Leonie Cooper

Brick Lane’s restaurant scene is best known for curry houses. After newly arrived Bengali immigrants set up Indian restaurants here in the 1960s and 1970s, it became the place to go for curry and BYO beer – and you’ll still find plenty of these old-school joints among Brick Lane’s restaurants, many offering meal deals to get passers-by through the door. The best Brick Lane restaurants though also include street’s iconic bagels, with two legendary 24/7 bakeries right next to each other, as well as French and Georgian cookery. Get stuck in with our guide below. RECOMMENDED: Check out the best restaurants in Shoreditch.

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.  June 2025: We're constantly keeping an eye on this Top 50 list to make sure it's up to scratch, and with so many new restaurant openings in and around Soho, that means regularly adding new places and removing those that might have failed to deliver on our last visit. Recent additions include seriously good value omakase at Sushi Kyu, Cambodian pop-up Mamapen, revamped classic Kettner’s, breakfast and lunchtime bagel spot It's Bagels and Parisian-inspired wine bar Marjorie’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

Year round, London’s restaurants and breweries are ablaze with barbecues and smokey, live-fire cookery. Here’s our selection of the best grills the capital has to offer including street food hot spots as well as taproom pop-ups. Here you’ll find everything from Jamaican jerk and Scandi-style wood-fired cookery to Texas platters and Korean BBQ. Want to DIY during the summer? Then here’s a list of the London parks that will let you set up your very own grill. And if you want advice from an expert, it’s over to chef and food writer Melissa Thompson on her fave BBQ spots in the city. RECOMMENDED: A guide to the best fried chicken in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

London might well be the world’s greatest food city, but thanks to a never-ending cost of living crisis, it’s not like any of us can eat out as much as we’d like to. So welcome to our list of London’s best cheap eats. Every highlighted dish here costs £10 or less and variety is the name of the game. Expect London staples such as pie & mash, but also discover the best bargain places for naan, lahmacun, baps, doubles and burgers. These places give you the kind of buzz only a bargain bite can deliver, while you can relish the fact that you’re supporting small independent London businesses. So hit the streets – feasting at some of London’s best restaurants needn’t empty your wallet. July 2025: In a city where eating out seems to be getting pricier by the minute, this list remains one of Time Out London's handiest guides. We've given it a bit of a summer spin, listing a bunch of brilliant places where you can grab your bargain food and then hang out in a nearby park, munching your meal down while you soak up the sun. May we recommend Abney Park as the ideal eating place for your tacos from Sonora Taqueria (yes, we know it's a graveyard, but's also one of Stoke Newington's loveliest outdoor spaces); Peckham Rye for your Asian Takeaway haul; and Regent's Park for your Paul Rothe & Son sarnie.  RECOMMENDED: The best vegan restaurants in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openi

Afternoon tea is what makes a trip to London truly iconic – even if you already live here. You’ll find some of the best at London’s chicest hotels and restaurants, and even art galleries and theatres. We’ve worked out what makes an afternoon tea a truly memorable (and delicious) experience. It’s not just perfect pastries, the most elegant of teeny tiny cakes and chic little sarnies with the crusts cut off, but swish service, the option to have something boozy and bubbly and a characterful room in which to enjoy it all. From The Ritz to the National Gallery, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and even a working prison, there’s truly something for every cake-munching tea-drinker in this round-up of London’s best afternoon tea spreads.  Expect to pay in the region of £50 to £100 for the pleasure per person, but you’ll be in for a treat if you go with one of our recommendations. Many of these teas have set times for seatings, so booking in advance is always a good idea. May 2025: We've just updated this list, highlighting some of London's newest and most intriguing afternoon sarnie sessions. A bunch of new, themed teas have recently opened; including Rosewood London's offering, inspired by iconic Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai; the covert Secret and Spies afternoon tea at Raffles London; and what's set to be the 'Brat' of afternoon teas - the mini martini-fuelled London By Lily Vanilli at Four Seasons Tower Bridge. RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out

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, Lenny’s Apizza at The Bedford Tavern in Finsbury Park and Short Road Pizza at the William The Fourth in Leyton and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. Try also, Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pizza with a Michelin-starred cheffy touch. 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.

July 2025 update: The third and final season of Squid Game – the Korean version, at least – is a highly-placed new addition to our best of the year list, with season 4 of FX’s chef drama The Bear, and the third run of Paramount+’s Star Trek spinoff, Strange New Worlds, also slotting into Time Out’s top 20.We’ve all heard the phrase ‘TV’s golden age’ enough times over the past couple of decades to get wary of the hyperbole, but this year does seem to be shaping up to be a kind of mini golden age for the TV follow-up. Severance, Andor and The Last of Us all look like building on incredibly satisfying first runs with equally masterful second runs (even more masterful, in Severance’s case). The third season of The White Lotus has proved that, whether you love it or find it a touch too languorous, there’s no escaping Mike White’s transgressive privilege-in-paradise satire. Likewise for season 7 of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian-flavoured sci-fi Black Mirror. Watercooler viewing is everywhere at the moment,  and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Stranger Things is coming to an end, there’s a second run of Tim Burton’s Wednesday, and about a zillion other things still come. Here’s everything you need to see... so far.  RECOMMENDED: 🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)🔥 The 100 best movies ever made📺 The 100 greatest ever TV shows you need to binge

