Leonie Cooper

July 2025 update: The third and final season of Squid Game – the Korean version, at least – is a highly-placed new addition to our best of the year list, with FX’s shouty chef drama The Bear returning to form with its fourth run and also slotting into Time Out’s top 20.We’ve all heard the phrase ‘TV’s golden age’ enough times over the past couple of decades to get wary of the hyperbole, but this year does seem to be shaping up to be a kind of mini golden age for the TV follow-up. Severance, Andor and The Last of Us all look like building on incredibly satisfying first runs with equally masterful second runs (even more masterful, in Severance’s case). The third season of The White Lotus has proved that, whether you love it or find it a touch too languorous, there’s no escaping Mike White’s transgressive privilege-in-paradise satire. Likewise for season 7 of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian-flavoured sci-fi Black Mirror. Watercooler viewing is everywhere at the moment,  and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Stranger Things is coming to an end, there’s a second run of Tim Burton’s Wednesday, and about a zillion other things still come. Here’s everything you need to see... so far.  RECOMMENDED: 🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)🔥 The 100 best movies ever made📺 The 100 greatest ever TV shows you need to binge

Need a place to stay in London? We’re here to make it easy for you. Every year, a wealth of new hotels open in the capital which is a testament to the fact that London remains one of the most desirable places to visit in the world. However, that can make it tricky to decide which hotel to choose. But worry not because we have slept our way across the city and hand-picked our favourites for the ultimate list of London hotels, which covers locations right across the city, and every category from blowout luxury (including having your own butler, might we add) to budget basic and brilliant. In this mega list, we've listed everything from our favourite five-star hotels in Mayfair to more affordable hotels outside of zone 1. Plus you’ll be able to check out one or two of the capital's many Michelin-starred restaurants because yep, loads of them call London hotels their home. But if spending a small fortune on food isn’t your bag? There’s also an ever-increasing number of good-value food options for budgeteers, too. Throw great design and architecture into the mix, plus superb bars, world-class hospitality and the opportunity to have a home-from-home in the best city in the world and, well, you’re laughing.  Which area is best to stay in London? It's not just the range of hotels that's so impressive – you're also spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a neighbourhood to stay in London. The city is made up of a sprawling network of dynamic neighbourhoods, all with their own uniqu

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 in the past year 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.  July 2025: New additions include fun bistro action at Hello JoJo in Camberwell, sleek Ukranian comfort food at Tatar Bunar, Japanese-Italian fusion at Osteria Angelina in Spitalfields and the brand new home for Thai legend Singburi in Shoreditch They join bawdy British fare at Rake in Highbury, vegan Michelin star goodness at Shoreditch’s Plates, Iberian inventiveness at Tasca in Bethnal Green and The Most Controversial Restaurant in London™, The Yellow Bittern in King’s Cross. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

Want a drink? You've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joints to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? Well, our critieria for inclusion on this list is simple; a menu of genius drinks is important, but so is overall vibe – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bins. To make the Top 50, a bar has to be fun, inclusive, and full of lovely folk as well as looking the part.  April 2025: A rash of great new bars have opened in London over the past year or so and many of them have made the immediate jump to our hallowed Top 50. The latest additions to our list include rowdy sports bar meets 80s horror movie set Bloodsports in Covent Garden, whisky wonderland Dram Bar on Denmark Street, the hypnotic Bar Lotus in Dalston, Below Stone Nest in Chinatown, Rasputin’s by London Fields, and Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath a famous Soho deli. Now go forth and drink. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and she'll have a gibson marti

The yearly unveiling of the Michelin Guide’s ‘Great Britain and Ireland’ edition is always big news in the UK food-nerd world. For very good reason, too – London is one of the top-ranked cities in the world for fine dining. And it’s got plenty of those coveted stars. Newcomers on 2025’s list include the excellent Oma in Borough, and AngloThai and Lita in Marylebone. The UK's first vegan restaurant to win a Michelin star was also awarded, with Plates in Shoreditch scooping the accolade. They join plenty more places that also appear in our meticulously compiled list of the best restaurants in London. Newly minted two star restaurants for 2025 include the Ritz Restaurant and Humble Chicken in Soho. No new London restaurant was awarded three stars in 2025. While Michelin’s expertise on expensive, upmarket restaurants is well known, the Michelin Guide has been criticised for its lack of relevance to ordinary diners. Conspicuous by their absence yet again are London’s more affordable places to eat. Still, if you’re feeling flush, read on to find all London restaurants with a Michelin star (or two, or three). RECOMMENDED: The 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.

