Leonie Cooper

Want to know how to celebrate Burns Night in London? Well, we highly recommend honouring Scotland’s national poet Rabbie Burns on his birthday by eating plenty of haggis and supping just as much whisky. Burns Night always falls on January 25 – the day Robert Burns was born in South Ayrshire way back in 1759 – and this year you’ll find restaurants across the capital paying tribute with traditional Scots feasts on Sunday January 25, 2026, and throughout the week. RECOMMENDED: The best whisky bars in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

December 2025: Cool, crispy weather and far less daylight can only mean one thing - Sunday roast season is here. Not simply just a decent hangover cure, Sunday lunch is one of the most winter-y things a Londoner can possibly do. Our latest update to this list has prioritised the cosiest pubs in town, with extra points for roaring open fires (check out Bistro Sable for a great one), as well as nooks and crannies to hunker down in as the city gets colder and way more snuggly. There are a couple of posh restaurants in the mix too, with a Nordic roast at the fancy Ekstedt at the Yard, and a meat feast at The Quality Chop House. We also have a new and worthy Number 1; the simple, spectacular roast at London’s OG organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge.  London’s best Sunday roasts at a glance: 🥩 Central: Duke of Cambridge, Angel 😇 North: The Angel, Highgate ⛪ South: Old Nun’s Head, Nunhead 🌈 East: The Nelson’s, Hackney 🍻 West: The Mall Tavern, Notting Hill Sunday lunch. There’s nothing quite like it. An elemental meal, one that Londoners take incredibly seriously. Debates about what constitutes the ‘perfect’ Sunday roast have been known to last for hours. There is no shortage of top roasts in London. We’ve rounded up the city’s best Sunday meals from a host of pubs, restaurants and breweries all around town. What makes a good roast? For us, it’s simple; a welcoming room is a good start, maybe in a pub with an open fire. Then it comes to the plate – we need perfect roast potatoes

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, a Michelin-star winning tasting menu, or brisket at a vegan smokehouse, 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, Walthamstow 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.

It’s no longer impossible to find tasty and satisfying alternatives to pints at London’s pubs and bars – in fact, some of the no-alcohol options on offer right now are even better than their boozy cousins. And they come with an added bonus of leaving you hangover-free. These bars cater to non-drinkers for Dry January and beyond. We’ve got buzzing drinking dens that also specialise in alcohol-free cocktails, completely dry tasting rooms and pubs with a penchant for low-and-no beers. These zero-percent champions are 100 percent fantastic.  RECOMMENDED: The best vegan restaurants in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

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 January 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: Adoh!, Covent Garden 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🥟 South: Doma, Sydenham 🍝 East: Legado, Shoreditch 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea January 2026: New additions include slinky Italian joint Martino's in Chelsea, cosy Chinese cuisine at Ling Ling's at Godet in Islington, Hunanese heat at Fiery Flavors in Surrey Quays, Sri Lankan fast food at Adoh! in Covent Garden, Caribbean classics with a twist at 2210 by NattyCanCook in Herne Hill, perfect pasta at Casa Felicia in Queen's Park, spicy southern Thai at the new branch of Plaza Khao Gaeng by Borough Market, and soup noodles at Khao So-i in Fitzrovia. Hungry yet? Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tasties

Borough is known for having one of the best food markets in the world, but it’s also home to some seriously good restaurants as well as the brilliant market. The Borough Yards development – just next to this historic, edible wonderland – is where you’ll find some of the latest and greatest spots to have a sit-down feast, including west African restaurant Akara and southern Thai sensation, Plaza Khao Gaeng. If you’re off to SE1 and your stomach is rumbling, then consult this list so you can hunt down all our favourite spots for a fabulous feed, from contemporary Greek classics at Oma and Pyro, to pasta at Padella, classy French cuisine at Camille and seafood at Applebee’s.  RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in London Bridge. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

