Leonie Cooper

London is a great city to eat out in while keeping your ethical integrity intact. We’re here to shine a light on the best places to dine at while simultaneously helping to save the planet, with a bunch of restaurants that have been given eco-friendly approval by world-leading specialists. The following places have proved themselves to be dedicated to sustainability in their food, kitchens and interiors. Not our words, but the words of the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s Food Made Good Standard, the We're Smart Green Guide, and B Corp, as well as a bunch of Michelin Green Star-rated restos thrown in for good measure. The best sustainable restaurants in London at a glance: 🥦 Best for vegans: Plates, Shoreditch 🐌 Best for adventurous eaters: Fallow, St James’s ⭐ Best for Michelin star clout: Restaurant St Barts, Smithfield 🌃 Best in Soho: Nopi, Soho Recent Time Out research asked our readers what they would be interested in doing to become more sustainable and help save the planet. The top two results focused on food and eating out, with 68% saying they’d choose restaurants with locally sourced ingredients and 67% saying they’d make choices based on venues that employ reduced food waste practices. We’ve done the leg work to give you great options for both. Here are the best sustainable restaurants in London for eco-conscious diners. RECOMMENDED: The best vegan restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate,

London is full of perfect pizza. The finest of fast foods, this delicious staple has been elevated far beyond its humble roots by great Italian restaurants in London, pop-ups, street food vendors and pub residencies, and we know just where to find these world-class wonders, because we’ve been eating our way across London in order to discover the best. Whether it’s delivered in a cardboard box or served in a swish restaurant, excellent pizza is hard to beat. Browse our list of the best pizza places in town and try not to drool on your screen. Recent additions to the list include some nifty kitchen residencies; Dough Hands at the Spurstowe Arms and Old Nun’s Head, Hot Saint at the Old Queen’s Head in Angel, Little Earthquakes at the Railway Tavern in Dalston, and Short Road Pizza at the William The Fourth in Leyton and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. You can find Ace Pizza at the Pembury Tavern in Hackney Downs, but they have also opened their first standalone parlour in Victoria Park. Try also; Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pie with a Michelin-starred chefs touch, Carmela’s on Upper Street for a cosy slice and Vincenzo’s in Shoreditch for no-flop pizza. RECOMMENDED: The finest fish and chips in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

It's a treat to be veggie in London, and there are plenty of fantastic vegetarian restaurants, cafés and street-food stalls that cater to those who want to feast without the flesh, but still scoff butter, cheese and eggs. Read on and you'll find down-to-earth veggie cafés, meat-free curry houses, healthy restaurants and swish spots that'll convince even hardened carnivores to give peas a chance. We've even included a few places that aren't fully veggie, but offer a great vegetarian menu, like outdoor BBQ spot Acme Fire Cult, Slowburn in Walthamstow, and global comfort food cafe Jikoni in Marylebone. RECOMMENDED: Go fully plant-based with the best vegan restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.  

For centuries, Soho has been London’s playground: packed with spots for boozing, carousing, and soaking up the best of the city after dark. And even though it’s largely cleaned up its once-sleazy reputation, it’s still packed with fine drinking spots, from moody basements to high-end cocktail bars. Whether you join the crowds hopping up and down its network of streets or settle in for the duration, you’re guaranteed a brilliant, boozy night out in Soho and neighbouring Chinatown. Word to the wise: you might want to line your stomach at one of Soho’s best restaurants. Now head to the heart of the West End to make sure you don’t miss a thing. July 2025: Soho remains London’s best place to spend a evening. Soho’s pubs are unmatched and have been around for decades, but the area’s bar scene is a little more dynamic. So our latest update to this list of Soho’s best bars includes a fair few new openings that have proved themselves to be well worth a visit, even though they’re newcomers to the scene. From the chic Three Sheets to Italian hideaway Bar Lina, the all-singing Room Where It Happens, Stormzy's House Party and Below Stone Nest, visit these Soho newbies for your next Big Night Out.  RECOMMENDED: These are London’s very best bars. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and you’ll probably find her at Trisha’s. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