Sometimes, tinnies in the park, a rowdy beer garden or one of London’s perenially over-subscribed rooftop bars just isn’t going to cut it when it comes to spring and summer drinking. For a more classy way to socialise when the sun comes out, what you want is a table on one of London’s drinking terraces or chic bars. Finding great sunshiney spots in London can be a bit of a challenge, so read on to discover some of our favourite locations for alfresco drinking done the right way. RECOMMENDED: The very best of outdoor London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.  

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, crusty 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 Italian restaurants. June 2025: Our latest update includes tasty neighbourhood joints such as south London fave, Peckham's Artusi (which now has a Soho outpost), as well as the legendary Ciao Bella, and Hackney newcomer Dalla as well as the well-worth-seeking-out Polentina in Bow. If you've got the cash to spare, then there are also super expensive spots such Luca, Murano and Sale e Pepe. But if you're on budget, then everyone’s fave one-stop pasta shop Padella is your best shout, and if you're 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.  RECOMMENDED: The 50 Best London Restaurants.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

After-hours fun in London is easy to find if you know where to look. To help you avoid the hapless post-midnight plod around town on the hunt for more liquor in London's best pubs, consult our definitive list of late-night bars and boozers in London. These are the best of the capital’s drinking spots that stay open into the wee small hours, listed in order of lateness (not necessarily greatness). Remember, cocktail hour can be any hour in London. If you fancy a dance with your drink, then check out London’s best clubs. RECOMMENDED: The best cocktail bars in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

So you like ice cream? You’re not alone. We’re all just big children waiting for a little bit of sweet, cold milk to numb the pain of navigating adulthood (even if, for some of us, it does have to be dairy-free milk). It’s no wonder there are often massive queues for our city’s best ices, especially when a heatwave hits.  Want to make sure the cone you’re standing in line for is worth the 30-minute wait ahead of you? Look no further. We've asked ice cream experts from around our office for their favourite places to lick 99ers, chomp on ice cream sarnies, feast on sundaes and neck a scoop or two of premium gelato or soft serve. Go forth and get cool.  RECOMMENDED: The best brunches in London.  The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

July 2025: We launched Time Out’s brand new list of the very best restaurants in London for 2025 in May, after 12 months of eating our way through the city, re-visiting some all-time classics, checking out low-key neighbourhood favourites and getting stuck into the best newcomers on the scene. After some serious deliberation we ranked London’s 50 finest restaurants. The result is this: your indispensable guide to where you’ll find the best food right at this moment in one of the world’s most exciting places to eat. There’s a focus on new openings and places that we’ve visited recently, so we can hand-on-heart vouch for their deliciousness.  A new Top 50 also means a new Number 1, as well as a whole bunch of brand new entries. From modern Korean masterpiece Miga in Hackney, through to slick Italian-American joint The Dover in Mayfair, and stealth sandwich bar and diner Cafe Mondo in Camberwell, you’ll find something for every budget and neighbourhood.  But London doesn’t stand still and neither do we. Our latest update to this list includes a new five star entry; Tatar Bunar in Shoreditch, a sleek Ukranian restaurant that we reckon looks set to become one of London’s hardest-to-secure reservations. Check out London’s 20 best new openings here.  This is your guide to eating out in the capital. Don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter for unbeatable London restaurant news and tips. Tuck in.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor and is at a different Lon

