Leonie Cooper

Even after a couple of vintage years for new music, 2025 has been special. Sure, we didn’t get a clear-cut ‘song of the summer’, but artists have been instead putting out defining works in a longer format. The past 12 (well, 11) months have featured all manner of extraordinary album releases.  Belted-to-the-rafters country pop, plunderphonic majesty, ecstatic dance music, intimate electronic world-building, history-collapsing art rock, triumphant hip-hop… these are just a few of the sounds and styles that have been executed marvellously in 2025. Here are the year’s finest 25 albums, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors.

In a year when it’s become pretty much impossible to so much as glance at a screen without being bombarded with all manner of maddening AI slop, it’s comforting to know that there is still plenty of vivid, funny, brilliantly human writing out there if you know where to look. From laugh-out-loud debuts and masterful autofiction to big-name autobiographies, gripping non-fiction thrillers and binge-worthy travelogues, here are our editors’ favourite page-turners of 2025. Add this lot to your ‘to read’ pile, stat. RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The 40 best songs of 2025📀 The 25 best albums of 2025

November 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, plush Japanese joint Moi, and Thai BBQ at Khao Bird. For a more casual feed there's lunchtime bagel spot It's Bagels, Filipino bakery Panadera, and artisan burger joint Heard.  The best restaurants in Soho at a glance: 🥧 Best for British classics: Quo Vadis 💅 Best for the fashion crowd: Rita’s  🫚 Best for Thai heat: Kiln 🍔 Best for burgers: Heard 🥕 Best for vegetarians: Bubula 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 iconic Italian dishes 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.  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 th

It won't come as any great surprise to you that Londoners like beer. You can't walk past a railway arch without spotting the tell-tale shiny tanks of a microbrewery, and it would be foolish not to enjoy them. So this weekend, why not enjoy your pint mere yards away from where it was made in one of London’s best craft beer taprooms? Here's our list of the most exciting spots to drink on draught, including craft beer behemoths, rough and ready spaces attached to burgeoning London breweries and legendary locations on the Bermondsey Beer Mile and the east London equivalent, the Blackhorse Beer Mile by Blackhorse Lane. Check opening times before you go, as some spots are only open at the weekend.  RECOMMENDED: The 50 best pubs in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and has been to more breweries than a bearded man with a Warhammer loyalty card. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

London is full of perfect pizza. The finest of fast foods, this delicious staple has been elevated far beyond its humble roots by great Italian restaurants in London, pop-ups, street food vendors and pub residencies, and we know just where to find these world-class wonders, because we’ve been eating our way across London in order to discover the best. Whether it’s delivered in a cardboard box or served in a swish restaurant, excellent pizza is hard to beat. Browse our list of the best pizza places in town and try not to drool on your screen. Recent additions to the Top 20 include some nifty kitchen residencies; Dough Hands at the Spurstowe Arms and Old Nun’s Head, Bing Bong Pizza at You Call The Shots in Hackney, Little Earthquakes at the Railway Tavern in Dalston, and Short Road Pizza at the William The Fourth in Leyton and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. You can find Ace Pizza at the Pembury Tavern in Hackney Downs, but they have also opened their first standalone parlour in Victoria Park. Try also; Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pizza with a Michelin-starred chefs touch or Carmela’s on Upper Street for a cosy slice. 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.

Looking for a traditional Christmas meal – aka, the roast with the most – but without all the faff? Feasting on December 25 definitely doesn’t mean getting up at 6am to brine your turkey, half-destroying your kitchen and then washing up for the rest of the day. London’s full of great restaurants that’ll do you proud, whether you’re after fancy hotel dining rooms with elaborate set menus, a welcoming gastropub, a down-to-earth curry house or a proper feast in Chinatown.  Here are the best places to eat out on Christmas Day in London.  The best restaurants open on Christmas Day at a glance: 🍻 Best gastropub: The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate 💸 Best big budget blowout: The Ritz, Mayfair 👛 Best under £100 a head option: The Wolseley, Mayfair 🍛 Best non-trad choice: Tayyabs, Whitechapel 🏮 Best Chinatown classic: Golden Phoenix, Chinatown RECOMMENDED: Things to do on Christmas Day in London.  The information on this page was correct at time of publication, but please check with venues when you book.

From classy gastropubs to full-on fast food, Kentish Town restaurants are making a name for themselves. This lovely north-west part of London is no longer simply known as a great place for cheap chippies and shouty boozers (though they're both still available, and thriving, too). Here’s where you can go to grab some lovely pub food, perfect pizzas, trad Turkish and so much more. RECOMMENDED: The 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.