March 2026: The enternal rain of the past couple of months seems to have finally stopped, and spring is properly on the horizon. What does it mean? The beginning of beer garden season, of course. It might not be super sizzling just yet, but it is time to answer the call of the al fresco picnic table. Here's our list of the finest places to have an outdoor pint, featuring some old classics and waterside favourites, a fair few of which also feature in our 50 Best Pubs In London list (hello to the Army and Navy in Dalston and Anchor and Hope in Clapton) as well as in our Best Historic Pubs in London (see Hampstead and Highgate heroes The Spaniards Inn and The Flask), and Most Haunted Pubs in London lists. There are few better ways to make the most of a sunny (or even just slightly warm) afternoon in London than by spending it in a beer garden. Drinking cold pints (or spritzes, or white wine with a couple of ice cubes) with your mates feels good anywhere, but there’s something seriously special about pints under London’s skies. And this city certainly has no shortage of spectacular beer gardens. Some have lush foliage and serene, chilled-out energy, while others are ideal for what feels like an open-air day party. Some serve up marvellous cocktails, while others provide for gorgeous river views. If you’ve had enough of the great outdoors, don’t forget to check out our list of London’s best pubs. Or, if you want to be outside but higher up, you might like our directory of the capi

Brixton is well known as a great place for nighttime party action, with venues such as Brixton Academy, Phonox and Electric Brixton at the forefront of London’s live music and clubbing scenes. But its excellent pubs double up as cosy daytime venues, too, with big beer gardens, places to play pool and spots to simply sit and doomscroll with a pint. Discover great places to enjoy a drink in our list of Brixton’s best boozers – from old fashioned watering holes that have stood the test of time to modern gastropubs with a craft beer line-up. RECOMMENDED: The best breweries and taprooms in London. 

Brixton is one of London’s most perfect culinary hotspots: it’s buzzing with hyped restaurants, as well as much-loved local eateries. Brixton Village is where you’ll find a hefty selection of local food culture, with cuisine from across the globe all under one roof. But venture beyond the market’s walls and you’ll discover plenty of other restaurants you need to experience, from special sushi spots and Caribbean classics to buzzing little bistros in nearby Herne Hill.  The best restaurants in Brixton at a glance: 🥦 Best for vegans: En Root at Ritzy Cinema 🐟 Best for Caribbean classics: Fish, Wings & Tings 🇯🇵 Best for Japanese okonomiyaki: Okan 🇹🇭 Best for Thai dining: KaoSarn  🍷 Best for French small plates: Naughty Piglets RECOMMENDED: These are 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: 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 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.

A red sandstone amphitheatre. An ancient woodland on the English coast. A teeny tiny island with a black sand beach. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes – luckily, the world isn’t held to the same rigid beauty standards as humans are – and we’ve curated this list to celebrate that.  It goes without saying that Time Out’s ranking of the world’s most beautiful places is entirely subjective and by no means exhaustive, but what we can guarantee is real-life experience. Every single beach, lake, city and valley on this list has been visited and vetted by our globetrotting network of travel writers. In short, they’re all well worth making the journey to see for yourself (no social media fakery here).We update this list regularly, ensuring we’re including the big-hitters while considering the impact of overtourism and spotlighting lesser-known beauty spots. So here it is: Time Out’s guide to the most beautiful places on planet Earth. Happy travels!Updated March 2026: There are seven new additions to the list this year, including a terracotta-coloured Old Town in Italy, an opulent Renaissance-style library in New York and a compact mountain range in northern Spain.Grace Beard is Time Out’s travel editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED:⛰️ The most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites🗺 The most underrated travel destinations i

A city that has seen travellers pass through for millennia, you could say Rome has mastered its sense of hospitality over the ages. There’s an effortless generosity to life here. So, it’s no surprise that the Eternal City is filled with hotels that channel that welcoming spirit, elevating it with thoughtful service, style and classic Italian flair. If you’re looking for a place to stay, look no further. We’ve handpicked the best hotels in Rome for 2026, flaunting local charm, excellent amenities and ideal locations for exploring the city. This year we’ve added First Arte Roma, a contemporary art-filled townhouse in the historic centre. Whether you opt for a quirky boutique hotel in the heart of Monti, a historic palazzo near the Trevi Fountain or a palatial resort with views of the Vatican, this list has you covered. Here are our favourite hotels in Rome, reviewed by our experts. 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best places to stay in Rome 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 mo

Peckham locals have always been proud of the area’s brand: a melting pot of cultural vibrancy, eccentric individuals, and an artsy, young DIY crowd thanks to nearby Goldsmiths University and Camberwell College of Arts. It rivals Dalston and all those other East End upstarts as the place to hang out, and it’s the perfect spot for new restaurants to find their feet. Here are some of the best in the area, as well as a host of notable places to eat just down the road in Camberwell, too.  RECOMMENDED: The best 50 restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