There’s no denying it. The mighty deep-fried chick pea-based snack that is falafel is one of the finest fast foods in the world. In London, this Middle Eastern street food with Egyptian roots can come as part of a mezze platter at posh restaurant or popped in a pitta at more casual hole-in-the-wall take-out joint. Crunchy on the outside and herby and moist in the middle, we have munched our way through the city’s best to bring you a list of London’s most fabulous falafel.  RECOMMENDED: The best Lebanese restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Why not enjoy your dinner with a side of strange? London is home to hundreds of amazing restaurants, but sometimes everyone hankers for a talking point with their tapas. We’ve rounded up a serious bunch of entertaining eateries: oddball decor, kooky culinary concepts and – yes – cats. Our list of unusual restaurants will delight animal lovers, garlic fans, and yodellers and more. You’ll find these joints in venues as varied as a boat, a prison and a church crypt. This is dining with a difference.  RECOMMENDED: The best weird bars in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

There are few better ways to make the most of a sunny (or not-so-sunny) summer afternoon in London than by spending it in a beer garden. Drinking cold pints (or spritzes, or white wine with a couple of ice cubes) with your mates feels good anywhere, but there’s something seriously special about pints under London’s famous skies. And this city certainly has no shortage of spectacular beer gardens. Some have lush foliage and serene, chilled-out energy, while others are ideal for open-air day parties. Some serve up marvellous cocktails, while others provide for gorgeous river views. If you’ve had enough of the great outdoors, don’t forget to check out our list of London’s best pubs. Or, if you want to be outside but higher up, you might like our directory of the capital's finest rooftop bars.  RECOMMENDED: Excellent outdoor activities in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and once got lost in the Faltering Fullback's endearingly chaotic beer garden. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. July 2025: We write to you mid-heatwave, and what better place to situate yourself this summer than on an al fresco picnic table with an pint/spritz in your hand. Here's our list of the finest places to do just that, featuring some old classics and waterside favourites, a fair of which also feature in our Best Pubs In London list (hello to the Army and Navy in Dalston and Anchor and Hope in Clapton) as well as in our Best Historic Pubs in Londo

ก้าวเข้าสู่เดือนใหม่ ก็ถึงเวลาที่เชฟไฟแรงจะขอเสิร์ฟของเด็ดให้สายกินในลอนดอนได้ตามไปลองกัน ไม่เว้นแต่ร้านดังก็ขยับขยายยิ่งใหญ่เช่นกัน อย่าง Lina Stores ที่ยังคงซิกเนเจอร์พาสต้าสีเขียวพาสเทล และเปิดสาขาใหม่ที่ Canary Wharf ส่วน Harry’s ก็เปิดร้านอาหารอิตาเลียนสาขาสี่ในย่าน King’s Cross ฝั่ง Fortnum & Mason ฝั่งสาขา Royal Exchange ก็จัดเต็มด้วยเรสซิเดนซีซีฟู้ดโดยเชฟชื่อดัง Rick Stein ที่จะมารับหน้าที่เสิร์ฟความสดแบบฤดูร้อนแบบกระหน่ำ ทั้งหมดคือลิสต์ร้านเปิดใหม่ที่เราคัดแล้วว่าเด็ดพอให้ปักหมุดตามไปลอง

Oysters. Food of the gods. Sloppy globules of joy. But, more often than not, pretty pricey. Which is why the oyster happy hour has long been a firm favourite, letting mere mortals feast on these salty treasures for a more reasonable price. We’ve got together a list of the various spots across London that will offer you the chance to dine like a king, despite having relatively empty pockets. Don't forget that mignonette.  RECOMMENDED: The best seafood restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

From the reasonably priced likes of Sushi Kyu in Soho, to the filthy-rich-only-need-apply Sushi Kanesaka in Mayfair (a snip at £420 a head), London is brimming with sensational Japanese omakase spots.   This is tender, buttery beef as a lifestyle choice But what of the Japanese steakhouse? For a country known for its elite cattle – the tender, moist and majestically marbled wagyu – there are far fewer restaurants dedicated to the delights of these cosseted cows than sushi. Largely, London favours fishier flavours when it comes to Japanese cuisine, but Kanpai Classic laughs in the face of delicate nigiri and volleys back a robust barrage of meat. The room, too, is fittingly butch; black, glossy marble walls and tables hench enough to contain the ungodly amount of food set to descend upon them. There’s a downstairs room too, a kind of yakiniku grill-house take on a Berghain-style sex dungeon, in which moody dates sit in semi-darkness and slurp increasingly unhinged cocktails (kumquat and shiso mojito; wagyu carre; kilted samurai). But back to the meat in hand. Kanpai Classic isn’t just about a serious slab of steak on your plate, but a whole wagyu experience. This is tender, buttery beef as a lifestyle choice, with various cuts, all imported daily from Japan, displayed on a platter complete with name cards. There’s your knuckle, your rib finger, and beef tongue so you don’t forget which raw slice of beef is about to be converted into a buttery, creamy hunk of perfectly rare me

