Joe Mackertich

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. 

There’s a reason why motivational songs that put a firm pep in your step stand the test of time. As these timeless inspirational tracks prove, music that has the power to lift your mood, get you striding through life with your head held high, and urges you to embrace the good of today, is music that we all come back to again and again. On this list of the 37 best inspirational songs of all-time, you’ll find everything from aspirational rap classics to rock’n’roll affirmations to pop stars who inspire simply by existing. From golden anthems by Gloria Gaynor and David Bowie, right through to modern-day pick-me-ups by Billie Eilish and Jamie xx, no matter what you need to get done, these jams will help get you there. RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far🎤 The best karaoke songs🍻 The best drinking songs🎶 The best ’80s songs🎊 The best pop songs

For centuries, French cuisine has been considered the world's very best. Although that golden crown might have slipped somewhat, French-accented cuisine is having a real resurgance in popularity. Its emphasis on technique and ingredients-first approach make it hard to beat when you fancy feasting on something rich, complex, and unimpeachably lavish. So whether you want an old-school onion soup or an elaborate, immaculately conceived dish served with undeniable je ne sais quoi, we've got you covered. Here’s our pick of the best bistros, brasseries and fine-dining spots in London spanning every budget, with everything from Michelin-star restaurants to petit back-alley bistros and chic cafes. RECOMMENDED: Here are London's 50 Best Restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

What makes a good party song? Is it uplifting lyrics? Or maybe it's an uptempo production?Throughout the decades, they’ve come in all shapes, sizes and vibes. However, for a song to be a proper, hip-shaking party song, there are some rules: it’s gotta be a banger, and it’s gotta give you absolutely no choice but to get up and boogie.  No wonder then that this list includes everything from funk, soul and disco classics to ‘90s RnB tunes and 2025 chart-toppers. There’s a tonne of variety on here, so pass the aux cable over to us and we’ll have your party shaking in no time. Ready to throw some shapes? You’re in the right place – these are the best party songs of all time.  RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far 🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far 🎤 The best karaoke songs🍻 The best drinking songs🎶 The best ’80s songs🎊 The best pop songs This guide was recently updated by Georgia Evans, who covers Time Out’s music section. Entries are by Time Out Editors. For more about how we curate, have a look at our editorial guidelines.

Vibrant, historical, and home to real Scottish humour, Glasgow is a special city with an equally special set of spaces to stay. Along with the usual options of bright and shiny modern chains, you’ll also discover some truly unique places on the map – like the self-catering apartments in a former bank or a room to put your head down in a converted Victorian mansion. The best part is that they’re all conveniently placed near the city’s bars, restaurants art galleries and theatres. You’re sure to find something that suits your tastes and, while we’re at it, some are worth visiting even if just for a glass of bubbly or a wholesome, hearty meal. We love the champagne bar at Grand Central and Barry Duff’s bistro at One Devonshire Gardens Hotel du Vin, for instance. Ideal spots for enjoying the city 24 hours a day, and without being completely bank-breaking. Enjoy – you deserve it!  RECOMMENDED: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿The best Airbnbs in Glasgow⛰The best Airbnbs in the Scottish Highlands Updated July 2024: Pssst, we have a newcomer called Native on the list we think you might like, especially you're after somewhere cosy, central and functional.  Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every hotel 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. Fo

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

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.

Shoreditch is a dining destination for hipsters, tourists and ravenous city workers alike, so it’s no wonder that there are restaurants of all cuisines and price ranges in the always-buzzy area. But which of the many options deserve your time and money? Let us tell you, with our list of the best restaurants in Shoreditch and Spitalfields, which only features places that we know will hit the spot. From Michelin-starred favourites (including the UK’s only Michelin starred vegan restaurant) for big spenders to stellar street-food joints. Go east and feast. RECOMMENDED: The best bars, pubs and rooftops in Shoreditch. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. So east London it hurts? Follow our Time Out East London WhatsApp channel for the latest news, openings and goss from the coolest bit of the capital. (Yeah, we said it.)

There’s honestly nowhere in the world like Soho. The haunt of poets, gangsters, trendsetters and many a louche genius, the seedy, sleazy and impossibly romantic heart of London’s West End is also home to loads of great independent shops, cafés, bars and, most importantly, restaurants. Its culinary diversity has been fuelled by centuries of immigration and cultural cross-pollination. From rustic French fare to Mediterranean small plates and tasty tapas, here is Time Out’s list of our absolute favourite Soho restaurants. Whether you fancy a slap-up meal or are just in the market for a mid-town pitstop, we have you covered. Recent additions include seriously good value omakase at Sushi Kyu, Filipino bistro Donia, old school fonude joint St Moritz, Cambodian pop-up Mamapen and revamped classic Kettner’s. RECOMMENDED: Here are London’s best restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor and spends so much time eating in Soho that she basically lives on Greek Street. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now.