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

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-school gem in an old school location, La Serena brings the beachy Italian resort of Forte dei Marmi bang up to date. The 20-room La Serena opened in July 2023, and does the chic and artsy boutique hotel thing extremely well. It’s somewhat removed from the main hustle and bustle of Forte, but don’t think of this as a negative. La Serena might not have a beachside view or immediate access to sand, but it has something else – it’s own little world, and it feels much more contemporary than some of the rather more Soviet-looking hotels nearer the beach.  Why stay at La Serena? This seaside Tuscan spot is only open during spring and summer or from the middle of April until the end of September. We arrive right towards the end of the season, and find a super peaceful and still marvellously warm and sunny escape at our disposal. In fact, it feels like we have the entire place to ourselves, and it’s hard to decide who has the better room, me or my friend - her side of the hotel looks over the stunning Tuscan mountains, and mine is in the direction of the sea, via the majestic umbrella pine trees in the hotel’s stylish garden. No view is subpar. The modern landscaped garden feels like an open air art gallery, and everything is tasteful without being overblown or gaudy. There’s also a pool table just off the main lobby, making the place feel like a terribly chic youth club. Also check out the atrium room where local artists’ work is displayed on easels, while the corridor walls ar

Dating all the way back to 1736, The Bath Arms mixes ye olde English charm with contemporary cosiness. A historic country pub that manages to fit 16 bedrooms upstairs (and in an old stable block out back), think of it as a Tardis as written by Jane Austen. The Bath Arms is the bustling focal point of a tiny village called Horningsham in the sprawling Longleat Estate in Wiltshire. Just by the Somerset borders, this picture-perfect boozer is packed with diners and drinkers on the weekends, with some of the best pub grub in the county served in numerous nooks and crannies of a grand Georgian era-boozer. The fact that you can stay upstairs after stuffing yourself silly only adds to the charm.  What are the rooms like at The Bath Arms? The pub’s 16 bedrooms come in small, medium and large doubles. Clean, crisp and ultra-welcoming, rooms at the Bath Arms are stylish without being overblown. There are traditional beams, stone-coloured soft furnishings, Siberian goose down duvets on big, comfy beds, and quaint village views. Essentially, it’s classic cottage-core but without the chintz. Our large double is fabulously expansive, and comes with a roll-top bath in a spacious marble bathroom, as well as (pleasingly) wonky fixtures, as befitting of a building that’s almost 300 years old. Despite being above the main room of the pub, the sound from downstairs is barely audible. We slept like veritable logs.  What are the facilities like at The Bath Arms? Rooms come with decent wi-fi, big t

Joo Young Won used to be head chef at the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows, which looked out, Mary Poppins-style, over the oligarchian rooftops of Belgravia and Hyde Park from the 28th floor of the Park Lane Hilton. His new restaurant, Calong, has a slightly different view.  Directly opposite a branch of Whole Foods, it’s right on the Buggy Mile (aka Stoke Newington Church Street). But who needs to gaze upon the middle classes clutching their sourdough loaves when the scenery inside is so nice. Cosy and simple, the front room-esque space features wall-mounted coat hooks a la St John, a chalkboard menu, an exposed brick fire surround and so many two-tops that you feel like you’re an extra on First Dates. Calong’s mythic BBQ onglet is the kind of steak a non steak lover could love  Calong is a date spot and no mistake, with food made for sharing and fork fights over who gets to scoff the last kimchi fritter. Chef Joo was raised in South Korea, but began his cookery career in the UK, and for a long time focused on French technique. It shows. Calong sees him cooking dishes inspired by his native cuisine in a masterful light-touch fusion fashion. Those kimchi fritters are a mighty opener, an even-more addictive take on the classic kimchi pancake, leaning into those crispy edges by making it all crispy edges. It’s a bit like if roast potatoes were just the skins. In other words: elite snackery. A warm pumpkin and crisp pear salad is delicately dressed with gochujang and, what we

