Leonie Cooper

It's a treat to be veggie in London, and there are plenty of fantastic vegetarian restaurants, cafés and street-food stalls that cater to those who want to feast without the flesh, but still scoff butter, cheese and eggs. Read on and you'll find down-to-earth veggie cafés, meat-free curry houses, healthy restaurants and swish spots that'll convince even hardened carnivores to give peas a chance. We've even included a few places that aren't fully veggie, but offer a great vegetarian menu, like outdoor BBQ spot Acme Fire Cult and global comfort food cafe Jikoni in Marylebone. RECOMMENDED: Go fully plant-based with 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.  

Ever since Padella opened in Borough Market, and queues started to snake outside for its simple, affordable pasta small plates, London has become a city of pasta-fiends, lusting after linguine and Instagramming anelli. More and more hip Italian restaurants have opened across the capital serving up stylish, saucy, cheesy and downright-delicious strands of dough and we're also stocking up on perfect fresh pasta from delis like Lina Stores and diving into plates of trad pasta at Ciao Bella in Bloomsbury, as well as bottomless lasagna at Senza Fondo. Here are the finest pasta places in town.  RECOMMENDED: London's best Italian restaurants. 

There’s a reason why so many romantic comedy films are set in London; quite simply, it’s one of the best places in the world to be loved up. The picturesque Little Venice, the historic Whispering Gallery at St Paul's Cathedral, and Waterloo Bridge (which has breathtaking views of the city) are among the many romantic places to visit at any time of year – and we can’t get enough. But to encourage your love to reach full bloom, it’s important to pick a hotel with the right kind of vibe. Breakfast in bed, complimentary cocktails upon arrival, and pampering spa packages are the sort of special touches that can make all the difference when you’re in the mood to woo... or maybe even pop the question! For the ultimate couple’s break, here are our hotels in London to cook up a bit of romance. Enjoy.  🛏️ Discover our list of the sexiest hotels in London How we curate our hotel lists Headed up by editor Joe Mackertich, our team at Time Out London spend their time reviewing hotels all over the Capital – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. Along with our pool of trusted hotel experts, every hotel on this list has been individually reviewed and selected for a reason: we’ve been there, we think it’s great and we’d genuinely recommend it. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 📍 Ultimate gu

Want a drink? You've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest bars in the capital right now. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many, many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars, liquor lounges and places to quaff wine, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? Our critieria for inclusion on this list is simple; a menu of genius drinks is important, but so is overall vibe – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bin juice. To make our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, and inclusive, as well as looking (and tasting) the part.  July 2025: Congrats to the newly-opened bars that have made the immediate jump into our hallowed Top 50, such as Ellie's – a lowkey Dalston cocktail bar recently anointed by Charli XCX, who chose it for the site of her wedding afterparty, and House Party, a rowdy Soho bar co-founded by Stormzy. It sits alongside some proper London classics which have returned to this list due to their outstanding excellence and unerring commitment to getting us tipsy in style, like the Keith Floyd-core Covent Garden wine bar Le Beaujolais. Now go forth and drink. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and

Marylebone is certainly one of London’s swankier districts, its quaint streets teeming with tourists, thrill-seekers and well-heeled locals. But that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to boring, overpriced food. The area is chock-full of great restaurants, whether they’re peddling haute cuisine or down-to-earth fare. You’ll find fine dining, relaxed neighbourhood restaurants and hot new openings from hyped chefs sitting side by side in this fashionable corner of the West End as well as a high density of Michelin star spots. Venture off Oxford Street and seek out a meal to remember. RECOMMENDED: London’s 50 best restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Trawling London for excellent seafood restaurants is a joy – it turns out that there are plenty of fish in the sea when it comes to where eat a fine coastal supper in the capital. To help you make your choice we've done the decent thing and spread the net wide across the city to bring you the very best in bivales, crustaceans, molluscs and more. From fish and chips and Michelin-starred must-visits to sushi – with this list, London is your oyster. Go fish. RECOMMENDED: The best bargain oysters in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

North London is still a hotbed for Greek eateries, catering to Cypriot and Greek expats hungry for souvlaki, kleftiko and gigantes as good as they taste back home. But a new breed of restaurants doing modern Greek small plates also abound, including Marylebone's Ospo and its sister spot Ino in Soho, as well as the Greek-ish Oma in Borough Market. Let's celebrate London’s best-loved Hellenic evergreens too; Andy’s Taverna (a Camden fixture for more than 50 years), Aphrodite Taverna, and Retsina in Belsize Park. RECOMMENDED: Discover London's best kebab restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

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.

