Leonie Cooper

April 2026: We've recently given this list a reshuffle to make sure we're recommending you the finest burgers in town. Smash burgers still take up quite a lot of real estate and with good reason; they're a little bit more managable then the hefty burgers that were in style a few years ago. But one particularly big boy makes the grade; the burger at Dove in Notting Hill, of which there are only 10 made a day. Smaller, smashier offerings can be found at French import Dumbo in Shoreditch, Jupiter Burger in Hackney, and Chuck's in Fitzrovia. Want a bit of both in one burger? Try the offering at the Empire Tavern in Hackney. Our current No 1, Hanbaagaasuuteeki in Victoria, offers burgers with an Asian-twist. Fancy a burger? Of course you do. The simple meat-between-buns combo is always a winner, whether for a quick fast-food fix or a decadent, gourmet feast. We’ve selflessly toiled away, trying and tasting a vast range of patties to compile this list of London’s best burgers, including the inescapable smash burger. London’s finest are utter meaty marvels: juice-seeping, oozing with flavour and far more complex in creation than they’re ever given credit for. Roll up your sleeves and tuck in to the best burgers in London right now. RECOMMENDED: These are London's best pizza restaurants. 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. These are Time Out’s favourite places to get a cone (or cup) of premium gelato or soft serve, as well as chomp on ice cream sarnies, and feast on sundaes. 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.

July 2026: Our latest update includes tasty new openings Tiella in Bethnal Green and Casa Felicia in Queen's Park, as well as much-loved neighbourhood joints like Peckham's Artusi, the legendary Ciao Bella in Bloomsbury and Lardo in Hackney. Try also the well-worth-seeking-out Polentina in Bow and walk-ins only Canteen in Notting Hill. If you've got the cash to spare, there are super plush spots such as Luca and Murano, which both have Michelin stars. If you're on budget, then one-stop pasta shop Padella is a good shout, and if you're really, really skint, then a simple coffee and cannoli at Bar Italia is never a bad move. Wherever you end up, London’s Italian dining scene is irreproachable.  London’s best Italian restaurants at a glance:  🇮🇹 Best for an old school vibe: Ciao Bella, Bloomsbury 💅 Best for the fashion crowd: Auguste, London Fields 🍕 Best for pub pizza: Elephant, Clapton 🍝 Best for pasta: Artusi, Peckham 🍷 Best for date night: Brutto, Farringdon Pasta and pizza are way more than just fast-food comfort carbs at these exceptional London restaurants and trattorias, which excel in properly good and authentic Italian cuisine. The basics – a creamy carbonara, say, or a simple margherita – are all present and correct, but the capital’s repertoire extends to stylish antipasti, sourdough pizzas, richly sauced pasta and beyond. You can also find finely crafted specialities drawn from the traditional trattorias of the rustic south and fashion-conscious north of the

If you’re looking for some old-fashioned glamour with your drinking, a traditional London pub might not cut it. You need to pull up a shiny stool at one of London’s best hotel bars where the service is seamless and every last drink is a showstopper. Sure, you’ll pay for the luxury, but you deserve a treat every once in a while. Here’s a list of London hotel bars where it’s more than worth making your Monzo wince. The best hotel bars in London at a glance: 🌵 Best for mezcal and margs: Side Hustle at The Nomad, Covent Garden 💖 Best for date night: Sweeties at The Standard, King’s Cross 🍸 Best for a serious martini: Dukes Bar, St James’s RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

August 2026: There's a brand new Number 1 on the list, with the exceptional Impala in Soho taking the top spot as our favourite new restaurant in London. Other fresh additions include Auguste and Teal in London Fields, Cue Point in Notting Hill, Jackson Boxer's Vesper in Clerkenwell and All Roads in Brixton, as well as a sensational supper club at Haggerston cafe, Logma. Hungry yet? 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 over the past 12 months 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 August 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🥩 Central: Impala, Soho 🍷 North: The Golden Tooth, Newington Green 🦐 South: The Victory, East Dulwich 🍝 East: Holy Carrot, Spitalfields 🥗 West: Maai by Nikita, Fulham 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 restaurant

Updated August 2026: Welcome to our new ranking of the Top 50 restaurants in London for the year. Every summer we give this legendary list a thorough makeover and announce a brand new Number 1, and that’s what we did in June. This is a snapshot of where London dining is at right now; a city of global flavours, hilariously varying budgets and some of the best food you’ve ever eaten. We’re extremely proud of what this city has to offer and especially pleased to crown Camille in Borough Market as the Best London Restaurant of 2026.  Best Restaurants in London: Our Critics’ Picks: ⭐ Best Michelin-star restaurant: St John, Clerkenwell - a London institution and inspiration for pretty much every great modern restaurant you’ve ever eaten at. 👛 Best affordable restaurant: Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar, Covent Garden - late-night noodles at a great price. 🥦 Best vegetarian restaurant: Holy Carrot, Spitalfields - a lively bistro with inventive plant-based dishes.  🍻 Best gastropub: The Golden Tooth, Green Lanes - a proper pub with proper food. Order the stargazy pie.  💘 Best new restaurant: Impala, Soho - north African heat in the heart of Soho. London doesn’t stand still and neither do we. We’re constantly adding new restaurants to the list and taking away ones that no longer make the grade. From freshly starred fine-dining rooms and hidden gems to neighbourhood favourites, these are the 50 restaurants we think you need to be eating out at in London right now. More London restauran