Emily Brontë’s only published novel has always been utterly batshit, and director Emerald Fennell’s take on the gothic ‘romance’ of Wuthering Heights follows suit, as peculiarly cold as it is visually decadent. The destructive aspect of Cathy and Heathcliff’s obsessive love is front and centre, yet it’s hard to care about Margot Robbie’s bratty Catherine Earnshaw – who seems too old to be acting this teenage – and Jacob Elordi’s boring, one-note Heathcliff. In the book he is ‘wild’ and deeply charismatic. In the film, he is… tall?  For those unfamiliar with the unhinged masterpiece, Cathy has been infatuated with Heathcliff since her widowed father brought this mysterious boy to their Yorkshire home. Fast forward to adulthood and Heathcliff has buggered off, while Cathy has married their neighbour, Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), who in Fennell’s delirious vision lives in a kaleidoscopic Rococo palace. Heathcliff then returns, stonkingly rich. She wants him, and he wants her, but they cannot be together as Cathy is now pregnant with Edgar’s child.  In the book, this leads to much unconsummated yearning, but Fennell – who infamously made Barry Keogan stick his dick in a freshly dug grave in Saltburn – gets the pair romping with impunity. This is, naturally, after Cathy experiences her sexual awakening while spying on household servants having a kinky stable-based encounter. But despite all this shagging, Wuthering Heights is not even Fennell’s horniest film. It’s hard to care abo

My misty-eyed infatuation with this new wave, old school-indebted trattoria dates back to the heady days of 2023, when chef-founder Dara Klein began doing alchemical things with pasta and breadcrumbs at alt-gastropub The Compton Arms in Islington. From a tiny kitchen the Brawn and Sager and Wilde-trained chef fired out heroic plates of deceptively simple but deeply satisfying Italian food inspired by her Pugliese heritage. Dipping into rarer regional cracks of Italian cuisine Like every decent crush, there was a moment of jeopardy when Dara hung up her apron at the end of 2024. But there was a plan. Of course there was a plan. Such was the effusive reaction to her residency, the Italian-born, New Zealand-raised chef was off to open a restaurant of her own. And here it is, inside a gorgeously gabled Victorian boozer on the eastern fringes of Colombia Road that was once known as The Globe, and, as elder millennials may remember, Stringray Cafe, the perfect place for a comedown pizza after you’d tumbled out of a Whitechapel warehouse party hours previously.   The building has been done up, but not too done up. It still feels pubby, with a handpainted Tiella sign, 1930s-styled stained glass windows, mahogany wood-pannelling and, inexplicably, a giant portrait of Cher above the bar. As Dara sagely points out, a true trattoria is the Italian equivalent of a British pub; a welcoming hub where the community comes together over food and booze. Tiella is that to the highest degree.  Un

The not-that-little sister of one of central London’s most important restaurant launches of the past few years, Dover Street Counter sits two doors down from its glossy sibling, The Dover. Just as elegant, but with a naughty glint in its eye, it’s almost enough to make Mayfair cool for the first time since the Beatles played on that roof.  McDonald’s for oligarchs Unlike The Dover, Dover Street Counter is an all-day affair (and, equally, a great place to have an all-day affair). With a shorter menu and a more casual set-up, food is important here – of course it is – but this place is about much more than what you’re eating. It’s about vibes, and DSC has a surfeit of them. The experience starts before you get inside, with a sleek curved glass frontage, that’s all 1930s shopfront by way of a Parisian Fin de Siècle knocking shop. Push open the door to find a thick, floor-to-ceiling curtain, which not only keeps out both winter drafts and summer sunshine, but separates two worlds from each other: dreary, workaday real life from a glamorous, wonderland of martinis and controlled mayhem. The soundtrack is largely ‘90s hip-hop that it’s impossible not to like. They probably want you to think of it as a mere diner, but it’s so much more.  The first room of many is lined by a chrome counter dotted with domed rattan lights, seemingly pinched from the set of Emmanuelle. The kitchen is in full view, but there are a couple of small tables on the floor if watching someone flip cheeseburge

Exmouth Market is an exceptional street. On a wet and blustery winter evening, there are still scores of people spilling out of Cafe Kick, Berber & Q’s Shawarma Bar and Morito et al, clinking beers, chugging wines and puffing on crafty cigs all down this pedestrianised strip of year-round urban hedonism.  It’s the perfect scene for the second outing from eccentric wine guy Luca Dusi, whose Shoreditch bar, with its ‘no list, purely vibes’ approach to serving customers has been enchanting Londoners since 2015.  Exmouth Market just got even more exciting The new Passione Vino offers the same intrepid method. Rather than a chalkboard or menu, intuitive staff will ask what you’re into and, after a kind of sommelier-adjacent cold reading, will return with a couple of bottles for you to try, before you’re poured a glass of your favourite. Wine here is exclusively Italian (Passione Vino started life as an import company), but you’re allowed to throw out names of global grapes and knowledgeable staff will suggest their Italian equivalent. Not sure what you like? That works too, with recommendations coming thick and fast, alongside brief but impassioned explanations of various vines.  If the space looks familiar, that’s because they’ve taken over the original home of long-running Clerkenwell tattoo parlour, the Family Business (don’t worry they’ve not closed, just moved next door). The gold foil ‘Electric Tattooing’ lettering remains emblazoned on the steamy windows, and the buzz of t