A city that has seen travelers pass through for millennia, you could say Rome has mastered its sense of hospitality over the ages. Italians are passionate people eager to break bread with you at the table, welcome you into their home and help you discover the wonders of their country. So it’s no surprise that the Eternal City is filled with hotels that transmit their warm spirit and elevate it with friendly service, style and classic Italian flair. If you’re looking for a place to stay, look no further. With handpicked the best hotels in Rome flaunting local charm, excellent amenities and ideal locations for exploring the city. 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. Looking for more inspiration? 🍝 Here are the best restaurants in Rome🍷 Get acquainted with Rome's best bars📸 Discover the best things to do in Rome🏠 Stay in the best Airbnbs in Rome📍 The best places to stay in Rome This guide was recently updated by Rome-based writer Livia Hengel. 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. While we might not stay in every hotel featured below, we've based our list on top reviews and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. Fo

Ever since Padella opened in Borough Market, and queues started to snake outside for its simple, affordable pasta small plates, London has become a city of pasta-fiends, lusting after linguine and Instagramming anelli. More and more hip Italian restaurants have opened across the capital serving up stylish, saucy, cheesy and downright-delicious strands of dough and we're also stocking up on perfect fresh pasta from delis like Lina Stores and diving into plates of trad pasta at Ciao Bella in Bloomsbury, as well as bottomless lasagna at Senza Fondo. Here are the finest pasta places in town.  RECOMMENDED: London's best Italian restaurants. 

The foodie equivalent of a blockbuster franchise that becomes increasingly ludicrous with each new movie, the Big Mamma Group is back with a sixth London restaurant, this time set among the shiny skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.  The showy-offy spaghettone al tartufo is made up of metre long strands of pasta Barbarella takes its name from the high-camp sci-fi flick of 1968, a film known more for the appearance of a pert Jane Fonda in silver bodysuit than anything resembling a cohesive plot. It’s fitting, as this Barbarella isn’t really about the food, but the sheer spectacle. Every detail is made for your phone camera; from the gleaming leopard-print tables (somehow… lit from within?) and mega palm trees, to the zebra skins on the wall (ethics be damned!) and a giant glass chandelier (imported from Venice, of course) dangling imposingly over the central bar.  Food is of the non-specific Italian variety, and there’s plenty of it. The massive menu comprises lots of pizza, loads of pasta, and various permutations of meat and cheese. Some dishes are named as they would be in Italy, the ‘paccheri alla norma’ pasta for example, or ‘tagliata di manzo’ beef fillet. Others have punny names that sound like someone’s dad has snuck into the development meeting; the ‘Looking For Truffle’ pizza or ‘Sundae Mood’ ice cream. There’s also a pizza named after Versace, for some reason. Barbarella is not about authenticity, it’s about having fun, and still isn’t sure if it wants to banter you relent

Bold move, Lupa. Very bold.  There’s already a glut of great Italian restaurants in London, and quite a lot of them happen to be right here in Highbury. The incomparable Trullo, for example, is just around the corner! But Lupa has something the others do not. Lupa not only promises ‘Roman comfort food’, but the slim chance of catching sight of its Very Handsome co-founder, the actor Theo James.  This is a ballsy offering of big, bold food, heavy with hearty guanciale  That man’s intense bone structure and dreamy eyebrows are not the only draws however. Carousel co-founder Ed Templeton is also behind this new opening, and in the kitchen is the extremely capable Naz Hassan, who we last encountered during his tenure as head chef of the much-missed Pidgin. Hassan has done time in some of London’s most esteemed kitchens, from high-end Indian at Bibi, supercharged steak at the Cut at 45 Park Lane, and non-specific Euro sharing plates at Crispin. And it’s evident from our first bite that such a gifted all-rounder hasn’t encountered any trouble turning his hand to Italian cuisine.  It’s a courgette flower, lightly battered, deep fried and stuffed with smooshy burrata, then draped with a fat anchovy and resting in a pool of its own green courgettey juices. Sure, it’s steep at £10.50 for a single courgette flower, but it sets the tone for the cavalcade of sturdy Roman flavours that are about to descend upon us. This isn’t a delicate menu of rural farm fare, but a ballsy offering of big