July 2026: Al fresco weather is fully here, and here are the spots that spring into action when the sun is out. These places are ideal for visiting in your nice new sunglasses while snacking on a salt cod fritter. Grab a sarnie in the sunshine at Dusty Knuckle's Dalston location, trek to Epping Forest for seafood at the Oyster Shack, gorge on BBQ at Cue Point in their massive Notting Hill beer garden, lunch at Hackney hero Lardo, or trot down Regent's Canal to Towpath Cafe. Excellent Indian restaurant Kokum in Dulwich is also doing BBQs every weekend on their terrace until September. The best outdoor restaurants in London at a glance: 🍸 Best in central London: Forza Wine, Soho 🚣‍♂️ Best in east London: Towpath, Haggerston 🏡 Best in north London: Red Lion & Sun, Highgate  💦 Best in west London: Cue Point, Latimer Road 🍃 Best in south London: Italo, Vauxhall When it comes to outdoor dining there are some excellent – and hopefully sun-dappled - options at some of London’s best restaurants. These terraces, canal-side spots, gardens and al fresco restos should make you feel like you’re on a proper holiday in your hometown. Whether you’re in the mood to have spaghetti in the sun or snack on sushi by starlight, our list has you covered. If you don’t mind heights, then check out some of the finest rooftop restaurants with views in London as well. Not all of them are open in the colder months, so do check if you’re booking during a chillier time of year. RECOMMENDED: These are

January 2026: It’s official: London is experiencing a fast-mushrooming plant-based restaurant boom. Across the city, creative chefs are showing off their prowess with plants, creating pitch-perfect imitations of meaty comfort food classics, or dreaming up new vegetable-based delights. Whether you’re after a lavish night of culinary theatre, a delicate Middle Eastern spread, or a Michelin-star winning tasting menu, you’ll find it in our list of London’s best vegan restaurants. Read on to plan your next meat-free feast. London’s best vegan restaurants at a glance: 🔥 Best for spicy Sichuan dishes: Facing Heaven, Hackney 🏆 Best for Michelin star dining: Plates, Shoreditch 🌴 Best for Caribbean classics: Jam Delish, Angel 💐 Best for date night: Holy Carrot, Notting Hill 🥪 Best for a swift sarnie: Coven of Wiches, Brixton RECOMMENDED: London’s best restaurants for vegetarian food. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

The sprawling north-east London neighbourhood of Walthamstow is full of fantastic places to eat. Don't know where to start? Simply follow our guide to all the most delicious places in E17, including spots on the Blackhorse Beer Mile (where you'll also find some of London’s best breweries and taprooms) as well as in the very bougie Walthamstow Village, and even down the road in nearby Leytonstone. RECOMMENDED: The best Turkish restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Londoners love coffee. In the summer, the city’s coffee shops are swarming with queues of thirsty commuters hankering for an iced latte. During the rest of the year, hot coffee pumps through our veins. Whether it’s a flat white or a chai latte, the capital’s cafés and coffee shops are here churning out caffeine-laden cups to keep you buzzing.  London’s best coffee shops at a glance: 🔥 Best in central London: Catalyst, Holborn 🏗️ Best in north London: 13th Floor, Stoke Newington  👶 Best in east London: Batch Baby, Haggerston ♨️ Best in south London: Nola, Peckham  ⛏️ Best in west London: Workshop, Belgravia  There are plenty of spots for speciality drinks too, like pumpkin, turmeric or matcha lattes. Read on for our top picks of London’s best coffee shops, stands and stalls. Many of these super spots are also great for all the freelancers out there, acting as de facto offices – as long as you keep the rounds of cake coming.  RECOMMENDED: Best breakfasts in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Most movie years post-pandemic have felt like rollercoasters, but 2026 so far has been particularly up-and-down – and at its highest points, especially exciting. Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day disappointed while Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey took on one of the oldest epics in literature and surpassed even the loftiest expectations. Several titanic franchises flopped hard, while smaller films like Obsession and Backrooms, made by total unknowns,  have come bursting through the box-office glass ceiling. The likes of Project Hail Mary and Toy Story 5 may not qualify as ‘original stories’, but both displayed an intelligence, emotionality and sense of crowd-pleasing fun missing from many of the IP-flogging blockbusters of the recent past. All-in-all, a pretty good year – and we haven’t even hit awards season yet. For now, though, here’s the best of what we’ve seen to this point. 📺 The best TV and streaming shows of 2026 (so far)😂 The best comedy movies of 2026📕 15 book-to-movie adaptations to get excited about in 2026🔥 The 100 greatest movies ever made