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened in the past year and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in December. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: Khao Bird, Soho 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🥟 South: Doma, Sydenham 🍝 East: Legado, Shoreditch 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea December 2025: New additions include slinky Italian Martino's in Chelsea, cosy Chinese cuisine at Ling Ling's at Godet in Islington, Hunanese heat at Fiery Flavors in Surrey Quays, Sri Lankan fast food at Adoh! in Covent Garden, Caribbean classics with a twist at 2210 by NattyCanCook in Herne Hill, perfect pasta at Casa Felicia in Queen's Park, Thai BBQ at Khao Bird in Soho, and Thai soup noodles at Khao So-i in Fitzrovia. Hungry yet? Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our Lond

Festive food comes in all manner of intriguing guises, so do not worry if the idea of a month-long sprout marathon turns your stomach. From twists on traditional standards to some simply sensational seasonal scran, there are loads of incredible set menu group feasting options in the run-up to Christmas in London this year. Try lavish lobster noodles in Soho, Greek classics in Stratford, Vietnamese favourites in Shoreditch, a special Italian celebration menu at the Big Mamma restaurants, and a couple of mighty pizza collabs, courtesy of Yard Sale and Berbere. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants open on Christmas Day in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

You know it as well as we do: you’ve got Christmas shopping to do. Lots of it. But that doesn’t mean you should start spending your evenings fighting your way through Oxford Street and panic-buying a load of what can only be described as tat. Instead, think of what the people you love actually need. Have you thought about it? Yes, that’s right – they want to eat. And they want to eat good.  Luckily, some of our favourite independent businesses in London and beyond offer up thoughtfully curated, genuinely great hampers for the festive season. And we don’t just mean your run-of-the-mill cheese and biscuits – we mean pasta hampers, tinned fish hampers and hampers with all the elements of a fantastic Bloody Mary. We mean fun, creative hampers that people will actually want to receive, featuring products from some of your favourite brands. Here are the best hampers to order in 2025.  Best Christmas hampers at a glance 🐟 Best for foodies: Tinned Fish Market’s San Sebastian Hamper💸 Best budget option: The Pickle House’s Bloody Mary box👪 Best kid-friendly: Fortnum and Mason’s Christmas at Piccadilly box🎁 Best for gifting: Panzer’s The Christmas Connoisseur🍤 Best for home cooks: Secret Smokehouse’s Canapé box👨 Best for men: Himper’s Wake Up Call hamper 📍 Discover Time Out’s ultimate guide to Christmas in London

There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. After many evenings of important, pint-based research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London, with a brand new list for 2025.  London’s best pubs at a glance:  🐎 Best pub in Soho: Coach & Horses 🪖 Best pub in Hackney: Army & Navy ⛪ Best pub in Peckham and Nunhead: The Old Nun’s Head 🍻 Best pub in Shoreditch: The Pride of Spitalfields 🎭 Best pub in Angel: The Shakespeares Head Old school boozers are the beating heart of this city, and the ones on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a worrying amount of the UK’s pubs closing weekly, we wanted to highlight some of this city’s less well-known and independent inns. The pubs included here are places where you’ll not only get perfect pints, but pickled eggs, karaoke nights and darts sessions. There’s no gatekeeping here at Time Out and these spots are where old-school regulars rub shoulders with the new wave of pintspeople, from Holloway to Hackney, via Bexleyheath, Brixton, Nunhead and more. Want cosy and convivial? You’ve come to the right place.  Of course, in a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the cut. If you’re looking for posh pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs in London. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens ar

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, Wednesday and Poker Face have all built on incredibly satisfying first seasons with equally masterful second runs. 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. More recently, HBO’s Task hit the spot with a blue-collar crime series that wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty. Watercooler viewing is everywhere at the moment, and that’s not going to change anytime soon, with Stranger Things coming to an end and about a zillion other things still come. Here’s everything you need to see... so far.  Best TV and streaming shows at a glance: 📍 The Pitt (Emmy Best Drama winner) – watch on HBO Max in the US📍 Adolescence (Best Limited Series winner) – watch on Netflix worldwide📍 Severance season 2 (multiple acting wins) – watch on Apple TV worldwide📍 The Studio (Best Comedy winner) – watch on Apple TV worldwide📍 Andor season 2 (Emmy-winning writing) – watch on Disney+ worldwide 

Now that one in every ten pints poured in the capital is Guinness, this swanky spot in Covent Garden is all the more exciting. After years of teasing, the Guinness microbrewery in Old Brewer’s Yard opened at the end of 2025 following a £73 million building project. Located on a historic site that first produced beer over 300 years ago, the 50,000-square-foot building features plenty of event spaces, a grillhouse, and rootftop restaurant with 360-degree views. Both have menus curated by executive chef, Pip Lacey, formerly of Hicce in King’s Cross, while in the Old Brewer's Yard bar are grab-and-go pies dreamed up by chef Calum Franklin, including a braised beef cheek and Guinness offering. There are two merch shops, The Store and Guinness Good Things where you can buy limited edition collabs with the likes of London indie fashion label Lazy Oaf. Most important of all is the a micro-brewery pumping out 14 different limited-edition brews. The names of the beers reference the local area, with Covent Classic IPA, Old Brewer’s Yard Porter, and Piazza Pale Ale all on offer, as well as seasonal specials, such Winter Warmer and Apricot Sour. Actual Guinness won’t be brewed on site - that all happens over in Dublin - but it will be readily available for drinking. Take a tour of the brewery (tickets are £40-50 depending on when you want to go), and get stuck into a tasting session of various Guinness-brewed ales, lagers, porters and sours, before pouring your very own pint of creamy Gui

