’s a gym and two restos (one, Apero, is Mediterranean-themed). There’s also a general sense of calm. Compared to the shoulder-to-

The Barbican Centre’s ruggedness is its charm, and part of the reason that well over a million people visit the art centre every year. But sometimes even gargantuan concrete beasts need a bit of TLC – and that’s what the Barbican is about to receive as part of a huge ‘renewal’ project over the coming years.  Between now and 2030, the brutalist beauty will be revamped with a more accessible conservatory, a revived lakeside area (with working fountains, new landscaping and more) and more flexible-use, inclusive foyers. This will all constitute the first phase of the ‘renewal’, and it’s set for completion before the building’s 50th birthday in 2032. And now, excitingly, we have more images of exactly what the Barbican’s makeover could look like. A bunch of computer-generated renders have been released showing plans for the revamped foyers, lakeside and conservatory – here are those for a look. Image: Kin Creatives for Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio Image: Kin Creatives for Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio Image: Kin Creatives for Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio   A whopping 90 percent of respondents supported the Barbican Centre’s initial proposals, and the designs have been refined to reflect that feedback. The total cost of the first phase of works has been costed at around £240 million, 80 percent of which has been committed by the City of London Corporation.  Commenting on the new images, Barbican’s director for buildings and renewal Philippa

Jason Derulo toured the UK as recently as last year, when his Nu King world tour saw the US singer stop by British cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. And soon he’ll be back for more. Derulo has just announced that his The Last Dance tour will return to British shores next year. The singer best known for songs like ‘Whatcha Say’, ‘In My Head’ and ‘Ridin’ Solo’ will be back at the start of 2026, and once again he’ll be playing some of the UK’s biggest indoor arenas. So far Derulo has confirmed eight UK dates on The Last Dance tour.  Keen to catch Jason Derulo live in the UK next year? Here’s what you need to know, from ticket sale dates to how much they could cost.  When is Jason Derulo playing the UK in 2026? Derulo’s UK tour is at the start of 2026, kicking off on January 29 and ending on February 7. Full list of UK tour dates Jason has lined up eight shows at arenas up and down Britain. Here’s the full list of dates.  Thu January 29 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro Fri January 30 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena Sat January 31 – London, The O2 Arena Mon February 2 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena Tue February 3 – Brighton, Brighton Centre Thu February 5 – Bournemouth, IC Fri February 6, Leeds, First Direct Arena Sat February 7, Manchester, Co-op Live When do Jason Derulo tickets go on sale?  General sale will go live at 9am on Friday May 23. You’ll be able to buy on Ticketmaster here. Is there a presale? There are various presales taking place Wednesday May 21 at 9am – presal

With massive and colourful stage sets, outlandish and vibrant outfits and, of course, one of the finest discographies in modern rap, a Tyler, the Creator live show is something to get excited about. And this week Tyler is here in London for three huge gigs at the city’s biggest indoor venue, the O2 Arena.    Tyler’s current dates in the UK, which were announced last October and are part of his Chromakopia world tour, are in support of his 2024 album Chromakopia. Named one of Time Out’s top albums of last year, Chromakopia peaked top of the UK albums charts with hits like ‘Noid’, ‘Sticky’ and ‘Like Him’.   Heading to see Tyler, the Creator at the O2 in Greenwich? Here’s what you need to know about the shows, from set times to whether there are any tickets left. When is Tyler the Creator playing at London’s O2? Tyler is at the O2 on Monday May 19, Wednesday May 21 and Thursday May 22. What are the timings? For all three shows, the doors to the arena will open at 6.30pm ­– though, as always at the O2, you’ll be able to get into the venue’s restaurants and bars earlier than that.  Tyler himself is expect on stage at 9.30pm, though timings are subject to change. Curfew is 11pm.  What’s the setlist?  For an idea of the setlist, here’s what Tyler, the Creator played in Amsterdam earlier on the Chromakopia world tour (according to Setlist.fm).  Chroma Rah Tah Tah Noid Darling, I I Killed You Judge Judy Sticky Take Your Mask Off Tomorrow IGOR’S THEME EARFQUAKE A BOY IS A GUN THANK YO

Within London’s city limits there are plenty of excellent places to go for an alfresco swim. While we wouldn’t dream of even dipping our toes in the Thames (though there are plans to make the river swimmable by 2034), London has more than its fair share of lidos and outdoor pools – and you can find Time Out’s guide to the best ones here.  If you’re up for leaving London’s boundaries, there are even more opportunities for outdoor swimming, from rivers, lakes and pools to beaches. Next time you’re choosing where to head off for a swim, however, here’s something to bear in mind. A recent study has just revealed England’s worst beaches for water quality right now, and several are near London. The report was by Holiday Park Guru, and it made use of Environment Agency data to hand out ‘Brown Flag Awards’. The full study featured 19 stretches of coast up and down the nation, all of which were deemed particularly contaminated with faecal matter from things like sewage, livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. The water quality readings were taken last year between May and September.  Of those 19 ‘Brown Flag’ beaches, six were near London. We’re defining ‘close’ to the capital as in a Home County or within a couple of hours’ travel by car or train. Kent had three beaches named among the UK’s filthiest, with Deal Castle, Dymchurch and Littlestone featuring, while Sussex’s Aldwich and Worthing beaches were included. The final near-London beach to be named and shamed was at Southsea

