Leonie Cooper

Richmond: go for the green space (or for the Ted Lasso location spotting clout), stay for the gastronomy. There are more than a few great restaurants in TW9, from charming neighbourhood bistros and waterfront restaurants, to easy-breezy brunch spots and polished garden cafés with lovely outdoor dining areas. Here's our pick of Richmond’s best. RECOMMENDED: The very 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.

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

November 2026: Mexican food in London has never been better. What started in the 1990s as a Tex-Mex-leaning fascination with grainy cheese, hard taco shells, and oversalted tortilla chips, has got whole lot more authentic, blossoming into a bold community of cooks and chefs – Mexican, Brit and beyond – who seek outside the taco seasoning for more legitimate cuisine. Across London you can now find dishes from hyperlocal Mexican regions, as well as handmade tortillas, brilliant salsas and ceviches, fresh moles, fabulously mixed margaritas and even Michelin star rated spots. These are the finest 20 Mexican restaurants in London, where you can find all the above and more. Read more about the enviable current state of Mexican food in London here.  London's best Mexican restaurants at a glance: 🍹 Best for a blow-out brunch: Corrochio’s, Dalston 🌮 Best for traditional tacos: Proper Tacos, Holloway 💅 Best for a fancy night out: Cavita, Marylebone  🌽 Best for vegans: Tacos Padre, Borough Market RECOMMENDED: London's best street food. Daniela Toporek is a London-based, Mexican-American food and travel journalist with a passion for discovering and sharing Latin-American culture and cuisine in the UK. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

October 2026: Once a year we like to give this Top 50 a proper refresh, bringing a host of new pubs into the mix as well as a brand-spanking new Number 1. This year our list topper ends 12 months of south London domination from The Old Nun’s Head (which we still love), with Time Out’s Pub of the Year 2026 a north-of-the-river classic. A crowd pleaser that still feels like a hidden secret, Clerkenwell’s Shakespeare’s Head is truly one of a kind. Other new entries include Moylett’s in Clapton - which is the highest ranking new pub on the list - as well as The Dacre Arms in Lewisham, Paddington’s Royal Exchange and The Nag’s Head in Walthamstow. London’s best pubs at a glance:  🐎 Best pub in Soho: Coach & Horses 🪖 Best pub in Hackney: Army & Navy ⛪ Best pub in Peckham and Nunhead: The Old Nun’s Head 🍻 Best pub in the East End: The Pride of Spitalfields 🎭 Best pub in Clerkenwell: The Shakespeares Head There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. After many evenings (and a few afternoons) of important, pint-based research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London. Old-school boozers are the beating heart of this city, and the ones on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the carpets – and full of joy, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a worrying amount of the UK’s pubs closing weekly, we wanted to highlight some of this city’s less well-known and independent inns.

Los Angeles—there’s nowhere quite like it. The glittering, sprawling metropolis is full to the brim with Hollywood history and celebrity lore, so it only makes sense that the city’s roster of hotels includes places to stay which are just as legendary.  From world-famous landmarks to sleekly designed pads, rooftop pools, glitzy views and swoon-worthy dining, L.A.’s hotel resume is second to none, and our writers have been trying and testing them all. So, go ahead and peruse our refreshed collection of the City of Angels’ very best places to stay. L.A.’s best hotels at a glance: 🏩 Best hotel overall: The Beverly Hills Hotel 🎀 Best boutique stay: Hotel Lucile 🧖‍♀️ Best for wellness: Regent Santa Monica 🌇 Best in Downtown: The Hoxton, Downtown LA ➡️ Discover our ultimate guide to the best budget-friendly hotels in L.A. How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world—new openings, old classics and everything in between—to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. We have reviewed many of the hotels featured below, but we may not have stayed at every single one. Any we haven’t stayed in have been selected by experts based on their amenities, features, pricing and more. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 🛏 Check out the best Airbnbs in Los Angeles

Fitzrovia’s aura of upper-crust bohemia is perfectly encapsulated by its quality mix of maximalist and minimalist restaurants and plenty of Michelin stars. Don’t expect cheap eats in this part of town unless you’re checking out the ever-reliable Indian YMCA, but if you’re going to splash out on dinner in Fitzrovia, then we can show you how and where to spend your hard-earned cash in the central London neighbourhood’s finest restaurants. Best restaurants in Fitzrovia at a glance: ⭐ Best for Michelin star clout: Chishuru 🥖 Best for French fine dining: 64 Goodge Street 🍝 Best for glossy Italian plates: Motorino 🍛 Best for a cheap feast: Indian YMCA 🥦 Best for Mexican seafood: Cometa RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Soho.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Updated November 2026: Welcome to our ranking of the Top 50 restaurants in London for the year. Every summer we announce a brand new Number 1 and give this legendary list a full makeover. We’re extremely proud of what this city has to offer and especially pleased to have crowned gutsy French bistro Camille in Borough Market as the Best London Restaurant of 2026. This list is a snapshot of where London dining is at right now; a city of global flavours, hilariously varying budgets and the best food you’ve ever eaten. The newest entries include Impala, a north African restaurant from Meedu Saad, the former head chef at Kiln (which was Time Out's Best London Restaurant of 2019) and Kid, the new restaurant from former Mangal 2 chef Sertaç Dirik and David Carter of Oma and Agora.  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 l