So you like ice cream? You’re not alone. We’re all just big children waiting for a little bit of sweet, cold milk to numb the pain of navigating adulthood (even if, for some of us, it does have to be dairy-free milk). It’s no wonder there are often massive queues for our city’s best ices, especially when a heatwave hits.  Want to make sure the cone you’re standing in line for is worth the 30-minute wait ahead of you? Look no further. We've asked ice cream experts from around our office for their favourite places to lick 99ers, chomp on ice cream sarnies, feast on sundaes and neck a scoop or two of premium gelato or soft serve. Go forth and get cool.  RECOMMENDED: The best brunches in London.  The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible whim. These days, London isn’t just home to the fry-up, but the ubiquitous smashed avocado on toast, bowls of shakshuka and many more besides. In fact, London genuinely might be the best place to eat breakfast in the world. Whether you’re the kind of person who favours a posh restaurant over a greasy spoon, or who champions a caff over a swanky hotel, we’ve rounded up the ultimate list.  September 2025: Our latest update includes everything from udon noodle bowls and South Indian platters to Hong Kong toasted buns, as well as morning mezze and classic croissants. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom's bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London.  RECOMMENDED: Breakfast’s a little too early for you? Try one of London’s best brunches instead. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

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 September.  September 2025: New additions include perfect pizza at Ace in Victoria Park, new school Vietnamese at Lai Rai in Peckham, modern surf and turf at Island in King's Cross, yet more pizza at Elephant in Clapton, ultra elite Asian cuisine at Shanghai Me in Mayfair, riverside dining at Canal in Westbourne Park, and a new home for Thai legend Singburi in Shoreditch. 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 London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

Why visit a bog standard boozer when you can enjoy a pint in a weird and wonderful London drinking den instead? Get lost in a theme so immersive that you’ll feel you’ve dived straight into your drink. Delve into secret bars in the most unlikely of places. Or just have a laugh over arcade games, eye-catching lights, staff in character, cocktails served in the world’s whackiest drinking vessels and raucous sing-alongs. We’ve rounded up the coolest and quirkiest bars and pubs in London, guaranteed to brighten your evening. RECOMMENDED: The very best bars in London. Quirky and unusual things to do in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Flute has absolutely no chill. Perched on the top of new-ish Soho hotel the Broadwick, this is a bar that will grab you off the dancefloor, tell you all of its most intimate secrets, maybe try and snog you, and then waltz back into the night, never to see you again. In other words, Flute is a good time - if a little intense. There is a wraparound rooftop balcony (see the Blue Posts like you’ve never seen it before!), which is all well and good, but the magic really happens inside this glammy 7th floor beauty. There are palms on the carpet like the decorators have been gifted offcuts from the Beverly Hills Hotel; there's animal-print upholstery on the cosy armchairs; a DJ booth that looks like the inside of a glitterball; naughty mirrored ceilings, and a weighty black onyx bar in the middle of it all. Extra? Extra extra.    Of course, such lavishness doesn’t come cheap. Cocktails are in the market of around £20 to £25, and the signature specials all come with loose links to Soho; Secrets of a Windmill Girl is a champagne, gin and rose cordial tipple that flashes its ankles at the historic burlesque club around the corner, while a sherry, Campari and melon liqueur offering is named in tribute to jazz bar Ronnie Scotts. As befitting of a bar named Flute, there is also a serious Champagne and sparkling menu, with glasses starting at £22. Want something to nibble on? There’s a Champagne and caviar bump deal for £35, but also a more substantial food offering that spans a range of s

Want to feel like you’re in Paris (when you’re actually in Waterloo)? Lower Wine Bar is here for you. Opened in 2024, Lower rolls out onto one of our favourite streets in the city - the resolutely old-school Lower Marsh - and offers wines by the glass and bottle, as well as providing a bottleshop take-out service. All your most in-demand wines are on offer, from chilled reds to pet-nats. There’s also a small blackboard food menu to power you through the list. Lovely stuff. Time Out tip Lower Marsh is also home to the excellent Maries, a tiny caff that by day is a full-on greasy spoon serving gut-busting fry-ups, but by night is an informal Thai restaurant packed with nattering cabbies and spice-loving locals scoffing authentic food at bargai prices – think chicken satay, sum tum salad, stir-fries, the aforementioned curries, noodles and desserts such as banana fritters. Find it at 90 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AB.