Islington is no slouch when it comes to dining out. From Highbury and the fringes of Holloway Road to Angel via Canonbury, the gastronomical delights on offer in this north London neighbourhood almost put the best restuarants of Soho to shame. Whether it's heavy metal-styled live-fire houses you're after, perfect Italian pasta joints, sexy small plates or mouth-numbing platters of Chinese mapo tofu, you’ll find plenty to satisfy you in Islington. Ready for your restaurant crawl of Upper Street and beyond? Let’s get started. Going further afield? These are the 50 Best Restaurants 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 enough colour and flavour in Victoria to satisfy any culinary craving and at any price – whether you’re after an Aussie brunch, a delicate tasting menu, Danish baked goodies, a good old British roast or the best burgers for miles. Moving out towards Pimlico, you’ll find fancy contemporary cooking, opulent Ottoman eats and some stonking Chinese cuisine. Here’s our pick of the best. RECOMMENDED: The 50 Best Restaurants in London. 

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

How much do you like tea? If the answer is ‘not at all’ you can probably stop reading this review. Kai Enshu is a delightful, surprising and compact onsen hotel which is to tea what Burgundy vineyards are to wine and what remote Scottish distilleries are to single-malt whisky. The caffeinated drink is everywhere and is everything here. If it was possible for a hotel to speak, Kai Enshu would say ‘would you like a cup of tea?’ or, on occasion, ‘would you like a relaxing onsen bath, followed by a cup of tea?’ Whatever you’re doing and wherever you are within the hotel’s sleek and stylish walls, the t-word is never far away. Which is no bad thing! Tea here is a very centred, unhurried quasi-spiritual ritual. It’s about appreciating the drink’s subtleties, understanding its provenance and stilling your mind in the moment. Quite different from chinning a milky mug of PG Tips, then. The fact that the hotel, located on the shores of the shockingly picturesque Lake Hamana, is elegant, supremely comfortable and charming helps a lot. Crucially the staff also really know a lot about tea (and talk about it in a very winning, adorably deferential way).  Also, the food is excellent. And that’s not a given. A lot of high-end hotels in Japan specialise in a kind of tedious Japanese-French hybrid that delivers neither the subtlety of the former or the rich sauciness of the latter. Kai Enshu knocks out a ‘standard’ kaiseki meal which genuinely brought a smile to my face. It’s a punchy set menu

Kyoto is a very particular place. While Japan’s other cities can be overwhelmingly frenetic, occasionally impersonal and almost hyper real at times, the former capital is warm, rustic and welcoming. Put it like this: if the rest of Japan is steel and concrete, Kyoto is resolutely wooden. And arguably there’s no luxury hotel which embodies this vibe as completely and as successfully as Hotel the Mitsui. That’s not to say this place is some kind of themed novelty throwback. It’s a thoroughly modern place, with more luxury mod cons than your average Shangri La. But from the moment you’re through its monumental 1700s gate, the Mitsui’s single-minded dedication to natural colours, peaceful design and general harmonious energies is tangible. The property is built around a broad and tranquil courtyard, complete with an ornamental pond and weeping cherry tree, and its surrounding corridors are full of wooden arcs, washi lights and modern sculptures. If it feels like you’ve strolled into the palatial home of an incredibly rich family, that’s because you sort of have. Hotel the Mitsui was the former residence of the executive branch of Edo-era Mitsui family, who were to Kyoto what the Medicis were to Florence hundreds of years earlier.  Rooms are all in keeping with the rest of the property. Smooth wood, rich in colour, dominates the decor and creates a satisfyingly warm and welcoming ambience. We had a huge bed (not always a given in Japanese hotels) with a garden view, but rooms over