Conceptually, Poon’s has a lot going for it. First, there’s the location; a stunning, high-ceilinged antechamber in the west wing of Somerset House, all dolled up with hand-painted willows weeping down pastel pink walls. Then there’s the deep, storied lore. This is the latest incarnation of a London institution, with the first Poon’s Restaurant opening in 1973 and bringing Cantonese food to the tatty streets south of Soho and helping give Chinatown its name. Next came the flashier Poon’s of Covent Garden, which welcomed the likes of Frank Sinatra and Mick Jagger (not to mention a Michelin Star), in 1980.  There’s liver so enticing that even offal-phobes might lap it up Founders William and Cecilia Poon retired in the mid-2000s, but their daughter Amy has been keeping the family business alive, through what the marketing team are at pains to point out is a ‘food and lifestyle brand’, as well as various wonton-related pop-ups. This marks her first stand-alone restaurant, and a lot of thought has gone into the elegant space, which is as long, skinny and splendid as any 1990s-era supermodel.  Food isn’t quite as ornate. Although prawn toast, which is dubbed ‘The hill that Amy didn’t die on’ for reasons unexplained, looks the part, all chubby and deep-fried in sesame seeds, it doesn't taste of much. One of those famous Poon’s dipping sauces would be nice, but alas, it is served nude. Luckily, a bowl of slippery wontons are served with a helping of Poon’s branded Chilli Vinegar Dre

When it comes to eating out in London, this March is set to be a biggie.  After a number of false starts, one of the city’s most iconic restaurants is finally set to reopen after closing six years ago during the pandemic. Simpson’s in the Strand will be back in action in mere weeks, according to restaurateur Jeremy King. ‘We’re not trying to make it trendier, or faster, or louder,’ he says of the storied spot. When it comes to reopenings, Simpson’s isn’t the only returning legend. Much-loved east London pub The Gun has also just re-opened under new management, and Camden LGBT+ institution The Black Cap is set to return very soon, too.  What else is London saying right now? Well, the capital’s pizza obsession shows absolutely no signs of slowing up, with a former Dough Hands chef launching their own pizza pop-up at Islington’s Old Queen’s Head. There’s also a new Irish pub in Clapton, and a new listening bar in Walthamstow, for all your drinking and chin-stroking needs.  RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in London for 2026. The 7 best new London restaurants opening in March 2026 Photograph: Rosie Hewitson for Time Out 1. The historic institution  Simpson’s In The Strand, Strand Jeremy King – the hospitality brains behind the likes of Brasserie Zédel, The Wolseley and more recent Bayswater opening The Park – has been planning to reopen the legendary Simpson’s in the Strand for a while. Serving up traditional British fare since 1828, and beloved by literary luminaries Charles

The team behind very good Marylebone restaurant Jikoni is opening a restaurant and cafe at the brand new V&A East Museum in Stratford next month.  Café Jikoni will launch on the same day as the 7,000 square metre V&A East Museum, on April 18, and see wife and husband team Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany sharing Ravinder’s ‘no borders kitchen’ global fusion cookery throughout the day.  The menu will feature a host of new recipes, such as macaroni dhal, turmeric and ginger chicken pie, and butter beans aglio e olio with zhoug, tahini and pangrattato breadcrumb topping. There will also be a host of sausage rolls, crumpets and cakes for more simple snacking.  The V&A East Museum’s inaugural exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story, will celebrate the past 125 of Black music in the UK. The landmark show will feature more than 200 objects exploring the impact of Black artistry on music, culture and beyond from 1900 all the way to present day.  This isn’t the first delicious opening for the V&A’s east London openings, with E5 Bakehouse already running the cafe space at the nearby V&A East Storehouse, which opened last year.  Photograph: Beca Jones Speaking about the launch, Bhogal and Nanjuwany commented: ‘Café Jikoni is a joyful expression and natural evolution of our long-standing mission to cross borders and unite people through food. We’re delighted to have a dedicated home within one of the world’s greatest institutions, serving up delicious, culturally app