If the Pocket feels familiar, that’s because it comes to you from the same independent pub pros as Gospel Oak’s incredibly good Southampton Arms. Despite appearances, the rustic-leaning Pocket hasn’t been here for 100 years, but was opened by stealth in the spring of 2025, complete with new-old wood panelling, a 1930s anaglypta ceiling, a nerdishly impressive collection of 1970s pub ashtrays (on the walls alas, not the tables), and a battered upright piano (which gets played three times a week).  The Pocket’s premise is simple, and, let’s be honest, perfect: ‘No reservations. No green food. No shit beer. No terrible modern music,’ they say. The bar snacks come in various shades of beige (scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pasties, and pork pies), the music comes from either the piano or a vinyl record player which favours vintage jazz and soul, and the crowd is gorgeous. Beer is priced in order of strength, meaning it’s possible to get that rare thing - a London pint for a fiver. We are fully in the Pocket’s pocket. Time Out tip The Pocket is mere steps away from another great Islington pub, the Compton Arms. If you’re looking for more of a gastro experience, pop over for one of their unfailingly good kitchen residencies; as of summer 2025, it’s the powerhouse Rake boys.

I’ve long attempted to work out what exactly people mean when they call something a ‘neighbourhood restaurant’. In the London context at least, I have arrived at the conclusion that it is simply a restaurant that isn’t in Soho (or Shoreditch at a push). Pasero then, plonked on the Seven Sisters end of West Green Road in Tottenham, certainly makes the cut, a welcoming space with something of the 1960s primary school aesthetic about it, with shades of beige, terracotta and British racing green, as well as a small deli and bottle shop.  It’s like Monty Don’s offering a helping hand in the kitchen Opened in 2022, the idea was for it to be a hub for a series of rotating chefs, a bit like Carousel in Fitzrovia. Of course, this is a lovely idea – Marie Mitchell one week, Ling Ling’s the next, and Anna Sogaard right after – but surely a logistical pain in the arse. After almost three years, the Pasero people have decided to make their lives easier and go steady with a full-time chef. It’s a good one, too - previous Pasero pop-up champ Diamantis Kalogiannidis, who honed his skills at double Michelin star wonder Da Terra in Bethnal Green.  His blackboard menu is short and sweet. A ham-hock croquette is a powerful thing. Almost as large as a scotch egg, and with a crunch to rival on a Twiglet on the outside. Inside, it’s densely packed with sweet, moist and perfectly pink hock. This is a hearty, Hampton Court Palace banquet-worthy snack, the ideal thing for King Henry VIII to nibble on

Padella, a sleek but casual pasta bar from the duo behind Islington’s Trullo is just a stone's throw from Borough Market. Dishes are small enough – and, at around £10-15, cheap enough – to let you to order three between two. Do this. In fact, bring extra friends so you can order a bit of everything. Who cares if you’ll likely be sat in a row? Talking is so overrated. There’s a changing mix of classics and lesser-spotted varieties such as tagliarini (skinny tagliatelle) or pici cacio, a kind of hand-rolled no-egg noodle from Siena. Padella’s version is not just chewy and satisfying (a bit like Japanese udon), but comes smothered in a simple yet moreish sauce of parmesan, butter and cracked black pepper. Order this Trullo fans will be pleased to see the signature eight-hour beef shin ragu (served over pappardelle) here. Time Out tip There are no bookings at Padella, yes, you have to join a queue, but come for an early lunch (11.30am), or early dinner (5pm) when doors open, and you won’t have to wait long to get fed.