January 2026: In a city where eating out seems to be getting pricier by the minute, this list remains one of Time Out London's handiest guides. We've given the list a seasonal spin and here you'll find some of the cosiest (and best value) meals for embracing winter in London, such as Durak Tantuni's comforting Turkish meat wrap, a champion curry at Indian YMCA, and a visit to the Oyster Shack in Epping Forest - perfect to cap off a woodland walk in the wilds of the suburbs.  London’s best cheap eats at a glance: 🌮 Best for Mexican tacos: Sonora Taqueria, Stoke Newington 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Best for Scottish scran: The Shoap, Angel 🫓 Best for Kurdish bread and wraps: Baban’s Naan, Finsbury Park 🥧 Best for pie and mash: M Manze, Tower Bridge 🥙 Best for falafel: Falafel and Shawarma, Camberwell 🍜 Best in the middle of town: Wong Kei, Chinatown London might well be the world’s greatest food city, but thanks to a never-ending cost of living crisis, it’s not like any of us can eat out as much as we’d like to. So welcome to our list of London’s best cheap eats. You can eat a full meal everywhere here for £10 or less and variety is the name of the game. Expect London staples such as pie & mash, but also discover the best bargain places for naan, lahmacun, baps, roti and burgers. These places give you the kind of buzz only a bargain bite can deliver, while you can relish the fact that you’re supporting small independent London businesses. So hit the streets – feasting at some of Lon

Updated January 2026: We’ve refreshed our list of 50 best restaurants in London following the latest Michelin Guide announcements as well as our visits to a bunch of great new openings. Recent additions include cool Italian customer Martino's in Chelsea, stunning Michelin star spot Cycene in Shoreditch, Chingford chophouse Gina, super affordable Lebanese food at Finsbury Park favourite Palmyra's Kitchen and Ling Ling's at Godet in Islington. Sadly we've just had to remove legendary grill house FKABAM in Highbury, after it closed for regular service last month.  Best Restaurants in London: Our Critic’s Picks: 🍸 Best Michelin-star restaurant: Cycene, Shoreditch - intimate fine dining with foraged finds and superb seasonal ingredients. 🔥 Best Thai restaurant: Singburi, Shoreditch - cult favourite known for fiery dishes. 🥩 Best Middle Eastern restaurant: Berenjak, Soho - buzzy Persian grillhouse with counter seating and charcoal-smoked kebabs. 🍜 Best affordable restaurant: Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar, Covent Garden - late-night noodles at a great price. 🥧 Best British restaurant: St John, Clerkenwell - trad British dishes in a former smokehouse. 🍝 Best Italian restaurant: Trullo, Highbury - perfect pasta in a cosy neighbourhood classic. 🍻 Best gastropub: Rake at The Compton Arms, Islington - great pub food in lowkey surroundings. 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 g

Afternoon tea is what makes a trip to London truly iconic – even if you already live here. You’ll find some of the best at London’s chicest hotels and restaurants, and even art galleries and theatres. We’ve worked out what makes an afternoon tea a truly memorable (and delicious) experience. It’s not just perfect pastries, the most elegant of teeny tiny cakes and chic little sarnies with the crusts cut off, but swish service, the option to have something boozy and bubbly and a characterful room in which to enjoy it all. From The Ritz to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and even a working prison, there’s truly something for every cake-munching tea-drinker in this round-up of London’s best afternoon tea spreads.  Expect to pay in the region of £50 to £100 for the pleasure per person, but you’ll be in for a treat if you go with one of our recommendations. Many of these teas have set times for seatings, so booking in advance is always a good idea. London’s best afternoon teas at a glance: 👛 Best value: The Wolseley, Piccadilly  💸 Best for splashing out: Palm Court at The Ritz, Mayfair 💃 Best for a modern take on tea: London By Lily Vanilli at Four Seasons Tower Bridge, Tower Bridge 🔑 Best for a unique experience: The Clink at HMP Brixton, Brixton 🌷 Best for tea in a greenhouse: Petersham Nurseries, Richmond  December 2025: This list highlights some of London's latest and most intriguing afternoon sarnie sessions. Why not indulge at a themed teas have recently opened; including

There’s nothing quite as romantic as a dinner date. London is full of romantic things to do, and flowers, gifts and grand gestures are all very well and good, but we reckon sharing a meal is the best way to conjure up some love – and don’t worry if a little sauce dribbles down your chin. ‘Eating with abandon couldn’t be more of a turn-on: it shows that you’re comfortable with yourself,’ said the late, great Anthony Bourdain, and we're inclined to agree. The places in our list of London’s most romantic restaurants all provide excellent opportunity to shove food in your face while flirting. Good for Valentine’s Day dining and year-round romancing, too.  London’s most romantic restaurants at a glance: 🥖 Best for rustic French romance: Casse-Croûte, Bermondsey 💅 Best for vintage glam: Brunswick House, Vauxhall 🥂 Best for sleek 1970s seduction energy: Bebe Bob, Soho 🏮 Best for feeling like you’re in Wong Kar-wai movie: Lao Dao, Walworth 🌜 Best for candle-lit chic: Sessions Arts Club, Clerkenwell  🍷 Best for cosying up with wine: Godet, Islington  From chic French spots to amazing Japanese joints, we’ve got somewhere for every amorous encounter, whether a big date, anniversary dinner or a ‘We finally got a babysitter’ celebration. Really want to push the boat out? Then visit one of London's Michelin-starred restaurants with your beau. To paraphrase Shakespeare: if food be the food of love, munch on. RECOMMENDED: The most romantic hotels in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out