July 2026: If you’ve had the pleasure of strolling down Exmouth Market recently, you’ll know the historic Clerkenwell strip is the buzziest pedestrianised street in London, full of al-fresco fun, convivial pintspeople and sidewalk tapas as far as the eye can see. Which is pretty much all down to the new Number 1 in our list of the best bars in London. Congratulations are due to Cafe Kick, the breezy Euro-chic sports bar about to celebrate 30 years of tricking your brain into thinking you’re on holiday. The rest of our Top 50 features bars old and new, posh and divey, and cheap and pricey, but all of them with great drinks and an unparalleled vibe. Fancy 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, which features the greatest bars in the capital right now. These are the places we’d recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars and places to sip wine, London’s got them all. You’ll find historic drinking holes here as well as brand new openings. But what makes a truly good bar? Our critieria is simple; a menu of great drinks is important, but so is the overall energy of the place – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bin juice. To make it into our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, convivial and inclusive, as we

Cue Point has been one of London’s best-loved (and most nomadic) eateries for a decade. BBQ pros Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney have trucked all over town, from Walworth’s Orbit Brewery through to a recent stint off Brick Lane, but have seemingly now found their forever home at the heroically spacious Notting Hill boozer Garden Bar & Grill.  So good it almost makes you want to laugh Less a pub and potentially one of west London’s largest private parks, the sprawling outdoor space feels halfway between Frances Hodgson Burnett’s twee Secret Garden and Steptoe and Son’s chaotic salvage yard. In other words, it’s the ideal location in which to devour this acutely honed and brilliantly over-the-top Afghan-spiked and technically Texan feasting menu. This is food that needs room.  Outside of Meatopia’s annual flesh fest, perfect pitmastery still isn’t usually associated with London, and but Cue Point buck the trend, with Moroney bringing his skills from time as head chef at Smokestak and Saiq her Afghan heritage; she spent her childhood there before her family fled the wartorn country for Mumbai and then the UK. With their giant smoker casually resting in a corner and flames licking the side of an adjacent grill, serious BBQ business is Cue Point’s thing. Their small plates are anything but; fist-sized brisket burnt end skewers are super sturdy, soft meat trembling under a dark, crumbly bark, and bookended with thick pickles. Black lime pepper chicken bites are elite nuggets, with

We’re already huge fans of Hausu, the sassy restaurant inside the former waiting room of Peckham Rye station, with its Victorian tiled loos, complete with original wartime posters about venereal disease. Frankly, the lavs are worth the visit on their own. But now there’s yet another reason to check this place out. Venture up the enticing, mahogany-clad staircase and you’ll also find a beguiling cocktail bar, with inventive drinks, moreish bar snacks and giant vaulted windows from which to gaze upon the building of Peckham’s new public square. Inside it’s a simple but potent set-up; original brick walls are offset by flutteringly sexy red curtains, vintage 1970s classroom chairs, beige walls lined with vinyl and some largely unobtrusive decks in a corner. Yes, it’s another ‘listening bar’, but in this case, it just means you’ll likely hear some very good music (anything from Studio One reggae to winsome folk), which is what all bars should be aiming for, really. Salted daterini tomato martini is a light and elegantly savoury take on the most hyped cocktail around, while the fennel negroni is sweeter than you’d think, offering an ouzo-adjacent burst of aniseed and a pineapple sidecar hums with cognac and a fruity shrub.  Order this  The fennel negroni is barely a negroni at all (which is why I like it). Don’t forget the bar snacks, as these cocktails are potent. Oysters, topped with house hot sauce and lime leaf, are almost a meal in themselves, and on a warm day, sunsweet melo

Kumori is a classy place. A flimsy fabric sheet dances in the breeze of their (very good) aircon above a long granite counter, while the rest of this elegant dreamspace is bathed in a hazy purple light. It feels more like an expensive spa than a restaurant, but we’re quickly reminded it’s time for lunch rather than a facial as we’re handed a tick-box menu and a tiny pencil. Like Bao - and 1990s bookies - before it, you can indulge in Battleships-style menu marking before handing it over to your charming server. That’s when the true theatre begins.  There’s no denying the precision of this superior sushi joint Nominally a handroll bar (but there’s some torched nigiri and various sides, too), at Kumori you can opt for a set menu of three to five handrolls, or choose your own adventure with an a la carte option. Whatever you do, make sure you order what we’re boldly calling ‘the best of the handrolls’; spicy tuna wrapped in Kumori’s custom- made nori and placed on perfectly seasoned rice and laced with surprise crunchy bits. It is divine. The spiciness is more about hearty flavour than brainblasting heat, and were there not a whole range of other options to try, we would have totally ordered another one. The unagi and foie gras option is sweet and creamy, while yellowtail kosho offers a floral hit of fragrance. Baked crab in a pale soy wrapper might have been a little too sweet for us and the wrapper a little too beige, but there’s no denying the precision of this superior sush

Tavern has a lot going for it. There’s the marvellously warren-like dining room with airy, high ceilings, crisp clapperboard walls and stunning Victorian floor tiles that were already in place back when Tavern was Nest. Nest was a British restaurant with a reasonably priced tasting menu and a fixation on foraging. It was good, really good, but punters aren’t really doing tasting menus anymore, or at least they weren’t at Nest, so a fresh approach was needed.  Better still is a juicy pork and cuttlefish sausage A swift revamp and Tavern has appeared in Nest’s place. It’s still run by the same team (who are also behind the excellent Restaurant St Barts), but with the new name comes new branding, a stylistic revamp which suggests a kind of hard-edged, Dark Ages whimsy. The font that bears the restaurant’s name is aggressively gothic, their online presence is replete with chubby lairds drinking from bladders of mead, ragged sheepskins are casually tossed about the place and pewter tankards are used for serving shards of puffed pig skin to dip in a filthy little pot of moodily smoked cod’s roe. But this is where the medieval comparison ends, with Tavern’s menu less feudal chic and more contemporary global fusion with a side order of quirk. The best dishes at Tavern are impeccable. The ‘chunion puff’ is a tennis ball sized offering of choux pastry stuffed with creamy confit onion and cheesy custard before being showered in fluffy parmesan snow. It is a divine and decadent delight.

The founder of Hackney vegan restaurant Facing Heaven and adjacent dive bar Easy 8 has branched out into all-day dining with this spot inspired by the food and restaurants of LA’s vast and varied immigrant communities. ‘As Mexican, Jewish, Greek, and Japanese enclaves popped up all over Southern California,’ says California-raised Julian Denis, ‘so developed a movement of family-run, DIY eateries that became neighbourhood focal points and second homes for many people growing up in these communities, just as they did for me’. It’s open for breakfast on the weekends (come for breakfast burritos and chilaquiles) and for dinner Wednesday through to Sunday, where you can land crab tostada, patty melts and pastrami dip sandwiches.

Zylia’s high ceilings and bashed brick walls belong to another time. Tacked onto the side of the shiny new Arcade food hall in Covent Garden, this Renaissance-style pile was built in the 1870s as a department store. The room retains its historic grandeur, even if attempts have been made to convert it into a low-key taverna, complete with white-washed walls, a rash of rafia, stoneware urns, dried flowers and a breezy Mediterranean energy, not to mention the buzzy clatter from a packed room of eager diners.  Kaimaki ice cream hums with earthy mastic Zylia is the latest from former Kiln head chef and current co-owner of Singburi Nick Molyviatis and restaurateur Barry Karacostas. The former was raised in Athens and the latter is of Cypriot heritage; Zylia is their attempt to marry the two cuisines in a splashy central London location. Both nations are present in the bread basket, with grilled and oiled Cypriot bread and Greek pita puckered with oregano. An enticingly textured (lumpy but good lumpy) spicy feta and yoghurt dip with an undercurrent of roasted chilli is perfect for piling onto both, as is smokey coal roasted aubergine with sweet peppers, which is so elegantly plated it resembles a posh ceviche. Bouncy fried balls of Greek metsovone cheese are crunchy and glistening on the outside and stringy and pliable on the inside. A drizzle of thyme honey adds a touch of elegance to what are essentially high-end party snacks. Next; wild prawn saganaki (referring to cooking in a

Open daily from 9am, swing by this cosy courtyard location from St John for breakfast, small plates lunches and dinners, as well as lots of wine and bakery goods sold to take-away. 

While everyone was eagerly awaiting the re-launch of cult Kings Cross boozer McGlynn’s by surprise new owners - acclaimed artist Peter Doig and his gallerist partner Parinaz Mogadassi - the chic pair have covertly opened the best new bar in London.  The drinks offering is deft, impressive and nonchalant Just behind the eerie 24-hour McDonald’s on City Road, in a municipal room that used to be Doig’s studio, you’ll find Tramps Bar. A white-cube space next to the Victoria Miro gallery, it’s fittingly minimal, with an A4 sheet tacked to the heavy door with the bar’s name scribbled in felt tip, seemingly by a five-year-old. Inside there are just a few splashy, modern canvases on the walls and a knotted rug bearing the Tramps logo (Tramps is also the name of Mogadassi’s roving gallery) behind a curvy, freestanding vintage bar. Most imposing of all, are the room’s two mammoth-sized speakers, which allegedly once belonged to Florian Schneider of German electro-pioneers Kraftwerk. DJs occasionally crop up, with the likes of Nabihah Iqbal getting behind the decks, but on our visit, staff had selected a soothing dub playlist.  The drinks offering is deft, impressive and nonchalant. On a weekly changing A4-paper menu you’ll find house martinis, alongside an ‘Arnoldo’ - a tequila-spiked Arnold Palmer, a vermouth and soda with a gilda on the side, as well as wines starting at £9 a glass. Perch yourself on one of the five round tables, at the handful of seats up against the bar or on one

Tucked away in peak dreamy Somerset countryside, this painstakingly handbuilt cabin is the perfect semi-off grid getaway. You’d never know you were essentially down the back of someone’s garden (well, down the back of someone’s orchard) when ensconced in this surprisingly spacious and ultra romantic two bedroom retreat. Douglas fir cladding, hand-woven hazel panels, an oak and maple kitchen and a locally-fabricated fire pit all add to the artisan energy pulsing through this homely retreat in the village of Kingsbury Episcopi on the Somerset Levels.  What’s it like inside Craftsman’s Cabin?  This handbuilt cabin is surprisingly sturdy. It comes complete with a wraparound deck and an outdoor table for al fresco dining during the warmer months as well as a rocking chair, where you can live out your Little House of the Prairie fantasy. The best bit though, is the outdoor bath tub, which you simply must use whatever the season (don’t worry, the water is piping hot). There are two bedrooms, both with sizable beds and soft linen sheets, as well as a shower and bathroom, and the most charming and fully stocked kitchen; there’s an oven, induction hob, fridge, sink, kettle and all the crockery and cutlery you’d ever need. The living area features a cosy seating area, as well as an indoor dining table. All mod cons and then some. On arrival you’ll find tea and coffee, salt and pepper, olive oil, milk, bread, butter, eggs and jam waiting for you. There are also towels and robes, so you

Tucked away in peak dreamy Somerset countryside, this painstakingly handbuilt cabin is the perfect semi-off grid getaway. You’d never know you were essentially down the back of someone’s garden (well, down the back of someone’s orchard) when ensconced in this surprisingly spacious and ultra romantic two bedroom retreat. Douglas fir cladding, hand-woven hazel panels, an oak and maple kitchen and a locally-fabricated fire pit all add to the artisan energy pulsing through this homely retreat in the village of Kingsbury Episcopi on the Somerset Levels.  What’s it like inside Craftsman’s Cabin?  This handbuilt cabin is surprisingly sturdy. It comes complete with a wraparound deck and an outdoor table for al fresco dining during the warmer months as well as a rocking chair, where you can live out your Little House of the Prairie fantasy. The best bit though, is the outdoor bath tub, which you simply must use whatever the season (don’t worry, the water is piping hot). There are two bedrooms, both with sizable beds and soft linen sheets, as well as a shower and bathroom, and the most charming and fully stocked kitchen; there’s an oven, induction hob, fridge, sink, kettle and all the crockery and cutlery you’d ever need. The living area features a cosy seating area, as well as an indoor dining table. All mod cons and then some. On arrival you’ll find tea and coffee, salt and pepper, olive oil, milk, bread, butter, eggs and jam waiting for you. There are also towels and robes, so you

If you’ve ever dabbled with London’s craft cocktail scene, you’ll no doubt be familiar with A Bar with Shapes for a Name. The super late-night (4am!) Haggerston drinking den is regularly named as one of the World’s 50 Best, with its boiler suit-sporting staff and sleek, science based beverages. But the real magic happens up the road at the bar’s multifunctional sister space, Bauhaus Warehaus. It’s here in Dalston that they make and chainsaw their mega massive ice cubes, whip up pre-batched bottle cocktails in vast centrifugal machines and experiment with new recipes.  With a long airy indoor bar, and a sizable garden out back, Bauhaus Warehaus feels clinical yet cosy, slickly aligning with the Bauhaus movement’s principles of minimalism and mass production. Water comes in utilitarian plastic bottles, while the brown butter old fashioned and olive oil negroni both offer a creamy take on the classics. But try also their seasonal offerings, such as a very 1980s rhubarb gimlet and banana martini. Fun, but functional.  Order this The slinky ‘Haus’ marg is a steal at £8.50, humming with habanero.  Time Out tip  Why not embark on a crawl between Bauhaus Warehaus and A Bar with Shapes for a Name? It’s a mere 14 minute walk down Kingsland Road between the two, and if you get thirsty on the way, you’ll walk past some of London’s other best bars, including Ellie’s and Bar Lotus. 

Lardo has been a Hackney failsafe since the heady days of 2012. A blissfully fuss-free and reliable neighbourhood pizza parlour, its semi-industrial set-up on Richmond Road acted as a Swiss Army knife of restaurants; not only ideal for washing away Spurstowe hangovers, but for entertaining troublesome toddlers and dates you weren’t sure were definitely dates. A menu bristling with anarchic innovation It didn’t particularly need to switch things up (aside from tackling the hilarious trek through an apartment block foyer to find the shared toilets) but almost 15 years after opening, Lardo has reinvented itself by installing the idiosyncratic Marta Sandini in the kitchen. After stints at triple Michelin-starred Hiša Franko in Slovenia and the one-star Luca in Clerkenwell, as well as a little time in China, the Veneto-raised chef has been tasked with bringing Lardo up to par with east London’s new wave of trendy tablecloth trattorias (Tiella, Auguste, Dalla etc).  Rather than leaning into their sleek energy, she’s done it with a global approach to casual Italian cuisine that’s as playful as it is unhinged. Take, for example, a giant spring roll stuffed with smooshed potato and mushed-up mushroom, which rests its heroically crispy bottom on a puddle of parmesan cream and crispy chilli oil. Tuscan dining by way of Cantonese cookery, it’s an A-list take on a Findus Crispy Pancake. Insane? Yes, but whole-heartedly brilliant, too. Slightly more sensible, but only just, is a brined wa

When you’re offered the chance to follow in the fabled footsteps of The Rolling Stones by mooching around Jamaica while drinking the band’s very own rum, it would be wild to say anything but yes. Which is how I ended up on a beach near Keith Richards’ old house eating a bowl of mannish water while watching reggae legend Eric Donaldson sing an a cappella version of his 1971 hit ‘Cherry Oh! Baby’.  First, a little background. In 1972, the Rolling Stones wound up in Kingston to record the follow-up to Exile on Main St. As tax exiles who’d experienced various run-ins with the law, welcoming Jamaica was the perfect place for the Goat’s Head Soup sessions. Most of the band returned to the UK after recording, but Keith stayed on in Mammee Bay, a fishing village near Ocho Rios on the north coast of Jamaica. Which is where I found myself, thanks to a rather lavish launch party for Crossfire Hurricane, the rum brand recently launched by the band (named after the indelible opening line of ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’).  Photograph: Anderson PattersonEric Donaldson But before we get to the rum, a little more on the music. Keith connected deeply with the island, befriending a group of Rastafarian musicians who he met on the beach. Called Wingless Angels, Keith was besotted with their hypnotic drumming and chanting, and got them to Dynamic Sounds studio, and attempted to record an album. Things didn’t quite go to plan, but firm friendships were made. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best things to do in Jam

Time Out has just announced our brand new list of the best 50 bars in London for 2026 and it’s filled with our favourite places to drink in the capital. But which bar in the list is the greatest newcomer? Well, the highest ranking newly-opened business was Tramps Bar in Islington which opened earlier this year. Why do we like it so much? Let us count the ways. Firstly there’s the building itself. This semi-municipal white cube space can be found behind the 24-hour McDonald’s on City Road on the fringes of Islington. It’s a bit of a quest to find it, which makes it all the more intriguing. Situated at 15f Micawber Street, the front door has a handmade sign (seemingly written by a child in felt tip pen). Inside, there are a few splashy, modern canvases on the walls and a curvy, freestanding vintage bar. The paintings make sense – the bar is the project of acclaimed artist Peter Doig and his gallerist partner Parinaz Mogadassi, who runs a roaming gallery also called Tramps.    Leonie Cooper for Time OutTramps Bar, Islington     On a weekly-changing menu you’ll find gin martinis and a regularly changing short cocktail and aperitivo menu. ‘The drinks offering is deft, impressive and nonchalant,’ reads our five star review. There’s also a kitchen, with former River Cafe chef Harry McKenzie knocking out extremely decent weekday lunches. (The bar isn’t open on the weekends, which is quite a power move.)    Leonie Cooper for Time OutTramps Bar, Islington     In the evenings, ther

Drinkers, assemble.  Once a year we give our list of the best bars in London a massive overhaul. That time is now. We’ve just launched our brand new top 50 of the finest places to drink in London. The new list features places old and new, posh and divey, cheap and pricey, but all of them with great drinks and an unparalleled vibe. Our new list also has a brand new number one. Congratulations to Café Kick at Exmouth Market, which is Time Out’s best bar in London for 2026. The breezy Euro-chic sports bar currently seems to be more popular than ever, despite opening almost 30 years ago. It’s pretty much down to this unobtrusive spot that this pedestrianised Clerkenwell strip is as popular as it is, kicking off the area’s fresco wave of streetside delights way back in 1997.   ‘If the Spanish Riviera and old school east London had a baby, Café Kick would be it,’ writes Time Out drinks correspondent Eloise Feilden of the five-star bar.  🍸 Read the full top 50 best bars in London list here. The top 50 also features Waltz, Shoreditch, which we’ve crowned the best cocktail bar in London, as well Big John’s Biltong Bar in Deptford, which is our best dive bar. Our highest ranking wine bar is Bonne Route in Harringey, while the best neighbourhood bar is Ellie’s in Dalston. The honour of best new bar in London has gone to Tramps in Islington, which acclaimed artist Peter Doig and his gallerist partner Parinaz Mogadassi opened at the beginning of the year.  Take a look at our rankings o

Lenny’s – a brilliant pop-up in Finsbury Park pub The Bedford Tavern – was one of our favourite places in London to get pizza until it closed last year, so we’re super happy to hear that it’s returning in permanent form.  Lenny’s charred and chewy New Haven-style pizza will soon be found in a Covent Garden restaurant that’s set to open this autumn. Founder Max Lewis is teaming up with MJMK Restaurants (KOL, AngloThai, Luso, Fonda and Casa do Frango) for the project. Speaking about the restaurant, Lewis said: ‘Lenny’s started as a love letter to New Haven apizza and its culture. I couldn’t believe no one had brought this incredible style of pizza, and the stories behind it, to London. The support I’ve had from both London and New Haven has been overwhelming – it”s been amazing to see this idea grow into something much bigger.’ New Haven ‘apizza’ was developed by Italian immigrants in Connecticut, most notably Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, which opened in 1925 and is still going strong, known for its oblong shape, irregular slices and coal-fired cookery. Our review of the Lenny’s Finsbury Park pop-up praised its ‘crispy and chewy with a proper, loud bite’ base. ‘Charred at the crust, delightfully salty and a little oily, all 14 inches of Lenny’s offering is bang on. For the ultimate test, lift your slice, give it a little wiggle, and see it stay perfectly straight,’ wrote Time Out’s Ella Doyle. The new Lenny’s will serve the popular tomato pie as well as the hybrid ‘Lenny’, a 14-inch