November 2026: The frankly exceptional Impala in Soho has taken the top spot as our favourite new restaurant in London, but close behind is Kid, which is just around the corner. Other new additions include gastropubs the George & Dragon and the Horses (both in Clerkenwell), Cassette in Covent Garden, Kismet in Borough Market, Cloudstreet in Stoke Newington, Bar Blondie in Queen's Park, Hon's BBQ in Hackney Wick and Kinz in Notting Hill. 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 November 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🥩 Central: Impala, Soho 🍷 North: Cloudstreet, Stoke Newington 🦐 South: The Victory, East Dulwich 🍝 East: Hon's BBQ, Hackney Wick 🥗 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 s

One of central London’s most low-key neighbourhoods, Clerkenwell has all the charm of a village but all the high-end dining options of a bustling world city. Catering to office workers, late-night partiers at Fabric and local residents, this historic part of London has it all – and people come from across the capital to sample its seriously good restaurants. Whether you’re looking for a lovely brunch spot, a poshed-up boozer or an old-school French dining room, there are loads of classic and contemporary eateries worthy of a visit. Here’s our pick of the best, including romantic Italian spot Luca, that mainstay of British fine dining, St John, the ultra lovely Morchella and Basque steakhouse Ibai. Our latest additions include a wine bar in an old tattoo parlour, Passione Vino, all-day bistro Vesper on Exmouth Market, fish-focussed gastropub The Horses and the newly-opened George & Dragon.  RECOMMENDED: The very best restaurants in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

What’s better than an amazing meal? An amazing meal, served up alongside a delicious pint in a cosy pub, obviously. London is the gastropub capital of the world, full of boozers that can compete with our fantastic restaurants in the culinary stakes – but they just happen to come with cracking Victorian buildings, as well as roaring fires, and the occasional dog. So whether you’re after fish and chips, a roast, an oxtail ragù, or a desi pub serving up sublime South Indian cuisine, you’ve come to the right place.  London's best gastropubs at a glance: 🇫🇷 Best in central London: Upstairs at the French House, Soho 🍻 Best in north London: The Golden Tooth, Newington Green 🥧 Best in south London: Camberwell Arms, Camberwell  🤴 Best in east London: Prince Arthur, Dalston  🐄 Best in west London: The Latimer, Notting Hill  RECOMMENDED: London's 50 Best Restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

November 2026: We've recently given this list a reshuffle to make sure we're recommending you the finest burgers in town, along with a brand new Number 1 which you can find at Whole Beast in Brixton. Smash burgers still take up a lot of real estate and with good reason; they're 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 only 10 are made every day. Smaller, smashier offerings can be found at French import Dumbo in Shoreditch and Soho, 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.  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.

September 2026: Across the city, creative chefs are showing off their prowess with plants, and dreaming up new vegetable-based delights or creating pitch-perfect imitations of meaty comfort food classics. Whether you’re after a lavish night of culinary theatre, a massive Middle Eastern spread, Ital food from Jamaica 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.

A framed photo of the ever-maniacal and much-missed Keith from The Prodigy greets you at the door of Whole Beast. It can mean only one thing; intensity awaits. And so it goes with this meat-lovers shangri-la, a place where flesh is king and vegans are politely asked to avert their eyes. For a restaurant that’s more into meat than a big cat who hasn’t had its dinner, Whole Beast is surprisingly welcoming, bright and light. This isn’t the sort of doomy dungeon we’ve come to expect launching in the hospitality entrails of last decade’s dude-food crusade. In fact, it’s more like a provincial gastropub than a bacchanalian display of neon-lit abattoir-chic. There are a couple of seats by the big window, a shared high table by an open-ish kitchen and a bigger room out back. Whole Beast’s acid-house smiley face logo beams throughout; on walls, on menus and even on the toothpicks that hold together our gildas and peep out of our martinis. Whole Beast opened after a series of acclaimed pub and brewery pop-ups, including a stint at the Montpelier in Peckham, when their impeccable cheeseburger was named winner at the National Burger Awards. Since starting out, their concept has been simple; combine the nose-to-tail approach of St John with serious barbecue expertise and the approachable energy of a high street fast food joint. Think Wimpy, but with a couple of award-winning pitmasters behind the pass. Alicja and Sam Bryant might not be from Texas, but they know a thing or two about smoki

Is Cassette London’s sexiest new restaurant or is it just too dark in here to work out if we’re on a date or just having dinner with our cousin from Tring?  Show a cassette to Gen Z and you’ll likely get a blank stare (albeit a slightly different from normal blank stare) in response. But show them a small plates bistro 400 miles from Paris, and you’ll be met with a resounding ‘yaass’ of recognition. London's fooderati are are more than familiar with an ersatz French restaurant thanks to the likes of Camille (Time Out’s best London restaurant of 2026), Bouchon Racine, Cafe Francois and Bistros Freddie and Sable, as well as Cassette’s elder sibling, Levan, which has been bringing the best chefs in Paris over to Peckham for regular Sunday sessions.  Cassette feels more grown up and less hectic than Levan. It helps that the space is sensational; a Grade II* listed stained-glass workshop a few doors down from elder London dining statesman, Rules. One of London’s best streets, it’s here on Maiden Lane that Turner was born, Voltaire was exiled, and the Socialist Party of Great Britain was founded. It was also home to Europe's first ever recording studio, which bodes well for a restaurant named Cassette. Pannisse with a veil of green tomato gleams like a tiny ghost Of course, Cassette’s music credentials are as strong as its culinary ones; Levan was named in honour of Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan, and founder Mark Gurney has his own record label. Apparently there are some ultra ra

You can spend an awful lot of money on sushi in London. If you’re debating whether to pay half a month’s rent or splurge it all on omakase, then your options include the £420 menu at Mayfair’s Sushi Kanesaka and £305 a head at Endo Kazutoshi’s new spot in Chelsea. And while Notting Hill’s Eel Sushi Bar is far from cheap, in the grand scheme of things, £60 for an omakase-adjacent nigiri ‘flight’, makes it a far better deal - and, frankly, lots more fun.  When Eel Sushi Bar opened in the summer of 2025 it was nigh-on impossible to get a table. With room for just 12 diners – six perched on a counter facing the lively open kitchen, the other six peering through the window out onto posh Talbot Road – it’s a surprise anyone made past the threshold at all. Over a year later and the glowing, pine-clad room remains packed. There are more people working in the kitchen than there are eating, which should give you an idea of how dedicated the Eel team are to bringing you the best un-ludicrously priced, non-Endo sushi in west London. Head chef Nick Xie certainly knows what he’s doing, having been poached from another of west’s best Japanese restaurants, Dinings SW3. Another badge of honour comes courtesy of the produce itself, which is sourced directly from gourmet grocers Notting Hill Fish + Meat (which is run by Eel Sushi Bar founder Chris D'Sylva, who’s also in charge of big bucks bistro Dorian across the road). Sure, it's all a bit incestuous – if you’re eating at Eel you also have ac

If you’ve ever had impure thoughts about a basket – or simply wanted to date a man who asks you questions about your life – then the wonderful Wicker should get you all hot and bothered. Based on a 2008 short story by Ursula Wills-Jones, this fantasyland comedy-drama also might be the first time anyone has ever attempted to meld a bawdy 1970s sex comedy with Lord of the Rings.  As gender allegories go, Wicker’s premise might be sledgehammeringly obvious, but the execution is immaculate. Olivia Colman is resplendent as a nonchalant fisherwoman who commissions a basketmaker to weave her a husband. Played with creaky restraint by Alexander Skarsgård in a full body woven suit and facial prosthetics, it turns out that he’s a keeper. The handsome willow husband immediately outshines the local menfolk due to his gentle nature, willingness to help around the house and massive cock.  Feminism hasn’t yet arrived at this pleasingly grubby medieval-era village, where women are named only in relation to the men they associate with (the doctor’s daughter, the tailor’s wife and so on). Though every one of these men is absolutely bloody useless and none of the women are happy in their marriages, the fisherwoman is mocked for being single – as well as for stinking of the daily catch. Cue a quick visit to Peter Dinklage’s theatrical wood weaver, who, like Dr Frankenstein after a trip to Travis Perkins, delivers the goods in the form of an intricately woven hunk that looks like a cross between

Like Catherine Deneuve after a particularly glossy blow-dry, Hôtel Byblos oozes vintage Euro glamour. On the eve of its 60th anniversary, this hillside Saint-Tropez hideaway still feels fresh, a French Riviera playground that combines Byzantine-era drama and Provençal village charm with a rock’n’roll heritage that would put Graceland to shame. Named after the ancient Lebanese city of Byblos, rumour has it that Lebanese businessman Jean-Prosper Gay-Para built the hotel in order to woo local resident Brigette Bardot in a Great Gatsby-esque fashion. But it was the 1971 wedding of Mick and Bianca Jagger which cast it as one of the world’s most elegant destinations. Yet considering its decadent history, a stay at Hôtel Byblos feels exceedingly laid-back. You won’t find Led Zeppelin tearing through the lobby on motorbikes, but rather daily changing tea infusions, a staircase lined with stunning ceramic tiles by the late French artist Roger Capron, and ancient carvings from the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, giving it the casual air of a private museum.  ➡️ Our full guide to hotels in Europe What are the rooms like at Hôtel Byblos? There are 86 rooms at Hôtel Byblos (including 43 suites) and though original 1960s features can be found in the lobby and pool areas, the bedrooms and suites are bang up-to-date. Crisp and clean and icy white, all the hallmarks of a luxury hotel are present; an ice bucket with a bottle of wine on arrival, indecently comfy beds, clothes steamers, stocked

Do not, under any circumstances, confuse Bar Blondie, a demure bistro in posh northwest London neighbourhood Queens Park, with Blondies, a scuzzy rock bar in Hackney. Not only because you’ll end up having to take a £30 Uber back, but mainly because when you’re craving bluefin tuna with stracciatella Pugliese, the last thing you want is to be doing shots with a grizzly man in a denim gilet to a soundtrack of Highway to Hell. Bar Blondie is wilfully attractive, laid out like a living room with low, flattering lighting and a central bank of velvet sofas with booth seating all the way around the cream clapboard lined space, offering a soft landing everywhere you look. It’s the latest arrival on the extremely cute Lonsdale Road, a semi-pedestrianised stretch of converted Victorian stables that is now a nexus for nibbly bits, thanks to Don’t Tell Dad, Pyra and Carmel. Once home to Antipodiea-inspired cafe Milk Beach - and still run by the same team - Bar Blondie is an altogether more elegant proposition. The inspiration? For some reason, it’s spaghetti westerns, meaning Ennio Morricone’s rousing Ecstasy of Gold plays on a loop in the loos, there’s a solid pasta menu (though no actual spaghetti when we visit), and the bistro’s name itself, a tribute to ‘Blondie’, Clint Eastwood’s poncho-sporting antihero in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, who looms handsomely over the room from a Japanese promo poster.   Creamy, crunchy and with a confident mustardy tang, we are instantly besotted

Covent Garden has always, for some indeterminate reason, felt a little like New York. Don’t ask us why! We don’t make the rules! It stands to reason then, that a New York-worthy slice shop would open here, in a grand corner building where Neal and Monmouth Street meet. Carmy’s - a drop-in, spin-off of Islington pizza restaurant Carmela's - doesn’t just offer fast and breezy service, but a short, impeccable menu of five pizzas that range from simple, unadorned cheese slices to a potent vodka sauce, pepperoni, stracciatella, and a monster ‘loaded pep’ slice that combines almost all of the above. It’s a true feat of culinary engineering, in which a pepperoni slice is dolloped with huge splodges of fresh, creamy stracciatella and smeared with hot maple syrup (hot honey who?), yet retains its enviably thin and crispy base. Sogginess? Not even the merest suggestion. Fridges are stocked with cans of dive bar favourite PBR, for the full American experience, and a couple of counter seats inside, though most prefer to stand by the outside tables while scoffing their slices. If a slice isn’t enough, they also sell whole pies. 

Nakimushi’s premise is solid: bring together two chefs who’ve smashed successful pop-ups and have them deliver superior Japanese cuisine under the same roof. What’s not to like!  First up is Robin Kosuge, whose Robin’s Ramen residency was known for rowdy, broth-spattered evenings that resembled all-nighters at Berghain as much as they did a ramenya. Then there’s Yuji Shimokawa Kelly, previously of Dinings SW3, and founder of the roaming Urchin, which specialised in high-end Japanese bistro fare. Both pop-ups took place at Holland Park’s Supermarket of Dreams, which is, handily, run by the same group as Nakimushi, as well as nearby Eel Sushi Bar and Dorian. Talk about keeping it in the family.  At Nakimushi - which translates as ‘crybaby’ - ramen is available at ever-so-slightly-too-cosy communal tables in a small ground-floor room, while more general Japanese cookery is found on the marginally less frenetic but still cramped first floor (cue plenty of table Tetris every time anyone needs to pop to the bathroom). Compactness of the venue aside, someone’s done a solid job of giving this slender Victorian townhouse a Tokyo-tastic makeover, with atmospheric pale wood panelling, framed prints and all manner of Japanophilia on the walls. Though we’re still not quite sure what inspired them to place a prep kitchen and fish larder basically in the bathroom, only separated by a single pane of glass, which really doesn’t do anything to stop the smell or the feeling you’re being watched

Well, isn’t Cloudstreet a cutie pie. We’ve always had a soft spot for this tatty Victorian courtyard; a Steptoe and Son-worthy stables in Stoke Newington that’s ditched the ponies for excellent one-man micropub Macintosh Ales, mullet specialists Cut & Run salon and a gaggle of artists’ studios. Cloudstreet quietly opened at the tailend of summer, headed up by chefs Georgia Lahiff and Frank Guest. The pair met while working at acclaimed Sydney restaurant 10 William Street, with Georgia then cooking in Rome and Frank doing stints at the now shuttered Lyle’s as well as Sune in London Fields. They also recently hosted pop-ups at Giacco’s in Finsbury Park and Ancestral Wines in Forest Hill, where they replicated a casual Italian tavola calda cafeteria.  Brilliantly, Cloudstreet doesn't feel like anything they’ve ever done before. Despite being surrounded by the shady palimpsest of historical British livery and the whimsical moniker (a tribute to the much-loved Australian novel of the same name) Cloudstreet seems as if you’ve stumbled across a small bistro in a medieval village in the south of France. Like some kind of hospitality Brigadoon, which only makes itself known once every 100 years, Cloudstreet leaves you wondering if you ever really ate that monumental onion tart or merely hallucinated its presence.  On a sunny day, it could be mistaken for Aix-en-Provence  The restaurant (and kitchen) is sequestered into a brick-lined tiny stable with flaking paint on the walls and has

You’ll find Astrid - a demure double-sited Euro bakehouse with impeccable curb appeal - in the leafy residential fringes of Alexandra Palace. Former journalist Charlotte O'Kelly began baking during lockdown and hasn’t stopped since. After delivering curated breakfast boxes to local residents, she opened the Wes Anderson-inspired mint green hatch in 2024. The bigger, sit-in bakery a few doors down followed not long after. The smaller spot offers all manner of sweet treats, from juicy almond croissants through to fruity pastries which incorporate more obscure fruits (greengages!) as well as fluffy brioche cardamon buns and a seriously good croissant. The larger venue sells deli bits (eggs etc) as well as Astrid’s award-winning granola, savoury offerings (ham and cheese croissant, focaccia and sausage rolls), and bread. Their sourdough is triumph; a world away from tougher, teeth-snapping versions we have known, this bouncy, light loaf is made with wholemeal spelt and heritage einkorn.  Time Out tip Come Christmas, swing by for a festive panettone: there’s Astrid’s classic version, triple chocolate or clementine and milk chocolate varieties on offer.  Find Astrid at 118a and 114 Alexandra Park Road, N10 2AH

Convenience is rarely this stylish. Not only is Okupa situated firmly within Athens’ coolest neighbourhood Psyrri, it’s got a solid restaurant, a welcoming co-working space, and rooftop pool that comes with a view of Greece’s most legendary ruin, the Acropolis. A relative newcomer, Okupa opened in 2024, but its bones are ancient – as you enter, look down via a glass walkway to see the 2,500-year-old tomb of Lady Melenissis. Inside, there’s a simple but stylish midcentury design aesthetic and a variety of rooms for different budgets, as well as regular events for guests and locals, such as sound bath sessions, yoga classes and (fun) seminars. The onsite listening bar is packed with the founders’ impressive vinyl collection and hosts sets from acclaimed global DJs.  What are the rooms like at Okupa? There are 32 rooms across the hotel, with 1960s-inspired terrazzo floors, clean lines and our room has all your basic amenities (coffee, teas, a kettle and a hairdryer, shampoo and conditioner). Ours also has a decent-sized terrace with a table and – if you stand up – a decent view of the Acropolis. If you’ve a little less to spend, you can go dorm-style, with four and six bunk hotel style rooms. A friend had the honour of staying in one and said it was a little warm and claustrophobic, but the price (which starts at around £26 a night) is pretty hard to beat considering you get access to the rest of the hotel, pool included. Heck, you might even make some new friends. You can also

One of the prettiest islands in the known universe deserves one of the prettiest palazzos. Il Capri was originally built as a lavish private villa, but has been running as a hotel since 1899 up in the hills of Capri Town. In 2022 it received a well-earned and ultra-glam revamp, encompassing a pastel pink paint job on the grand gothic facade which overlooks the whole of the busy Marina Grande down below, with immaculate views of Mount Vesuvius from the rooftop restaurant and many of the rooms and suites. Despite its grandeur, it’s an intimate place with just 20 rooms, so if you’re looking for a little privacy, then this bougie boutique is the one - it’s also adults only, so your rooftop pool-time won’t be disturbed by kids running about the place.  What are the rooms like at Il Capri? There are 20 rooms and suites, most of them with private balconies or terraces overlooking the stunning Gulf of Naples, found via Kubrick-esque corridors. There are no TVs, but with views like this, why would you need one? The 1950s-coded peppermint pink palate is a theme throughout the hotel’s public spaces and rooms, with spacious bathrooms clad in putty-shaded titles and walls painted a soothing blush. Beds are cosy, floors are sisal, while furniture strikes the perfect balance between vintage tiki-chic and modern elegance. Vintage posters from the current owners’ personal collections adorn the walls. Free mini-bars come stocked with mini Campari mixers, local Limonata, house-made pastries, fi

Our recently announced list of the top 50 pubs in London for 2026 contains many gems, from the best newly opened pub in the city to the best pub outside of central.  Our highest ranking pub in the East End is another smasher; the Pride of Spitalfields. This boozer, which is just off Brick Lane, is at number four in the overall top 50 and a long-time favourite of Time Out.  ‘Lined in red velvet and showcasing one the greatest pub carpets of the last 50 years, is a prime example of what makes trad pubs great,’ reads our review of the pub, which opened in the mid-19th century and was originally known as The Romford Arms.  It continues: ‘Evenings here are always a bit of a smoosh, especially in the small side room, but in among the occasional bewildered tourist, high-flying fashion designer, and monied art dealer, you’ll find an extremely welcoming pub.’ Like a pub with red banquettes and an old fashioned carpet? Try The Lord Clyde in Southwark, Cross Keys in Covent Garden, The Ship in Fitzrovia, The Dacre Arms in Lewisham, and The Palm Tree in Mile End, which all feature similar traditional set-ups and can be found in our top 50.  Visit The Pride of Spitalfields at 3 Heneage Street, E1 5LJ. The best pubs in London. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

A south London pizzeria – which isn’t even officially open yet – has just been crowned the winner of the National Pizza Awards 2026. Five Feet, which is due to open on November 11 in Bermondsey, was named champion at a live cook-off yesterday (November 3) at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, beating 15 other pizza restaurants from across the UK. Five Feet’s chef, Jack Ellingham, won National Pizza of the Year (the main prize of the day) for a chunky sausage and broccoli topped pizza: a Sicilian/Grandma-style pizza, which used vodka sauce, pecorino cheese, oregano, chilli, sausage, fior di latte, provolone, friarelli, pickled chillies, ricotta and coolea cheese. The winner was decided by an panel of industry judges.  Speaking about the win, Jack commented: ‘It was unexpected. We obviously wanted to win, but we were not expecting our name to be read out. When it was, it was one of the best feelings of all time. For the business, it’s amazing. We were planning to open before the awards and open off the back of it, with some trading under our belt. But there have been delays, so winning this before opening hopefully drives some people through the doors to experience the space, because it’s looking beautiful.’ Five Feet is a new project from Jay Patel of Bermondsey restaurant Legare. Jack Ellingham previously worked as a baker at north London’s Dusty Knuckle. Ellingham was also named Pizza Chef of the Year in the competition’s technical round.  Photograph: National Pizza Awards 20

Looks like London’s chefs want to start feeding you up for winter, as this is a real bumper month for new openings. We’re super duper excited about B Penhale, the latest opening from the team behind Camille - which is one of just many new pubs and restaurants to be lured by the charms of Clerkenwell and Farringdon. See also The Poet and Pam, as well as the recently launched fish-focussed gastropub, The Horses. If you’re looking for something extremely fancy, then book yourself into Lunette sharpish, or if it’s excellent pizza you want, then the new branch of Theo’s in Peckham is calling.  The best new London restaurants opening in November 2026 1. The new one from the best restaurant in London Harriet LangfordB Penhale team 1. B Penhale, Clerkenwell We’ll say it: Clerkenwell is (once again) the best place in London to eat, and it’s about to get even more delicious. B Penhale is the new opening from the same team behind Borough Market’s Camille (our favourite London restaurant of 2026), and promises high-end British and Irish cuisine. Camille’s exec chef Elliot Hashtroudi will act as chef patron at Penhale, bringing his whole-carcass energy to the menu.   Opens: November 16 Address: 57 West Smithfield, Clerkenwell, EC1A 9DS LunetteLunette 2. The one at the fancy hotel Lunette, Temple Superstar chef Florence Knight has been fairly quiet since leaving Sessions Arts Club but her razzle-dazzle relaunch sees her pulling rank by opening up the new rooftop restaurant at swanky St

We love Singburi. We love it so much that it’s the highest ranking That restaurant in Time Out’s list of the 50 best restaurants in London. Even the restaurant’s move from Leytonstone to Shoreditch last year didn’t quell our passion for its food.  And it seems we’re not alone in our passion for Singburi’s marvellous menu.  Yard Sale Pizza first collaborated with Singburi four years ago, and now they’re at it again with a special pizza available from November 4 until December 1. The two brands will come together for the return of the Gaeng Pizza Gang pizza, which comes topped with kua kling dry fried pork, pickled mustard greens, fresh Thai basil and shallots on fior di latte mozzarella base.  The 20 best pizza restaurants in London, according to Time Out. There will also be vegetarian and vegan versions, topped with kua kling cauliflower. A special cheese garlic bread with Thai chilli sauce will also be available.  Justin DeSouzaYard Sale x Singburi vegetarian pizza Like the idea so much that you want a t-shirt to celebrate the collab? Lucky you, as there’s a special long-sleeve available for £30. Yard Sale is known for its collaborations with some of London’s best restaurants, from Mangals 1 and 2, through to Fallow, Bleecker Burger, Mambow and Dishoom.  There are now branches of Yard Sale across London, from Angel to Walthamstow, and you can either eat-in or order to scoff it in the privacy of your own home.  🍕 This is our brand-new best pizza in London, by the way. Did

We recently announced our brand new list of the top 50 pubs in London, which includes brilliant boozers across the city. Most of these pubs have been open for decades, if not centuries, but we love to celebrate newer openings as well. Which leads us to our highest ranking new pub in the top 50, which is an excellent Irish pub in Clapton.  Congratulations to Moylett’s, which only opened at the end of last year. The family-run Moylett’s took over a Victorian pub space which has been home to various different boozers over the years, and even a Scandinavian cheese and wine bar. Moylett’s has just scraped a position in our pub top 10, coming 10th overall. Photograph: MoylettsMoyletts The pub at 181 Clarence Road opened as The Cricketers in 1872, before being known as Shamps and The Penny Farthing in the 1990s, then returning to The Cricketers name. It was closed from 2009 to 2014 and then reopened under a run of different guises, including The Mermaid, Verden, The Black Hen and even a stint as LGBT+ bar Wing and a Prayer.  But the address has now reached its final – and perfect – form: a trad-feeling Irish pub called Moylett’s. Come for cheap-ish pints of Guinness (£5-ish is a steal in the ghastly age of the £8 pint), as well as a weekly chess club, a basement club, and regular supper clubs and residencies spotlighting emerging chefs. Recent guests include former Kiln chef Gareth Chambers and his Irish Shpice pop-up which served serious spice bags around Lunar New Year and St P

Toklas Bakery – which you’ll find on our list of the 20 very best bakeries in London – will be opening a second location in Chelsea. The Temple-based bakery (which is an offshoot of Toklas restaurant), will be making the journey west and setting up shop in a site that once belonged to Bread Ahead, reports trade publication Propel (via Hot Dinners).   There isn’t a set opening date yet, but pastry fans should keep an eye on 249 Pavilion Road.  Toklas and Toklas Bakery opened at the end of 2021 on the buzzing footprint that is home to the ‘creative quarter’ occupied by 180 Strand and the newly-opened St Clement hotel at 180 The Thames. The block is also home to double Michelin-starred restaurant Ikoyi, as well as gourmet deli Corner Shop.  Toklas was launched by the founders of Frieze art fairs and is named after writer and bohemian Alice B Toklas. The shop serves elegant breakfast viennoiserie, including flaky croissants, pain au chocolat and cardamom buns.  At the original site the lunchtime menu includes Roman sandwiches filled with the likes of prosciutto cotto with scamorza and mustard mayo, or anchovy with stracciatella and pickled lemon.  Cakes and bakes incorporate seasonal fruits such as rhubarb and pomello. You can also pick up a simple load of aged sourdough bread if you’re more of a purist.  Toklas Bakery 1.0 is at 9 Surrey Street, Temple, WC2R 2ND. When we find out when the new one opens, we shall let you know. The best bakeries in London, according to Time Out Ge

Every year we give our list of the top 50 pubs in London a proper refresh, bringing a host of new boozers into the mix as well as crowning a brand-spanking new number one.  This year, our list topper ends 12 months of south London domination from The Old Nun’s Head (which we still love). Time Out’s Pub of the Year 2026 is a north-of-the-river classic.  We raise our glasses to new number one The Shakespeare’s Head, a Clerkenwell crowd pleaser that still feels like a hidden secret. Tucked away behind Sadler’s Wells Theatre near Angel station, this flat-roofed pub on Arlington Way dates back to the Victorian era, but was rebuilt in the 1960s. In spite of how it may look from the outside, this ‘salt-of-the-earth local extends a warm welcome to all,’ said Time Out editor Joe Mackertich.  Photograph: Jess HandThe Shakespeares Head ‘It’s hard to imagine a pub with fewer pretensions than this place, done out in gloss-painted wood, standard-issue pub carpets and plump seating,’ reads our review. ‘This old-school boozer is made notable by the people in it: the staff, for whom nothing is too much trouble; and the clientele, an easygoing mix of theatregoers (Sadler’s Wells is steps away) and talkative locals who’ve been drinking here since their dads brought them in for a pint on their 18th birthday’. Other new entries include Moylett’s in Clapton - which is the highest ranking new pub on the list - as well as The Dacre Arms in Lewisham, Paddington’s Royal Exchange and The Nag’s Head i

We’ve just crowned a new north London pub residency with the title of the best pizza in London.  Congratulations to Ozzy’s Apizza, which recently took over the kitchen at The Bedford Tavern in Finsbury Park, and according to our pizza experts makes the tastiest pizza in London right now. Ending the hegemony of Neapolitan-style and then the spurious ‘London slice’, Ozzy’s is one of the few London pizzerias to make ‘New Haven’ pizza, a Connecticut-born style of thin, coal-fired pizza known as ‘apizza’. ‘What we love most is that New Haven base: crisp, charred and entirely unfloppable, with a serious, satisfying chew,’ wrote Time Out’s Ella Doyle after her visit to Ozzy’s. Photograph: Ozzy’s ApizzaThe ‘Fish & Chip’ Ozzy’s is actually the second New Haven pizza joint to call this unassuming Seven Sisters Road pub home – the first was Lenny’s Apizza, which has since moved to a slick new space in Covent Garden. Ozzy’s is an American import, first starting up in LA in 2021, with branches in New Haven, Glendale, Canoga Park, and now the humble Finsbury Park. This unlikely pairing was born out of the friendship between Craig Taylor (a New Haven Gooner) and Milo Oddi (a Finsbury Park local), who learned the ropes at the branch of Ozzy’s in New Haven.  The menu is mostly classics – there’s cheese, pepperoni, sausage and the option of adding anchovy and stracciatella. But there’s also a fish and chips option, a British twist on a New Haven classic of clams, salty potato scallops, peco

The absolutely legendary East End cafe that is E Pellicci is coming to one of the West End’s most iconic department stores. Launching on Monday November 2, E Pellicci will be popping up at Selfridges’ oldest in-house restaurant the Brass Rail (which has just celebrated 60 years of serving salt beef sandwiches).  Expect a whole host of Pellicci’s classics on the Brass Rail’s festive menu, including pasta with pesto or ragu, the ‘Big Bang Ciabatta’ stuffed with chicken schnitzel, mozzarella and ragu with pesto on the side, as well as a Pellicci’s-style reuben sandwich with toasted salt beef, sauerkraut, mozzarella, pesto and gherkin, and a pudding of school cake and custard.  Lizzie MaysonSchool cake and custard at E Pellicci at the Brass Rail The collab doesn’t stop there. There’ll be an exclusive E Pellicci pantry range available at Selfridges Foodhall, with the likes of olive oil, pesto, brown sauce and coffee on offer, as well as t-shirts and caps celebrating the joyous coming together of two London food icons.  It’ll run until Christmas, with Nevio and Anna Pellicci of E Pellicci saying: ‘We are so excited to be coming together with The Brass Rail and Selfridges for this partnership. What better than an East End vs West End collaboration at Christmas?’ Lucy Menendez, director of food and restaurants at Selfridges, added: ‘The Brass Rail has been part of Selfridges since 1966, and for its 60th anniversary we wanted to celebrate with a partner who shares its spirit. E Pell

Jackson Mclarty set up the UK’s first Black-owned restaurant directory in the summer of 2020. A mid-pandemic plan to bring more attention to local food and catering businesses, Black Eats LDN was an instant success. Less than a year later, Jackson was already hosting live events, putting on the first Black Eats Fest in Hackney, involving a selection of drool-worthy street food traders from across the capital. The next festival takes place September 14-15 and will be bigger than ever, moving to Woolwich Works to accommodate more vendors, and with live music thrown into the mix too. Here are just a few of Jackson’s current favourites when it comes to Black-owned restaurants in London.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bokit'la (@bokitla) 1. Bokit'La ‘They’re from Guadalupe, which is a very small island in the Caribbean, and are one of the first French Caribbean street food vendors in London, so they’re quite a unique find. They do something called a Bokit, which is a bit like a pita or a fried dumpling – it’s that flatbread vibe. It’s cooked fresh and puffs up and creates a hole which they fill with different flavours. You can get aubergine, salt fish or chicken, and then they stuff it with loads of different fresh salads and plantain as well. It’s healthy-ish! Then they have their own custom sauces with about five different heat levels to choose from. I like to hack the menu. They have a side of salt fish fritters, accra, and I st

Ube obsessives, your time is now.  The purple yam – a key ingredient in Filipino desserts – is set to have a dedicated drinks menu at a brand-new French toast pudding parlour in Westfield White City. Toasteé will open later this month and comes from the same team as Soho and Marylebone bakery Panadera and acclaimed Soho Filipino restaurant Donia. Chef Florence Mae Maglanoc will launch Toasteé on October 27 and, as well as all manner of ube delights, there’ll be a signature French toast menu served with a variety of toppings including ube jam, matcha ganache and Milo cookies & cream. Ice cream flavours span ube, pandan coconut, strawberry cheesecake and miso caramel. Toasteé will also dish up a selection of sweet baked goods, and the drinks menu will be made up of ube lattes, ube matcha cold foam, ube banana milk, ube coconut cold foam and ube horchata.    Image: ToasteéToasteé drinks   Panadera is one of Time Out’s best rated bakeries in London, praised for its ‘Manila-flavoured take on the humble bakery [which] serves all manner of treats, including doughnuts pumped full of photogenic purple ube ooze and chocolate-slathered brown butter cookies, as well as iced ube matcha drinks for unbeatable TikTok clout.’ Find Toasteé at Unit 1018B, Westfield, Ariel Way, White City, W12 7JQ from Oct 27. It’ll be open every day of the week, Mon-Sat 10am-9pm and Sunday 12-6pm. ICYMI: How to support traders at Kingston Market after the devastating fire. Plus: famous Chinatown restaurant C

Spiritland opened its original King’s Cross location just over a decade ago, becoming one of the first of a new wave of listening bars in the city. Now you can’t move for cocktail spots that are proudly in possession of a high-spec soundsystem and enviable vinyl collection, but Spiritland was definitely leader of the pack. Later this month the brand will be opening up a brand-new location at one of London’s finest cultural centres: The Barbican.  Spiritland at The Barbican will launch on Level 2 of the landmark building and offer seasonally changing cocktails, beers and wines as well as food, with a European and Japanese-influenced menu and brunch on weekends. The kitchen will be headed up by exec chef Matt Cranston, former exec chef at Lardo in Hackney and head chef at The Cow in Notting Hill. The launch menu includes Spanish nachos aka crisps showered with olives, guindilla chillies, manchego and piquillo peppers, oyster mushroom fritti, meatballs with smoked mozzarella and potato salad with shredded nori. There’ll be space for 100 guests, and you can expect regular supper clubs.   And what of the listening bar aspect? Well, there’ll be a special programme of music every day, and at 5pm a specific album will be played in full, with the wide-ranging likes of Bach, Beck, Steve Reich and Suzanne Ciani promised. The soundsystem is a bespoke bit of kit from Living Voice, comprising two Living Voice 'R252' loudspeakers and what the venue is calling ‘a selection of esoteric, high-