Bancone is a sleek Italian restaurant in Covent Garden with a short, simple menu that’s split into three sections: antipasti, pasta and dessert. Chefs in the front window roll out pasta dough almost all day: putting on a show for people passing by, frantically cutting and shaping for those patiently waiting for their pasta inside. There are generally around eight plates of pasta on the menu, and half of them are usually suitable for veggies. Proper al dente pasta is slightly undercooked, and hard to get right, but the chefs here nail it. Their best dish is the poetically named ‘silk handkerchiefs’ (it’s technically called fazzoletti) with walnut butter and confit egg yolk. Simple, but delicious: soft sheets swimming in a rich sauce, with little chunks of walnut for texture. The restaurant itself is a little office-like (it looks like it used to be one), but no matter, you don’t come here for the looks. You come to Bancone to devour cheap, delicious pasta at the bar, and to people-watch those around you doing the same thing.  Time Out tip Check out the other branches of Bancone across the city, in Soho’s Golden Square, Borough Yards and Kensington.  Order this Alongside those glossy, infamous handkerchiefs, check out Bancone’s signature negroni menu. We like the one with orange blossom.

Going for dinner at a hotel is A Very American Thing To Do.  Most Brits will only eat at a hotel if they are actually staying there and can’t be arsed to leave the building in order to get fed. It’s fitting then, that the NoMad’s newly revamped in-house restaurant is a high-octane tribute to the big, ballsy American brasserie.  It’s good, but it’ll send your arteries straight to hell Previously known as the slightly more descriptive ‘Atrium’, the roomy, well, hotel atrium’s rebrand as Twenty8 NoMad also reeks of flashy New York, utilising the kind of chaotic jumble of letters and numbers that brings to mind Manhattan staples Bungalow 8 and Eleven Madison Park. It’s brash, even grating, but we’ll give it a pass, as it fits the aesthetic bang on, which is all Manhattan-by-way-of-the-Marais, an extravagant Yank take on the French brassiere, complete with excessively high ceilings, balustrades and balconies. ‘Intimate’ it is not, but cosy is overrated, and we’re struggling to think of anywhere else in London that seems at once like peak Studio 54 and the ideal date spot for Romeo and Juliet.  Into this truly special space steps a lavish ‘raw bar’, supersized-steak frites and an entire menu devoted to the martini. Our dirty vodka offering comes with a whole second helping, courtesy of a sidecar on ice, as well as three blue-cheese stuffed olives. It’s the first in a carnival of oversized (read: American) offerings. A starter of crispy artichokes, which, though deep fried, are sur

The Camberwell Riviera has surely reached its final form.  The gastronomical possibilities on the lively Church Street strip are now nigh-on endless; there’s the holy meat juice bread at FM Mangal, posh pub fare at the Camberwell Arms, burly bargain wraps at Falafel & Shawarma, lamb skewers at Silk Road, panuozzo and pizza at Theo’s, Kurdish soul food at Nandine, superlative sarnies at Cafe Mondo, and cult croissants at Toad, as well as Vietnamese, Nigerian and Greek spots. Is there even room for another restaurant? Hello JoJo seems to think so.  There’s something faintly medieval about the menu Though the concept doesn’t bark originality (Hello JoJo is planning to open as a bakery by day, while in the evening it serves seasonal plates both small and large), when we visit on a Friday, the place is rammed. The people of Camberwell truly love to eat! Their name might sound like a brand that makes hemp dungarees for toddlers (and the red and blue colour scheme does give off some serious preschool energy) but the Hello JoJo crowd are pleasantly pitched in the mate date and actual date hinterlands. Everyone blethers raucously and the front door is propped open so you can enjoy the tender chugging sound of the 171 bus. Such heady conviviality is helped no-end by £6 glasses of house wine. A warm, mini loaf of brown bread comes to the table alongside a requisite pickle plate, and a serving of cool, deftly whipped goat’s curd topped with a pool of luminous celery splodge and crunchy