Mayfair isn’t as stuffy as you think it is. Honest!! Take, for example, Wine Bar. Yes, a silly name. A somewhat impossible-to-Google name. But, an extremely apt one. Wine Bar isn’t out here trying to impress you with paintings of tigers and sofas made of gold (unlike some bars around these parts). Instead, it feels a bit like a kitchen in the Cotswolds; all white-washed brick walls, and a rustic, rural energy that seems ideal for eating large hunks of cheese and washing them down with big, bold glasses of red, or juicy whites with a hint of skin-contact.  Of course, Wine Bar’s credentials are covertly fancy. It’s part of the Artfarm family, the hospitality wing of mega gallerists Hauser and Wirth, who also run the glitzy Mount St Restaurant and tarted-up Audley pub across the road, as well Farm Shop upstairs, a kind of Marie Antoinette cosplay countryside store full of goodies from their outpost in Bruton, Somerset.  Down in the bright, airy basement the knowledgeable team will happily guide you through their 150-strong list, which features wines from their own estate and cider from their orchard. Better still is the cheese list, which comes from a temperature controlled room and is delivered to you alongside serious slabs of charcuterie. More ravenous than that? There’s also chicken from the in-house rotisserie. A very classy joint.

Does a legendary London hotel by any other name still smell as sweet? From 1900 until 2018, this Bloomsbury grand dame was known as the Hotel Russell, thanks to its plumb position on the edge of Russell Square. Designed by architect Charles Fitzroy Doll, it was built as a tribute to a Renaissance chateau just outside of Paris, and remains one of the most imposing buildings in London. Kimpton’s revamping of the hotel was long overdue, and the stately hotel has been restored to something of its former glory. If we haven’t convinced you yet, the hotel also boasts a resident dragon, Lucky George, a bronze sculpture which you’ll find halfway up the majestic marble staircase. There was another, less-than-lucky George, which sank with the Titanic in 1912 (Fitzroy Doll was also behind the first class spaces on the doomed ocean liner). Why stay at Kimpton Fitzroy London? When it comes to locations, they don’t get much more convenient than that of the Kimpton Fitzroy. You’re right in the middle of London, but a million miles away from the hectic hustle and bustle of Soho, Covent Garden or Mayfair. As neighbourhoods go, the always-classy Bloomsbury is a beauty, and though this sprawling hotel might be massive – there are 334 guest rooms and suites and it takes up an entire city block  – it still feels intimate. The entrance is flanked by Henry Charles Fehr’s original sculptures of Queens Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne and Victoria on the Grade** listed Doulton thè-au-lait terracotta facade,

Applebee’s has been doing its quietly impressive thing since 2000. Starting life as a fishmonger, it casually morphed into a cutesy family-run seafood restaurant (making it now one of the oldest on this Stoney Street strip) which remains fit-to-bursting every evening. Brown crab rarebit was delightfully chunky, and layered with a heroic portion of salty samphire To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Applebee’s had a bit of an interior spruce up in 2025, and is now a light, bright and ultra-convivial space in which to plough through a superlative seafood offering from executive chef, Frankie van Loo. Super-sustainable, the menu at this Borough Market mainstay charges regularly, depending on what the Devon and Cornwall dayboats have brought to Brixham Fish Market. Our oysters were hearty and so fresh they might have made a run for it had they had legs, while a starter of wild seabass ceviche came meaty-thick and lifted by a vibrant strawberry and citrus dressing. Brown crab rarebit was delightfully chunky, and layered with a heroic portion of salty samphire, and followed by two sturdy and sizable grilled wild prawns honking with garlic butter. If there’s something Applebee’s does just as well as fish, it’s beautifully buttery sauces swirled with radiant green herbs.  We clock a massive fish and chips complete with a tower of tartate being delivered to another table and almost stand and applaud, but it’s creamy Cornish hake on top of a melt-y potato rosti with beurre blanc and a s

Nobody is safe from BuzzBallz. Their empty carcases litter the streets of London like so many cigarette butts, cackling in the face of rumours that Gen Z don’t drink alcohol. They most certainly do! They just can’t afford £9 pub pints! Following their status as pavement pariahs, BuzzBallz have now made the leap into our bars, and there’s even a vending machine dishing out these circular booze bombs in the latest of east London’s new wave dive bars. Like Rasputin’s, Easy 8 and Helgi’s before it, All My Gods runs because the long-gone likes of the Crobar and Intrepid Fox walked. A touch cleaner and less stinky than its grimy forebears (though give it a few years and the filth will no doubt come), this project from the team behind Denmark Street’s sleek whiskey bar Dram also comes with innovations that would have made the Crobar’s most grouchy patrons shake their heads in despair. Alongside the BuzzBallz vending machine (which also dishes out cans of White Claw), there’s also a ‘Martininator’ - a Jagermeister machine bought on eBay that’s been tweaked to pour the coldest martinis in the UK at a chilly, Jack Nicholson-at-the-end-of-The-Shining temperature of minus -18 degrees. Something else Crobar regulars might have sniffed at it is the inclusion of Champagne on the menu. But this isn’t any champagne, this is London’s cheapest glass of Ruinart, aka the bartenders’ favourite, at £13 a flute.  If playing on a black velvet pool table while sipping champers to a soundtrack of Black