Cockney’s in Notting Hill – one of our favourite pie and mash shops in London – has seen thousands of people sign a petition to keep it open. The Portobello Road restaurant’s landlord is apparently looking to double the rent from £31,500-a-year to £64,000, reports Standard, which will make it impossible for owner Ruth Phillips to keep it open. Speaking to the newspaper, Phillips said: ‘I’m devastated. I know the amount I can afford and it’s certainly not £64,000. Nobody else is paying these high rents. They go between £30,000 to £40,000… I would not be able to survive.’ Joe Powell, the MP for Kensington and Bayswater, has sponsored a petition asking the landlord to reconsider the rent hike. ‘Cockney’s is a family business that Ruth has operated here for more than three decades, and is loved by our community. It is one of the only pie and mash shops still operating in West London,’ writes Powell.  He adds: ‘Already, residents tell me they are fed up watching popular local businesses get pushed out to make way for yet more souvenir shops, slot machines, casinos and chain coffee shops.’ A rarity in west London, Cockney’s Pie & Mash sits at the north end of Portobello Road near Trellick Tower. Our review of Cockney’s reads: ‘Opened at the end of the twentieth century, it’s a relatively new kid on the block, yet the food is authentic: slopped into heavy white china bowls, the pies have a suet bottom and a buttery crust, while the crockery prevents the outrageous helping of thick

It’s almost time for St Patrick’s Day, and what better place to spend March 17 than at one of London’s incredible Irish pubs.  We’ve got together a list of the best, a bunch of largely old-school boozers honouring Gaelic traditions across the capital. At the top? The mighty Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington. Hard to spell but easy to love, this Irish mainstay hosts regular trad music nights and shows all the major Irish sporting fixtures. As well as yes, serving a very good pint of Guinness.  It’s just (only just!) beaten south London’s Skehans – a former topper of our Best Pubs in London list – in second place. Skehans in Nunhead is a touch rowdier than the Auld Shill, and recently confirmed its Irish credentials by hosting a gig by legendary London-Irish folk-rock band, The Pogues.  Jess Hand for Time Out At number three we stay in south London, with the iconic Blythe Hill Tavern in Catford, a stunning little spot made up of three tiny, wood-panelled rooms. In fourth place we go back up to north London again, with Mannion’s Prince Arthur in Tottenham. Come for the Guinness, stay for the majestic oil painting of the pub owners riding a horse through the Irish countryside.  Read the full list of the 14 best Irish pubs in London here. At some, you’ll find the country’s music, food and even dancing; at others, you’ll be served tasty Thai food. Here are the 6 best free things to do in London this weekend – including St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Get the latest and greatest

Notting Hill’s Holy Carrot is set to bring its excellent plant-based cookery to Spitalfields. But there’s a twist – the second Holy Carrot won’t be totally vegan. Don’t worry, they won’t be adding offal to the menu, but it will be vegetarian rather than vegan, with a smattering of cheese on some dishes. Not a total pivot from the west London’s restaurant's original ethos then, and vegans will still be more than welcome, with most dishes abiding by their dairy-free doctrine.  Holy Carrot started life as a supper club before a Knightsbridge residency, opening its first restaurant in 2024 on Portobello Road. It’s run by fashion journalist-turned-restaurateur Irina Linovich and chef Daniel Watkins, formerly of Acme Fire Cult in Dalston. When it opened, Time Out’s review gave it a glowing four stars. ‘Holy Carrot isn’t out to blow your mind – this is innovation of a dependable, not reckless, sort – but this gets close,’ said our writer of its crispy celeriac with pickle butter dish.  Holy Carrot prides itself on its fondness for ferments, and you’ll be able to find more pickled stuff at the new branch, which will open on March 20 at 61-63 Brushfield Street, E1 6AA. What else can we expect? ‘A new space shaped by the same principles; vegetables, fire and fermentation. Familiar dishes, cooked with care, alongside new plates made for the table,’ say the team behind Holy Carrot.  These are the best vegan restaurants in London - see where the original branch of Holy Carrot is on the l