It’s wild that nobody before has ever thought to name a restaurant ‘Town’. Think of the endless possibilities of ‘Town’! It’s the place everybody wants to go; the place where so many thrilling things happen; the place where, if you can make it there, you are highly likely to make it anywhere.   Town isn’t about the chaos of the city, but super seasonality, regenerative farming, and letting the produce speak for itself This new, shimmering incarnation of ‘Town’ can be found on the fringes of Covent Garden, far enough away from the frantic piazza so as not to be heaving with tourists and/or street performers. It’s a truly grand room, a Ballardian boudoir in shiny, wipe-clean burgundy, with an open kitchen framed by a massive, oval-shaped and lime green opening. The retro-futurism thing is further dished up via the soundtrack; Dorothy Ashby’s ‘Afro-Harping’ slinks groovily in the background, and there’re a vinyl copy of Lou Donaldson’s 1968 sax odyssey ‘Alligator Boogaloo’ perched on a record player (which nevertheless remains switched off for the duration of our visit).  Such a space-age aesthetic is perhaps at odds with Town’s menu, which has more in common with the rustic likes of surrealist late-1990s cookery show River Cottage than it does Barbarella. You see, Town isn’t about the chaos of the city, but super seasonality, regenerative farming, and letting the produce speak for itself. It is, essentially, a plotline from The Archers. In practice, this means that the food is

If you’re seeking a historical feast, you’ve come to the right place. One of London’s most elderly restaurants, Wiltons has been in the game since 1742. Beginning life as simple shellfish mongers, Wiltons became a proper restaurant in 1841, and, after numerous address changes, moved into their current premises in 1984. Still, 40+ years in the same room is pretty good going for a city that turns restaurants over like pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. You’ll find a carving trolley here that’s almost as famous as their regal regulars Foodie lore runs deep at this London institution; they supplied oysters to Queen Victoria (there’s a signed picture of Her Maj in the ladies loo), and you’ll find a carving trolley here that’s almost as famous as their regal regulars. The dining room itself is pitched somewhere between Victorian grandeur and Jilly Cooper camp, with giant oil paintings of be-suited board members hanging next to jolly wooden booths, perfect for politicians who might need to plot the downfall of a colleague over an ice-cold Chablis. Red velvet swags hang heavy with portent over indoor windows which seem to lead nowhere, and the female waiting staff wear matronly tea dresses. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the food at Wiltons was as old school as the decor, but there’s some seriously impressive cooking happening here. An implacably good, twice baked stilton soufflé is wildly cheesy, served in a sterling silver dish, perfectly crisp on the outside and cashmere-soft on the insid

Remember The Nest, or, if you’re even older, Barden’s Boudoir? The excellent basement club below what is now the Red Hand has finally got the relaunch it deserves. A roomy 150 capacity cocktail bar from Andy Kerr (founder of Discount Suit Company and The Sun Tavern) and Tom Gibson (Ruby’s, Corrochio’s, The Bluecoats), they’re calling it a ‘1980s NYC style mutant disco’ with classy cocktails and regular DJs. Much cosier than any of its former incarnations, Parasol features little booths spread around a main dancefloor. Drinks are not just delicious, but pretty reasonably priced - there's a £7 martini (the Umbrella Vesper), and all the rest are a tenner. We like the smooth and chocolately Kinder Bueno, made with whiskey, Irish cream liqueur, hazelnut, cacao and clarified milk, and the punchy Korean Jesus, with tequila, mezcal, plum soju, gochujang, sesame, coriander, ginger and honey. Time Out tip Run by some of the same team as Parasol, line your stomach with extremely good tostadas and tacos at nearby Corrochio’s (one of Time Out’s favourite Mexican restaurants in London) before getting on the cocktails here. What’s nearby? Dalston is simply riddled with bars. Go on a proper crawl with help from our list of the best bars in Dalston. Not after any more drinks? Here are the best 20 things to do in Dalston, from Turkish grill houses to independent cinemas, live jazz, and drag shows.