In the middle of Tokyo’s Otemachi district, an area synonymous with identity-free glass-and-steel skyscrapers and charmless towers, stands a building that looks nothing like the rest. Cloaked in a dark chainmail with a beguiling floral-effect pattern, alarmingly narrow and dramatically uplit at night, the Hoshinoya doesn’t belong among the banks and business hotels. It belongs to a different dimension. It’s a tragic cliche to describe a hotel as both traditional and modern. But the Hoshinoya takes the old-new concept and takes it to new and exciting places. It’s not just modern – it’s downright futuristic; a utopian vision of luxury hospitality that’s close to science fiction. A blissfully tranquil yet uncompromisingly urban take on a ryokan, Hoshinoya asks ‘what if you took the concept of traditional Japanese spa inns, and replicated it multiple times inside a modern high rise?’ The moment you step through the hotel’s front door you’re hit with something unique. Actually that’s wrong. It begins when you see the front door: a whisper-silent automatic sliding number that’s made out of centuries-old bewitchingly warped wood. Once you’re inside, the friendly and endlessly patient staff avail you of your shoes (stored from that point inside a nifty bamboo tower) and ferry you into the building proper. From that point the real world basically fades into non-existence. Japanese tatami is everywhere, including in the elevators, (which announce their arrival with the thwok of a Noh d

An extremely spenny but appropriately high-quality Cantonese restaurant, sitting innocuously on Goodge Street. Food from Hong Kong and its environs used to represent a massive part of London’s restaurant scene, so it’s nice having somewhere new flying the flag for Guangdong in 2025. Food at 3 Gorges is meticulously prepared and frequently accessorised with haute-cuisine flourishes befitting a head chef in Yipeng Qian, who won a Michelin Star at Gouqi.  As you’d expect, dim sum is exceptional here. All of the xiao long bao were juicy, perfectly prepared and flavourful. Peking Duck three ways, as a main, presents you with a whole roast duck, which is then whisked off to get spliced and diced into three distinct courses. All of the meat mains, including slow-cooked pork belly and black-pepper Angus beef cubes, are beautifully cooked. We’d also suggest you go in for the Yangzhou fried rice, a rustic regional fave, given an upmarket makeover by Qian and his team. And for anyone looking to truly go to town, then Chef Qian and his team will also prepare for you a super-deluxe set menu, of the type of things usually served to Qing-dynasty emperors and high-ranking Imperial mandarins. Like the sound of pan-seared wagyu beef with ‘secret sauce’ or noodles with black truffle and crab claw? The 11-course Deluxe Jade Menu is non-stop legendary banquet dishes.  3 Gorges isn’t cheap (at all) but for anyone around Warren Street with a hankering for accomplished, fine-dining Cantonese cooking

Shoulder to shoulder with Angel’s legendary Lexington pub, this dinky but delightful Chinese restaurant has become a favourite for in-the-know locals. The menu isn’t limited to one type of regional cuisine, but it does pride itself on its moreish BBQ skewers, which are an absolute steal at five-ish quid for a pair. Tried-and-tested UK-Chinese classics like sweet and sour dishes (the prawns are excellent) and cumin lamb do not miss. It’s easy to forget what a lot of this stuff is meant to taste like, such is the rank standard across London. But everything Lucky Skewers serves tastes unmistakably fresh and zippy. There’s no slap-dash cookery: this is casual food prepared by people that care about what they’re serving. The air-fried green beans with minced pork is the right combination of crispy and meaty. The gong bao chicken is on the old-school side (think sweet and fried) but - like everything else - cleverly seasoned and cooked really well.  The friendly and informal style of service makes Lucky Skewers feel like an actual neighbourhood restaurant. Somewhere you'd dip into for a spur-of-the-moment Friday treat or a slap-up meal with an old friend. Compact, charming and highly addictive.

I liked the Lord Clyde. A spacious pub at the top of Englefield Road, it was the go-to boozer for Canonbury’s more down-to-earth residents. Old-school Islingtonites – the geezers and old girls – first hung out there when it was an Irish place called Kendrick’s, drawn to its big beer garden and enduring unpretentious vibe. The habit was hard to break. So, imagine my snort of patronising derision when I found out the Lord Clyde was being reimagined as a ‘bistro pub’ called The Brave. A high-end food spot built on the bones of Kendrick’s? Isn't that sacrilege? The Man thinks he can come storming into a salt-of-the-earth boozer, put up some new tiles and then start slinging burrata and curds? Not on my watch, Sonny Jim. Not on my watch. Cheesy gougeres are airy puffs of pastry, the soul of a Sainsbury’s cheese twist, channeled into a pebble-sized morsel It turns out: yes on my watch. Because ‘the Man’ in this case is James Cochran, formerly of Upper Street’s 12:51. And where James goes, flavour slavishly follows.  Nitpickers might say that the Brave doesn’t quite feel like a restaurant (it’s clearly a big pub) or a pub (there’s nowhere obvious to have a pint). But who needs their nits picked when the food is this consistent and rewarding? Cheesy gougeres are airy puffs of pastry, the soul of a Sainsbury’s cheese twist, channeled into a pebble-sized morsel. Salmon tartare with cod’s roe bites are resolutely un-fishy in flavour, encased within puff pastry that’s flakily redolent o