Mondo Sando, the team behind the casual Camberwell diner and sandwich shop Cafe Mondo, is set to open a brand new outpost in Deptford. Mondo To Go will launch next month, on Friday April 10, in Deptford Arches. There’ll be 50 percent off food til Sunday April 12 to celebrate the launch of the takeaway shop. You’ll be able to linger though, with a 50-seater outdoor terrace where you can tuck into your purchases, which will include favourites from the Camberwell location. Try their Mondo Frango, Mondo Combo and Everything Cutlet sarnies as well as house pickles and potato latkes, and sandwiches exclusive to Deptford that are not available at Cafe Mondo or Mondo Sando’s The Grove House Tavern pub residency, also in Camberwell. Pints, grapefruit green tea slushies, spiced apple sodas, and cherry lemonades will also be on offer.  Want more? Go on then. There will be a teeny tiny exhibit on display from Cafe Mondo’s deeply peculiar Museum of Stones.  Mondo Sando topped the Time Out list of the best independent Christmas sandwiches in London last year, so you know you’re in good, delicious hands. Cafe Mondo also ranks in the top 10 best restaurants in London.  Mondo To Go will be open every Wednesday to Sunday, from 12-4pm. Find it at Arch 5, Deptford Market Yards, SE8 4BX. Did you see that London is officially one of the best cities in the world in 2026, according to Time Out? Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow

Sad news for south London - Dough Hands’ residency at the Old Nun’s Head pub will be ending next month. The last service for this near-perfect pizza pop-up will be on April 25, but Dough Hands will continue its original residency across the river at the Spurstowe Arms in London Fields. Phew.  ‘The year wouldn’t have been possible without the team behind it all, so the biggest of big ups to the talented dough hands Nunhead team,’ wrote Dough Hands founder Hannah Drye on Instagram. ‘So it’s bye to Nunhead and south for now! Hopefully we’ll be back in the bits at some point…We are still at the Spurstowe seven days a week, plus we have a new project to announce v soon which the Nunhead team will be getting involved with… so keep ya eyes peeled for that.’ The Old Nun’s Head was last year named Time Out’s best pub in London, topping the list of the finest 50 boozers across the capital. We said: ‘The Old Nun’s Head is incapable of standing still. In recent years it’s become south east London’s favourite unofficial queer venue, thanks to an array of campy entertainment including speed-dating, drag king cabaret, and nights like Pop-Up Dyke Bar and the messy, cream-splattered and highly NSFW Cake Sit.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by DOUGH HANDS (@doughhandspizza) Dough Hands features on our list of the best pizza in London, in which we praise the ‘mega New York-style pies.. big and heartily topped behemoths, with brittle (in a good way) crispy crusts

Super chef Heston Blumenthal is set to shut Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, his fancy restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal opened in 2011, receiving its first Michelin star in 2012 and its second in 2014. The menu is inspired by historic British cuisine, with medieval-inspired dishes such as ‘meat fruit’, comprising chicken liver parfait shaped like a mandarin, as well as scallop frumenty with spelt, smoked seabroth and lovage, and Victorian-era ‘tipsy cake’ with spitroasted pineapple. You can also order a £195-a-head eight course tasting menu called ‘A Journey Through History’, featuring nettle soup with frog leg and powdered duck with buttered turnips and black truffle.   Photograph: Lola-Laurent You’ve still got a while to sample his innovative cuisine, as Dinner by Heston Blumenthal won’t be closing until January 2027. Speaking to the Times, Blumenthal explained his reasons for closing the restaurant after 16 years. ‘There are some huge feelings there; sadness. It’s bittersweet, but it has run its natural course,’ he explained. ‘We are effectively tenants in a building and our tenancy is finished.’  He added: ‘In these times most restaurants are suffering in one way or another. ‘It’s exacerbated by the fact that food prices are rising. We chose to partner with the Mandarin because of their level of service. But they’ve got budgets, and budgets don’t always meet up. Sometimes they do. It’s one of the things that you are always go