Stationed at the Pembury Tavern since 2018, Ace Pizza has long been in Time Out’s good books (if by good books you mean our list of the best pizza in London) thanks to their giddy, stonebaked ‘London-style’ pizza, which combines the crispy-bottomed New York slice with the slow-fermented, bubbly crusts of the Neapolitan original.  Ace are still dishing out pub pies over in Hackney Downs, but this, their first stand-alone restaurant. shows that they’re finally ready to play with the big boys (if by ‘big boys’ you mean Yard Sale). Fried artichokes are soft inside, but tough on the outside, like a hardboiled 1940s gumshoe with a heart of gold On a sticky summer’s evening, the simple primrose and terracotta-shaded storefront is popping off. There are gangs of pals tearing into pizzas and pints, sunburned couples bickering while queuing for collection, and a veritable pound of hounds curled up on the floor. Ace Pizza does a good job of breaking up the undeniable smugness of Victoria Park Village with its uber-casual attitude. There’s no banging on about biodynamic wine or performative menu pointers about regenerative farming. The only real quirk about the restaurant is a moody, red-lit darkroom at the back of the space, kind of like Berghain but for aperitivo rather than fisting.  But largely, this is a simple, distraction-free zone dedicated to the business of eating pizza and getting a hot-honey margarita buzz on with friends. But unlike the Pembury, there’s more than just pizza

Islington isn’t exactly wanting for good boozers. The fabulous Wenlock Arms and ultra-welcoming Britannia are both within spitting distance of the freshly-revamped William IV, which offers a more refined, gastro take on classic north London pub proceedings.  Head to the spacious ground floor for the kind of shabby chic backstreet experience you’ll also experience at places like the characterful Earl of Essex – but upstairs is where things get serious. The pub’s candle-lit Regency-era dining room, which comes with shades of the Quality Chop House, doesn’t just offer an excellent Sunday roast, but week-round dining that feels more King Henry VIII than William IV. We’re talking massive salty chops slathered with a Rorschach test of melted butter; an allotment’s worth of spuds with a creamy slab of plaice; meaty platters of perky oysters; chickpea panisse that are fatter than the fattest chips and William IV’s house speciality – malty and toasted Guinness bread which comes with a honking, ultra-savoury Marmite butter that looks not unlike a dollop of gelato. All of this to a sublime soundtrack of Scott Walker. Come hungry, and feast until you have to be rolled out of the joint like the decadent king you are.   Time Out tip This might be a pub, but the wine list is epic and they also make a marvellous martini. The 2:1 Coastal Martini is a light-touch take on the cocktail classic, meaning you can get stuck into a bottle of lovely Savvy B after.

Rare is the pub that opens at 8am and isn’t around the corner from an early morning meat market (or a Wetherspoons). The Angel – which is from the same team as Highgate’s primo gastropub the Red Lion & Sun – is bucking the trend with a classy breakfast bistro offering, before easing punters into lunchtime wine and evening feasts (though not on Sun-Tue, when it shuts up shop at 6pm - they’re not maniacs). Booze begins at 10am, if you’re wondering, with a kimchi bloody mary one of the more acceptable pre-lunch libations on offer.  Formerly the unremarkable Angel Inn, the Angel relaunched in 2025 on a prominent corner of the quaint Highgate High Street, well aware that it needed to offer something different in an area already packed with exceptional pubs. Despite being super close to the aforementioned Red Lion & Sun, ever-popular Flask, cosy Prince of Wales and Americana-themed Dukes of Highgate, the Angel stands out. Airy and bright, the space feels more like a Parisian brasserie than a north London boozer, with classy touches such as elegant fairground-styled painted logos for your pints rather than ugly branded pump clips. Kippers, full english brekkies and a selection of pastries are available until 5pm, after which the evening menu kicks in, with the likes of bavette steak and chips, confit duck leg, and Wagyu double cheeseburger up for grabs. But this isn’t one of the gastropubs where you’ll be sneered at for only ordering booze - from what we can see on our visit, drinke

Expectations for Canal are ludicrously, toweringly, almost worryingly, high.  That’s what happens when your team already runs one of London’s best restaurants; distinguished sausage slingers of Shoreditch, Bistro Freddie. They’re also behind those charming playboys of the seasonal small plates scene; Crispin, Bar Crispin and Crispin at Studio Voltaire in Clapham. Does Canal match their majesty? Yes. Well, almost.  It is like taking an entire Sicilian beach into your mouth, minus the sand The glossy riverside retreat sits pretty on a new-build chunk of yet-to-be battered brickwork by the Grand Union Canal. There’s a waterfront terrace outside with views of wall-to-wall west London graffiti and inside is all glossy chrome tables and putty-coloured plaster walls, with bathrooms that seem lifted directly from a louche 1960s architect's Barbican bolt-hole. The staff too, may be the best dressed in London, in their baggy denim slacks and matching fishing gilets designed especially by counter-cultural menswear titan and eternal cool guy Nicholas Daley.  The chef too, has everything going for him. New York-born Adrian Hernandez Farina has the kind of CV that most cooks would chop off a finger for. Here in London he’s done stints at Humo, Luca, Hawksmoor, Smokestak and Chiltern Firehouse, while he’s also served time at the irreproachable triple-Michelin starred French Laundry in California.  Some dishes reach the giddy heights of Bistro Freddie. Mangalitza sausage is juicy and pert,

Once home to the Electric Diner (part of the Soho House Group-owned Electric Cinema) this oddly inviting, tunnel-like space is now the second London outpost of the very delicious Speedboat Bar. One of London’s best Thai restaurants, nothing has been lost in translation when it comes to Speedboat Bar 2.0. The Bangkok-inspired flavours still hit hard, with the seriously spicy chicken salad with green mango kerabu a must-order, alongside a compelling crispy pork with creamy black pepper curry, as well as a whole sea bream in addictive makrut lime sauce. Much like at the Rupert Street original, no order is complete with a plate of chicken skins with zaep seasoning. Open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights (and midnight during the week), it’s also a great bet for a late-night feed-up.  Read the full review of Speedboat Bar in Chinatown here. 

The first London branch of Dishoom’s all-day Bombay-inspired cafe sideline can be found in the jazzed-up bones of a grand Victorian boozer on one of the city’s most famous streets. Permit Room Portobello comes on the back of branches in Brighton, Oxford and Cambridge, and is, essentially, Dishoom with a side hustle as a Notting Hill creative director. It’s still fairly pub-like in demeanor; there’s a big long bar and cosy booths, but design-wise it’s had the full Dishoom treatment; glossy wood panelling, a smattering of South Asian art, embroidery pieces, parquet flooring and potted palms. There’s a slightly formal first-floor dining room – good for dimly lit dinners as well as chai-fuelled weekday co-working – but if you’re popping in to hoover up an 8am bacon naan, then the more casual ground floor is where you’ll want to be.  When it comes to food, the menu is shorter than your standard Dishoom offering, but with dishes exclusive to the Permit Room, such as chilli-cheese naan bites, and fish chapali patties, as well as cinnamon-spiked French toast for brekkie. But what really makes the Permit Room special is the fact that it’s home to a stunningly designed two-room apartment upstairs - yes, a Dishoom hotel. It’s £700 a night, but could comfortably sleep four, with bouncy beds, a large living area and a view up Portobello Road that seems straight out of a Richard Curtis movie. It feels less like a hotel and more like your stylish auntie’s west London bolthole, complete with

When it comes to dining, London has a thing for eating on boats. From Caravel in Islington to Hackney Wick’s Barge East, The Cheese Barge in Paddington and Feng Shang Princess in Camden, there are plenty of floating restaurants on this city’s canals and waterways. And now a new pretender looks set to be joining them. If it’s granted a licence, a new cafe and restaurant will open up in a boat called The Aphrodite at Town End Pier in Kingston, reports South London News. It adds that the restaurant would have space for 40 people inside the boat and 24 on two outside decks. ‘The aim is to bring together the traditions of the River Thames and the vibrant café and eating scene in Kingston upon Thames to create a comfortable, friendly and relaxing atmosphere down on the river,’ says the project’s licence application documents. It plans to open every day of the week, closing at 10pm from Monday to Saturday and 9pm on Sundays.  Sadly, one of London’s nicest floating foodie spots, the cocktail and nibbles joint Bruno’s, closed down earlier this summer. Bruno’s was opened at the end of 2022 by brothers Fin and Lorcan Spiteri next to their restaurant Caravel on the Regent's Canal. Happily, we still have Tamesis Dock, a beautiful 1930s green and yellow Dutch barge moored between Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges, with incredible views down the Thames.  More London food news from Time Out: A legendary two Michelin star restaurant in Chelsea has been forced to close.  Plus: These are the 14 best

September is busy. In a pique of giddy back-to-school energy, it seems like everyone and their dog is opening a restaurant over the next few weeks. We’ve sifted through the menus to bring you the best of the bunch, including a fair few fancy hotel launches, some Basque brilliance, spenny sushi and posh pasta. And it wouldn’t be a restaurant openings piece without yet another pizza parlour.   The best new London restaurants in September 2025 Royal Opera House 1. Angela Hartnett hits the West End Cicoria, Covent Garden  Bona fide national treasure Angela Harnett is bringing her classy cookery to nothing less than the Royal Opera House. Cicoria will be on the fifth floor of the Royal Opera House and the accompanying Bar Cicoria will spill out onto the venue’s terrace bar. The Michelin-starred founder of Mayfair’s Murano will offer ‘sophisticated yet simple, Italian-inspired cooking’ at this exciting new launch.  Opens: September 25 Address: Bow Street, WC2E 9DD. Photograph: Alamy 2. The celeb-tastic American import Carbone, Mayfair This one’s been in the pipeline for a while. Finally London will get a taste of Carbone’s iconic spicy rigatoni alla vodka and swish celebrity clientele. Mario Carbone’s eponymous upmarket Italian-American spot quickly established itself as one of NYC’s most famous restaurants when it first opened its doors in 2013, and is a favourite of everyone from Rihanna and Taylor Swift, to the Obamas and Kardashians. This is Carbone’s first European outpost

Bibendum, the bona fide London food institution with a fine-dining powerhouse at the helm, has closed. The Claude Bosi-bossed restaurant announced the closure of the South Kensington mainstay on Instagram, writing: ‘Despite our very best efforts, we were unable to reach a resolution with our partners and landlords that would allow Michelin House to move into its next chapter... It has been an honour to be part of the Michelin House story, and a privilege to share that journey with you.’ Bibendum, which was in the glorious Michelin House on Fulham Road, was taken over by French chef Bosi in 2017. It was named after the ‘Michelin man’ AKA Bibendum, who features prominently on the Grade II-listed building's vintage stained glass windows. The Michelin company left the art deco building in the 1980s, and was turned into a restaurant by Sir Terence Conran in 1987. Bibendum gained its two Michelin stars less than a year after Bosi took over. Over the past few years Bosi has been pretty prolific, as well as Bibendum he launched the double Michelin-starred Brooklands at The Peninsula London by Hyde Park, and opened two branches of his Josephine bouchon in Chelsea and Marylebone. Of Bibendum, Time Out wrote: ‘Bibendum remains London’s nattiest and most heart-warmingly pleasurable dining room – although über-chef Bosi is putting his own dizzyingly technical and dazzlingly creative stamp on proceedings. Prices are unnervingly high, but the food is overwhelmingly excellent – so go on, blo

If you’ve ever sauntered through Hackney Wick on a summer’s afternoon, you probably ended up at Crate - a micro-brewery and pizza joint in an old factory by the side of the River Lee. It’s scenic! It’s charming! It’s one of the best bars in Hackney! Realising they had nailed a flawless formula, the Crate team are now bringing their water-side pints and pizza to a second location; Wood Wharf by Canary Wharf. Opening up in October, the second Crate site will also see DJs on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as a brand new selection of pizzas unique to the new location. It’ll be open daily from 12pm and will have outdoor seating for 80 people.  You’ll find the new Crate at 14 Water Street, E14 5GX, from October. Speaking about the new opening, Crate co-founder Jess Seaton says: ‘we can’t wait to bring Crate to a new part of London. We feel so lucky to have built an incredible community in Hackney Wick, then we found a space in Wood Wharf that we fell in love with, and wanted to bring the authentic Crate vibe to. The whole family has chipped in for an ‘all hands on deck’ situation to renovate as much of the space as we can by ourselves, the true Crate way!’ The original Crate opened in 2012, selling its own brand lager and pale ale out of an old print factory, as well as stone baked thin-crust pizzas topped with the likes of sage and truffle, and spicy salami.  The new venue will prioritise sustainable building methods, including repurposed waste material into ‘timber terrazzo’

Pub pros CAMRA – AKA the Campaign for Real Ale – have revealed the organisation’s London Pub of the Year 2025. The annual competition sees 16 regional and national winners crowned in UK, and the capital’s title has been taken by a six-time winner of the London contest. So congratulations are in order (again!) to the Hope in Carshalton (which yes, is in the Greater London area – we checked!). According to CAMRA, the community pub is ‘by beer enthusiasts for beer enthusiasts’, and features two regular ales, five changing guest ales and craft keg beers. ‘There is a piano in the conservatory room but no fruit machines, TV or ‘muzak’.’ The 16 regional winners are now in the running to be named CAMRA’s overall Pub of the Year. Four finalists will be announced in October, and the overall winner will be revealed in January 2026. The current holder of the title is The Bailey Head in Oswestry, Shropshire. Speaking about the finalists, Andrea Briers, CAMRA’s Pub of the Year Co-ordinator, commented: ‘It is a real pleasure to announce this year’s top 16 pubs, each of which has demonstrated exceptional quality, warmth and dedication to their communities. These pubs are shining examples of what makes the Great British pub so special, from perfectly kept pints to a genuine welcome for all.’ ‘Achieving this in the face of rising costs and other pressures is no small feat, and we want to see these pubs, and thousands of others like them, continue to thrive. That’s why we’re calling on the Chan

The end, quite potentially, is nigh. We bring you news that a London pub (one in a train station, but a London pub nonetheless), has apparently started adding on a service charge for drinks ordered at the bar. Yes, you heard right – this isn’t for table service, but for bar service. Whatever next! The pub in question is the Well and Boot in Waterloo station, which has been adding on a 4 percent charge to any drink (and food) ordered at the bar, reports the Telegraph. A sign on the bar states that the charge is ‘optional’ but that it will be ‘automatically added’ to every bill. Time Out contacted Glendola Leisure, which runs the pub, for comment but did not hear back. We’re now more than used to pubs charging a 12.5 per cent service fee for food and drink which is delivered to the table, but there’s something about a service charge at the bar that feels a little… off, especially if you’re just ordering a single drink.  This follows news that a central London pub was charging an extra £2 on all pints served after 10pm. All the more reason to take a look at this new map which shows you every single happy hour in London – there are cheap pints out there, you just need to know where to look. UPDATE: An investigation by London Centric has revealed that nine Glendola pubs across London have rolled out the 4 percent service charge. Those are:  The World’s End in Camden The Fox in Shoreditch The Lansdowne in Primrose Hill Waxy O’Connor’s in the West End Waxy’s Little Sister in the We

It’s time to eke out the dog days of summer by eating your dinner on the street. Not, like, off the actual pavement, but on an alfresco table at one of Covent Garden’s many restaurants.  The Mayor of London’s Summer Streets scheme will, by summer’s end, have seen four neighbourhoods turned into outdoor eating and drinking areas, with the West End reportedly now launching on August 22. The areas are spread across the city, with Brixton, Leyton and Shoreditch having already launched. St Martin’s Lane will be made car-free from 11am to 11pm, and alfresco licences have been made available for up to 34 businesses. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (via My London) the scheme will start this Friday and run until the end of October.  The LDRS has visited St Martin’s Lane and spoken with several restaurants and cafés, all of whom said their licences are to become operational on August 22. It is understood they are to run until the end of October. They confirmed that Fumo, Côte Brasserie, the Real Greek, La Roche, Pizza Express and Browns are some of the restaurants that will be taking advantage of the scheme. However, they added that a number of the outlets thought the scheme should have kicked off earlier in the summer.  Antonio Simonte, general manager of Fumo, told the LDRS: ‘It's been a number of years I have tried to get tables outside. We should have started earlier I believe. It's the end of August.’ The best restaurants in London for outdoor dining. Get the l

On the hunt for your next great Indian meal? We feel you. If you’ve already worked your way through our list of the best Indian and south Asian restaurants in London, then you’re probably in need of extra inspiration. Step forward the English Curry Awards. Run by Oceanic Awards, the annual competition exists to ‘celebrate the rich tapestry of flavours that the curry industry brings to the English culinary landscape’, and was held on August 11 in Birmingham. Worthy work, we think you’ll agree. While London didn’t scoop the top prize of overall national champion – that went to Sherkhan of Alnwick, a locally beloved restaurant and take-away in Northumberland – there were a bunch of regional winners and London’s greatest Indian restaurant was named as Masala Inn, which you’ll find on the fringes of south London in Bexleyheath. A ‘contemporary Indian restaurant and grill’, Masala Inn’s menu features a number of signature dishes, including Goan fish masala, creamy malabar, and lamb kaalia, as well as a host of biriani and balti dishes.  Masala Inn fans have been showing their love of the restaurant on TripAdvisor, with a not too shabby 4.7 rating. One wrote: ‘Everything we ordered was fantastic, especially the Malabar chicken; so rich and creamy!’ Another added: ‘The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the food is outstandingly good. I’ve tried many of the items on the menu, the railway curry is excellent, full of tender lamb and flavour.’ More food news: Hyped pizza chain Yard S

More London pizza news?! Yes, actually! Following reports that the best pizza chef in the world is opening up a new restaurant in Soho, we bring you sizzling hot information on the mighty Yard Sale, who will be launching their 15th site in London next month. The lucky location this time is on Lavender Hill in south London, with Yard Sale Pizza Battersea opening in late September. It’ll offer both delivery and collection, but this won’t be an eat-in restaurant like some of Yard Sale’s other shops. The delivery area will encompass Battersea Park, Nine Elms, Queenstown Road, and Clapham Junction, as well as parts of Clapham, Wandsworth and Stockwell.  The new Yard Sale will join branches in Clapton, Finsbury Park, Walthamstow, Leytonstone, Hackney Road, East Dulwich, Balham, Crystal Palace, Crofton Park, Tottenham, Hither Green, Earlsfield, Tufnell Park, and Bermondsey – meaning their ruthless domination of the city’s pizza scene is nearly complete.  The menu will include Yard Sale greats such as Holy Pepperoni with smoky pepperoni and nduja), as well as the TSB with tenderstem broccoli, pine nuts, garlic oil and parmesan. Keep your eyes open too for regular collaborations with London’s best restaurants and chefs as well as comedians, musicians and all-round cool people who like pizza.  Yard Sale Pizza Battersea will be at 55 Lavender Hill, SW11 5QN. The best pizza in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events

In search of cheap drinks in London? Then may we point you in the direction of Happy Places, an interactive map which tells you about every happy hour taking place in London, across a whole host of pubs and bars. The app, devised by City-worker Andrew Myers, is currently only available on the web, but iPhone and Android versions are on their way.   ‘Last weekend I pulled this together for me and my mates after realising (again!) the complete devastation a night out can have on your bank balance,’ says Myers. And we thank you for your service.  The app lets you see happy hours happening right now, as well as giving you the option to slide forward in time to spot upcoming deals. ‘Down the line, I’d love to roll it out across the UK, add bottomless brunches and food deals, and even bring in community features so people can share tips and finds,’ adds Myers.  Happy Places The app encompasses venues across London, from Boxpark in Wembley, to London’s best dive bar Blondies in Clapton, and all the remaining branches of Simmons, which is about to close four of its cheap and cheerful cocktail bars. Check out Happy Places for yourself here. The best bars in London, according to Time Out.  A game-changing new London pub map shows which boozers are currently in the sunshine. 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 for our free Time Out London newsletter

London pizza parlour Napoli on the Road does pizza very, very well. It’s run by Naples-born pizzaiolo Michele Pascarella who was crowned Best Pizza Maker in the World at the 50 Top Pizza Awards in 2023, while the brand itself was named Europe’s Best Pizzeria in 2024 and 2025 at the 50 Top Pizza Europa. There’s just one issue; Napoli on the Road only has two branches; in Chiswick and Richmond. Until now.  The rest of London can breathe a sigh of relief as Pascarella has decided to open up a third pizza parlour in a slightly more convenient location than on the fringes of far-flung southwest London… yes, Napoli on the Road is coming to Soho!  Opening this autumn, the third branch of Napoli on the Road will be a two-floor restaurant at 140 Wardour Street, with an a la carte menu on the ground floor and a tasting menu offering in the basement... a pizza tasting menu? We can only dream. The ground floor space will feature chrome pizza ovens and white-washed walls. It all sounds very chic, to be honest. Speaking about the new opening, Pascarella commented: ‘Soho is full of creativity, culture and open-minded attitudes. We’re so excited to add a new approach to pizza to the tapestry of Wardour Street. Soho was where I first began working in London; returning feels like a homecoming and a dream come true.’ 140 Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 8ZT The best pizza restaurants in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and

A central London pub is set to reopen after having almost a million pounds pumped into it. The White Horse and Bower on Horseferry Road has been closed since January 2024, but is set to relaunch next month. The Shepherd Neame pub – which dates back to 1816 and was rebuilt in 1894 – will reopen on September 10, featuring a restored tile facade, new awning, bespoke hand-painted swing sign, herringbone timber floor, rear booths with stained-glass screens and a reclaimed oak bar which has been repositioned in order to make the pub feel more welcoming.  The British Guild of Beer Writers also reports that there will also be a timber fireplace and hand-painted, Edwardian-style Lincrusta wall finish. The Pimlico pub’s operations manager Ryan Torrie commented: ‘The White Horse and Bower is a fantastic pub in an incredible location. Our aim with this project is to preserve and celebrate its unique character while introducing a stylish, new experience. With a vibrant food and drink offer, live events, and beautiful surroundings, we’re confident it will become a local favourite once again. We can’t wait to open the doors and welcome everyone back.’ The pub’s new menu will feature Whitstable Bay beer-battered haddock with chips, hot smoked salmon niçoise, and a 5oz grilled sirloin with Parmesan and garlic butter, as well as burgers and brunch served on the weekends.  As well as Shepherd Neame’s Kentish beers the drinks menu will include cocktails (margaritas, mojitos, espresso martinis a