There’s no sight on Earth quite like the Tokyo skyline at night. Simultaneously thrilling, calming, otherworldly and recognisable all at once. And arguably there’s nowhere better to see it than this high-end mainstay in Maranouchi.  Eschewing flashy gimmicks and marketing stunts, the Shangri La in Tokyo welcomes business travelers and moneyed holiday makers with the redoubtable confidence that comes from dominating the luxury space for more than a decade. Basically, what these guys don’t know about glossy, high-end hospitality isn’t worth knowing.  The property’s self assuredness is palpable everywhere from the rococo elevators that raise you from street level into the clouds, to the responsive and considerate staff who do the big things and (crucially) the little things impossibly well. In fact the lavish accents are what set the Shangri La apart from its luxury competitors, most of which are situated around Tokyo station. Whereas the others try (with varying degrees of success) to reflect Japan’s austere and minimalist sensibilities, this place is utterly unembarrassed about looking flash and fabulous. The lobby and hallways all stay on the right side of tasteful (caramel and orange tones abound, as does wood paneling), while its restaurants and bars maintain a resolutely fine-dining ambience.  Most importantly: the rooms are brilliant. It’s easy to assume all posh hotel rooms are created equal, but it is sadly not the case. It takes more than a massive budget to make a spa

A thoroughly great hotel. Leave Tokyo’s high-earning business travelers to swarm around the myriad luxury options by Tokyo Station, visitors wanting a cooler, more boutique-y, more discerning experience would do well to look east, towards Shibuya’s western fringe. It’s there you’ll find Tomigaya, a trendy, fashion-conscious neighborhood that’s both intimate and local while also tangibly cutting edge and exciting. And Trunk(Hotel), with its compact seven-story structure (courtesy of celebrity architect Keiji Ashizawa), washed concrete surfaces and designer furniture, suits the place to a tee.  There are 25 rooms (including five suites), and if you are presented with a choice, do choose the ones that overlook Yoyogi Park. To wake up in Tokyo (a beautiful city nevertheless synonymous with urban sprawl), overlooking a massive green space is a wonderful and surreal experience. And even if you can’t manage a park-side room you’ll still have access to what might be the hotel’s crowning achievement: its show-stopping rooftop bar and heated infinity pool. Elegant, pared-back and stunningly pretty, it basically feels like hanging out at a really tasteful billionaire’s house. Which, ultimately, is what we all want from a hotel experience.  The luxe-minimalist schtick is upheld through the rooms. Ours, with floors-to-ceiling windows, light-wood floors, abstract canvases and sandblasted concrete walls felt like a cosy art gallery. Somehow the essence of friendliness is maintained, despite

Osaka is – even by Japan’s idiosyncratic standards – a thoroughly singular city. It thrums with a restless energy, and its denizens are often blunter, brusquer and (dare we say it) edgier than their countrymen. It’s apt then, that a place as characterful and dynamic as Osaka should have a hotel as brilliantly unique as OMO7. For the uninitiated: Hoshino Resorts is a national chain of hotels with a laudably creative streak running through it. Want high-end Japanese luxury? Hoshino do that. Want family-friendly environments and fun activities? They do that too. Desperate for blissed-out onsens and peaceful wooden ryokans? That’s also Hoshino. Feel the need to stay in an old American 1950s theme park or a tower surrounded by nothing but snow? For some reason, they do that as well. It’s all done with an unwavering eye for detail and quality, all delivered with and underpinned by the notion of omotenashi – basically the gold standard of hospitality.  OMO7 is Hoshino’s big, bold and beautiful Osaka property. Like all of the hotels in the OMO sub brand (Japan loves a sub brand), it's intended to be a super-fun base for city breaks. Formerly some kind of huge corporate monolith, the building has been remorselessly repurposed and reimagined as a place where families can come on holiday. In the best possible way: it feels like a child with magical powers has charged into an office block, waved a wand, and transformed it into a place where they’d want to stay. The grounds, presumably on