One of the best smash burger stands in London is branching out. Parisian burger pros Dumbo opened a first UK outlet last summer in Shoreditch and are now bringing the winning formula to Soho. This is good news, as the last few times we’ve swung by the east London location, the queue has been epic.  Dumbo’s second London burger joint will be opening late summer at 37 Berwick Street and will serve the same sleek cheeseburgers and fries as their Bethnal Green Road location. Count us in.  Dumbo ranks pretty highly in our top burgers in London list (and topped the ranking last year). Our last visit saw us praise the ‘perfect charred lacy crust on the edges of super succulent dry-aged beef.’ The double patty smash burgers are bulked out with gleaming American cheese as well as tangy, plump pickles and ketchup and mustard. Dumbo also offers a vegetarian ‘Earth burger’ option, as well as fries and nuggets.  Photograph: Valerio GeraciDUMBO Berwick Street, London Dumbo was founded in 2019 in the Pigalle district of Paris and now has a number of burger joints across the city (as well as an outlet in Milan).  Find London’s second Dumbo at 37 Berwick Street, Soho, W1F 8RS, pretty soon-ish by the sound of things.  🍔 The best burgers in London, according to Time Out. Plus: the 6 best new London restaurants opening in August 2026. 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

The past few months have seen a bumper amount of new restaurants opening across the capital. Frankly, it’s been exhausting and nigh-on impossible to visit them all, so we’re grateful for this seasonal slow-down, meaning we can actually get out there and visit as many of the best new restaurants in London as possible.  There are still some pretty exciting things incoming this August, including a long-awaited comeback for one of 2025’s best pop-ups, Tasca, and new openings for some of London’s most-loved mini chains: Bancone, Superette and It’s Bagels.   The best new restaurants opening in London, August 2026 TascaTasca 1. The returning champ Tasca at Project 44, Shoreditch We loved last year’s wildly impressive Portuguese and Spanish-inspired pop-up Tasca and are chuffed to hear that head chef Josh Dallaway and sommelier Sinead Murdoch are back. They’ll be in the kitchen of Rivington Street cafe and wine bar Project 44 for the rest of summer, serving the likes of Cornish crab on requeijão cheese, Dexter beef tartare al pilpil, and mussel and chorizo rice.  Address: 44 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3QP Opens: Every Wed-Sat evening from July 29   Photograph: BanconeBancone silk handkerchief pasta 2. The big brutalist pasta project Bancone, Bloomsbury Pasta pro Bancone will be opening its sixth London location inside the newly spruced up Imperial hotel on Russell Square this summer. It’ll be a roomy one, with space for 140 diners as well as a 60-person terrace, where yo

We’re not shy about how much we like Bad Boy Pizza Society (one of Time Out’s best pizza restaurants in London) so it brings us great joy to let you know that there’s now another London location serving their serious slices.  You can now get their 12-inch pizzas at the newly-opened Village Underground Rooftop in Shoreditch. The rooftop terrace, which opened earlier this month, is on the top of east London venue the Village Underground.  This is the first time the general public has had access to the space, which as well as an lovely outdoor terrace, features recycled Jubilee line carriages on top of what was once a railway viaduct on Great Eastern Street. The rooftop bar is open Wednesday to Sunday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Village Underground (@villageunderground) You can also score Bad Boy pizza at their very own pizza parlour in Bethnal Green, as well as at Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden, the Railway Tavern in Tulse Hill and Vinegar Yard in London Bridge. Our favourite is the ‘vodka-roni’, with pepperoni and vodka sauce. Bad Boy Pizza Society started out as a parody university society before they actually started making pizzas, then became a serial pizza award winner, including National Pizza of the Year 2022 and 2024. Inspirational, tbh.  🍕 The greatest pizza restaurants in London. 🍺 The best rooftop bars in London. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our T

With his legendary Endo at the Rotunda restaurant in White City still closed following a fire, Endo Kazutoshi has plans to open up a brand-new sushi joint. Endo will launch in October, in the building that was formerly home to Michelin-starred Chelsea restaurant, The Five Fields, which closed last year. A tiny, 10-seater omakase restaurant, there will be no menu, with guests dining at the whim of Endo, who will whip up whatever sushi takes his fancy on the night as they perch at a 200-year-old hinoki counter all the way from Kyoto. Classy stuff.  Above Endo, there will be a listening bar called Moga, with a cocktail menu inspired by various teas. At first it’ll only be open to guests dining at Endo, but any old folk will be able to visit from December onwards. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kazutoshi Endo (@kazutoshi.endo) Speaking about the launch, Endo has said: ‘This project is the next chapter of my journey, strengthened by a clear vision and grounded more profoundly in the past. Behind every piece of sushi is the work of many hands - those who catch fish, grow the rice, and create the objects to serve it. This is a story I wish to tell. Like Kintsugi, the scars of last year have become part of my history; they have made me return more deeply to my roots.’ Endo at the Rotunda remains closed, with no relaunch date on the cards. Over the past few months Endo at the Rotunda hosted a pop-up at Mayfair bar Annabel’s, which came to an end earlier