Since opening in late 2024, myriad rants have been inspired by The Yellow Bittern. Largely, these haven’t been about the food, but rather the pretentious-leaning lore around it. To wit; you can only book this lunchtime-only bistro by phone (or a giddily anachronistic postcard), it’s expensive but cash-only, and proudly displays two portraits of Lenin. The food itself has been painted as a sort of spartan, St John-ish take on meat pies, luxe gruel and many, many stews.  I have never felt more like George Orwell seeking sustenance after a morning’s grind at the typewriter Now that the dust has settled on The Most Controversial New Restaurant in London™, it seemed time to finally check out this contentious font of day drinking, stodge and socialism. A 2pm booking on a Friday is secured (it is only open on weekdays and seatings are at 12pm or 2pm) and we step off the chaotic King’s Cross end of the Cally Road into a room that’s somewhere between a French village luncheonette and an interwar Lyons teashop. There are brown tiled floors, chunky wooden dressers, vases of floppy astrantias, and the interior are walls painted primrose yellow, which gives the impression that the decorator was simply decades-worth of cigarette huffing. Oh, and don’t forget the communist bookshop in the basement. I have never felt more like George Orwell seeking sustenance after a morning’s grind at the typewriter.  We start as we mean to go on (in 1934, essentially), with Belfastian chef Hugh Corcoran t

Boozehounds will be weeping into their morning coffee as news reaches us that legendary late-night drinking spot and dive bar Troy 22 has closed for good. The bar at 22 Hanway Street, just on the fringes of Soho (some would say that’s actually Fitzrovia, but that’s another argument for another time) announced the closure on their Facebook page earlier this week. ‘The legendary Troy Is closed forever thanks everyone who were part of our history,’ read the post. In March of this year, the bar announced that they were moving to a new space at 20 Hanway Street. ‘Same vibes, same energy – just a new space right next door! Our ground floor opens earlier for cocktails, art and hangs, and when the night kicks in, head down to the basement for that signature Troy 22 dive bar feel, complete with all the original decor and a dance floor made for late-night moves.’ Alas, the move wasn’t to last long.  Troy 22 was known for its late opening hours (until 2.30am on Friday and Saturdays). It’s always sad when a legendary drinking spot closes, but you might be comforted by the excellent historical synergy at play here, as archeologists agree the historical city of Troy fell at least twice. The bar had been in business for over 50 years. Saving London Pubs recently shared a plea to save the original 22 Hanway Street venue, objecting to a planning application to change the first floor bar into a residential flat. Our up-to-date list of the best bars in Soho Not happy with that? Here are the bes

Marylebone’s very tasty AngloThai is getting stuck into fast food. For one day only, the Michelin star restaurant is collab-ing with Shake Shack to release a special, limited edition burger.  Its skilled head chef and co-founder John Chantarasak has created the special menu item by artfully bringing together an Aberdeen Angus beef burger fried in red curry paste, which is then topped with ox tongue glazed in scallop roe and smoked chilli jam, before some wild garlic and green olive purée is added, alongside som tam infused pickles. Gosh. The whole thing is served on a toasted potato bun brushed with spiced honey butter. It’ll be available on July 11 at the Covent Garden branch of Shake Shack only, from 12pm until they sell out. You’ll also be able to order some laab spiced fries; crinkle cut fries seasoned with a laab spice blend, and topped with fermented yellow soybean mayonnaise and wild garlic sweet chilli relish.   AngloThai opened at the end of 2024, and won its first Michelin star within months of launching. The restaurant fuses Thai flavours with British, seasonal ingredients. Time Out gave it a glowing five star review, and praised its ‘reimagining [of] some of Thailand’s most celebrated dishes via the lens of fastidious fine dining’. ‘As a long-time admirer of Shake Shack, I'm thrilled to be creating my very own burger and fries that showcase the bold flavours and ingredients we like to cook with on our menus at AngloThai,’ says Chantarasak. ‘I'm a big fan of the mu