Le Beaujolais is about as far away as you can get from London’s new wave of natural wine bars. The restaurant downstairs is a members -only venue but the ground floor bar is open to all. A central London mainstay since 1972, this robust timewarp comes complete with rustic French tables that are pleasantly well past their best, a chaotic seating arrangement, scrappy chalkboard menus and ties hanging from the ceiling, as if the last 1980s yuppie has only just been asked to leave. It is, in other words, pure Keith Floyd-core. Sure, there’s a food menu of classic French cuisine; croque monsieurs, steak frites and boeuf bourguignon, but people aren’t really here to eat, they’re here to drink bottles, carafes and glasses of the Frenchest of wines. The list is exclusively French, and broken down by region, from the Loire to Bourgogne, via the Rhône, Bordeaux, and of course, Beaujolais.  Time Out tip If you’re after some ‘Old Soho’ energy – now only matched by the likes of the French House – swing by Le Beaujolais at 3pm on a weekday to soak up some Chardonnay with a crowd of old school Soho characters.

The foodie equivalent of a blockbuster franchise that becomes increasingly ludicrous with each new movie, the Big Mamma Group is back with a sixth London restaurant, this time set among the shiny skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.  The showy-offy spaghettone al tartufo is made up of metre long strands of pasta Barbarella takes its name from the high-camp sci-fi flick of 1968, a film known more for the appearance of a pert Jane Fonda in silver bodysuit than anything resembling a cohesive plot. It’s fitting, as this Barbarella isn’t really about the food, but the sheer spectacle. Every detail is made for your phone camera; from the gleaming leopard-print tables (somehow… lit from within?) and mega palm trees, to the zebra skins on the wall (ethics be damned!) and a giant glass chandelier (imported from Venice, of course) dangling imposingly over the central bar.  Food is of the non-specific Italian variety, and there’s plenty of it. The massive menu comprises lots of pizza, loads of pasta, and various permutations of meat and cheese. Some dishes are named as they would be in Italy, the ‘paccheri alla norma’ pasta for example, or ‘tagliata di manzo’ beef fillet. Others have punny names that sound like someone’s dad has snuck into the development meeting; the ‘Looking For Truffle’ pizza or ‘Sundae Mood’ ice cream. There’s also a pizza named after Versace, for some reason. Barbarella is not about authenticity, it’s about having fun, and still isn’t sure if it wants to banter you relent

Bold move, Lupa. Very bold.  There’s already a glut of great Italian restaurants in London, and quite a lot of them happen to be right here in Highbury. The incomparable Trullo, for example, is just around the corner! But Lupa has something the others do not. Lupa not only promises ‘Roman comfort food’, but the slim chance of catching sight of its Very Handsome co-founder, the actor Theo James.  This is a ballsy offering of big, bold food, heavy with hearty guanciale  That man’s intense bone structure and dreamy eyebrows are not the only draws however. Carousel co-founder Ed Templeton is also behind this new opening, and in the kitchen is the extremely capable Naz Hassan, who we last encountered during his tenure as head chef of the much-missed Pidgin. Hassan has done time in some of London’s most esteemed kitchens, from high-end Indian at Bibi, supercharged steak at the Cut at 45 Park Lane, and non-specific Euro sharing plates at Crispin. And it’s evident from our first bite that such a gifted all-rounder hasn’t encountered any trouble turning his hand to Italian cuisine.  It’s a courgette flower, lightly battered, deep fried and stuffed with smooshy burrata, then draped with a fat anchovy and resting in a pool of its own green courgettey juices. Sure, it’s steep at £10.50 for a single courgette flower, but it sets the tone for the cavalcade of sturdy Roman flavours that are about to descend upon us. This isn’t a delicate menu of rural farm fare, but a ballsy offering of big

If the Pocket feels familiar, that’s because it comes to you from the same independent pub pros as Gospel Oak’s incredibly good Southampton Arms. Despite appearances, the rustic-leaning Pocket hasn’t been here for 100 years, but was opened by stealth in the spring of 2025, complete with new-old wood panelling, a 1930s anaglypta ceiling, a nerdishly impressive collection of 1970s pub ashtrays (on the walls alas, not the tables), and a battered upright piano (which gets played three times a week).  The Pocket’s premise is simple, and, let’s be honest, perfect: ‘No reservations. No green food. No shit beer. No terrible modern music,’ they say. The bar snacks come in various shades of beige (scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pasties, and pork pies), the music comes from either the piano or a vinyl record player which favours vintage jazz and soul, and the crowd is gorgeous. Beer is priced in order of strength, meaning it’s possible to get that rare thing - a London pint for a fiver. We are fully in the Pocket’s pocket. Time Out tip The Pocket is mere steps away from another great Islington pub, the Compton Arms. If you’re looking for more of a gastro experience, pop over for one of their unfailingly good kitchen residencies; as of summer 2025, it’s the powerhouse Rake boys.

