Eloise Feilden

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 bars in the capital right now. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many, many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars, liquor lounges and places to quaff wine, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? 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 bin juice. To make our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, and inclusive, as well as looking (and tasting) the part.  The best bars in London at a glance: 🍸 Best hotel bar: Scarfes Bar, Holborn 🍷 Best wine bar: Godet, Islington 🍻 Best dive bar: Blondies, Clapton 🎶 Best listening bar: Jumbi, Peckham July 2025: Congrats to the newly-opened bars that have made the immediate jump into our hallowed Top 50, such as Ellie's – a lowkey Dalston cocktail bar recently anointed by Charli XCX, who chose it for the site of her wedding afterparty, House Party, a rowdy Soho bar co-founded by Stormzy, and wine pub Godet. They sit alongside some proper London classics which have returned to this list due to their outstanding excellence and unerring commitment to getting us tipsy in style, like th

For centuries, Soho has been London’s playground: packed with spots for boozing, carousing, and soaking up the best of the city after dark. And even though it’s largely cleaned up its once-sleazy reputation, it’s still packed with fine drinking spots, from moody basements to high-end cocktail bars. Whether you join the crowds hopping up and down its network of streets or settle in for the duration, you’re guaranteed a brilliant, boozy night out in Soho and neighbouring Chinatown. Word to the wise: you might want to line your stomach at one of Soho’s best restaurants. Now head to the heart of the West End to make sure you don’t miss a thing. July 2025: Soho remains London’s best place to spend a evening. Soho’s pubs are unmatched and have been around for decades, but the area’s bar scene is a little more dynamic. So our latest update to this list of Soho’s best bars includes a fair few new openings that have proved themselves to be well worth a visit, even though they’re newcomers to the scene. From the chic Three Sheets to Italian hideaway Bar Lina, the all-singing Room Where It Happens, Stormzy's House Party and Below Stone Nest, visit these Soho newbies for your next Big Night Out.  RECOMMENDED: These are London’s very best bars. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and you’ll probably find her at Trisha’s. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

In 2026, the UK’s coastline is more in the spotlight than it has been in a long, long time. The opening of the long-awaited King Charles III Coastal Path means that the entire coasts of England, Wales and Scotland are now fully walkable – giving you even more of a reason to visit this nation’s extraordinary roster of seaside towns. Of course, being an island nation, the UK has no shortage of coastal spots. Prim, proper, picture-postcard-worthy idylls? Check. Remote, blustery retreats from stormy seas?  Yep, plenty of that. Thrill-packed resort spots with something for everyone? Britain has all of the above and much more. If you’re on the hunt for British seaside towns that are worth checking out right now – the ones that should be on your radar specifically in 2026 – that’s what we’re here for. Time Out assembled our UK travel experts to pick out the country’s most exciting seaside, port, harbour and resort towns to visit this year. RECOMMENDED: 🏖️ The best beaches in the UK (and mapped).📍 The best places to visit in Britain in 2026.🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026. Time Out’s best seaside towns, mapped Image: Time Out

A red sandstone amphitheatre. An ancient woodland on the English coast. A teeny tiny island with a black sand beach. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes – luckily, the world isn’t held to the same rigid beauty standards as humans are – and we’ve curated this list to celebrate that.  It goes without saying that Time Out’s ranking of the world’s most beautiful places is entirely subjective and by no means exhaustive, but what we can guarantee is real-life experience. Every single beach, lake, city and valley on this list has been visited and vetted by our globetrotting network of travel writers. In short, they’re all well worth making the journey to see for yourself (no social media fakery here).We update this list regularly, ensuring we’re including the big-hitters while considering the impact of overtourism and spotlighting lesser-known beauty spots. So here it is: Time Out’s guide to the most beautiful places on planet Earth. Happy travels!Updated March 2026: There are seven new additions to the list this year, including a terracotta-coloured Old Town in Italy, an opulent Renaissance-style library in New York and a compact mountain range in northern Spain.Grace Beard is Time Out’s travel editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED:⛰️ The most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites🗺 The most underrated travel destinations i

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.

Sure, they don’t have super strength, infinite stretch or the ability to burst into flames at any given moment, but the Spiteris are basically The Incredibles when it comes to London’s restaurant scene. You might think that for the children of celebrated restaurateurs Jon Spiteri (The French House, St John, Sessions Arts Club) and Melanie Arnold (Rochelle Canteen), the choice to follow in such footsteps risks a life skulking in their parents’ shadows. Not for brothers Fin and Lorcan, who mastered their craft at Islington’s now-shuttered barge-based restaurant Caravel, and sister Molly, who leads business development for Koya. As culinary dynasties go, their powers are immense.  Grilled bream on a bed of fennel is what happens when pub food is done really, really well The latest Spiteri venture sees the two generations join forces. The Latimer is intentionally pub-first, the white tablecloths which hint at its gastro prefix only visible past the stools and steel-topped tables that occupy its main floorspace. Big windows flood the high ceilinged room with light, triggering that irresistible urge to snap a couple of piccies before golden hour fades. Come summer, grabbing a table on its terrace will likely take as much dedication as worming through the crowds to Latimer Road station on Carnival weekend. The Latimer’s menu is best pondered over a Westway cocktail – which tastes like adults-only pink sherbet, because, well, tequila. Masala monkfish with tartare sauce, which featur

In celebrity circles, naming babies has become something of an art. A-lister offspring are named after inanimate objects, weather patterns, mathematical equations and even cursed kings of ancient Greek mythology (yep, that one). Among the general public, though, the top monikers tend to be more tradish.  Each year the Office of National Statistics (ONS) releases data revealing which baby names were the most popular during the previous year in England and Wales. In 2025, Muhammad was the best-liked boys name, and Olivia topped the list for girls, both retaining their first place position from the previous year. But the data is also broken down by area, thereby telling us which noms are en vogue in different London boroughs. Muhammad was also the favourite among parents of baby boys in the capital, topping the list in 12 London boroughs, while for girls, Sofia ranked number one. In fact, Sophia and Sofia saw a huge rise in popularity last year, becoming the best-liked name across 10 boroughs between them, up from just two in 2024. For boys, the biggest climber last year is Leo, soaring up the table from just one borough in 2024 to eight last year. On the other end of the spectrum, Amelia is no longer on trend. An impressive 14 boroughs favoured the name in 2024, now down to just two. Curious about what new sprogs are being named in your neighbourhood? Here’s the borough-by-borough lowdown.  The most popular baby names for each London borough Barking & Dagenham – Ayah or Maryam

If a long weekend of camping, skipping sleep to see your favourite artists and washing with a plastic water bottle is your idea of a good time, then Reading and Leeds Festival is paradise.  Thanks to Glastonbury being on a fallow year in 2026, R&L is set to be Britain’s largest music festival this summer. And along with a star-studded lineup, it’s also announced a complete revamp of its layout. Yep, the sister festivals’ organisers have announced the ‘biggest staging and arena overhaul in the festival’s 37 year history’ for the 2026 bash.  Wondering what to expect from the fezzy’s makeover? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a breakdown of all the new stages coming to Reading and Leeds this year. Photograph: Reading and Leeds FestivalCrowds at Reading and Leeds Festival When is Reading and Leeds Festival 2026? This year’s dual bash will take place over the summer Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday August 27 to Sunday August 30, hosted at Bramham Park in Leeds and Little John’s Farm in Reading. New stages for Reading and Leeds 2026 The Grid The only change being made to the fezzy’s largest platform is its name. The area formerly known as the main stage will hereby be referred to as The Grid. It’ll host the biggest-name artists of the weekend, including headliners Charlie XCX, Fontaines DC, Dave, RAYE, Florence + The Machine, Chase & Status and Kasabian, who will appear as the first ever Thursday night headliner of Leeds Festival. The Gallery Pitched as an ‘undercover immersive s

Germanophile? Teutonophile? Deutschophile? Whatever label you choose, if you’re a lover of German culture, we have good news. Back in December we reported that Eurostar had revealed plans to launch high-speed rail routes between London and Germany. Its plans to offer direct services to the likes of Cologne and Frankfurt are still in the works, and if everything goes to plan, we could see Eurostar trains pulling into these German cities by the early 2030s. Turns out, though, Eurostar isn’t the only one with big, high-speed rail plans. In fact, we could be getting trips to Cologne even sooner thanks to one of its rivals.  Gemini Trains has announced its own plans to run competing services to Cologne as early as 2030. The British start-up, which is backed by a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, also wants to journey to Paris (stopping off at Disneyland and Charles de Gaulle airport) as well as Brussels, with plans to expand further into Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in the future. Gemini’s ambitions would see Stratford International join St Pancras in offering international train trips from the Big Smoke. Services could also stop at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in Kent, where Eurostar last stopped in 2020. Photograph: Roberto La Rosa / Shutterstock.comStratford International Station, London Gemini intends to lease eight electric trains which will each fit more than 550 passengers, with plans to run 11 services a day by 2030. In comparison, Eurostar runs abou

Long gone may be the days of chainmail-attired knights on horseback, fair maidens trapped in towers and feuding noble families, but remnants of those bygone epochs are still standing. Around 4,000 castles, now in various stages of disrepair, can still be found dotted around the UK, having survived centuries of British history. Now, one of these medieval monuments is getting a revamp.  Haverfordwest Castle in Pembrokeshire is over 800 years old. First mention of the fortress dates back to 1188 when it would have been made of timber and earth. In the years since it has been attacked countless times and fallen in and out of dereliction. In 2026, though, it’s not exactly thriving. Little remains of the original medieval defences in Haverfordwest Castle’s outer ward and its former entrance on the west side has been completely destroyed. But a new cash injection will breathe life into the old digs once again. Pembrokeshire County Council has promised £17.7 million of UK Government funding to transform the site into a ‘flagship’ local attraction. Photograph: Drew Watson / Shutterstock.comHaverfordwest Castle The council has spent the last six months stabilising the foundations and replacing the Grade II-listed building’s two-level roof structure. Stage two of the works will now revamp the space into a state-of-the-art visitor centre. Once complete, the fortress will be home to a café and a shop full of local products and handmade crafts. Haverfordwest Castle’s grounds will be free

‘Tiramisu, medium rare!’ calls our waiter with a wink. He’s dressed in a pale blue shirt, all smiles, and with an Italian accent as thick as guanciale. His colleague, a strapping Sicilian named Valerio, side-eyes him. He’s heard this one before. It’s a Tuesday afternoon and my sister and I are sitting street-side at Ciao Bella. To our right, a pair of salt-and-pepper businessmen sip espresso and discuss their sons’ impending move to uni. To our left, a kid slurps his Diet Coke, legs swinging beneath the table beside his parents before he sucks on individual strands of spaghetti.  Hungry Londoners have been tucking into overflowing plates of more-is-more Italian cuisine at this bustling Bloomsbury trattoria since 1983. Countless birthdays, first dates and family gatherings have taken place under its blue al-fresco awning, which has stood virtually unchanged for longer than many of its patrons have been alive (us included.)  Photograph: Ciao BellaCiao Bella's iconic dining room In the grand scheme of London’s historic dining scene, though, Ciao Bella is still in its infancy. Some of this city’s restaurants are really old. Like, older than the American Constitution kind of old (yes, Wiltons, we’re looking at you and your 1742 birth year). And these ancient eateries are having a resurgence.  Ambling down Thurloe Street in South Kensington, you’ll catch a glimpse of a maroon-painted shopfront and cream-coloured canopy. Daquise has been serving traditional Polish cuisine at the s

It’s only July, and we’re already struggling to keep up with the number of heatwaves that have hit the UK this summer. One thing we do know, though, is that there’s nowhere better to spend a sunny day than by the sea. Which is why, each year, Time Out bring you a guide to Britain’s best beaches. Compiled by expert Time Out editors and travel writers, our list of the 40 best beaches in the UK spans concealed coves and epic stretches of coastline. Traeth Llanddwyn in Anglesey, with its 3.5 mile stretch of rolling white dunes, was officially crowned Britain’s best beach this year. In second place was Cuckmere Haven, which scored a place on the podium thanks to its towering chalk cliffs, its nature reserve and its proximity to the iconic Seven Sisters hiking trail, while third was ‘spotlessly clean’ Blackpool Sands in Devon and fourth was Camusdarach Beach in Scotland. For anyone on the hunt for a canine-friendly coastline, though, our eighth place offers the perfect oasis for pooches and their owners. Situated on the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where the River Aln meets the North Sea, Alnmouth offers two miles of dog- and family-friendly golden sand. Photograph: ShutterstockAlnmouth beach with wooden cross Time Out contributor Amy Houghton remarked that ‘lots of beaches around the country ban dogs or require them to be on leads during the sunniest months of the year, which is obviously pretty limiting for mutt owners. Not Alnmouth. Here you can watc

If anyone thought the nation’s love for Jude Bellingham had reached its peak, Saturday night proved that love can only reach greater heights. The lyrics to ‘Hey Jude’ were belted from pubs and living rooms up and down the country after the 23-year-old number 10 secured England’s place in the World Cup semi-finals with two goals at critical moments against Norway.  After that 120-minute nail-biter of a match, now there’s one question on England fans’ minds: can the Three Lions take home the trophy for the first time since 1966? And better yet, if they do win it, will be get a bank holiday to celebrate?  Should the Three Lions win their semi final against Argentina and win the weekend’s final, a day off work feels about right, doesn’t it? Here’s everything we know so far about the potential bank holiday if England win the World Cup. 2026 World Cup Final date The final of the 2026 World Cup will take place on Sunday July 19 at 8pm.  As for who we’ll see on the pitch in the final, the final two teams in the tournament are still to be decided in the semi-finals. France play Spain at 8pm on Tuesday July 14 ahead of England’s match versus Argentina at 8pm on Wednesday July 15.  Potential date for a Bank Holiday Prime Minister Keir Starmer has hinted at the possibility of a bank holiday if England are crowned victorious. Asked about it, he said he didn’t want to ‘jinx it’ and told reporters to ‘ask me again if we get to the final’. But, according to the Guardian, Downing Street insid

If you work in Mayfair and fancy catching some rays on your lunch break over summer, we have some good news. The West End’s second biggest green space is back, and it’s got some shiny new features. Mayfair locals will have noticed the fence barring entry to Grosvenor Square. The green space closed its gates on June 8 last year in preparation for what its landlord, property giant Grosvenor, has called ‘the most significant private investment in West End public green space in a generation’. Now, the 300-year-old park is ready to welcome people back. Grosvenor Square will reopen to the public on Monday July 20, having been transformed into a first-of-its-kind biodiversity haven. Now home to 150,000 plants, bulbs and new trees, Grosvenor has been redesigned to offer a calmer, more eco-friendly green space for people in central London. Plantings have increased from less than 1 percent to almost 50 percent. The plants and flowers which have been newly introduced will grow and mature, making the landscape richer and more luscious over time. New woodlands and wetlands have been introduced to provide homes for more wildlife.  Photograph: GrosvenorThe new cafe kiosk at Grosvenor Square The horticulturists behind the development have added aspects which make it a better hangout for humans, too. Grosvenor Square’s entrances have been improved and 300 places to sit have been added. Public toilets, water fountains and better lighting and CCTV have been installed to make it easier to navi

Snaking through Covent Garden’s heaving crowds – navigating slow walkers and shoppers carrying armfuls of bags, all while trying to avoid zippy cabs and delivery drivers – is a skill that not everyone has mastered. But for one day in July taking a stroll in the West End neighbourhood is going to be a lot less stressful. Covent Garden is hosting a ‘Summer Street Party’ – and along with a host of activities, it’ll also be going completely car-free. On Saturday July 25, all eight of the streets surrounding the Seven Dials Monument will be sans traffic, giving you plenty of room to manoeuvre. As well as handing the streets over to pedestrians, Covent Garden has lined up gifting experiences, activations, special discounts and complimentary treats throughout the day across its local businesses. Shops including Ganni, Kiko Milano and Moleskine will all offer sales of up to 50 percent off, while customers perusing the shelves at brands like Missoma, Guerlain and Nespresso can expect to nab a free gift. A variety of pop ups will also be taking to the streets. Photograph: Shaftesbury CapitalFree drink at Covent Garden summer party All that shopping sounds like thirsty work, right? Well, luckily there will also be pop-up bars scattered around the neighbourhood. The Summer Street Party Bar will be mixing cocktails created specifically for the day, including the Monmouth Margarita, Covent Garden Breeze, Street Party Paloma and Seven Dials Spritz. As for food, expect venues including Bra