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

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘TV’s golden age’ enough times over the past couple of decades to get wary of the hyperbole, but this year does seem to be shaping up to be a kind of mini golden age for the TV follow-up. Severance, Andor, Wednesday and Poker Face have all built on incredibly satisfying first seasons with equally masterful second runs. The third season of The White Lotus has proved that, whether you love it or find it a touch too languorous, there’s no escaping Mike White’s transgressive privilege-in-paradise satire. Likewise for season 7 of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian-flavoured sci-fi Black Mirror. More recently, HBO’s Task hit the spot with a blue-collar crime series that wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty. Watercooler viewing is everywhere at the moment, and that’s not going to change anytime soon, with Stranger Things coming to an end and about a zillion other things still come. Here’s everything you need to see... so far.  Best TV and streaming shows at a glance: 📍 The Pitt (Emmy Best Drama winner) – watch on HBO Max in the US📍 Adolescence (Best Limited Series winner) – watch on Netflix worldwide📍 Severance season 2 (multiple acting wins) – watch on Apple TV worldwide📍 The Studio (Best Comedy winner) – watch on Apple TV worldwide📍 Andor season 2 (Emmy-winning writing) – watch on Disney+ worldwide 

The original Plaza Khao Gaeng surprised everyone with its monumental greatness. A restaurant slipped into a food hall mezzanine isn’t supposed to be one of the best in London, and yet the bijoux, southern Thai-inspired canteen blew minds and mouths with its relentless approach to flavour and fun when it opened in 2022. Run by a Brit, Plaza held up its hands when it came to its inauthenticity, but made up for it with the dedication that chef-founder Luke Farrell poured into the place. A couple of months after it launched, spin-off restaurant Speedboat Bar arrived, a day-glo, stand-alone tribute to Bangkok’s Chinatown in London’s Chinatown.  It’s a shouty, cocky spot that demands your attention Now, like Speedboat Bar, Plaza has a space to call its very own, rather than what felt like digs in a culinary halls of residence. Plaza Khao Gaeng 2:0 can be found in the ever-expanding Borough Yards development by London Bridge, where so many esteemed London restaurants have launched culinary siblings. You’ll find it next to a baby Barrafina, Akoko offshoot Akara, and Cafe François, a mini manifestation of Maison François in Mayfair.  At 78 covers, it’s at least twice the size of the original Plaza, and makes the most of a spacious railway arch. There are two dining areas, both rowdy and roomy, with a pleasing soundbed of clattering cutlery alongside what looks like a Wild West vaudeville stage in the cosier back room and buzzing strip lights which reflect the full-on, nowhere-to-hide

Dara Klein’s rustic Italian kitchen Tiella was the life and soul of the Compton Arms before the super talented New Zealand/Italian chef took a well earned breather and let the lads from Rake take over food duties in the much-loved Islington gastro-boozer. But Dara’s masterplan was always thus; a restaurant of her very own. In mid-January that dream becomes a delicious reality. Opening up in an old Victorian pub space on the always-charming Columbia Road, Tiella Trattoria & Bar will pay homage to Dara’s family roots in Puglia. Expect the soul-nurturing likes of passatelli in brodo, orecchiette with cime di rapa and pangrattato, and bay leaf panna cotta with blood orange on offer. And yes, the super-fresh chicken Milanese with green apple, celery, fennel, and creme fraiche from her Compton Arms menu will be making a return.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One of the few non-booze bars in London – Club Soda Tasting Room – has announced that it’ll be closing down very soon.  The bar and bottle shop on Drury Lane in Covent Garden was founded by Laura Willoughby as part of her mindful drinking business, and was London’s only non-alcoholic tasting room when it launched at the end of 2022.  News of the closure was recently announced on Instagram: ‘We’re at the end of our lease and the landlord needs to finally sort some long-standing drain issues (honestly… if you know, you know).’ You’ll have to almost the end of Dry January to get your last rounds of non-alc bevs in, with the Club Soda Tasting Room closing on January 25. ‘And don’t panic – this isn’t the end. Not even close,’ writes Club Soda, who plan to open a new version of the bar and bottle shop soon. ‘We’re already on the hunt for a new home for the Tasting Room’.  Club Soda Tasting Room stocked everything from non-alcoholic beers to CBD drinks, ‘adult’ soft drinks, low and no wines, booze-free spirits and other grown-up alternatives to booze. You’ll still be able to buy them all via the Club Soda online shop after the tasting room has closed down. Check out our list of the best places in London to drink when you’re not drinking alcohol. 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 for the best of the city, stra