The town of Atami isn’t at the top of every tourist’s Japan itinerary. And, selfishly, let’s hope it stays that way. If the town’s appealing shopping streets and bayside attractions became as over subscribed as Nara and Kyoto it would lose a significant chunk of its charm. Perched on the top-right edge of the Izu peninsula, Atami exemplifies the breezy, laid-back side of Japan that most visitors never see.  The Hiramatsu resort is a traditional (to an extent) ryokan, located just outside of the town’s centre, halfway up a hill that overlooks the magnificent Sagami Bay. The meandering road that leads to it is quite beautiful in its own right, the kind of sunny coastal highway that’s redolent of City Pop album artwork. In fact the whole area feels like a blissed-out flashback, back to a time when Japanese manufacturing (rightfully) ruled supreme, every home owned a Game Boy and the whole country was still riding high on its post-war economic miracle.  If Atami is a vibesy town that time forgot, then Hiramatsu is the hotel that time never knew existed. Guests enter the 13-room property via a suitably otherworldly secluded wooded area. By the time you’ve surrendered your shoes (standard ryokan protocol) and shuffled into the elegantly rustic interior, the real world may as well not exist. One end of the Hiramatsu is sequestered in beautiful woodland. The other looks out onto the jaw-dropping Pacific Ocean. The spacious rooms themselves are (in my experience) genuinely unique fusi

Straight off the bat: one of the most striking things about the Four Seasons in Otemachi is its views straight over and into the Imperial Palace. Being able to watch from on high as people come and go through one of Japan’s most enigmatic, exclusive areas is a tremendous privilege and never gets old. As you’d expect, the hotel itself is a successfully executed fusion of international jet-setting luxury and Japanese-accented design choices. As soon as you step out of the elevator into the lobby you’re hit with an intoxicating cocktail of shining dark wood, panelled walls and sky-high ceilings. Huge lamps, like inverted tubs, hang down, bathing everything in a blissed out gentle light. There’s something surreal about the chilled ambience (complemented by trickling water features) being located so high up in a skyscraper. The sense of this place being a self-contained little universe, located far above the financial district’s busy streets, does feel recognisably Japanese.  Once you’ve finished taking (what feels like) illicit bird’s-eye photos of one of planet Earth’s most secretive and exclusive residences, it’s time to see your room. And, what a surprise, it’s elegant in a way that’s thrillingly stylish and respectful of Japanese design. Caramel-coloured carpets, understated designer decor and high-end toiletries abound. It’s harder to imagine a nicer, sleeker pad to come back to after a day tramping up and down Ginza’s buzzy thoroughfares.  It goes without saying that Four S

Thank god the drinks at Bar Lotus are banging. Because – were the cocktails crap – the place itself would be quite funny. That is because this Kingsland Road cocktail bar is a kind of 1980s fever dream of a venue. It’s retro avant garde in a way that brings to mind Slovenian performance art spaces featuring video installations (it even has the industrial trance soundtrack to go with it.) Luckily, Bar Lotus has an exceptional roster of drinks, all prepared on a minimalist island slap-bang in the middle of the room. Each of the venue’s signature cocktails excels at being surprising and creative while never seeming gimmicky or frivolous. Whoever designs these things is clearly very good at it. It helps that the bar snacks, which are freshly prepared in the kitchen, are all top-tier dishes. The fried chicken lollipops in particular, served with an otherworldly peanut rayu, demand to be ordered twice. At least.  The other thing that makes Bar Lotus great is the bar staff. It would have been easy to hire a load of po-faced hipsters as a way to complement the decor. But in fact the people working here are unfailingly helpful, patient and sweet-natured.  Any self-respecting Londoner’s cynicism alarm will go off upon entering Bar Lotus. Luckily, this place has charm in spades and any misgivings you have about the place’s self seriousness will immediately be neutralised by the staff, the food and of course the cocktails. A fantastic addition to London’s stiff-drink scene.   Order this

Psychologists say all people are either mountains or oceans. I don’t know what that means, but I’m definitely a mountain. No disrespect to water, but I’ve always been drawn to massive hills. As a youngster they spoke to my dweeby Tolkien-sympathetic side. They were windswept, blasted, dramatic and cruel. Treacherous passes and passages to places otherwise impossible to access. In other words: mountains were cool. As a result, the idea of a road trip through Scotland, the UK’s most mountainous region, always appealed to me. Setting off in a car, on an epic journey, through an unforgiving Highlands landscape. What’s not to love? I’ll tell you what’s not to love: I can’t drive. Don’t look at me like that. For Londoners, owning a car is both relatively unnecessary and appallingly expensive. As a result I long ago made peace with the idea that I would never refill a petrol tank in the foothills of Ben Nevis or befriend a wandering Shetland pony. My Scottish driving dream would remain just that: a dream.  That was until the people at Sixt got in touch. Did I, they asked, want to borrow a car and go anywhere for an indefinite amount of time? Sixt is the only vehicle-hire service where you don’t need to put down a credit card (or pass a credit check) to hire a vehicle. Which means, theoretically, anyone with a debit card can stroll into one of their orange shops and drive away in a Jaguar half an hour later. My partner (who does drive, albeit nervously) didn’t fancy anything so osten

AJ Odudu first came to London with big dreams of making it as a prime-time telly star. The Blackburn-born presenter may have taken her sweet time getting there, but it’s safe to say that these days she’s considered a staple of the small screen. We asked her to forget TV for just one minute and tell us about the best thing she’s ever seen on a London stage. ‘Ronnie Scott’s is my five-star venue. And I saw Prince there,’ she said on this week’s episode of the Time Out podcast. ‘It blew my mind. It was when he was doing those pop-up, secret surprise gigs around London. I was in Soho, I’d had a meeting, and was just passing. I saw these people queuing in the rain, so I just joined it and ended up paying 25 quid to see Prince. If you’ve ever been to Ronnie Scott’s you'll know it’s tiny. So it was like having Prince perform at me, in my living room. It was bonkers and nothing can top it.’ Prince came to London in 2014 and played a series of secret gigs in iconic venues. As well as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club Prince also appeared (often with almost no notice given) at Koko, King’s Place, Electric Ballroom and the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. ‘He was majestic and indescribable,’ said Odudu. ‘No one that was there could believe that he was in the room, playing these actual classics. He was petite but beautiful.  Want to hear AJ Odudu chat about her love of London while giving Time Out a guided tour of her favourite restaurants, parks and pubs? Have a listen to this week’s episode of ‘Love Thy

Iain Stirling is known by millions for his idiosyncratic, sardonic voiceovers on ITV’s ‘Love Island’. He’s the Scottish guy who talks in a very deliberate, some would say brutally sarcastic, way. But he is of course much more than that. He’s a stand-up comedian, sitcom writer, podcaster and, for a long while, a lead presenter on CBBC.  It was while appearing on CBBC that Iain first become acquainted with Mr Falafel in Shepherd’s Bush Market.  ‘This is the greatest food on the planet,’ said Iain on this week’s ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’ podcast. ‘Mr Falafel in Shepherd’s Bush Market. Oh my god. It’s where I used to go for lunch three or four times a week. Honestly of all the places I’ve taken to you today, this is the one where I’d say you should come. The food is genuinely amazing. The extra large here is absolutely ma-hoosive. You wouldn’t get through a king size unless you were a rabies-ridden maniac.’ If you want to understand the rabies reference you might want to listen to all of this week’s podcast episode, in which Iain shows editor Joe Mackertich around the neighbourhood of Shepherd’s Bush. Guinness, Westfield and Iain’s abiding love of Spaghetti House all get discussed.  Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Amazon Music Each week on ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, someone interesting gives Joe a personal tour around a neighbourhood that means a lot to them. Four locations, with a bit of chitchat en route

Comedian Jon Pointing, best known for his Bafta-nominated starring turn in Channel 4’s ‘Big Boys’, has revealed his London tourist attraction of choice. And it’s not an obvious choice (sorry London Dungeon fans). ‘I would say the Crossness Sewage Works,’ he says on this week’s Love Thy Neighbourhood podcast. ‘You can book it and you get a tour around these sewers that were built near Abbey Wood in Victorian times. An unnecessarily beautiful cast-iron interior that’s being slowly restored by die-hard retired maniacs. They’re down there scraping rust off iron bars.’ The Crossness Pumping Station was designed by legendary British architect Charles Driver in 1865. Described as a ‘masterpiece of engineering’ the Grade I-listed sewers are the subject of ongoing restorations.  ‘Look,’ he says. ‘There is a smell. But you learn a great bit of history, about water. It’s all connected to clean water and cholera. People used to come off pleasure cruises on the Thames and die because the layer of air above the water was so incredibly toxic. I learned all that down in the sewer.’ Want to hear Jon chat about his favourite neighbourhood of Deptford? Tune in to this week’s ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’ podcast. Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Amazon Music Each week on ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, someone interesting gives Joe a personal tour around a neighbourhood that means a lot to them. Four locations, with a bit of chitchat en route to ea

Noomi Rapace is a bit of a global citizen. The actor, who rose to international prominence playing Lisbeth Salander in the original, Swedish-language ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, has lived all over the world. Which is why it’s so flattering she’s chosen to call London home (most of the time).  So where’s her favourite venue in the capital? In the latest episode of our podcast 'Love Thy Neighbourhood', we asked Noomi where in London really floats her movie-star boat right now. ‘I've been going to House of Koko, a lot,’ she says. ‘I love it there. It has four floors, it has little vinyl rooms, I’ve been bringing people there who visit me from LA or New York, friends who are coming to London where we need to have a work dinner, and then have some fun. It’s a beautiful venue.’  House of Koko is the new, swankier incarnation of the notorious Koko nightclub in Camden. Synonymous with rock and indie throughout the naughties, Koko closed down for a bit (and suffered a fire), got a revamp, and reopened as House of Koko in 2022.  ‘I saw Nas perform there last year, at the Koko Theatre, which was epic. And I saw Little Simz there too, she was magical.’ If you want to hear Noomi wax lyrical about her adopted neighbourhood of Portobello (including diversions into squirrels, Premier League football and the film ‘Notting Hill’) do check out this week’s ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’. Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Amazon Musi

Bafta-winning writer and actor Allan Mustafa (who you might know as Seapa) is serious about food. Best known for creating and starring in the phenomenal comedy series ‘People Just Do Nothing’, the born-and-bred Londoner is also deep into his food. So deep that he and two pals started Taste Cadets, a show where they travel around the world eating. But what about eats that are closer to home? In the latest episode of our podcast 'Love Thy Neighbourhood', we asked Seapa what his favourite pizza in London was. Because everyone likes pizza. ‘I'd say Crisp Pizza, in Hammersmith,’ he says. ‘But, by the way, I’m not one of those people that are just now jumping on the trend. We [the Taste Cadets] were some of the first people to go there, really, and the first people to properly document it. You can ask Carl down at Crisp.’  In the last year Crisp Pizza became a word-of-mouth phenomenon after various influencers started calling it the best slice in London. Owner Carl McCluskey does however, credit Seapa and his mates with being the first to raves about his cheesy wares. ‘It’s very thin, very crispy,’ says Seapa. ‘It’s a New York pizza that’s has been, for some reason, really hard to get in London. And he [Carl] has done it so well. He basically did it as a lockdown thing. This pub is called the Chancellor’s in Hammersmith. And he knocks them out of there. He went to New York, he got obsessed, and he came back and just started nerding out on it so much. He got it wrong so many times,

The latest episode of ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, our very good podcast about London and the people who love it, has landed. This week comedian and writer Phil Wang is showing us around his ends (aka Nunhead). One of the stops of the journey just happens to be Phil’s favourite eatery in the area. We are talking, of course, about the magisterial Kudu Grill on Nunhead Lane. The former pub (that still has some of the old signage) serves South African small plates. ‘It’s a beautiful restaurant,’ says Phil. ‘Fancy South African food with amazing flat breads and meats and stuff. To me, there’s no better flavour in all cooking than that slightly burned taste. That’s braai grill, and you can’t get quite the same flavour with anything else. ‘I filmed an episode of “The World’s Most Dangerous Roads” in South Africa. We stopped at these rondavels, which are like traditional round houses, and they had these grills outside that were free to use. The crew bought all these steaks and sausages and started grilling and it was the most delicious thing. They’re just so good at meat, I don’t think anyone grills as well as the South Africans, and Kudu Grill reflects that.’ Phil also describes the restaurant’s stylish interior as ‘a millennials’ wet dream. Forest green, mid-century chairs and lots of wood. Distressed walls, a bit of piping and ceiling fans that are definitely never turned on.’ Want to hear Phil hold forth about Kudu Grill, and loads of other places in Nunhead and beyond? Have a list

We've been banging on about 'Van Gogh: The Immersive Show" for what feels like forever. With good reason! The retina-battering, virtual-reality post-Impressionist extravaganza that's taken up residence at 106 Commercial Street has all the qualities needed to make it a post-pandemic smash. Why not utterly lose yourself in a load of lush brush-strokes for a few hours? Sounds nice. Studio Melrose How does it work though? Is it projections? Are head-sets involved? Do they play depressive music to recreate the feeling of being inside the famously morose artist's head? We went along and found out. As you can see from the photos, Van Gogh's paintings are beamed hyper-sharp all over the floors and walls, using dozens of cutting-edge projectors. The all-encompassing sight of iconic works like Starry Night and Wheatfield with Crows (complete with flying birds, natch) knock a lot of socks off (particularly when augmented and combined with VR headsets). Studio Melrose The exhibition is in three parts, each one dedicated to a different section of the Dutch artist's life.  Be forewarned: the VR part of the exhibition (which takes you on a trip through eight Van Gogh paintings) is included in the price of VIP tickets, but anyone with a standard ticket will need to stump up a bit extra to experience the head-set bit of the exhibition.  Photo: Studio Melrose Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’, 106 Commercial St, E1 6LZ, Jul 29-Feb 2022. Tickets from £19.90 (adult), available here. The