Usually, when you hear the words ‘abandoned theme park’, it’s in the context of a horror movie. Some kids have jumped the fence at night, there’s a broken ride creaking in the background and something scary is about to happen. Well, not in the case of one abandoned fairground in Lincolnshire.  Instead, the derelict Pleasure Island park in Cleethorpes, which closed in 2016, is about to be transformed into a new resort and holiday centre which its developers have dubbed ‘Center Parcs-by-the-sea’.  A consortium of developers plans to tear down what remains of the adventure park, including rides which have been left to rot for a decade, and replace it with a £70 million resort complex. The vision for the 60-acre site includes 272 holiday lodges, a drive-through coffee shop and a cycle-hire building, as well as a Lidl superstore. Two hotels are also included in the plans, one with 58 rooms and another with 148 rooms, both of which are due to be five-storeys high. Plus, the lake at the centre of the site is set to get a new angler hub for fishing enthusiasts alongside new toilets, lockers and changing facilities for anyone looking to bait some hooks. Photograph: ShutterstockCleethorpes An application to transform the theme park was first submitted in January 2023, but objections have delayed plans. In November 2023 Natural England raised questions about the potential effect the development would have on the Humber Estuary Special Protection Area, which supports a range of bird sp

At any given moment, there are usually a fair few cranes towering over the Big Smoke’s skyline. The city is chocka with new developments, from Barking Riverside, which will have space for more than 50,000 residents when it’s finished, to Docklands, where a £2.5 billion project will create 5,000 new homes opposite the O2. And that’s not all. Now, we can add Sutton in south London to the list of neighbourhoods under construction.  The area is billed for a new 5.6‑acre regeneration project featuring over 1,000 private homes and 8,500 sq ft of commercial space. The Sutton Garden Square development, located a five minute walk from Sutton Station, is being built in stages. The first collection of apartments to launch will be The Kensington, comprising 159 one, two and three-bedroom flats. Developer Berkeley Group reckons it will break ground this year, with the first homes completed from 2028.  Image: BerkeleyRender of flat interior in Sutton Garden Square regeneration project All the apartments will have underfloor heating and rainfall showerheads mounted to the ceiling. The project’s masterplan also includes co-working spaces and lounge areas, as well as a private gym, a games room and even a pet spa (if that doesn’t scream bougie we don’t know what does). Residents will also have access to a 24-hour concierge and a kids’ playroom.  Plus, when The Kensington opens it’ll have a shared roof terrace accessible to all of the building’s residents.  Image: BerkeleyRender of co-worki

PSA to Lambeth locals: if you find yourself near Nine Elms station and spot a construction site where Nolan’s Public House used to be, have no fear. The Victorian boozer – an icon of the London darts scene – is going nowhere. Ok, technically the building itself, which can be seen on historical maps of the area dating back to 1867, is being torn down, but the pub will then be completely rebuilt, this time with some swanky apartments above it. Under the site’s development plans, the current three-storey building, which is not listed or located in a conservation area, will be demolished to make way for a new six-storey replacement, featuring an upgraded ground-floor pub space, pub manager’s accommodation and 14 new flats.  Image: Stefan Shaw StudioRender of cross section view of Nolan's pub in Lambeth The Nolan family, who have worked in hospitality for the past 40 years and own the eponymous pub, are behind the project. At a Planning Applications Committee meeting in April, Shaun Nolan, who was there representing his family, told Lambeth Council that the building ‘no longer reflects the needs of a modern pub or our customers’. He said that the redevelopment would ensure the pub’s viability in the future.  He said: ‘We strongly believe that redevelopment is the best long-term option for the site, our proposal ensures the retention of the public house which we believe has clear social value to the local community. ‘Alongside this, the proposed new homes allow the site to make a