A brand-new pizza parlour is coming to Peckham. Connie’s Pizza will open in south London on January 26. It is the latest project from Andrea Asciuti, founder of 081 Pizzeria on nearby Peckham Rye (and in Shoreditch), and promises to offer ‘Bri-talian’ style pizzas, using seasonal local ingredients, such as leeks, mushrooms and aubergines. Pizzas will be light and crispy, made with 36-48 hour fermented dough and American flour, and look set to pass the no-flop test. There will be eight different kinds of pizza on the menu, including tomato and aubergine, classic margherita with British mozzarella, nduja and British stracciatella, and sautéed mushrooms, truffle and basil. Connie’s is named after Andrea Asciuti’s wife and takes over the site formerly occupied by South African restaurant Little Kudu. There will also be a number of side dishes on the menu, such as meatballs, deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese and mozzarella sticks. There will be only one dessert; fiocco di neve mini brioche filled with ricotta and whipped cream.  081 Pizza was ranked 43rd on the best pizzas in Europe list by 50 Top Pizza in 2024.  Find Connie Pizza at 133 Queen’s Road, SE15 2ND. Here’s our list of the best pizza in London.  Plus: the 19 best pizzas in the world, according to Time Out editors. 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 for the

We absolutely loved Tamila when it opened last year in King’s Cross, so there has been much rejoicing over news that a new branch of the south Indian mini-chain will be opening in Soho. The biggest branch to date, Tamila will pop up on Poland Street in February. It marks the third outing for the restaurant, which also has a location in Clapham. Tamila comes from the same team as desi gastropubs The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown, which are both in Islington. Speaking about the new opening, co-founder Prince Durairaj has said: ‘Soho has always felt like a playground for some of London’s most exciting and much-loved restaurants, so opening here has been a real dream of mine. It’s such a special and energetic part of the city for hospitality, and I feel incredibly grateful to be bringing Tamila into the mix and rubbing shoulders with places I’ve admired for years.’ The Tamila menu will include a host of dishes from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, including a Thanjavur chicken curry and Chettinad lamb curry, as well as a garlic coriander naan. Like the existing Tamila sites, there will be a highly decent vegetarian offering, with various meat-free dosas and dhals.   Time Out’s five-star review of the King’s Cross branch praised Tamila’s tandoori and curry dishes. ‘Paneer tikka is cooked to an affectionate level of tenderness, with a dusty heat, bulbous skewered onion, and a sharp pineapple chutney,’ wrote Ed Cunningham. ‘The dhal flashed all sorts of vegetables across

New year, new food.   2026 is ushered in via a wave of brand new eateries across the capital. Ignore the call of dry Jan and instead book yourself into one of these many new openings. Finding your purse-strings to be extra-tight post Christmas, then a single bun at Claridge’s brand new bakery might be the best option, or maybe try a bargain bowl of wonton noodles at Hoko’s new outlet in Covent Garden (or just look at our cheap eats list instead, for meals under a tenner in London).  The best new London restaurants opening in January 2026 Photograph: Caitlin Isola 1. The Italian hotspot Tiella Trattoria & Bar, Bethnal Green Ever since Dara Klein popped up in The Compton Arms kitchen with her earthy Italian takeover, we’ve been big fans. Since letting Rake take over the Islington gastropub’s food service, she’s been plotting something of her own. Her first stand-alone restaurant Tiella will feature dishes from Dara’s Compton Arms residency as well as other Puglia-inspired classics, from panelle and orecchiette to her majestic take on a milanese. There’ll be a 15 seater bar as well as space for 30 in the restaurant. Expect to see us there, nightly.  Opens: Mid-Jan Address: 109 Columbia Road, Bethnal Green, E2 7RL Photograph: Claridge’s 2. The world-beating bakery Claridge’s Bakery, Mayfair One of London’s most prestigious hotels/restaurants/bars is set to add another delicious string to its bow with the grand opening of Claridge’s Bakery. In charge will be legendary baker Ri

New pubs don’t open up as much as new restaurants. In fact, it’s likely that more pubs in London are closing down than opening up, which makes the launch of new boozers in the capital something to celebrate. One pub however stands pump and cask above the rest; The Pocket in Islington, which we have crowned the best new pub in London for 2025. It was the only new pub to make our recently updated top 50 pubs in London list, and as such was the only real contender for the title. The Pocket opened in March 2025, on the site of a long-shut bar called the Four Sisters pub on Canonbury Lane. Owner Pete Holt also runs the Southampton Arms on Highgate Hill by Hampstead Heath, an old school ale and cider house with an open fire and a piano, which also features in our pubs top 50.  A former carriage house, The Pocket has local ales and ciders, sells scotch eggs and sausage rolls, and like the Southampton Arms, also has a piano, with regular music afternoons and evenings.  Our five star review of the new pub reads: ‘The Pocket’s premise is simple, and, let’s be honest, perfect: “No reservations. No green food. No shit beer. No terrible modern music,” they say. The bar snacks come in various shades of beige (scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pasties, and pork pies), the music comes from either the piano or a vinyl record player which favours vintage jazz and soul, and the crowd is gorgeous. Beer is priced in order of strength, meaning it’s possible to get that rare thing - a London pint for a f

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

Every month a bunch of new restaurants are added to the Michelin Guide, the wide-ranging global restaurant handbook run by the same people who dish out exclusive Michelin stars. Though not quite as much of a foodie compliment as a Michelin star, a nod from the Michelin Guide is pretty good going. ‘The Michelin Guide Inspectors are always on the road, assessing existing restaurants as well as uncovering new ones worthy of recommendation,’ they say, and they’ve just released the names of new restaurants added to the UK selection this December, with seven London restaurants included.    Top of the list is Legado in Shoreditch, a Spanish restaurant from Nieves Barragán Mohacho, who also runs Michelin star spot Sabor in Mayfair. The Guide praised the restaurant’s ‘exuberant cooking and well-oiled service’, adding that ‘The extensive menu shows off all the kitchen’s considerable talents, including a whole section on suckling pig that uses every part of the animal in a series of delicious ways.’ Our own Time Out review of Legado from earlier this year said much the same, with critic Elaine Zhao writing: ‘Delivered with stellar presentation, service and quality, not to mention style and grace, Nieves’ latest addition to her own legacy is a triumph.’  Other London restaurants included in the Michelin Guide update for December 2025 include Brasserie Constance from chef Adam Byatt of Clapham restaurant Trinity, on the new Fulham Pier development by Craven Cottage stadium, as well as Kr

I’m pretty sure I have said ‘this is the best thing I’ve eaten all year’ at least 25 times over the past 12 months, making the task of choosing the actual single best thing I’ve eaten this year extremely difficult. There were the crunchy/sloppy mutton fries at Khao Bird, addictive wontons at Ling Ling’s, sweetie-like slow-braised pork belly nuggets at Lai Rai, Tasca’s naughty tomme de chevre and smoked maple ham bikini sandwich (RIP), and an outrageously juicy devil on horseback at the opening of the new St John wine bar in Neal’s Yard. London, you have spoiled us. Here are the best things team Time Out ate in 2025.  The 8 best London restaurant dishes of 2025 Leonie Cooper for Time Out The Lavery’s asparagus fonduta I’ve eaten a lot of rich, heavy things this year. Things drenched in butter. Things swimming in cream. Things layered with lardo. No complaints, but sometimes I crave something light and semi-healthy. The Lavery’s asparagus fonduta managed to elegantly straddle the line between both worlds. This good cop/bad cop dish offered exceedingly decadent and artery-destroying cheese sauce glooped over saintly steamed veg. The restaurant, a Nigella Lawson fever dream in a Georgian townhouse in South Ken, is sophistication personified, and this simple dish the very apex of its classiness. Leonie Cooper, Food and Drink Editor  Liv Kelly for Time Out Tollington’s scallops  After a handful of visits to Tollington’s it’s easy to see why scallops (in some form or another)

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

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

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

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