Mark it in your diary: June 20 (aka ‘this coming Monday’). This is the day on which Time Out’s all-new, daily newsletter hits eager inboxes all across London and beyond. It’s called Out Here. And it’s wonderful. You like Time Out? Of course you do. You adore the way we sort the wheat from the London chaff, rising above the noise and hype to recommend and highlight only the tastiest dishes, crispest pints, weirdest (in a good way) exhibitions and, uh, least-boring plays. Our jokes amuse and delight you. Your friends consider you clued up about culture, trends and vibes because you frequently pass off our opinions as your own. And we’re fine with that. Really. Out Here is everything you love about Time Out, condensed into a five-minute morning read. You’ll be bowled over by its brilliance, its usefulness, its humour and its charm. It’ll tell you what’s good, with daily bite-sized reviews of film, art, food and all the rest, and also provide recommendations from the capital’s best chefs, artists and makers. Daily London news? But of course. We’ll even find time to rate the city’s park benches and stuff like that. Don’t waste even a single second of your time. Subscribe here. Eating, drinking and having fun. We’ll show you how it’s done. Out Here is a daily email from the Time Out team. Subscribe to it right here. A massive, immersive dinosaur experience thing is coming to London. The 30 best rooftop bars in the city (according to us).

Name a cool London brand. Good. Now name another one. Okay. Chances are you just said ‘Um, Yard Sale.... Top Cuvée?’. Because both of those are cool London brands. We like them both. Good news: they're teaming up for a bit. The pizzeria and natural wine specialists are joining forces to create a kind of ultimate London food Voltron restaurant. Vin-Yard is the pop-up. Hackney Road is the place. May is the month. From this Friday (until May 25) the Yard Sale basement will play host to this collab of dreams. As you'd expect, Top Cuvée is handling the booze, while Yard Sale will be slinging their hot, hot pies. All the classics will be present, as well as Yard Sale’s game-changing cheese and Marmite garlic bread. See you there, basically. 184 Hackney Road London, E2 7QL, May 6- May 25. The absolute best bottomless brunches in London. Yo, Bone Daddies be collab-ing with Ivan Ramen.  

You a fan of rock and/or roll? Then you will definitely be interested to learn about a new, sexy boutique hotel, named Chateau Denmark, perhaps unsurprisingly located on Denmark Street in central London. Denmark Street was, of course, famous for its music shops. If you wanted to buy a guitar in London, that was where you went. The Chateau’s owners are no doubt hoping the hotel offers a similar level of attraction to the city’s music-loving populace and rock-steeped visitors. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHATEAU DENMARK (@chateaudenmark) Excitingly, the hotel, which features loads of themed rooms, is set across 16 buildings (including some grade II-listed eighteenth-century townhouses). That’s loads. Interior designers were asked to ‘imagine a time where punk rock and vintage gothic meets modern psychedelia with a timeless grandeur’. Erm, right…  Several of the buildings which make up the Chateau Denmark are veritably drenched in rock and pop history. Maybe the best fact of all is that the Rolling Stones (who are celebrating their sixtieth anniversary this year) recorded their eponymous debut LP in one of these buildings. Chateau Denmark, Denmark Place, WC2H 0LA. Coca Cola’s opened a flagship shop in Covent Garden. Blackhorse Beer Mile is kicking things off with a free party this Sunday.

Craft beer heads in the city know that Blackhorse Lane is probably London’s most vital and exciting booze location. Signature, Exale, Beerblefish, Hackney, Wild Card and Truman’s all have massive taprooms there. It’s a fun place to have a drink (and do pub quizzes, eat pizza and all that other beer-adjacent stuff). Well, this Sunday, all day from noon to midnight, the aforementioned breweries will be throwing a big old shindig, featuring exclusive beers, live music, street food and brewery tours. Entry is absolutely free. The cause for all the celebrating? The official launch of the Blackhorse Beer Mile (aka the name that people have been using for the area, unofficially, for absolutely ages). But nice that it’s now legit!  Blackhorse Lane, E17.  Check it out: a new retro arcade bar is opening in Soho. The Ukraine Freedom Orchestra is playing at the Proms this year.