I’ve long attempted to work out what exactly people mean when they call something a ‘neighbourhood restaurant’. In the London context at least, I have arrived at the conclusion that it is simply a restaurant that isn’t in Soho (or Shoreditch at a push). Pasero then, plonked on the Seven Sisters end of West Green Road in Tottenham, certainly makes the cut, a welcoming space with something of the 1960s primary school aesthetic about it, with shades of beige, terracotta and British racing green, as well as a small deli and bottle shop.  It’s like Monty Don’s offering a helping hand in the kitchen Opened in 2022, the idea was for it to be a hub for a series of rotating chefs, a bit like Carousel in Fitzrovia. Of course, this is a lovely idea – Marie Mitchell one week, Ling Ling’s the next, and Anna Sogaard right after – but surely a logistical pain in the arse. After almost three years, the Pasero people have decided to make their lives easier and go steady with a full-time chef. It’s a good one, too - previous Pasero pop-up champ Diamantis Kalogiannidis, who honed his skills at double Michelin star wonder Da Terra in Bethnal Green.  His blackboard menu is short and sweet. A ham-hock croquette is a powerful thing. Almost as large as a scotch egg, and with a crunch to rival on a Twiglet on the outside. Inside, it’s densely packed with sweet, moist and perfectly pink hock. This is a hearty, Hampton Court Palace banquet-worthy snack, the ideal thing for King Henry VIII to nibble on

Bancone is a sleek Italian restaurant in Covent Garden with a short, simple menu that’s split into three sections: antipasti, pasta and dessert. Chefs in the front window roll out pasta dough almost all day: putting on a show for people passing by, frantically cutting and shaping for those patiently waiting for their pasta inside. There are generally around eight plates of pasta on the menu, and half of them are usually suitable for veggies. Proper al dente pasta is slightly undercooked, and hard to get right, but the chefs here nail it. Their best dish is the poetically named ‘silk handkerchiefs’ (it’s technically called fazzoletti) with walnut butter and confit egg yolk. Simple, but delicious: soft sheets swimming in a rich sauce, with little chunks of walnut for texture. The restaurant itself is a little office-like (it looks like it used to be one), but no matter, you don’t come here for the looks. You come to Bancone to devour cheap, delicious pasta at the bar, and to people-watch those around you doing the same thing.  Time Out tip Check out the other branches of Bancone across the city, in Soho’s Golden Square, Borough Yards and Kensington.  Order this Alongside those glossy, infamous handkerchiefs, check out Bancone’s signature negroni menu. We like the one with orange blossom.

Padella, a sleek but casual pasta bar from the duo behind Islington’s Trullo is just a stone's throw from Borough Market. Dishes are small enough – and, at around £10-15, cheap enough – to let you to order three between two. Do this. In fact, bring extra friends so you can order a bit of everything. Who cares if you’ll likely be sat in a row? Talking is so overrated. There’s a changing mix of classics and lesser-spotted varieties such as tagliarini (skinny tagliatelle) or pici cacio, a kind of hand-rolled no-egg noodle from Siena. Padella’s version is not just chewy and satisfying (a bit like Japanese udon), but comes smothered in a simple yet moreish sauce of parmesan, butter and cracked black pepper. Order this Trullo fans will be pleased to see the signature eight-hour beef shin ragu (served over pappardelle) here. Time Out tip There are no bookings at Padella, yes, you have to join a queue, but come for an early lunch (11.30am), or early dinner (5pm) when doors open, and you won’t have to wait long to get fed.

Going for dinner at a hotel is A Very American Thing To Do.  Most Brits will only eat at a hotel if they are actually staying there and can’t be arsed to leave the building in order to get fed. It’s fitting then, that the NoMad’s newly revamped in-house restaurant is a high-octane tribute to the big, ballsy American brasserie.  It’s good, but it’ll send your arteries straight to hell Previously known as the slightly more descriptive ‘Atrium’, the roomy, well, hotel atrium’s rebrand as Twenty8 NoMad also reeks of flashy New York, utilising the kind of chaotic jumble of letters and numbers that brings to mind Manhattan staples Bungalow 8 and Eleven Madison Park. It’s brash, even grating, but we’ll give it a pass, as it fits the aesthetic bang on, which is all Manhattan-by-way-of-the-Marais, an extravagant Yank take on the French brassiere, complete with excessively high ceilings, balustrades and balconies. ‘Intimate’ it is not, but cosy is overrated, and we’re struggling to think of anywhere else in London that seems at once like peak Studio 54 and the ideal date spot for Romeo and Juliet.  Into this truly special space steps a lavish ‘raw bar’, supersized-steak frites and an entire menu devoted to the martini. Our dirty vodka offering comes with a whole second helping, courtesy of a sidecar on ice, as well as three blue-cheese stuffed olives. It’s the first in a carnival of oversized (read: American) offerings. A starter of crispy artichokes, which, though deep fried, are sur