Endo Kazutoshi is kind of a big deal. The Yokohama-born sushi master has been based in London for a while now, launching Endo at the Rotunda in White City in 2019. However, due to a fire last year, the restaurant remains closed. But Endo isn’t sitting still, and is currently in residence at Mayfair private members club Annabel’s on Berkeley Square.  The club is allowing non-members to make reservations at its new exclusive sushi pop-up from the Michelin-starred chef. He’s taking over the restaurant for five months and will be offering a £245-a-head menu. The menu also has the option to add a £120-per-person sake pairing. Commenting on the opening, Kazutoshi said: ‘I have an opportunity to make the food I love and reconnect with guests outside of the Rotunda, and to meet new friends along the way too. ‘My team and I are ready to welcome you all and we hope you enjoy this demonstration of my sushi and hospitality in a different setting.’ Annabel’s usually charges an annual fee of £3,250, but non-members will be allowed to eat at the pop-up. However, strict house rules will be maintained. As usual, diners will not be allowed to use their phones, submit dietary requests or even wear perfume. There’s a strict dress code too, which requires ‘polished, occasion and time-of-day appropriate attire … smart, tasteful and refined, rather than casual or sporty’. Endo will be cheffing at the member’s club from now until July 2026. It’s already booked up until the end of May. For future bo

In the market for some very expensive sushi? You’re in luck! Sushi Amamoto is opening in Mayfair this week, led by chef Shogo Amamoto, who runs the original Sushi Amamoto in Taipei, which boasts a waiting list of a year and a menu that would bankrupt most people.  The 16-seat omakase sushi restaurant is launching in the space once home to Michelin star Japanese restaurant Taku, on Albemarle Street. Taku retained its star in the recent awards, and head chef Jongho Park will remain at the restaurant alongside the Taku team, with Shogo Amamoto in the exec chef patron role. Taku’s founder Watanabe Taku left the restaurant last year to launch another sushi counter in Paris.  Sushi Amamoto will offer two omakase menus; £180 for 17 courses and £380 for 22 courses. Which is the same pricing structure that Taku held, and is a little bit cheaper than the $2,000 a head menu at the original Sushi Amamoto in Taipei, which holds two Michelin stars. The Mayfair opening is Shogo Amamoto’s first restaurant outside of Taiwan, where he moved from his native Japan 12 years ago. You can find it at 36 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JE. The best sushi restaurants in London, according to Time Out. Plus: our guide to the city’s top Japanese eateries. 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. 

Our list of the best restaurants in Covent Garden has got a brand new number one. Following the closure of former list-topper Tandoor Chop House last month, Time Out’s London food experts have crowned a new primo destination in the land of tourists and theatregoers. And the winner is... Twenty8 Nomad.  See past the slightly annoying name and you’ll find one of the best places to eat in this buzzy central London neighbourhood. You’ll find it at the NoMad hotel, and the newly revamped in-house restaurant (previously known as Atrium) is a high-octane tribute to the big, ballsy American brasserie.  Our 2025 review said of the restaurant: ‘The aesthetic... is all Manhattan-by-way-of-the-Marais, an extravagant Yank take on the French brassiere, complete with excessively high ceilings, balustrades and balconies.’ The grand space offers a lavish ‘raw bar’, supersized-steak frites and an entire cocktail offering devoted to the martini. Crispy artichoke, prawn cocktail, mussels in green curry sauce, and lobster pasta also make the menu.  Nomad is also home to a great bar, Side Hustle, which specialises in tequila and mezcal, and was named the best international hotel bar in the world in 2025. Read our review of Side Hustle here.  Covent Garden is home to many of the best restaurants in London, including French-styled Story Cellar, and The Portrait by Richard Corrigan, as well as old faves The Savoy Grill and J Sheekey.  The best restaurants in Covent Garden, according to Time Out. Did

Huge news. The Gun is re-opening later this month. The much-loved Well Street pub closed down at the start of 2025, but the stalwart of Hackney’s eating and drinking scene will reopen on February 23. Under new ownership, the pub says: ‘Come for the Guinness. Stay for the wagyu.’ Hot Dinners reports that the man behind the relaunched boozer is Kotaro Ogawa of Mayfair’s fine dining Japanese steakhouse Aragawa.  That should mean that the pub, which has hosted several kitchen residencies over the years, such as the inimitable Ling Ling’s and Rake (which is now at The Gun’s former sister pub, The Compton Arms), will still be serving up serious food.  However, The Gun’s history as a rave pub, hosting DJs like Daniel Avery and Marie Davidson in its intimate 90-capacity space, might all be in the past. The Gun was forced to close its doors in March 2025 due to the ‘increasing costs of running a hospitality business in the current financial climate’. Nick Stephens, Hanna Sinclair-Stephens and Oliver Dixon opened the pub in June 2014, breathing new life into the building by polishing up its original Victorian features. The venue was saved from closure in 2020 thanks to a crowd funding campaign during the pandemic, which raised more than £30,000 in one day. The team still run Islington’s The Compton Arms.   The best pubs in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsAp