Leonie Cooper

London’s South Asian food scene is a mosaic of flavours showcasing the culinary traditions of everywhere from India and Pakistan to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Rather than one unified cuisine, it reflects the complex cultural tapestry that has evolved through centuries of migration, trade, and gastronomic exchange across the subcontinent. For the diaspora, food goes beyond sustenance; it’s an expression of identity, memory, and community.  London’s best Indian and South Asian restaurants at a glance: 🇱🇰 Best for Sri Lankan food: Rambutan, Borough Market 🍛 Best for a quick curry: Tamila, Kings Cross ⭐ Best for a Michelin star meal: Trishna, Marylebone 🍚 Best for a street-food snack: Shree Krishna Vada Pav, Fitzrovia and various 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Best for a family feast: Kokum, East Dulwich Rooted in philosophical teachings, including the mindful and balancing principles of Ayurveda, South Asian food in London emphasises reverence for natural ingredients and the simple joy of eating. From masala-rich Pakistani karahis and delicate vegetarian Gujarati thalis, to the spicy thrum of Bangladeshi bhortha, this list spans the diversity of the cuisine in the city. Whether it’s fine dining, street food at a community centre, trailblazing female chefs, or a family-run canteen, these establishments are love letters to their heritage, connecting Londoners through the warmth of South Asian hospitality, shared flavours and stories.  RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. Sh

March 2026: It finally seems as if spring is on the way, so we've updated our roasts list to reflect the return of sunnier days. Try the Macbeth in Hoxton, which offers a great Portuguese-style Sunday sesh or the ravishing Jamaican-inspired roast at Buster Mantis in Deptford. There are a couple of posh restaurants in the mix too, with a Nordic roast at the plush Ekstedt at the Yard near Westminster, and a serious meat feast at Quality Chop House in Clerkenwell. Our worthy Number 1 is the simple, spectacular roast at London’s OG organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge in Islington.  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, well-cooked lamb, beef or pork and a decent plant-based option too. A Sunday roast is more than just lunch - it’s self-care. From snug neighbourhood staples to more bij

March 2026: Al fresco weather is finally here, and here are the spots that truly spring into action when spring hits. These places are ideal for visiting while wearing your nice new sunglasses, looking important and snacking on a little salt cod fritter. Grab a sarnie in the sun at Dusty Knuckle's original Dalston location, trek out to Epping Forest for seafood at the Oyster Shack, test out the terrace at the new Forza Wine Soho or trot down the Regent's Canal to Towpath, which has just reopened for the 2026 season.  When it comes to outdoor dining there are some excellent – and hopefully sun-dappled - options at some of London’s best restaurants. These terraces, canal-side spots, gardens and al fresco restos should make you feel like you’re on a proper holiday in your hometown. Whether you’re in the mood to have spaghetti in the sun or snack on sushi by starlight, our list has you covered. If you don’t mind heights, then check out some of the finest rooftop restaurants with views in London as well. Not all of them are open in the colder months, so do check if you’re booking during a chillier time of year. RECOMMENDED: These are the best rooftop bars in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now.

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 April 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍝 Central: Osteria Vibrato, Soho 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🇹🇭 South: Kruk, Peckham 🍝 East: Tiella, Bethnal Green 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea April 2026: The newly-opened Tiella in Bethnal Green has scooped the top spot thanks to knockout regional Italian dishes from superstar chef Dara Klein. Other fresh additions include Cafe Kowloon in London Fields, the new Forza Wine in Soho, South African cookery at Kudu in Marylebone, Osteria Vibrato in Soho, perfect produce at Dockley Road Kitchen in Bermondsey, Korean fusion spot Calong in Stoke Newington, Georgian classics at DakaDaka in Mayfair, and veggie-friendly Thai at Kruk in Peckham. 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 hot

March 2026: We're constantly keeping an eye on this Top 50 list to make sure it's up to scratch, and with so many new restaurant openings in and around Soho, that means regularly adding new places and removing those that might have failed to deliver on our last visit. Recent additions include the rowdy Osteria Vibrato, great value omakase at Sushi Kyu, plush Japanese joint Moi, the third outing for Peckham-born small plates spot Forza Wine, and Thai BBQ at Khao Bird. For a more casual feed there's lunchtime bagel spot It's Bagels, Filipino bakery Panadera, and artisan burger joint Heard.  The best restaurants in Soho at a glance: 🥧 Best for British classics: Quo Vadis 💅 Best for the fashion crowd: Rita’s  🫚 Best for Thai heat: Kiln 🥕 Best for vegetarians: Bubula 🍝 Best for Italian classics: Osteria Vibrato 🌞 Best for an al fresco feast: Forza Wine There’s honestly nowhere in the world like Soho. The haunt of poets, gangsters, trendsetters and many a louche genius, the seedy, sleazy and impossibly romantic heart of London’s West End is also home to loads of great independent shops, cafés, bars and, most importantly, restaurants. Its culinary diversity has been fuelled by centuries of immigration and cultural cross-pollination. From rustic French fare to iconic Italian dishes and tasty tapas, here is Time Out’s list of our absolute favourite Soho restaurants. Whether you fancy a slap-up meal or are just in the market for a mid-town pitstop, we have you covered.  RECOMME

April 2026: Our latest update includes tasty new openings such as Tiella in Bethnal Green and Casa Felicia in Queen's Park, as well as much-loved neighbourhood joints like Peckham's Artusi and legendary Ciao Bella in Bloomsbury. Try also the well-worth-seeking-out Polentina in Bow and walk-ins only Canteen in Notting Hill. If you've got the cash to spare, there are super plush spots such as Luca and Murano, which both have Michelin stars. If you're on budget, then one-stop pasta shop Padella is a good shout, and if you're really, really skint, then a simple coffee and cannoli at Bar Italia is the move. Wherever you end up, London’s Italian dining scene is irreproachable.  London’s best Italian restaurants at a glance:  🇮🇹 Best for an old school vibe: Ciao Bella, Bloomsbury 💅 Best for the fashion crowd: Dalla, Hackney 🍕 Best for pub pizza: Elephant, Clapton 🍝 Best for pasta: Artusi, Peckham 🍷 Best for date night: Brutto, Farringdon Pasta and pizza are way more than just fast-food comfort carbs at these exceptional London restaurants and trattorias, which excel in properly good and authentic Italian cuisine. The basics – a creamy carbonara, say, or a simple margherita – are all present and correct, but the capital’s repertoire extends to stylish antipasti, sourdough pizzas, richly sauced pasta and beyond. You can also find finely crafted specialities drawn from the traditional trattorias of the rustic south and fashion-conscious north of the country at London’s best Ita

April 2026: The latest additions to this list include Jackson Boxer’s playful bistro Dove, The Fat Badger and it's seriously good no-choice menu, the second outpost of Chinatown’s buzzy Thai canteen Speedboat Bar, witty Ukrainian bistro Sino, Dishoom side-hustle Permit Room Portobello - an all-day Bombay cafe in an old Victorian pub - and the waterside Canal in Westbourne Park.  Whether you’re after something simple or a bit more flash (or even Michelin-starred), Notting Hill is packed with great cafés and restaurants, as is nearby Holland Park and Ladbroke Grove. Whatever you desire – from a Carnival time top-up to a blow-out dinner – pile through our list below of the best eateries in this historic area. Fancy a pint afterwards? Here are Notting Hill’s standout pubs, or head for something a little more poised at the area’s best bars.  RECOMMENDED: The 50 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.

March 2026: London’s food markets are some of the best in the world. If you want proof, here it is, with great options in for kerbside eats, as well as indoor food halls such as Bang Bang Oriental in Colindale and Arcade near Soho, which is home to Gracey’s pizza, Supa Ya ramen, Manna burgers and excellent Thai restaurant, Plaza Khao Gaeng. On this list you’ll discover food-focused markets and places where you can get something to eat there and then, not just produce to take home and cook. Whether it’s a quick coffee, lunch-on-the-go or actual proper dinner you’re after, you’ll find it all here. Now it’s just a matter of making sure you’ve enough room in your belly to fit in London’s best street food. Just make sure you approach each market (and the people in it) with respect. Recently a number of food influencers have been asked to leave busy Borough Market for filming without permission and causing congestion in the historic food market.  London's best street food markets and food halls at a glance: 🏢 Central: Arcade, Tottenham Court Road 🍜 North: Bang Bang Oriental, Colindale 🥬 South: Borough Market, Borough 🌯 East: Broadway Market, London Fields 🍕 West: Market Halls, Victoria RECOMMENDED: Discover London’s other great (non-food) markets. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restauran

Updated April 2026: We’ve refreshed our list of 50 best restaurants in London following the latest Michelin Star announcements as well as our visits to a bunch of great new openings. Recent additions include the cosy Tiella in Bethnal Green, cool customer Martino's in Chelsea, super affordable Lebanese food at Finsbury Park fave Palmyra's Kitchen and modern Cantonese kitchen residency Ling Ling's at wine bar Godet in Islington. We've also added central London's Ikoyi back into the Top 50 after our recent revisit found the double Michelin starred spot as awesome as ever.  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: Tiella, Bethnal Green - a new school trattoria with old school energy. 🍻 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 lo

March 2026: This list highlights some of London's latest and most intriguing afternoon sarnie sessions for Mother's Day and beyond. Indulge at a themed tea, such as the 'Brat' of afternoon teas aka the martini-fuelled London By Lily Vanilli at Four Seasons Tower Bridge or the Wes Anderson afternoon tea at the Design Museum, which coincides with their exhibition about the film director. Now the weather is on the up, why not channel some English country cottage energy at Petersham Nurseries.  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 tea in a greenhouse: Petersham Nurseries, Richmond  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 af

No longer the drink of dusty antediluvians, whisky once again has serious clout in the capital. The best cocktail bars and whisky specialists in London are making it a much more accessible drink, and one with a global outlook that goes much further than special drams from Scotland, rare whiskies from Japan, and top-quality bourbon from Kentucky. If you’ve already worked your way through our list of the best 50 bars in London, then why not check out Time Out’s list of the best bars serving whisky across the city. RECOMMENDED: London's best wine bars. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

And we’re off. In most years, it takes a few months to assemble a list of the best movies of the year so far where the bar for quality isn’t lowered into the Earth’s core. The first quarter of the release calendar is typically where studios toss their tax writeoffs, but to this point, 2026 has outstripped expectations. In how many other years have we gotten a killer horror sequel like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a sharp, gross Sam Raimi return-to-form, a Gus Van Sant thriller and one of the best actor-to-director transitions in recent memory, all before April? And that’s to mention some of the smaller gems that have already popped up. As usual, this post will be updated throughout the year as highlights arrive – and there is bound to be a lot of them, between Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and Toy Story 5 all arriving in the first half of 2026 alone. As you’ll see below, though, we’re already off to a good start. May we say that movies are… so back? 📺 The best TV and streaming shows of 2026 (so far)📕 15 book-to-movie adaptations to get excited about in 2026🔥 The 40 best movies of 2025

Primeur has long been a fixture of this residential swathe of north-east London, opening well over a decade ago at the vanguard of the small-plates trend. Tucked into what was once a double-fronted 1930s commercial garage on the wide, tree-lined boulevard of Petherton Road (surely Canonbury’s answer to the Champs-Élysées), Primeur has built up some serious independent restaurant clout. Not just a grand dame of the natty wine and seasonal snack scene, Primeur went on to birth chic seafood spot Western’s Laundry and the many branches of Jolene, which is now less of a bakery and more of a sentient ‘North London pastry girlie in an alice band’ meme.  Toulouse sausage comes on top of mash smoother than a Frank Sinatra chorus It’s easy to ignore places you know are good in the search of somewhere newer, someplace different. But a recent revisit proved Primeur to be as exceptional as it ever was – and now that the hype has died down and left the place to get on with being a charming neighbourhood bistro  – maybe even better. It looks the same as it did when it first opened, aside from a recent addition of sturdy zinc tops on the tables, which sweetly reflect the glow from candles, helping to bathe the room in a toasty, orange light. Romantic? Very. Comely fresh flowers spill out of painted jugs, and couples (it only seems to be couples) are placed kitty-corner around a large square table, or tucked against a counter that lines the wall.  Primeur has proudly stayed committed to the

Arriving at the glassy double front doors of Canteen, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been artfully transported to the streets of Brooklyn. From the bold corner location to the well-put-together crowd of beautiful people, there’s something about this sleek pasta-plus bar that seems far more New York than Notting Hill. The food too, screams Williamsburg Girls-era date night (much more so than New Jersey Sopranos red sauce Italian), with a sassy ‘Name of Chef’ printed at the top of the menu, rather than, y’know, the actual name of the chefs (former River Cafe cooks Jessica Filbey and Harry Hills). This in-joke is the sort of acceptable gatekeeping that’s also present in Canteen’s no-booking policy, which often results in queues around the building. Which is all to say that a visit to Canteen seems like a holiday, or at the very least, a spicy city break. God-tier secondi of chicken is cooked in lemon, milk and sage This deft vibes curation should come as no surprise when you discover Canteen is run by the same team as the Cotswoldian fever dream that is the Fat Badger (which you’ll find upstairs in the same building), as well as glammy gastros The Pelican, The Hero in Maida Vale, The Bull in Charlbury, and the newly opened Hart in Marylebone. While they share a similar putty-palate and monied cottage-core aesthetic, Canteen does things differently. Here, the interior is a friendly jumble of high tables, booths and counter seating, with two roaring open pizza ovens which

While culture vultures flock to the Southbank for its arty attractions, fans of world food circle around its Food Market beside the Royal Festival Hall seeking their weekly fix of street nosh, booze, coffee and artisan produce. Current traders include Kanji for katsu and teriyaki chicken, My Kids are Hungry for Vietnamese banh mi and rice bowls, Pabellon for Venezuelan arepas, Taco Bros for Mexican street food and Honestfolk cocktail bar. The market is normally open at the weekends (Friday, noon-8pm; Saturday, 11am-8pm; Sunday, noon-6pm), and it also operates on bank holiday Mondays.

What’s the vibe? Let’s be honest; some gastropubs can be a little bit wanky. The Gunton Arms is not one of those pubs. It might be home to the finest collection of modern art in a 100-mile radius and have one of the UK’s best chefs (Stuart Tattersall, the ex-head chef with Mark Hix) cooking up local meat and fish on an open fire in the medieval banqueting hall-adjacent dining room underneath a supersized set of elk antlers, but the pub remains uniquely down to earth.  Art dealer Ivor Braka opened The Gunton Arms in 2011, bringing hearty cooking to a former country house hotel near the north Norfolk coast. Rustic and rugged, but romantic too, there are 16 bedrooms for the DFLs (down from Londoners) to crawl into after an epic feed, but there’s also a traditional pub space complete with pool table, dart board and thirsty locals that make it feel like a boozer for everyone, not just those with a Tate membership who’ve travelled via vintage Land Rover. There’s a roaring fireplace and cosy armchairs as soon as you enter, and welcoming staff serve reasonably priced pints for you to sink in various spaces across the maze-like pub, including a perfect William Morris-wallpapered nook. World-beating works by Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud, Paula Rego and Frank Auerbach lay in casual wait behind various corners, and though the imposing Elk Room is the main dining space, there’s also a side room dedicated to the work of Tracey Emin. Awesome stuff.  What should I order? Situated in a sprawlin

Baghdad-born and London-raised writer and chef Suzie Bakos is throwing a Middle Eastern supper party to celebrate Easter at Mother in Shoreditch. Expect a stacked, family-style sharing menu that begins with crisps and hot sauce before some kubbah haleb (beef or mushroom fried dumplings), labneh with fennel, apple, hot honey, nuts, herbs and chilli oil, then the main event of roast lamb with saffron rice, toasted pine nuts and sultanas, served alongside a fattoush salad, with kunafe to finish. DJs from the region will be playing SWANA sounds throughout the night.

Forgive us for being so superficial, but Cafe Kowloon is an extremely good-looking restaurant. You’ll find such a vision of beauty by walking through the empty Wonton Charlie’s (a lunchtime noodle bar next door to London Fields station) and into the two roomy railway arches behind it. The first boasts a leggy stainless steel counter facing an open kitchen which is regularly lit up by flaming woks, and the second comes with curvy tan booths and towering neon-lit bar that resembles a Blade Runner cityscape. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure situation, and we opt for the more intimate-feeling room two, though those cosy padded alcoves work for both romantic dates and groups of rowdy mates.  Cafe Kowloon feels more like a club than a restaurant Without a single window (apart from in the Wong Kar-wai worthy scarlet red bathroom), Cafe Kowloon feels more like a club than a restaurant. Here, the spirit of recently closed Elephant & Castle sweatbox Corsica Studios lives on, not just in those curved railway ceilings, but in the fact that a DJ has casually propped up a mixer at a corner table and seems to be deep into his own one man Boiler Room session.  Such interior comeliness would mean nothing if the food wasn’t equally beguiling, and happily, it is. In the kitchen is acclaimed chef Budgie Montoya, who kicks out Cantonese classics with aplomb, starting with a soupy bowl of beef tendons and a platter of soft and squishy yun cheong sausage, which is fragrant with five spice and boas

Is Osteria Vibratio flirting with me? There’s the dreamy candlelight, the fish bowl glasses of red wine, and the distinct feeling of amore in the air. And that’s all before our white-jacketed waiter stylishly scrapes pangrattato crumbs from the starched tablecloth then begins bashing out a little light jazz on an upright piano. Frankly, I feel a little flushed.  Like Noble Rot with a bawdier sense of humour, Osteria Vibrato might just be your new favourite restaurant. Though this riotous Italian has only been open for a few weeks, I already feel like I’ve been here a million times, thanks to an old-school appeal that matches the studied vintage buzz of Trisha’s across the road and Bar Italia a few streets over.  Osteria Vibrato might just be your new favourite restaurant This pre-Lizzy Line energy is surely down to the restaurant’s driving force, Charlie Mellor, who, a decade ago, opened Hackney Road’s Laughing Heart, a small plates wine bar named after a rousing Charles Bukowski poem, with a 2am licence and a deeply devious energy. Of course, Hackney is now overrun with small plates wine bars, so Charlie’s done the only thing he could; bring his uproarious brand of hospitality to Soho.  Minimal but elegant, Osteria Vibrato looks like it’s been airlifted from the back streets of Milan, with a tiled mosaic floor, half-panelled wood walls, shiny pewter candlesticks and a covert little bar at the back for sinister assignations. As we enter on Greek Street, a pair of happy and w

Sixty floors up. One Michelin star. Twelve seats. Ten courses. Oh, and £250 a head. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High is a numbers game. A high-end, sky-high spin-off from the original Restaurant Gordon Ramsay – the shouty chef’s first solo restaurant, which opened back in 1998 – is now one of over 90 in the worldwide GC cabal. The best are in London; the lavish, French-accented Petrus over in Knightsbridge, and the gorgeous Savoy Grill, a classy, art deco dining room at one of the city’s sparkliest luxury hotels. An alchemical oyster is transmogrified into a popping pearl of ice cream Like most Gordon Ramsay restaurants, Gordon Ramsay is not working in the kitchen at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High. This small restaurant might look like a chef’s table set-up, but the horseshoe arrangement that would usually circle the action is facing the window. The cooks are behind us, beavering away. It sort of makes sense, as a big part of the draw here is the view, but on a dark night, this suffers from a wildly distracting glare on the glass. I am not a structural engineer, but surely something could be done about the fact that my own reflection is far clearer than the twinkling lights of Tower Hamlets and beyond?  There are definitely hits on the tasting menu (served to an NME c.2011 soundtrack of Mumford & Sons and Florence & the Machine), including a fun, alchemical oyster transmogrified into a popping pearl of ice cream awash with a seaweed mignonette. Super savoury and wildly clever, i

Want to dine at glitzy celeb magnet Gymkhana? Of course you do. Everyone does! The bougie butter-chicken spot and Charli XCX’s favourite Indian restaurant has two Michelin stars to its name, as well as wild venison biryani, and a recently opened outpost on the sparkliest stretch of the Las Vegas strip. So it’s not a shock to discover that London’s hottest table is also one of the city’s most expensive. What are less-than-loaded, unfamous folk with an uncontrollable urge for lamb shank nihari to do? Well, a trip to Kokum in Dulwich is a brilliant place to start. Both dishes are less than a tenner. Both are demolished in minutes Co-founder Sanjay Gour was once Gymkhana’s head chef, and his Zone 2 menu pulls all the same indulgent tricks, but in far more casual, wallet-friendly surroundings. The ample ex-pub space is low-key; walls are white-washed or wood panelled, there’s a bevvy of healthy pot plants and a touch of rafia. It’s relaxed, the kind of place where 20-somethings from nearby Peckham might introduce a new partner to their up-from-Surrey-for-the-evening parents for the first time.   In the massive main dining room, a bell dings regularly for delivery orders, and heavy bags are shuttled to the door for home-feasting purposes. Order Kokum from your sofa by all means, but for the full experience a table here is definitely the move. A splash-proof A3 menu is your starting point, best perused while nibbling on crisp papad, accessorised with creamy, confident tempered yogu

The concept behind the Fat Badger could very easily grind some gears. It’s allegedly a pub, but one that goes against the very concept of the pub by hiding behind a velvet rope. Enter next to a small sign painted with a badger (which, frankly, isn’t even that fat - let’s hope it doesn’t develop a complex). A woman with a guestlist will channel the spirit of Studio 54 by way of Wetherspoons, then send you through the backdoor and up some rickety stairs that are as rammed as any halls of residence house party. As you ascend the building, the vibe shifts constantly. The ground floor is home to Notting Hill fashionista-bistro Canteen, and the first is the location of potentially the most West London bar ever. We pop in for a martini, and a three-piece band in performative headwear do a Westbourne Park Allman Brothers thing to a wealthy-looking gaggle of blondes in fur coats and chiseled men in blazers.  A heroic mound of Hasselback potatoes gleam like a Renaissance masterpiece Persevere. At the very top is the relative calm of the restaurant. It’s more reminiscent of a Scandinavian sauna than a Sam Smith’s, but suddenly, everything makes sense. Lights are set to an ultra-romantic low, there are comfy nooks, cosy crannies, and an open kitchen where the uber talented George Williams is whipping up a no-choice five-ish course meal. This is the Fat Badger way. Freed from the tyranny of the menu, you pay £105 for whatever George and the team decide they want to serve that week. Thank

What’s the vibe? Let’s be honest; some gastropubs can be a little bit wanky. The Gunton Arms is not one of those pubs. It might be home to the finest collection of modern art in a 100-mile radius and have one of the UK’s best chefs (Stuart Tattersall, the ex-head chef with Mark Hix) cooking up local meat and fish on an open fire in the medieval banqueting hall-adjacent dining room underneath a supersized set of elk antlers, but the pub remains uniquely down to earth.  Art dealer Ivor Braka opened The Gunton Arms in 2011, bringing hearty cooking to a former country house hotel near the north Norfolk coast. Rustic and rugged, but romantic too, there are 16 bedrooms for the DFLs (down from Londoners) to crawl into after an epic feed, but there’s also a traditional pub space complete with pool table, dart board and thirsty locals that make it feel like a boozer for everyone, not just those with a Tate membership who’ve travelled via vintage Land Rover. There’s a roaring fireplace and cosy armchairs as soon as you enter, and welcoming staff serve reasonably priced pints for you to sink in various spaces across the maze-like pub, including a perfect William Morris-wallpapered nook. World-beating works by Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud, Paula Rego and Frank Auerbach lay in casual wait behind various corners, and though the imposing Elk Room is the main dining space, there’s also a side room dedicated to the work of Tracey Emin. Awesome stuff.  What should I order? Situated in a sprawlin

There’s been an effective Thai cookery feedback loop operating in London for the past decade, with chefs bounding off a training ground that normally starts at Spitalfields’ Som Saa or Peckham’s Begging Bowl. And so it goes with Kruk, with Rob Willcox and Josh Lyons embarking on their own take on fresh and fiery southeast Asian flavours after back-and-front-of-house stints at both, as well as at Farang and Plaza Khao Gaeng.  Fried venison wontons with water chestnut are tidy bombs of meaty majick   Kruk is in a railway arch under Peckham Rye station. It feels not unlike a spruced-up air raid shelter, complete with whitewashed brick roof and a gravel-floored outdoor terrace which at the moment is deserted, but by summer will no doubt heave. What separates Kruk from the glut of other Thai-inspired restaurants across Zone 2? Pleasingly unpolished location aside, not much. But that’s no bad thing. Years after the initial nu-Thai boom, there’s still a ravenous market for punchy papaya salads – a recent midweek trip to Som Saa saw the place as heaving as it ever was, and the opening of Kruk (as well as a second Plaza Khao Gaeng in Borough Market) will only help lighten the load when it comes to the still-rammed scene OGs. What Kruk does bring to the table is a veggie-friendly take on Thai, with every dish having a vegetarian counterpart. A valiant cause, but we’re faithful to fish and meat tonight, starting with a flawless round of oysters dressed with green nam jim and teeny tiny

A new list of the very best bakeries in Britain has been published, and three London-based bakehouses have made the list. The Telegraph’s ranking spans England, Scotland and Wales, and focuses on independent and artisan bakeries. ‘Some are noteworthy for their ethical practices and imaginative flavours, others for their unexpected locations,’ says the piece. ‘... they are all friendly and welcoming, imparting a genuine passion for their craft.’ The trio of London bakeries are made up of one in central London and two in south London. The central London spot is Miel on Warren Street in Fitzrovia. The bakery is run by pastry chef Shaheen Peerbhai. Most of Miel’s ingredients are sourced with care from France (Normandy flour, Charentes butter, Valrhona chocolate), and all the pastries and breads are baked small-batch throughout the day. The newspaper praised the bakery’s striped hazelnut gianduja croissant.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miel Bakery (@mielbakery) In south London, the ‘sleek’ Mahali & Co on Battersea Park Road was included. Opened in 2024 by Ru-Yan Foong and Miguel Jocson, The Telegraph explained that here ‘Viennoiserie takes its cues from the owners’ Chinese and Filipino heritage’, with the writer recommending getting your hands on their miso and white chocolate cookies, and pineapple and lime Danish pastry.    View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mahali & Co (@mahaliandco) The other south London spot is

The annual National Pub & Bar Awards nominees have just been announced, and eight London pubs have made the list of 252 pubs and bars across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland vying for pub supremacy.  The County and Regional Winners will be announced on June 10 at an event in London, as well as the overall big dog, AKA the National Pub & Bar of the Year. The National Pub & Bar Awards are run by Pub & Bar magazine and they’re intended, as you may have guessed from the name, to celebrate the best of Britain’s boozers. The London offering is a varied bag of boozers and bars, with nominees split into two ‘regions’, with three drinking establishments in the City of London and five in Greater London making the grade. In the City of London we have Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern, Roxy Ball Room St Mary Axe and The Star by Liverpool Street. All of the City shortlisted bars are relatively new, with Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern and Roxy Ball Room St Mary Axe only opening last year, and The Star by Liverpool Street launching in 2022.   The Greater London finalists are revamped Victorian pub The Lord Northbrook in Lee, JKS Restaurants gastropub The George in Fitzrovia, The Orange in Belgravia, and posh Notting Hill gastros The Pelican and Walmer Castle.  The ceremony will also include an Industry’s Choice Award, a top 10 of pubs voted for separately by 400 judges from the world of hospitality, as well as a consumer-voted Pub Group of the Year and Bar Group of th

World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants has unveiled its latest prestigious list, and several London steakhouses make the cut. Meat lovers, your time is now, as eight London steakhouses have been named in the new and appropriately blood-thirsty list of the 101 Best Steak Restaurants in the World for 2026. This list of the finest steakhouses known to humanity includes top rated London location; Ibai in Farringdon.  Ranking at number seven overall, the list singled out Ibai for being one of the most ‘distinctive grill-led restaurants in London, not because it tries to reinvent Basque tradition, but because it takes it seriously and applies it with judgement.’ High praise indeed. ‘Ibai knows exactly what it’s doing – if you take your meat seriously (and have the cash to spare), you’ll be booking a table now,’ said our own review.  The second highest ranking London steak restaurant was the brand new branch of Hawksmoor in St Pancras, which opened at the end of 2025, and we reviewed here. The new Hawksmoor can be found in the grand dining room at what is now the St Pancras Hotel, designed in 1873 by the daddy of gothic revival architects, Sir George Gilbert Scott. ‘The room is dramatic, but the cooking is not trying to match it with theatre. Classic cuts are treated seriously and served with the kind of accuracy that separates a good steak restaurant from a great one,’ said the 101 steak restaurants folk. Photograph: Zoilo Other London restaurants in the 101 ranking included Brat in

So it might not be a scorcher quite yet, but we have high hopes that this summer will be an all-time great. In preparation, we’ve picked London’s best sky-high spots for sipping drinks during the sunny season.  With a new number one rooftop bar for 2026, we’ve returned to an old favourite; Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden. This South Bank classic is a brutalist rooftop beauty, with views of the Thames as well as a lovely lawn, and over 200 different kinds of plants, flowers and fruit trees. The bar itself is pretty unobtrusive, set in an old shipping container, and serving wine, botany-inspired cocktails and craft beers, as well as a couple of snacky bits, but it’s the sprawling green space that really makes this spot stand out. Photograph: Cesare De Giglio First launched in 2011, Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden was a joint project between The Eden Project and Grounded Ecotherapy, who help people experiencing homelessness and addiction recovery via gardening. The place re-opens for spring/summer 2026 on April 1.  In second place comes another classic London rooftop bar; Frank’s Cafe in Peckham. This stalwart of London’s rooftop scene doesn’t need much in the way of an introduction – neither does their infamous pink staircase. We love this bar perched on the top of a multi-storey car park for its stunning views, interesting art installations and casual energy. It re-opens for 2026 on May 15.  Coming in third is Forza Wine at The National Theatre. There are now three Forza W

The founders of recently-closed Hackney restaurant Papi will be opening a brand new pub and dining room on Green Lanes this spring. The Golden Tooth will be opening in the space formerly known as The Leconfield, at the Newington Green end of north London’s epic Green Lanes. The opening menu will include Sunday roasts, as well as bar snacks of currywurst, fried ox tongue or Bedfordshire clanger with a Thai-style gooseberry jam, mussels Toast with house lardo and endless oysters. The restaurant will offer veal sweetbread saltimbocca, Montgomery cheese puffs with sungold tomato ketchup and steak tartare with lacto cep and mushroom crackers, as well as turbot tranche with raw crème fraîche and grilled peas, old spot pork chop with quince, and kid goat chop with ezme salad. The pub will open on April 24, and be split into a 55-cover dining room and pub space for more casual drinking and the scoffing of bar snacks. Food will be served Wed-Sun.  Matthew Scott and Charlie Carr previously ran Papi by London Fields, which closed down earlier this year. The former Papi site at 373 Mentmore Terrace is now in the capable hands of chef Michael Bagnall, who is also in charge of the Elm pop-up at Peckham’s Montpelier pub. Known as Auguste, dishes here are inspired by Bagnall’s time living in Abruzzo, with skewers of cull yaw, liver and wild boar on offer, as well as stuffed cappelletti pasta in lamb brodo. Speaking about the new opening, Matthew Scott said: ‘My journey started in East End p

Extremely popular King’s Cross matcha bar Frothee is opening up a second London location.  Run by the father/daughter team of Hanife and Ram Hursit, Frothee’s new cafe will be launching this spring at 29 Bedfordbury in Covent Garden. It’ll serve the same matcha menu as in the original location on Caledonian Road, which opened last year. Expect earl grey, salted vanilla, brown sugar and strawberry hand whisked matchas as well as a coffee offering, and iced options too - with salted vanilla cream cold foam on the top, if that takes your fancy. Photograph: Frothee Frothee will join Covent Garden’s current brace of matcha bars, which so far includes Jenki on Long Acre and Tokkia on Monmouth Street.  Matcha is a finely ground Japanese green tea known for its luminous colour and the extreme chokehold that it seems to have over Gen Z. You can read more about the relentless rise of matcha in London here. Frothee 2.0 will open soon-ish at 29 Bedfordbury, Covent Garden, WC2N 4LA. The 12 best new restaurants and food popups happening in London this April. 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 to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

There are more openings than we can shake a very large stick at this month, with some of our favourite London kitchens launching spin-offs (Acme Fire Cult’s new Acme Taco venue, Jikoni’s Café Jikoni, and Padella’s third pasta joint) or finally getting their own permanent sites (hello to Cue Point’s excellent Afghan BBQ). Which is great news as there’s been a run of closures over the past few weeks, with Flat Earth Pizza in Bethnal Green, Marceline in Canary Wharf and The Silver Birch in Chiswick all shutting up shop, alongside chicken and caviar bumps joint Bébé Bob in Soho. Pour one out for the London’s fallen foodie soldiers, but raise a glass to the dozen amazing openings below.  The best new London restaurants that will open in April 2026 Photograph: Ed McIlroy 1. The new school pizza bar Bar Etna, Newington Green Four Legs’ quiet domination of north London continues apace with Bar Etna, a pizza bar from The Plimsoll and Tollington’s main man Ed McIlroy alongside Joe Beddia of the Bib Gourmand-rated Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia (which was also once named the Best Pizza in America by Bon Appétit). As well as pizza there’ll be red sauce Italian restaurant classics, including aubergine parmigiana, caponata, and meatballs.  Address: 47 Newington Green, Newington Green, N16 9PX Opens: Late April Steve Ryan 2. The taco spin-off Acme Taco, Walthamstow Dalston’s Acme Fire Cult is branching out. Head chef Andrew Clarke is heading to 40ft Brewery off Blackhorse Road with a C

Good news for lovers of live music, comedy and glittery curtains. A planning application for a building next to Hackney’s Moth Club has been refused by Hackney Council. The proposal for six residential flats and a ground floor commercial building on Morning Lane next to the historic venue would have seriously threatened its future, but Moth Club has just shared an upbeat update on Instagram, which reads:  ‘Thanks to everyone who signed, shared and stood with Moth Club, the planning application for the building directly next to us has been refused! This is a huge win. We couldn’t have done it without your support.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by MOTH CLUB (@mothclub) Over 30,000 people had signed a petition to support the independent Hackney venue, which first opened in 1972 as a traditional servicemen’s club (the name ‘MOTH’ comes from the ex-military personnel group known as the Memorable Order of Tin Hats, who still meet in the venue to this day). In 2015, the building was given a gold-glittered makeover and swiftly gained a reputation for its excellent gig and comedy programming, and has become an absolute staple of the east London nightlife scene. Public support for the venue came from bands such as Amyl and the Sniffers, and public figures such as Jeremy Corbyn. Photograph: Moth Club However, as Moth Club have stated, ‘the fight is not over,’ as there is another planning application in progress which means the future of the venue remains

Bébé Bob – the Soho spin-off from nearby Bob Bob Ricard – has seemingly closed down. The Golden Square restaurant had previously appeared in Time Out’s list of the most romantic restaurants in London and is currently shuttered. Though no official announcement has been made, things don’t look good for Bébé Bob, which specialised in chicken, caviar, cocktails and champagne. ‘Excellently-done rotisserie chicken with a series of vintage sides,’ said our four star review of the restaurant, which opened in 2023.  Our glowing review also praised the glamorous space for its ‘dangerously low-slung velvet seating, black marble tables and… what feels like a 1970s conversation pit; all brown curved leather and boasting a camp-y Playboy mansion energy.’ Bébé Bob also had a great stand-alone bar, which featured in both our lists of the best bars in London as well as in the best bars in Soho. Cocktails were devised by Mr Lyan aka celebrity mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, and featured a chicken bone negroni infused with roasted chicken bone from the restaurant’s rotisserie as well as a ‘Frites Royal’, which featured liqueur de pommes frites and Moët & Chandon Champagne. Time Out reached out to Bébé Bob for comment, and were told: ‘Bébé Bob is closed for maintenance, with no exact reopening date.’ The Soho branch of Bob Bob Ricard remains open, as does Bob Bob Ricard City on Leadenhall Street. The original Bob Bob Ricard opened in 2008 and is known for its ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons, as

Much-loved chicken shop Morley’s and Malaysian restaurant Roti King are coming together for a very special food event. The two brands are uniting under the name Bossman Mamak for a pop-up in Brixton Village which will run from Thursday April 9 until Sunday April 12. They will be selling four dishes (as well as a limited edition tote bag and cap): Wings & Nasi Lah, which sees Nasi Goreng served with three wings, sambal and a fried egg. Boss, Ayam Dua!, which will include two-piece fried chicken and crispy fries in a spice mix with peanut sauce dip. Sedap Wrap of chicken tenders wrapped roti canai with achar salad. KL Dirty Fries, a vegan dish with crispy fries and shiitake mushroom rendang. Photograph: Morley’s x Roti King Speaking about the collaboration, Roti King’s founder Sugen Gopal has commented: ‘Mamak stalls in Malaysia are where everything comes together - after work, after football, where the night ends or carries on. When I look at Morley’s in London, I see that same energy and sense of community, which makes this feel bigger than just a collaboration. It’s about two food cultures meeting and finding common ground, built on the same community and just told through different flavours.’ Shan Selvendran, Morley's CEO, added: ‘We’re always looking to push the boundaries of what Morley’s can do while celebrating our South London roots. Seeing our signature chicken paired with Roti King’s legendary flavours is something special, it's bold, it's iconic, and it’s exactly

Jupiter Burger – the Hackney streetfood stall that serves up one of London’s best burgers – is coming to Tottenham this Easter.  The pop-up will take place at Pasero on West Green Road, from April 1-4 and April 8-11, every evening from 5pm-9.15pm. All-day restaurant Pasero has previously hosted kitchen residencies from the likes of Marie Mitchell, Ling Ling’s (who can now be found at Godet in Islington) and Anna Sogaard, who was previously head chef at Bistro Freddie in Shoreditch.  Jupiter Burger is from the same team as sandwich shop Dom’s Subs, who also run the excellent Hackney bar Rasputin’s. Dom’s Subs recently announced the closure of their sandwich shop in the City of London, but is now serving its subs every day from noon (except Mondays) at Rasputin’s.  The original Jupiter Burger is in Netil Market by London Fields – which is one of the best street food markets in London - and pays homage to the US’s beloved In-N-Out Burger. It features lightly smashed Hill and Szrok beef patties sandwiched between specially imported Martin’s potato rolls, with special Jupiter sauce, pickles, onion, tomato and lettuce. There is a veggie option, too.  Pasero is at 120a West Green Road, Tottenham, N15 5AA. 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. 

The Kenton Arms by Victoria Park in Hackney has hit the headlines after banning children from its premises. The Norwegian-run ‘Scandi pub’, which is known for its bright yellow exterior, announced its ‘new no children policy’ over the weekend. ‘This is on account of unsupervised children running amok and disturbing other drinkers,’ said a statement on Instagram.  It added that the problem was not with the children but with the fact they were not being watched by their parents. ‘This is not about having a problem with children. The issue is when they are not supervised properly, disturb others and have a HSE impact on customers and staff.’ The Kenton Arms has now put in place a no under 18s policy. It had previously had a curfew of 5pm for children. The pub was voted the Most Loved Pub in London in the Time Out Love London Awards in 2015.  Pub owner Egil Johansen – who has been running The Kenton Arms since 2009 – spoke to the Metro about some of the incidents which have led to the new policy, adding: ‘Another issue is when staff politely ask parents to supervise their children. But when staff approach parents, they’re often met with confrontation, as if we’ve done something wrong. It creates an uncomfortable situation for staff, because at the end of the day, we can’t be responsible for other people’s children.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by London Pub Explorer (@londonpubexplorer) He went on to say that the reaction to the new policy has be