Time to celebrate. Our favourite place to eat in London is opening a brand new restaurant. You’ll have to wait a few more months before you can actually eat there, but the team behind Camille - which recently topped our list of the top 50 restaurants in London for 2026 – will be launching a new location in late autumn. The restaurant will be in Farringdon and will serve food influenced by head chef Elliot Hashtroudi’s grandmother and ‘delve into old regional British and Irish cooking using ingredients from the Isles.’  The new restaurant will honour both ‘Victorian tradition’ and ‘regional cuisine’, according to an announcement on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Camille (@camille_se1) Camille, which opened in Borough in 2024, serves up French food with an offal-focussed menu incorporating everything from snout cassoulet to cocks comb schnitzel. Our review branded it as a ‘triumph of imagination, talent, and guts’.  Topping our best restaurants list, Camille has followed in the footsteps of Miga (2025), Mambow (2024), Cafe Cecilia (2023), Chishuru (2022) and Singburi (2021) as Time Out’s London Restaurant of the Year. It’s the first spot south of the river to score the position since Chishuru, which was based in Brixton when it secured the honour, however you’ll now find Joke Bakare’s acclaimed, Michelin-star scoring West African restaurant in Fitzrovia.  Read our full review of Camille here. Did you see that Dishoom is opening a mas

A new drinking destination is opening up at Battersea Power Station. The Hero’s Return comes from the same group behind pasta restaurant Bancone and will serve up a menu from former St John chef Jonathan Woolway. The food will apparently showcase the ‘Best of British’ and the ‘Best of London’, and feature such dishes as ox heart with chips and peppercorn sauce, as well as cold roast lamb with celeriac remoulade and pickled walnut, and grilled mackerel with rainbow chard and horseradish. The bar will open up later this summer in the space formerly occupied by No 29 Power Station West, which closed down at the start of 2025. You’ll find The Hero’s Return at Unit 29 on Circus West, just down from Wright Brothers fish restaurant at Unit 26. The bar will feature a 40-seat outdoor terrace which overlooks the River Thames.  Image: The Hero’s ReturnThe Hero’s Return Inspiration for the place comes from the band Pink Floyd – who have long been associated with Battersea Power Station after featuring the building on the cover of their 1977 album Animals. The song ‘The Hero’s Return’ features on their 1983 album, The Final Cut. Rendered images of the proposed interiors of the bar show Pink Floyd-related artwork on the walls, as well as an open fire.  Bancone is set to open another new spot this summer, with a 140-seat pasta restaurant inside the revamped Imperial hotel in Bloomsbury. It’ll be the sixth Bancone location in London, joining outposts in Covent Garden, Kensington, Soho, Bor

What’s better than eating one pizza? Eating lots of pizzas! Well, that’s what Michele Pascarella, founder of the acclaimed Napoli on the Road seems to think. The newly-opened Soho branch of the award-winning pizzeria has launched a pizza tasting menu, which will see a £65 per head offering of Italian classics, and, naturally, plenty (four!) pizzas.  The menu will begin with fritti, before an asparagus and anchovy colatura white pizza, topped with pecorino and anchovy sauce. Next is a classic margherita with slow-cooked tomato, as well as tomato jam, buffalo mozzarella and wild garlic pesto. Then there’s a pizza break, with a melon and cucumber salad, before a vitello tonnato-inspired pizza with veal and tuna sauce.  The fourth and final pizza is chef Michele Pascarella’s signature serve, topped with slow cooked cuts of beef rib, shin, oxtail and pork rib.  Then there’s a sgroppino sorbet and a trio of puddings; ricotta cream tartlet, zuppetta diplomatica and an ice-cream bar with dark chocolate and hazelnuts. A wine pairing is available for an extra £40.  Last month Napoli on the Road took home the top prize at the 50 Top Pizza Europa 2026 Awards for the third year in a row. Pascarella, who hails from Maddaloni near Naples, started his business on a three-wheeled Ape Piaggio truck in 2016 that travelled around London’s street markets. He opened a permanent pizzeria in Chiswick in 2019 and a second branch in Richmond followed four years later. The Soho spot opened earlier this

The American Midwest has long been disparagingly known as ‘flyover country’. Sure, transcontinental flights used to favour the bright, coastal lights of LA and New York, but there’s now finally a direct flight from London to St Louis, allowing British and European travellers to explore some of the lesser-travelled parts of the Midwest. In about nine hours, British Airways will whisk you from Heathrow to the middle of Missouri, home to one of the summer’s World Cup host cities, Kansas City.  I was given a preview of the new route – here’s what I got up to when I landed. RECOMMENDED: I visited Italy’s best-kept coastal secret – and it’s only a short drive from the Amalfi Coast If you know anything about St Louis, it’ll likely either be about the controversial World’s Fair that was held in 1904 (and the Judy Garland banger from the 1944 film Meet Me in St Louis) or because of the soaring Gateway Arch. What I didn't know about the arch was that you can go all the way up it. Was I keen? Not particularly. Did I do it anyway? I sure did.  Photograph: Leonie Cooper for Time OutThe Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri Built in 1965, it remains the tallest arch in the world at 192 metres. Considering my experience at the Pyramids of Giza, I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect, but I will also do anything for the bit, so I boldly took a submarine-style pod on the three-minute journey to the top. Designed by legendary midcentury architect Eero Saarinen, it’s admittedly very chic, with curv