The Camberwell Riviera has surely reached its final form.  The gastronomical possibilities on the lively Church Street strip are now nigh-on endless; there’s the holy meat juice bread at FM Mangal, posh pub fare at the Camberwell Arms, burly bargain wraps at Falafel & Shawarma, lamb skewers at Silk Road, panuozzo and pizza at Theo’s, Kurdish soul food at Nandine, superlative sarnies at Cafe Mondo, and cult croissants at Toad, as well as Vietnamese, Nigerian and Greek spots. Is there even room for another restaurant? Hello JoJo seems to think so.  There’s something faintly medieval about the menu Though the concept doesn’t bark originality (Hello JoJo is planning to open as a bakery by day, while in the evening it serves seasonal plates both small and large), when we visit on a Friday, the place is rammed. The people of Camberwell truly love to eat! Their name might sound like a brand that makes hemp dungarees for toddlers (and the red and blue colour scheme does give off some serious preschool energy) but the Hello JoJo crowd are pleasantly pitched in the mate date and actual date hinterlands. Everyone blethers raucously and the front door is propped open so you can enjoy the tender chugging sound of the 171 bus. Such heady conviviality is helped no-end by £6 glasses of house wine. A warm, mini loaf of brown bread comes to the table alongside a requisite pickle plate, and a serving of cool, deftly whipped goat’s curd topped with a pool of luminous celery splodge and crunchy

It’s wild that nobody before has ever thought to name a restaurant ‘Town’. Think of the endless possibilities of ‘Town’! It’s the place everybody wants to go; the place where so many thrilling things happen; the place where, if you can make it there, you are highly likely to make it anywhere.   Town isn’t about the chaos of the city, but super seasonality, regenerative farming, and letting the produce speak for itself This new, shimmering incarnation of ‘Town’ can be found on the fringes of Covent Garden, far enough away from the frantic piazza so as not to be heaving with tourists and/or street performers. It’s a truly grand room, a Ballardian boudoir in shiny, wipe-clean burgundy, with an open kitchen framed by a massive, oval-shaped and lime green opening. The retro-futurism thing is further dished up via the soundtrack; Dorothy Ashby’s ‘Afro-Harping’ slinks groovily in the background, and there’re a vinyl copy of Lou Donaldson’s 1968 sax odyssey ‘Alligator Boogaloo’ perched on a record player (which nevertheless remains switched off for the duration of our visit).  Such a space-age aesthetic is perhaps at odds with Town’s menu, which has more in common with the rustic likes of surrealist late-1990s cookery show River Cottage than it does Barbarella. You see, Town isn’t about the chaos of the city, but super seasonality, regenerative farming, and letting the produce speak for itself. It is, essentially, a plotline from The Archers. In practice, this means that the food is

If you’re seeking a historical feast, you’ve come to the right place. One of London’s most elderly restaurants, Wiltons has been in the game since 1742. Beginning life as simple shellfish mongers, Wiltons became a proper restaurant in 1841, and, after numerous address changes, moved into their current premises in 1984. Still, 40+ years in the same room is pretty good going for a city that turns restaurants over like pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. You’ll find a carving trolley here that’s almost as famous as their regal regulars Foodie lore runs deep at this London institution; they supplied oysters to Queen Victoria (there’s a signed picture of Her Maj in the ladies loo), and you’ll find a carving trolley here that’s almost as famous as their regal regulars. The dining room itself is pitched somewhere between Victorian grandeur and Jilly Cooper camp, with giant oil paintings of be-suited board members hanging next to jolly wooden booths, perfect for politicians who might need to plot the downfall of a colleague over an ice-cold Chablis. Red velvet swags hang heavy with portent over indoor windows which seem to lead nowhere, and the female waiting staff wear matronly tea dresses. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the food at Wiltons was as old school as the decor, but there’s some seriously impressive cooking happening here. An implacably good, twice baked stilton soufflé is wildly cheesy, served in a sterling silver dish, perfectly crisp on the outside and cashmere-soft on the insid

A brand new restaurant where cheese is delivered to guests via a conveyor belt is set to open in north London. Pick & Cheese opens in Camden Market on July 25 and will feature an 18-metre-long conveyor belt, which stretches around the restaurant. Punters will be able to choose a variety of cheese combos from moving belt, including Cropwell Bishop Stilton with kimchi, Cornish Yarg with pea and mint pesto and St Ella goat’s cheese with rose Turkish delight. Plates will be colour-coded by price.  It’s the second branch of Pick & Cheese to open in London, following the Covent Garden location. The Camden branch will take over the current Cheese Bar site, which was also run by owner Mathew Carver. Carver started out in 2014, running The Cheese Truck, a converted ice cream van which sold grilled cheese sandwiches at Glastonbury festival. In 2017 The Cheese Bar opened in Camden Market and Pick & Cheese opened in Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden in 2019 and The Cheese Barge in Paddington in 2021. A Berlin branch of Pick & Cheese opened earlier this year.  Pick & Cheese in Camden will showcase the best of British cheese and there’ll also be an off-belt menu on offer, with grilled cheese sandwiches made with the likes of Keen’s Clothbound cheddar, as well as Ogleshield with onion, Cropwell Bishop Stilton with bacon and pear chutney and La Latteria mozzarella with hot honey. For pudding there’ll be a cheese-based gelato menu, with Rosary goats cheese gelato served with honey and rosem

It’s hot! Again! And there’s nothing better in a heatwave than a big old serving of ice cream (or a cold pint in a beer garden, but that’s slightly less child-friendly).  If you’re wondering where to score your summer scoop, then you could do worse than visit the London ice cream parlour that has just been named the best in the UK by Times.  Ice Cream Union – which has branches in Sloane Square and Bermondsey – has been branded ‘London’s best-kept secret’ by the paper. ‘For 18 years it has been whipping up ice cream and sorbets for some of the city’s favourite restaurants, from the Michelin-starred Trinity in Clapham to Fortnum & Mason,’ the paper wrote.  Ice Cream Union offers over 50 flavours, and you can try them every day of the week at the Sloane Square branch, or on Saturdays at their Spa Terminus, Bermondsey factory, which is, tantalisingly, only open to the public one day a week. Flavours include banana split, mango sorbet, raspberry ripple, lemon pie, and fittingly for Wimbledon season, Pimm’s. Ice Cream Union prides itself on making its own nut pastes, fruit juices, ripple sauces, and honeycomb.   Other London locations tipped in the 41-strong list of the UK’s best ice cream spots include Islington’s The Dreamery, Brockley’s Sundae, Herne Hill’s Minus 12 Degrees, Gelateria 3BIS in Borough and Notting Hill, Soft & Swirly in Hackney, and Gelupo in Soho. The best ice cream in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and

East London natty wine bar Oranj is moving house! The bar’s current Bacon Street home is already a rather roomy warehouse-style space, but the new location looks even bigger. As of July 16, you’ll find Oranj around the corner in Shoreditch at Dray Walk, next door to Rough Trade record store.  There’ll be outdoor terrace seating, something the current location lacks, as well as two private rooms. As well as lots of lovely wine, Oranj is known for its roster of pop-up chefs, but the new location will see a permanent head chef installed – though they haven’t said who yet. ‘The menu of classic dishes is currently in development with input from past resident chefs, meaning it will take cues from the dishes that defined Oranj’s early success,’ says the bar. Before all that, chef Yuto Fujimoto from Hokkaido, Japan will launch the new venue with a month-long residency, grilling lots of lovely things in the new outdoor kitchen. Oranj, which began life as a wine delivery service during lockdown, opened its first bar at the end of 2022. The best natural wine bars in London. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Boozehounds will be happy to hear that late-night drinking spot and dive bar Troy 22 hasn’t closed for good, but has merely relocated. The bar at 22 Hanway Street, just on the fringes of Soho (some would say that’s actually Fitzrovia, but that’s an argument for another time) had announced its closure on its Facebook page earlier this week – but according to the team behind the bar, this is fake news. In fact, the bar moved location in March of this year to 20 Hanway Street. ‘Same vibes, same energy – just a new space right next door! Our ground floor opens earlier for cocktails, art and hangs, and when the night kicks in, head down to the basement for that signature Troy 22 dive bar feel, complete with all the original decor and a dance floor made for late-night moves.’ The new venue has a new Instagram account – @helenoftroy – a reference to the bar’s original owner Helen, who opened the venue in the 1970s - and whose photo hangs on the wall of the new venue A spokesperson for the new venue told Time Out:‘The bar has grown slightly, but the same team, music, and spirit of Troy are all still here (if not stronger). We’ve also expanded our live music offering, focusing on northern soul, the mod scene, blues, and funk.’ The bar has been in business for over 50 years. Saving London Pubs recently shared a plea to save the original 22 Hanway Street venue, objecting to a planning application to change the first floor bar into a residential flat. Troy 22 is known for its late openi

Congrats to Bermondsey-based independent craft brewer Anspach & Hobday, whose ‘London Black’ has come first place in the Top 50 UK Beer Awards. The nitro porter was praised for its ‘sessionability alongside amazing flavour and quality’, and it climbed up to top spot from fifth place in 2024. The awards are run by self-proclaimed ‘beer experts’ We Are Beer and are now in their second year.  ‘This nitro porter has quickly become a fan favourite with drinkers, buyers and the brewers themselves,’ said We Are Beer. ‘The resurgence of stout and popularity of Guinness have no doubt helped to drive its success.’ The best stouts and Guinness alternatives in the UK. Last year’s winner – Deya’s ‘Steady Rolling Man’ – was third in this year’s top 50, with Timothy Taylor’s ‘Landlord’ came in at number two. Speaking about the win, Paul Anspach, co-founder of Anspach & Hobday, said: ‘The whole team is incredibly proud and grateful for this award. London Black is the lifeblood of Anspach & Hobday, and is a distillation of who we are as a brewery and a business. As our contribution to London's rich and diverse brewing scene, we are proud to be reaffirming porter as the original beer of London’. You can raise a glass of London Black at the London Craft Beer Festival, run by We Are Beer, from July 18-19 at Magazine London in Greenwich. Time Out’s ultimate guide to London’s locally-brewed lagers. The 50 best pubs in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke –

After 20 years, dim sum chain Ping Pong is no more.  The Chinese restaurant group – which once had 12 locations across London – opened in 2005. The company announced news of its closure over instagram, writing: ‘It’s a wrap. After 20 unforgettable years, all Ping Pong locations are now permanently closed. We’re incredibly proud of what we built, an independent hospitality brand full of creativity, flavour, and soul.’ Ping Pong fans were aghast at the closure, expressing their deep sorrow at the post. ‘Noooooo. You were the best dim sum. Where am I going to get the veggie buns and sticky rice from?!’, wrote one. ‘This is incredibly sad news! Wish we’d have known. Would’ve loved to visit it one last time,’ said another.  The restaurant’s founder Kurt Zdesar, who left the group in 2007 and went on to launch the Chotto Matte chain, commented: ‘The UK has become increasingly difficult to survive this current economical environment. Very sad news.’ At the time of its closure, there were four London branches of Ping Pong left; in Soho, Southbank, Bow Bells House and St Christopher’s Place. The best new restaurants in London. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

Marylebone’s very tasty AngloThai is getting stuck into fast food. For one day only, the Michelin star restaurant is collab-ing with Shake Shack to release a special, limited edition burger.  Its skilled head chef and co-founder John Chantarasak has created the special menu item by artfully bringing together an Aberdeen Angus beef burger fried in red curry paste, which is then topped with ox tongue glazed in scallop roe and smoked chilli jam, before some wild garlic and green olive purée is added, alongside som tam infused pickles. Gosh. The whole thing is served on a toasted potato bun brushed with spiced honey butter. It’ll be available on July 11 at the Covent Garden branch of Shake Shack only, from 12pm until they sell out. You’ll also be able to order some laab spiced fries; crinkle cut fries seasoned with a laab spice blend, and topped with fermented yellow soybean mayonnaise and wild garlic sweet chilli relish.   AngloThai opened at the end of 2024, and won its first Michelin star within months of launching. The restaurant fuses Thai flavours with British, seasonal ingredients. Time Out gave it a glowing five star review, and praised its ‘reimagining [of] some of Thailand’s most celebrated dishes via the lens of fastidious fine dining’. ‘As a long-time admirer of Shake Shack, I'm thrilled to be creating my very own burger and fries that showcase the bold flavours and ingredients we like to cook with on our menus at AngloThai,’ says Chantarasak. ‘I'm a big fan of the mu

Truly, pizza season is upon us. Practically every other restaurant opening in London this July is dedicated to the perfect culinary offering that is a round-ish slab of dough covered in cheese and assorted veg/meats. And you won’t hear any complaints from us about it. As well as ‘za, you’ll soon be able dine in Mayfair’s highest restaurant, eat at a swish supper club at 180 Stand, and drink in a scuzzy Bethnal Green bar that pays tribute to the long-lost Crobar. Find out how, below. Lateef 1. The Italian pub Elephant, Clapton A long time ago, this place was known as the Elephant's Head. On July 9 this Victorian-era pub takes on a new lease of life as Elephant, a southern Italian-inspired gastropub with ex-Manteca chef Francesco Sarvonio doing imperious things with pasta. Come for ziti genovese ragù, buffalo mozzarella with tomato carpaccio and fried courgette flowers with spicy honey aioli, as well as a daily pizza menu. Hackney dads will be more than happy to hear of the ‘kids eat free’ policy, so you can stuff little Milo’s face with marinara while necking a negroni.   43 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, E5 0NS  All My Gods 2. The dive bar All My Gods, Bethnal Green Fans of Denmark Street’s foremost whiskey den Dram will be excited to hear that the same team are behind new dive bar All My Gods. Opening at some point in July, the knowingly sleazy spot is a passion project of tattoo artist Roxy Velvet, who founded the now-shuttered Velvet Underground, London’s first fem

Ever heard of the Prix Versailles? Well, it’s a series of architecture awards given to outstandingly impressive buildings and interiors and they’ve just announced their 2025 list of the World’s Most Beautiful Restaurants. Among this list of 16 downright gorgeous eateries is a single London entry; the very fit Julie’s in Holland Park.  The list is made up of new openings and re-opened restaurants, and Julie’s is one of the latter. The west London bistro has been around since 1969, but relaunched last spring, with a brand new interior and fancy new menu from chef patron Owen Kenworthy. Julie’s is named after its first owner, Julie Hodgess, an interior designer who kitted out stores for high-end hippy fashion house Biba in the 1960s. ‘Her restaurant set the template for bohemian west London with stained glass, expensive antiques and fabrics bold enough to make your grandma blush,’ we wrote when we visited the restaurant last year. ‘The latest incarnation of Julie’s doubles down on the fabulous interiors, with fresh chintz, chicly mismatched furnishings and staff in Laura Ashley-esque outfits complete with frilled necklines.’ Other restaurants in the final Prix Versailles 16 included the art deco-styled Beefbar in New York, and the cutesy branch of macaron bakery Ladurée on Rue Royale in Paris.  Want to check out some other quite beautiful London restaurants? Then have a look at our list of London’s most romantic restaurants, which features some absolute stunners. The 8 best new

Steakhouse pros Hawksmoor have announced plans for their summer holiday - and everyone’s invited. This August, they’ll be hosting four nights of al fresco dining in the ancient woodlands of Hertfordshire. The five course menu will include a host of Hawksmoor classics, from barbecued pork ribs, to Caesar salad, and scallops in garlic butter, with two mega dishes for the mains; Hereford rib of beef roasted over charcoal, or grilled Brixham monkfish with parsley and garlic oil.  There’ll also be some serious sides; ash-baked potatoes, barbecued bone marrow, heritage tomato salad, and grilled purple sprouting broccoli. For pud – if you have room – there’ll be a seasonal pavlova, and Tunworth cheese with blossom honey on toasted sourdough. There’s a wine pairing too! How much for such delights? £195, and that includes all your food and booze. The outdoor dinners will take place in the grounds of posh spa hotel The Grove, which is just north of glamorous Watford, on August 1, 2, 8 and 9, from 6.30-9pm.  If you’re feeling particularly flush, you can book an overnight package that includes a room at the hotel, which is £1012, based on two people sharing. London’s best restaurants for steak.  This foodie feast one hour from London is the perfect summer day trip.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best o

Been struggling to get a table at Speedboat Bar in Chinatown? Well your chances of eating at one of London’s best restaurants have now doubled, as a second location for the Thai-inspired spot will be opening next month. Set inside the Electric House in Notting Hill, Speedboat Bar 2.0 will feature the same menu as the Rupert Street original, reports Restaurant Online. Electric House is run by the Soho House Group, but this won’t be a members club affair – all will be welcome to feast on Speedboat Bar’s iconic chicken matches with green mango kerabu, and tom yam mama noodles with squid, pork and prawns. The original Speedboat Bar opened in 2022, and has been a feature of Time Out’s 50 Best Restaurants in London ever since. A project of chef Luke Farrell – who also runs the southern Thai-leaning Plaza Khao Gaeng in the Arcade food hall by Centrepoint – the food at Speedboat Bar is inspired by dishes popular on the Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s own Chinatown area. It’s part of the all-conquering JKS restaurant group, who are also behind the likes of Hoppers, Bao and Gymkhana.  Our original review praised Speedboat Bar for its ‘blow-your-socks-off’ way with flavour. ‘For all of Speedboat Bar’s flashy, fabulous chaos – the real Thai racing boats strung from the ceiling, the pool table in the first-floor bar, the wobbling three-litre towers of Singha beer that are constantly being carried across the room and the 1am weekend licence – there is some seriously sophisticated cooking going

Last year Time Out crowned Leyton the coolest neighbourhood in London – and now things in this part of east London are about to get even cooler. A brand new street market is launching on Francis Road on Saturday July 5.  KERB – which recently announced plans for a new sports bar in Spitalfields Market – will be bringing 20 rotating food vendors to Francis Road, reports Leytonstoner. Vendors will include Uzbek plov rice bowls from Oshpaz, homestyle Syrian food from Utopia, Vietnamese family recipes from Hanoi Cà Phê, mother-daughter Japanese cooking from Banzai Kitchen, and tacos from Mexclub.  The market opens for business at 10am (and closes at 4pm), and there will also be vendors selling local produce from the likes of Woodkin Mushrooms micro-farm, pickle pros Shedletskys, cakes and bakes from Liv’s Baked Goodies and Jones’ Crumpets. You won’t be shopping in silence either, with DJs from local music shop Dreamhouse Records providing the soundbed.  Leyton is part of the mayor’s new ‘Summer Streets’ scheme, which will see some of London’s most popular neighbourhood spots go car-free for longer during the summer months. The areas are spread across the city, from Leyton to Brixton, Shoreditch and the West End, and the project is being funded by £300,000 from the Mayor’s Summer Streets Fund.  These are the best things to do in Leyton and Leytonstone.  You can read more about Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods for 2024 here. ICYMI: the ‘best’ pub in London has been crowned for 202