A piece of bona fide rock history is coming to London next month. Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar – which is the most expensive guitar ever sold and was apparently the last guitar he ever played – is going on display in the capital. The guitar will be part of an exhibition titled ‘Kurt Cobain Unplugged’ at the museum of the Royal College of Music (RCM – which was recently crowned the world’s best place to study music), and it’ll feature alongside Cobain’s mothy old cardigan, which he wore for his legendary MTV Unplugged performance. The exhibition will mark a few ‘firsts’. It’ll be the first time the guitar has gone on display in Europe, and it’ll be the first time that it’s gone on show alongside Cobain’s battered olive-green mohair cardigan. Curated by American rock journalist Alan di Perna and the RCM’s Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, the exhibition will also feature Nirvana memorabilia, including gig posters and collectible vinyl. Photograph: Phil Rowley Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar is a Martin D-18E which he modified to be played left-handed. According to Courtney Love, it was the last guitar Kurt Cobain ever played. After being passed down to Kurt’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain then given to her ex-husband in a divorce settlement, in 2020 it went up for auction and was bought by Australian businessman Peter Freedman for a whopping $6 million (£4.54 million). Freedman has loaned it to the RCM for this exhibition, which will open on June 3. Tickets are on sale now for £5, and yo

Manchester Airport isn’t necessary one of the UK’s best-loved transport hubs. A few weeks ago the Civil Aviation Authority revealed that Manchester was the UK’s third-worst airport for delays in 2024, while last year it was named among Europe’s most stressful aviation hubs.  But could Manchester’s rep soon get an overhaul? This week Manchester Airport announced plans to pump millions of pounds into revamping its Terminal 3, with the aim of making it a bigger, more passenger-friendly space. Manchester Airport initially launched its transformation programme way back in 2015, when it revealed ambitions to double the size of Terminal 2 and close Terminal 1. The second phase of T2’s expansion is set to be complete this summer, with the building’s new check-in desks already open.  So, what’s in store for T3? The terminal will see its entrance hall made more spacious and its security hall will be given new equipment, though the biggest changes will be to the departure lounge. T3’s departure lounge will get 40 percent more seats, a new 500-seat bar with airfield views, an expanded dining area and a bunch of (20, to be specific) new outlets for eating, drinking and shopping. Image: Manchester Airports Group Commenting on the plans for T3, Manchester Airport’s managing director Chris Woodroofe said: ‘We are proud to connect the people of the North to the world – and our transformation programme means that our passengers will be able to enjoy an airport experience that rivals that of

If you’re a Crystal Palace fan, this weekend is huge. The Eagles have never won a major trophy, and Saturday’s FA Cup Final is a huge opportunity to do so. If you’re a Man City fan the upcoming final is simply another chance for one of England’s most successful teams to bag even more silverware, having last won this competition as recently as 2023.  Both teams impressed in their respective semi-finals, leaving a final showdown at Wembley Stadium in Londoon. And of course, The Eagles vs The Citizens will be shown on TV – in fact, it’ll be shown on two free-to-air channels here in the UK. What luxury. Don’t want to miss any of this weekend’s FA Cup action? Here’s what you need to know about watching the final on TV, including the channels, kick-off time, pundits and predictions. In London? Here are the best places showing the final on TV. Date and kick-off time  The 2025 FA Cup Final is on Saturday May 17 and kick off is at 4.30pm BST. What channel is the FA Cup Final on? ITV and the BBC have shared coverage of the FA Cup rounds up to this point, so who gets to broadcast the final? Well, they both do. The two broadcasters will show the final, on BBC One and ITV1 – meaning you can choose your preferred pundits. What time does TV coverage start? The BBC’s coverage starts at 3.25pm, while ITV’s begins at 3pm. Who are the pundits? On BBC One, it’ll be Gary Lineker, Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer on pundit duties, and they’ll be joined by former Palace defender Glenn Murray and for

Manchester, the Boss is in town. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are up north for a very rare UK residency at the Co-op Live – and his shows have already kicked off.  Bruce is one show down, with two more still to come. Bruce’s current tour has been rolling on since 2023 and it’s already one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Manchester is the city tasked with getting the next leg of The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour going, and it’s one of only two places in the UK getting an E Street Band tour stop in 2025 (the other is Liverpool, in June). Heading to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Manchester over the coming days? Here’s everything you need to know about the shows. When is Bruce Springsteen playing at Manchester’s Co-op Live? Bruce’s three shows in Manchester are on May 14, 17 and 20, 2025.  What are the timings? The timings vary slightly for May 17 and 20, though the merch trailer and canalside area open at 2pm for both shows. Expect him on stage at around 7.45pm.  Saturday May 17  Early entry is at 5pm, premium doors 5pm, general admission 6pm. Tuesday May 20 Early entry is at 4.30pm, premium doors 5pm, general admission 5.30pm. What’s the setlist? True Bruce Tramps know that the Boss plays a different set every night. For an idea of the songs he plays, here was his setlist at the first Manchester show (according to Setlist.fm).  Land of Hope and Dreams Death to My Hometown Lonesome Day My Love Will Not Let You Down Rainmaker Darkness on the