Martino’s has seemingly opened by stealth. There was no pre-launch hullabaloo, no formative hype, no dragged-out social build-up. One day it was just there, looking like it’d been around for decades, complete with a glamorous, older Sloane Square crowd that seemed to have been propping up the bar since 1978.  The taste is Brighton chip shop by way of a Calabrian trattoria Who might have the balls to pull off such a feat of modern hospitality sass? Martino’s is the latest from Martin Kuczmarski, the man behind The Dover, which has remained a searing hot ticket since it opened in 2023. Martino’s is a little less New York and a little more Milan, with a simple pasta and meatballs menu, and all-day dining (it’s open from 8am on weekdays). I’m here for an early Monday dinner, but it could be 9pm on a Friday for all we know; there are rowdy family get-togethers, cheery groups of friends and furtive martini meetings around the majestic oval bar in the middle of the room, which somehow manages to not pull focus, such is the twinkling beauty of every single facet of the stunning space.  But before we get too excited about what we’re calling the Sexiest Dining Room of The Year, we must mention the space-age holding pod that doubles up as the restaurant’s entrance. A dreamy decontamination chamber, this pearlescent womb smells like a Diptyque factory, and is adorned with fresh flowers and humming with charming staff who look up your handwritten booking in a massive leather-bound book.

Like reaching for ABBA Gold in times of house-party crisis, Hawksmoor is a trusty and reliable failsafe. The ultimate in crowdpleasers, this super-solid steakhouse chain has been impressing carnivores and cocktail-quaffers since its inception in 2006. It’s been a while since these meat magicians launched a new London branch of their midi-chain but they’ve made up for lost time by taking over one of the grandest dining rooms in the city.  Gutbusting done with a dose of glamour The stunning space inside the Grade I-listed St Pancras London Hotel, with its double-height ceilings, intricate molding, and uber-extra glitz was designed in 1873 by the daddy of gothic revival architects, Sir George Gilbert Scott. Closed in 1935, the dramatic room was then used as railway offices until the building reopened as a hotel in 2011. A number of different chefs have had their fun with the room since then, but its current form seems to suit it the most; a fittingly luxe backdrop for one of London’s most indulgent menus. There have been a few minor tweaks to the space; the walls are now a rather butch shade of British racing green, the booths are leather, and there’s a quite unnecessary, gigantic poster that reads ‘Beef and Liberty’, which we can only assume is the sweaty carnivore's own version of ‘Live, Laugh, Love’. Aside from the space and the adjoining Martini Bar, there’s not much about this Hawksmoor that sets it apart from the others. Simply put; steakheads will remain satisfied with t

A roaming, contempo Cantonese-inspired concept from chef Jenny Phung and partner James ‘Shep’ Shepherd, Ling Ling’s has been bobbing happily around north-east London for the past few years.  Favouring long-term residencies over a restaurant of their own (and in this climate, who can blame them?), there have been successful stints at The Gun in Hackney (RIP), as well as The Bluecoats in Tottenham, and Bambi in London Fields. The latest in their nomadic tour de kitchen? A year-long set-up at hip - but mercifully not too hip – ‘wine pub’ Godet. Lowkey Ling Ling’s happens to be one of the best places to eat in London right now A kind of Provençal country cottage meets a grubby old scroat boozer, Godet is quietly lovely. Painted an eccentric shade of depressive tangerine, there are French farmyard–friendly wooden tables, cutesy cafe curtains, the occasional church pew, jugs full of fresh flowers, and candles on every table. Vintage dub reggae drifts discreetly throughout the 19th century pub, which was once known as the Norfork Arms, courtesy of a vinyl-only real life human DJ. The romance is palpable. Despite this discreet backdrop, Ling Ling’s swiftly sets about trying to get into your pants with full-throttle flavour and seductive kitchen technique. First in the Ling Ling’s charm offensive is exceedingly crunchy fried pork and water chestnut wontons, their fresh and juicy insides complimenting their bubbly golden wrappers. The fact that they look like the platonic ideal of a c

Like the death of Harambe, the Brexit vote, and Beyonce’s Lemonade, shouty Thai BBQ restaurants with stark, industrial interiors, all seem a bit 2016. Yet Khao Bird makes no bones about hopping on the trend a decade too late. In fact, the likes of Soho’s Kiln and Shoreditch’s Smoking Goat (originators of the full-throttle Thai trend), seem to be busier than ever. What’s the harm in adding another rowdy larb-shifter into the mix?  This brick-and-mortar comes after a year long Khao Bird pop-up at Borough Market’s Globe Tavern and a stint in Brighton as Lucky Khao, and makes quite a big deal about opening up in what was the last adult cinema in Soho (but not such a big deal about the fact it was a branch of Chilango in the intervening years). With a chrome open kitchen, exposed extractor fans, buzzing pink neon, and hunks of smashed plaster clinging onto the walls for dear life, the vibe is that of a brutal house reno in Hertfordshire. Yet Khao Bird’s intense cuisine is more than a match for such chaos.  Raw beef larb is spicier than Casanova’s search history We start with a pomelo and prawn salad, which perhaps gives us the wrong idea about the nature of the cookery here. It’s light and tidy, a little spicy, sure, but overall, a deeply demure dish. But Khao Bird properly lays its cards on the table with its mutton fries, a non-negotiable order of chips so vast and melt-in-the-mouth, that it’s impossible not to let loose a sigh of pleasure when consuming them. On top of said ch