If you’ve been into town recently, you know what’s up. You’ve seen the boarded up windows, you’ve noticed your usual haunts disappearing, you’ve benefited from an ‘everything must go – half off!’ sale once or twice. You can see that it’s a shop-ageddon out there on UK high streets, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In 2023, we lost Wilko, and then in 2024 we got it back. Then we said goodbye to a bunch of Marks and Spencers, some Boots, a few Body Shops, and plenty more. In fact, some studies have estimated that Britain lost up to 37 shops a day in 2024. Although we all hoped that the new year would bring good news for our high streets, it’s looking like 2025 might just be more of the same. It’s not all doom and gloom, but it’s useful to know exactly what’s coming and going so that you don’t plan an entire shopping day around a store which has closed its doors for the last time. Here’s an exhaustive list of all the big places shutting up shop this year across the country. All the UK high street closures in 2025 Iceland Iceland will close two supermarkets this summer. Those are:  Margate, College Square – June 21 Inverness, Rose Street – July 12 Find out more about the two closures here. Morrisons Supermarket chain Morrisons is shutting dozens of Morrisons Daily convenience stores and Morrisons Cafés, as well as Market Kitchens, florists, meat counters, fish counters and pharmacies. Here are the store and café closures, and you can find the full list (including Mark

The high street isn’t having a great time of it right now. From Marks & Spencer and New Look to Boots and literally thousands of local banks, over the past couple of years stores of all shapes and sizes have had to close their doors as shoppers flock online.  The latest shopping heavyweight to be impacted? The British supermarket chain Iceland, which has closed several branches around the country already in 2025, and has just announced that two more shops will shut over the summer. Iceland says these closures are part of a strategic review – here’s everything we know about them so far. RECOMMENDED: Here’s the full list of high street stores closing in 2025. Which Iceland stores are closing down and when? Two Iceland shops will shut this summer. Those are: Margate, College Square – June 21 Inverness, Rose Street – July 12 These Icelands have already closed in 2025: Shenley Road, Borehamwood Alphington Road Retail Park, Exeter At the tail-end of 2024, Iceland revealed that its 10 stores in the Channel Islands would all be closing. This is because of a new franchise agreement meaning Iceland goods will be sold in Alliance stores.  Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country. 

Derby is on the up. The East Midlands city is currently in the midst of a multi-billion (yep, with a ‘b’) regeneration project which began way back in 2011. A staggering £4.48 billion has already been pumped into the city centre’s infrastructure – and there’s £2.6 billion still to come. Later this month one of the grand centrepieces of Derby’s revamp will be unveiled. The city’s Victorian market hall, which dates back to 1866 and is Grade II-listed, will reopen to the public following a spectacular £35.1 million makeover. Derby Market Hall closed for its refurb in 2021, and in the past four or so years the structure has seen some big changes. Most importantly its cast iron, copper and glass roof has been extensively restored – previously, the building was prone to closing on especially windy, rainy or snowy days due to the danger of windows coming out of their frames. Photograph: Derby Market Hall Derby City Council appointed design consultancy Hemingway Design to revamp the hall, which will open with a range of traders offering eating, drinking, shopping and entertainment options. The traders will be independent and from Derby, Derbyshire and the East Midlands, and the council says that the market will generate £3.64m for the local economy each year. Already confirmed as traders are winery Darley Abbey Wines, sustainable fashion outlet The Oddities Store, Sri Lankan street food spot Columbo Street, Jamaican ‘soul food’ space Back-a-Yard Cuisine and Venezuelan food stop Are

Here at Time Out, we just published our list of the best cities in the world for culture right now. The list involved surveys of over 18,000 city-dwellers around the world, which we each quizzed on the quality, quantity, affordability and accessibility of their city’s cultural offering. We then combined those results with the expertise of Time Out’s global network of editors and writers. The resulting ranking of the ‘most exciting, dynamic cultural hubs on the planet right now’ spanned everywhere from Florence to Chicago to Hanoi – and, excitingly, one UK city made the top 20. The only British city to make the cut was, drum roll please… Edinburgh! The Scottish capital came third in the overall list, with Time Out’s UK deputy editor Chiara Wilkinson saying: ‘This Scottish city has it all: a world-leading arts festival, fantastic museums, a rich literary heritage… just when you think you’ve got to grips with Edinburgh’s culture scene, a new thing pops up to prove you wrong.’ Chiara picked out not just Edinburgh cultural stalwarts like the Fringe, International Festival and Jazz & Blues Festival but also newer events like Days Festival – which made its debut last year – and Chappell Roan’s upcoming appearances at the 2025 Summer Sessions. In the survey, Edinburgh did best in its overall cultural rating (85 percent of locals rated it favourably), though a respectable 61 percent said Auld Reekie’s galleries and museums were affordable.  Photograph: jan kranendonk/Shutterstock.com