Fancy a frolic in the playground of the rich and famous? Then the glamorous, Belle Époque-era Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo is a fabulously fitting base. Built in 1889, and ideally situated next to the world-famous Casino de Monte-Carlo – as well as the twisting streets that become the Circuit de Monaco for Formula One’s infamous Monaco Grand Prix – Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo is equally iconic. Boasting the world’s only swimming pool to be designed by Karl Lagerfeld, it’s also home to a two star Michelin restaurant, and a world-class spa. Why stay at Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo? From the moment we strolled down the glamourous tree lined drive up to the hotel (which is also where we saw some very, very expensive parked cars), I knew we were in for a treat. On a par with the most White Lotus-y hotels in the world, the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo is all about Mediterranean glamour and monied excess. There’s usually an extremely extra floral display in the tapestry-draped lobby, and the gentleman’s club style lobby bar (which comes with an adjoining cigar terrace) boasts a signed Picasso lithograph, as well as exclusive Warhol and Francis Bacon prints. What are the rooms like at Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo? There are 126 guest rooms – 64 of them suites – and the recently refurbished rooms on the second and third floors are where you’ll want to stay. Designed by French hotel interiors king Jacques Garcia (who also spruced up the hotel when it was taken over by its current owners in

Ever wanted to dine on the set of a Stanley Kubrick film? Well say hello to Motorino, a big-budget mega resto in a humongous glass and concrete new build which we’re sure wasn’t there last time we were in the outer reaches of Fitzrovia, but seems like the kind of glossy superstructure where Google might set up an office. If Motorino looks familiar, it’s not just because of its Eyes Wide Shut-meets-tech start-up energy, but because it’s a carbon copy of Covent Garden’s Town, which Motorino founder Stevie Parle opened earlier this year. The glossy dark woods; the strangely sexual Clockwork Orange-style space age interiors; the modern Italian-ish small plates menu; you can find much the same an 18 minute walk away on Drury Lane.  You probably shouldn’t tell your Italian friends they serve an agnolotti carbonara, but you should definitely order it But Motorino has something its sibling doesn’t; one of London’s hype-iest chefs beavering away in the kitchen. That would be Luke Aherne, who recently left Marylebone’s rather lovely Lita after helping it to win a Michelin star less than a year after it opened.  Who knows why he left Lita in such a hurry, but Aherne has brought his juicy Southern Mediterranean skill-set with him. It starts with an indecently indulgent focaccia that manages to be salty yet sweet, crispy yet soft, and comes rampantly splashed with a rosemary balsamic that is nothing less than febrile. A bowl of pickles and ferments might look like a Birdseye frozen veg p

Slowburn isn’t like other restaurants. That’s because Slowburn almost isn’t a restaurant, it’s a slap-up dinner party in a working denim factory. The best seat in the house is next to a gigantic industrial washing machine, scrappy paper patterns for jeans line the walls and there’s a lingering smell of starch in the air.  Strangely, this isn’t an entirely unique proposition – Bow’s lovely little Italian spot Polentina is another garment factory dining room – but it remains refreshing (and pleasingly odd) to enter such an unconventional space, and even more appealing to discover terrific cookery inside it.  A hilariously decadent rosti with ox cheek and tail is more meat than it is potato During the week, the warehouse is home to Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, full of buzzing sewing machines and selvedge aficionados. Come Friday evening, the denim-heads are booted out, tables and chairs are bought in from storage and the kitchen fires up for the weekend. Conceptually, it makes so much sense. With so many restaurants struggling under the strain of rent and rates, why not get a little imaginative and lean into that dual-purpose life? We won’t be surprised if your local dry cleaners has turned into a New York-slice pop up by next summer. Chef and founder Chavdar Todorov started Slowburn in late 2020, delivering local meals during lockdown on his motorbike. Over the past five years he’s honed his hearty home -cooking-but-better, menu. It’s not a vegetarian restaurant by any stretch of

It is impossible not to be impressed by Cicoria’s location. In fact, people have been wowed by this London landmark for well over 150 years. For Angela Hartnett’s latest project – seasonal Italian cookery from a pleasingly short menu – it’s nothing but the best; an open plan space on the top floor of the majestic Royal Opera House.  That said, it’s kind of a mission to actually find Cicoria. First, a bag check at doors, then a dash through a capacious lobby, next a staircase, then the final boss of a giant escalator. We can’t remember the last time we were in a restaurant where people were wearing gowns Cicoria is meant to appeal as much to those who aren’t seeing a show here as those that are. Yet it’s going to be hard to attract the crowds when there’s no street-facing shopfront to tempt passing trade inside. In fact, if you’re in Covent Garden and seeking a Harnett hit, then Cafe Murano is but a two minute walk away in the house where Thomas de Quincy wrote drug-fuelled romp Confessions of An English Opium Eater, which has a much more intoxicating curb appeal. Want food directly from the spatula of Angela herself? Then heave off to Mayfair and her Michelin-star scoring Murano, still one of the finest Italian restaurants in the country. It is, however, hard to beat Cicoria’s buzzy sprawl, and the dramatic views across the historic piazza. There’s also something deeply appealing about eating in a theatre, from the excitement when the stage bell rings, to the fact that every

The moody and mysterious Maison Souquet is a former ‘pleasure house’ – which is a nice way of saying ‘former brothel’. Things have cleaned up a touch since this four storey townhouse opened for risque business in 1905, and it relaunched as a boutique hotel par excellence in 2015. Though its more raunchy days during the Belle Epoque might be behind it, you’ll find the hotel within high-kicking distance from the Moulin Rouge and the Pigalle’s strip of marvellously mucky sex shops. It might not be one for a family stay, but if you’re looking for a dose of French history and a great location (you’re right next to the hilariously picturesque cobbled streets of Montmartre) then Maison Souquet is the perfect, slightly pervy, Parisian escape. There’s also an occult-adjacent spa in the basement; all midnight blue and available for private hire by the hour, which makes Maison Souquet even more of a unique proposition.  Why stay at Maison Souquet? Romance – or at the very least, a dirty weekend – is unavoidable at Maison Souquet. Decor is never less than utterly ostentatious, starting with the red lamps outside that announce the hotel’s location on Rue de Bruxelles, the same street on which writer Emile Zola once lived (Number 21, if you’re interested in making a brief pilgrimage). The entrance parlour, complete with campy Arabian Nights-worthy interior, which was originally built for a Belgian aristocrat’s turn of the century mansion, is a many pronged attack on the senses, whiffing de

Moi might look like a high-end Rainforest Cafe and smell like a Totnes candle shop, but this foliage-heavy temple to sushi and woodsmoke is making a serious attempt at the title of Soho’s most important restaurant opening of 2025. A huge space that gets bigger the deeper you delve, Moi is all about Japanese food made with primo British ingredients, and filling up the bellies of hundreds of people per night to the sounds of the Velvet Underground and assorted jazz funk greats. On the street-level dining room (there’s also a sprawling basement complete with the ubiquitous ‘listening bar’), talented head chef Nick Tannett – formerly senior sous at Endo at the Rotunda – whips up modern and traditional takes on sushi, skewers, tataki and sashimi in a kitchen so open that he might as well take his apron off and join you at your table.  This is bread with main character energy Of course, with prices like this you’d expect greatness. It’s almost £50 for a small plate of seared A5 wagyu nigiri, and some meaty bluefin toro taku temaki isn’t much cheaper. A gooey sea trout tartare chu maki brushed with a glossy and creamy yuzukosho emulsion is the best of the bunch, but it’s the small plates where Moi steps into its own (and decides not to whack your wallet quite as brutally).  Thick and fleshy mounds of tuna tataki folded like t-shirts in a branch of Cos, and sitting in a pool of zingy grapefruit liquor are exceptional, the sweet and tart sauce so addictive we have to ask for a spoon

I’ve always had a soft spot for this resolutely gorgeous Grade-II listed shopfront in the hectic stretch between Dalston K and Dalston J; the lands where Amazon Fresh comes to die, the pubs are of a distinctly flag-shaggy persuasion, and you’ll never go wanting for fast, fried food. Exale Brewery have boldly stepped into the fray, introducing new life into this old F Cooke pie and mash shop, formerly home to much-missed Chinese restaurant Shanghai, and – most recently – that preposterous thing, a board game cafe.  The exquisitely-tiled front room is a calling card for Art Nouveau ultras The Black Eel – a reference to its past as a cockney canteen – is what we hope will be this building’s final form; a convivial and surprisingly cavernous bar with so many rooms that you might get lost, especially if you’ve been sipping Exale’s 5.8% Oona Neipa. There’s the exquisitely-tiled and elegant front room – a calling card for Art Nouveau ultras – as well as a Victorian side den, a sprawling main lounge, an area for darts and shuffleboard, a huge beer garden (complete with a boat and pétanque court), and a leopard-print carpeted private karaoke room right at the top, complete with a sturdy safe into which you can bundle any substandard singers. It has more in common with Rowans at 10pm on a Friday than it does a quaint backstreet boozer, but come party season, this place will be packed.  Since opening their taproom on Blackhorse Lane, indie brewers Exale have been on a bit of a roll, la

You want new restaurants? We got new restaurants. So, so many of them. 2025 has been stacked with tonnes of saliva-inducing new openings across the city, from Balkan barbecue joints and swish South Ken brasseries to new school Vietnamese cafes, Italian-Japanese pasta parlours, a massive new Hawksmoor in a historic hotel and the sprawling Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Covent Garden.   Sure, we’ve lost a lot of amazing places this year, but clever chefs have been plastering over the gaps with global-trotting menus and inventive dishes – Thai mutton fries, anyone?  Time Out already keeps a rolling tally of the very best new restaurants in London, updating our list monthly with the freshest reviews from Time Out critics. But right here we name the overall 2025 champions. These are the five best new London restaurants of the year.  The best new restaurants that opened in London in 2025 Photograph: Belly Bistro 1. Belly Bistro, Kentish Town This Filipino restaurant was pure 2025. Though every dish was super photogenic and Insta-friendly, it wasn't just an influencer’s dream – Belly Bistro also had a menu that tasted as good as it looked. This meant you didn’t need a ringlight and a humiliation kink in order to enjoy their tempura cod pandesal (essentially a posh filet o’ fish with American cheese and salty salmon roe), smoked aubergine and tomatoes with bagong shrimp paste, and smoked trout kinilaw (a fun, Filipino take on a ceviche). Big, bold, and deserving of every bit of prai

There’s a lot of great sushi in this city (and some serious sashimi, too). But how to know where to go to get the very best? Well wonder no longer, as Time Out has just crowned the absolute finest sushi restaurant in London right now.  Our brand new list of London’s top 20 sushi restaurants – written and curated by Japanese cuisine expert Erin Niimi Longhurst – features no frills takeaways such as Sushi Show in Islington and classic conveyor belt spots like Soho’s Kulu Kulu, as well as Michelin star restaurants Endo at the Rotunda in White City and Umu in Mayfair.  But number one in the list is the excellent Sushi Tetsu in Clerkenwell. Praised by Erin for its elegant omakase sushi, the restaurant has been open since 2012. It remains one of the most in-demand tables in town due to limited seatings and the fact that there are only seven counter spots in the restaurant. Seven! The menu is a pretty punchy £187 per person for the full omakase experience, with a slightly reduced price of £167 on Saturday lunchtimes. So you not only have to be fast off the mark to enjoy eating here, you also have to be a bit flush.  Even so, it’s worth saving up for. ‘The husband and wife team behind Sushi Tetsu continue to serve some of the most expertly crafted sushi you can get outside of Japan in a warm, intimate setting - a truly wonderful experience,’ writes Erin. If you’re desperate for a table, Erin suggests solo dining. ‘A midweek solo booking is always easier to nab,’ she suggests.  If yo

Though destined to be forever associated with Ireland, Guinness has opened a London brewery. The first UK-based Guinness brewery to be open to the public, it’s a little bit different to west London’s 1930s-built Guinness brewery in Park Royal, which ran until UK production of the brand’s famous stout came to an end in 2005. Leonie Cooper for Time Out This is the fourth public-access Guinness Open Gate Brewery in the world, following the flagship St James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, and US spots in Chicago and Baltimore. It’s pretty massive, set across a number of Victorian warehouse-style buildings in the cobbled backstreets of Covent Garden, parts of which were once home to eighteenth century brewers Combe & Co and, more recently, the flagship branch of H&M. I got a special tour of the megabrewer’s new spot to find out what actually happens here. Leonie Cooper for Time Out The main surprise was that they don’t actually make Guinness’s famous stout here (since the Park Royal site closed that’s all been done in Dublin), but you’ll taste Guinness-made ales, lagers and sours that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. St James cranks out three million pints of the black stuff every day, while the Covent Garden brewery will make just 750,000 pints of their various other ales a year. As we’re told by our jolly tour guide, this place is more about making brand-new beers and letting the public take a peek behind the black velvet curtain to learn about the history of Guinness (as

If you want to experience true sophistication, then may we suggest drinking in a hotel bar? Fancier than a London pub and classier than a cocktail bar, drinking in a hotel bar is much more than simply sipping a martini in a foyer. The city’s best hotel bars are glamorous hideaways that offer elite drinking experiences.  A new list by Forbes has ranked the very best hotel bars in the world with its inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025. Featuring 58 bars across the globe, the list ‘honour[s] the world's most exceptional hotel bar experiences’. It contains seven London-based hotel bars, which undercover inspectors visited multiple times, and includes Time Out’s favourite hotel bar in London: Scarfes Bar in Holborn.  If you’re wondering how the bars were judged, then Forbes explains their methodology thus: ‘Top bars achieved the highest scores for their beverage programme and presentation, as well as providing seamless service and an exceptional guest experience.’ With seven bars on the list, London had the most of any city, followed by Paris with five and Dubai with four.  The best hotel bars in the world, in London The full list of London hotel bars to feature in the Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025. Artesian Bar at The Langham The Goring Cocktail Bar at The Goring The Guards Bar and Lounge at Raffles London at The OWO The LaLee at The Cadogan Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park The Pine Bar at The Biltmore Mayfair Scarfes Bar at Rosewood

We’ve just crowned Sabiib in Acton as the best east African restaurant in London. The Somali restaurant topped our brand new, expert-curated list of the top 20 east African eateries in London, which also comprises Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, as well as food from Kenya and Tanzania.  Writer Paula Akpan praised the ‘sleek Somali spot… that plates traditional dishes with flair’, recommending the ‘hummus oodkac (traditional dried beef jerky) and meat sambus (filo pastry parcels) with homemade spicy bisbaas sauce, and nafaqo (mashed sweet potato, sauteed spinach and mixed veg)’ as well as the ‘signature haniid (slow-cooked lamb shoulder).’ Sabiib also has a restaurant on Green Lanes in Harringey.  The top 20 features long-standing Ethiopian favourites such as Addis in King’s Cross, the family-run Wolkite in Upper Holloway, and Lalibela in Tufnell Park.  Mauritian restaurant Le Chamarel in Turnpike Lane, Zanzibari street food spot Mwendo Kasi in Docklands, and family-run Eritrean restaurant Laza in Canonbury also make the list.  The guide was written by Time Out contributor Paula Akpan, a Nigerian-Trinidadian writer and historian from London, who recently published her first book, When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors. The best east African restaurants in London, according to Time Out. 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:

One of London’s best pasta restaurants is opening a brand new location.  The third branch of Padella – which follows the original location by Borough Market and a second in Shoreditch – is set to come to Soho next spring. The 80-seater restaurant will open at 2 Kingly Street, a decade after the first Padella launched. Run by the same team as Highbury’s Trullo (the best Italian restaurant in London, according to Time Out), the much-loved Padella is known for its hand-rolled pasta, including their now-legendary pici cacio e pepe and pappardelle with beef shin ragù.  Padella Soho will be split across the ground floor and basement, and include a private dining room for up to eight guests. If we may be so bold as to quote ourselves about Padella’s greatness, we recently said of the restaurant: ‘This legend’s note-perfect, well-priced pastas are as raved-about now as they were the week it opened.’ We stand by it.   Speaking about the opening, owners Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda have said: ‘We have always felt the energy of Soho was a perfect fit for Padella, and we’ve spent a long time looking for the right space. Bringing our fresh pasta to Kingly Street is something we are both incredibly excited about, and we hope it becomes a place where people can drop in for a quick plate or settle in for a long evening’. The best pasta restaurants in London, according to Time Out. Plus: our recently updated list of the 50 best restaurants in Soho. Get the latest and greatest from the Big

Every month a host of new restaurants across the UK are added to the Michelin Guide for Great Britain & Ireland – a list of dining recommendations from the same people that bring you the feted annual Michelin stars. While not quite as flashy as getting an actual Michelin Star, getting a nod from the Michelin Guide is pretty damn good. ‘The Michelin Guide Inspectors are always on the road, assessing existing restaurants as well as uncovering new ones worthy of recommendation,’ the guide says.  In November, an impressive 24 restaurants across Great Britain and Ireland were added to the Guide, including seven from London. Among those the recently opened Gina in Chingford, which we gave a glowing five stars in our recent review. The guide praised Gina, saying: ‘Everything is well-priced, prepared with care and swaps fuss for flavour, such as well-judged onglet with a creamy peppercorn sauce.’ Gina also features in Time Out’s list of the 20 best new restaurants in London, as do two other new entries in the guide, Island in King’s Cross and the new Singburi in Shoreditch. Of Singburi, the guide said: ‘Sharing plates of big-flavoured, enjoyably spicy goodness are the order of the day, with top dishes on the concise menu including succulent wild ginger chicken thighs and tender smoked pork belly panang.’ Other new entries in the guide include wine bar Cadet in Islington, Ukrainian restaurant Sino in Notting Hill, and Indian restaurants Pravaas in South Kensington and Madhu’s Southall

Christmas is coming – but that doesn’t mean London’s restaurant and bar scene gets to put its feet up and take a break.  This December will see loads of exciting new openings across the city, including a lavish new late-night restaurant from the same team as Mayfair’s ritzy The Dover, the long-awaited Guinness Brewery in Covent Garden, and a wine and sandwich bar in an Exmouth Market tattoo parlour.   Here’s the best of the month’s new foodie openings in the capital. The best new London restaurants opening in December 2025 1.The swish late-night restaurant Dover Street Counter, Mayfair Congrats! The Dover has spawned a badly-behaved, late-night sibling. Next door to the New York-style Italian is the brand new Dover Street Counter, open until 1am on school nights and 2am at the weekend. Come here for naughty 1950s Los Angeles energy, and a menu featuring disco fries, grilled half-lobster, and cajun baby chicken. It follows November’s lowkey launch of Martino’s on Sloane Square, an all-day 1960s-themed Italian, also from Dover ​​restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski.  Open: December 1 Address: 31 Dover Street, W1S 4ND Passione Vino 2. The wine bar in a tattoo parlour Passione Vino, Clerkenwell If you know your wine, you may already be familiar with Shoreditch’s Passione Vino. The cult favourite bottle shop, bar and pasta restaurant is now branching out, with founder Luca Dusi, opening up a new spot inside the old Family Business tattoo parlour on Exmouth Market. Just like the Shored

The brand new offering from meat titans Hawksmoor just so happens to be inside one of the most gorgeous dining rooms in London (if not the world). And we’ve got the pics to prove it. The restaurant, which opened earlier this month, can be found inside the Grade I listed St Pancras London Hotel (formerly known as St Pancras Renaissance Hotel). Interior design studio Macaulay Sinclair has now revealed photos of their refurbishment of the space for Hawksmoor’s eighth London restaurant and Martini Bar. The dining room and hotel was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and opened in 1873. It was known as the Midland Grand Hotel until it closed in 1935, with the restaurant space used as the coffee room for St Pancras station. The building was then used as railway offices until reopening as a hotel in 2011.  Photograph: Hawksmoor Speaking about the space’s refurb, Mai Yee Ng, design director at Hawksmoor, commented: ‘We love working with heritage buildings, and they don’t come much more spectacular than this Grade 1*-listed masterpiece by one of Britain’s most important architects, Sir George Gilbert Scott. The result is incredible – a unique space that honours the fabric of the building, whilst weaving in familiar Hawksmoor features.’ All of the space’s original structure remains, with the revamp highlighting the dining room and bar’s triple-height ceiling, mosaic flooring and stained-glass windows. ‘A complementary colour palate of deep greens, peacock blues and gold accents alo

It’s that time of year again. Yes, the mighty Christmas sandwich is back on your lunch menu. As is the tradition, the Time Out office staff have boldly taste-tested festive sarnies from a host of independent bakeries, delis and street food stalls across London in order to find the best of the bunch. According to our esteemed panel, the very best Christmas sandwich in London comes from Camberwell’s Mondo Sando, who can be found in residence at their own Cafe Mondo and the Grove House Tavern pub. Named ‘Kringle Klub’, their winning sandwich contains chicken thigh with crispy skin, brussels sprout kimchi slaw, bacon and apricot stuffing, and gochujang and cranberry hot sauce.  In second place is Deeney’s, the east London-based Scottish toastie team which has spots in Leyton, Walthamstow and Broadway Market (the latter only on Saturdays). Their silver medal-scoring sarnie is a more traditional offering, with turkey, red cabbage, stuffing, brie layer, and a roasted sprout on a stick, alongside cranberry sauce, sage butter and gravy for dipping. Third place went to a vegetarian Christmas sandwich from Dalston’s Dusty Knuckle, which contains gorgonzola, savoy cabbage, sprout tops, onions and candied rosemary walnuts. Other bakeries, delis and street food stalls in the round up include Walthamstow’s vegan Coven of Wiches, Stakehaus (which triumphed in this very contest in 2024), north-east London bakery and coffee shop chain Fink’s, Dom’s Subs, Borough Market’s The Black Pig, Gerry’s

The great debate of the modern pub – should kids be allowed in? – has come to a head at an east London boozer, which has banned children after 7pm.  William The Fourth in Leyton issued a statement based on customer feedback with regards to children in the pub, and complaints that ‘the pub has resembled a creche’. The pub had previously allowed under 18s until 8pm. On Instagram, the pub said: ‘Unsupervised children can pose risks not only to themselves but also to other customers and our team. We remain committed to being a family-friendly pub during the day, but to ensure a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable environment for all our guests, we are introducing the following rules regarding children.’   They added that the pub will be an ‘adults-only space’ from 7pm, ‘giving adults a child-free atmosphere in the evening while still offering families generous daytime hours.’ The pub is open from 3pm. Response to the new rules has been mixed, with many comments supporting the new rules but also kick-back from local parents.  William The Fourth is also home to ‘the best pizza in the UK’, having seen its kitchen residents Short Road Pizza recently scoop the top prize at the National Pizza Awards. You can also sample Short Road’s wares at Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green.   Both pubs are run by the independent beer champs, Exale Brewing. Exale took over William The Fourth, which dates back to 1897, earlier this year. Inspired by crispy Romana-style pizza, Short Road Pizza won the si

The British Indian Good Food Guide is a yearly list of the 100 best Indian restaurants in the UK. Though a London institution didn’t top the list this year – that honour went to Raval Indian Brasserie & Bar in Newcastle – the capital still did pretty well for itself, with six restaurants named as ‘London Icons’, and a further 22 restaurants included in the overall Top 100.  The British Indian Good Food Guide calls itself ‘a celebration of excellence in British-Indian dining’. The independent publication has selected a host of amazing spots across England, Scotland and Wales, assessing them on ‘cooking, consistency, hospitality and the overall dining experience’.  The ‘London Icons’ for 2025 are ‘restaurants whose sustained excellence has helped shape London as a global Indian dining capital’. They’re all in central London, and each one has held a Michelin star at some point. They are Cinnamon Club and Quilon in Westminster, Gymkhana, Jamavar, and Benares in Mayfair, and last but not least, Veeraswamy, which is Britain’s oldest Indian restaurant and can be found just off Regent’s Street. The rest of the London restaurants featured in the British Indian Good Food Guide range from very plush, such as Trishna in Marylebone, to more casual neighbourhood joints such as Time Out favourites, the vegetarian Rasa in Stoke Newington, and Babur in Forest Hill, as well as the Covent Garden branch of Dishoom.  London restaurants in the 2025 British Indian Good Food Guide The full list of L