Truly, pizza season is upon us. Practically every other restaurant opening in London this July is dedicated to the perfect culinary offering that is a round-ish slab of dough covered in cheese and assorted veg/meats. And you won’t hear any complaints from us about it. As well as ‘za, you’ll soon be able dine in Mayfair’s highest restaurant, eat at a swish supper club at 180 Stand, and drink in a scuzzy Bethnal Green bar that pays tribute to the long-lost Crobar. Find out how, below. Lateef 1. The Italian pub Elephant, Clapton A long time ago, this place was known as the Elephant's Head. On July 9 this Victorian-era pub takes on a new lease of life as Elephant, a southern Italian-inspired gastropub with ex-Manteca chef Francesco Sarvonio doing imperious things with pasta. Come for ziti genovese ragù, buffalo mozzarella with tomato carpaccio and fried courgette flowers with spicy honey aioli, as well as a daily pizza menu. Hackney dads will be more than happy to hear of the ‘kids eat free’ policy, so you can stuff little Milo’s face with marinara while necking a negroni.   43 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, E5 0NS  All My Gods 2. The dive bar All My Gods, Bethnal Green Fans of Denmark Street’s foremost whiskey den Dram will be excited to hear that the same team are behind new dive bar All My Gods. Opening at some point in July, the knowingly sleazy spot is a passion project of tattoo artist Roxy Velvet, who founded the now-shuttered Velvet Underground, London’s first fem

Ever heard of the Prix Versailles? Well, it’s a series of architecture awards given to outstandingly impressive buildings and interiors and they’ve just announced their 2025 list of the World’s Most Beautiful Restaurants. Among this list of 16 downright gorgeous eateries is a single London entry; the very fit Julie’s in Holland Park.  The list is made up of new openings and re-opened restaurants, and Julie’s is one of the latter. The west London bistro has been around since 1969, but relaunched last spring, with a brand new interior and fancy new menu from chef patron Owen Kenworthy. Julie’s is named after its first owner, Julie Hodgess, an interior designer who kitted out stores for high-end hippy fashion house Biba in the 1960s. ‘Her restaurant set the template for bohemian west London with stained glass, expensive antiques and fabrics bold enough to make your grandma blush,’ we wrote when we visited the restaurant last year. ‘The latest incarnation of Julie’s doubles down on the fabulous interiors, with fresh chintz, chicly mismatched furnishings and staff in Laura Ashley-esque outfits complete with frilled necklines.’ Other restaurants in the final Prix Versailles 16 included the art deco-styled Beefbar in New York, and the cutesy branch of macaron bakery Ladurée on Rue Royale in Paris.  Want to check out some other quite beautiful London restaurants? Then have a look at our list of London’s most romantic restaurants, which features some absolute stunners. The 8 best new

Steakhouse pros Hawksmoor have announced plans for their summer holiday - and everyone’s invited. This August, they’ll be hosting four nights of al fresco dining in the ancient woodlands of Hertfordshire. The five course menu will include a host of Hawksmoor classics, from barbecued pork ribs, to Caesar salad, and scallops in garlic butter, with two mega dishes for the mains; Hereford rib of beef roasted over charcoal, or grilled Brixham monkfish with parsley and garlic oil.  There’ll also be some serious sides; ash-baked potatoes, barbecued bone marrow, heritage tomato salad, and grilled purple sprouting broccoli. For pud – if you have room – there’ll be a seasonal pavlova, and Tunworth cheese with blossom honey on toasted sourdough. There’s a wine pairing too! How much for such delights? £195, and that includes all your food and booze. The outdoor dinners will take place in the grounds of posh spa hotel The Grove, which is just north of glamorous Watford, on August 1, 2, 8 and 9, from 6.30-9pm.  If you’re feeling particularly flush, you can book an overnight package that includes a room at the hotel, which is £1012, based on two people sharing. London’s best restaurants for steak.  This foodie feast one hour from London is the perfect summer day trip.  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 o

Been struggling to get a table at Speedboat Bar in Chinatown? Well your chances of eating at one of London’s best restaurants have now doubled, as a second location for the Thai-inspired spot will be opening next month. Set inside the Electric House in Notting Hill, Speedboat Bar 2.0 will feature the same menu as the Rupert Street original, reports Restaurant Online. Electric House is run by the Soho House Group, but this won’t be a members club affair – all will be welcome to feast on Speedboat Bar’s iconic chicken matches with green mango kerabu, and tom yam mama noodles with squid, pork and prawns. The original Speedboat Bar opened in 2022, and has been a feature of Time Out’s 50 Best Restaurants in London ever since. A project of chef Luke Farrell – who also runs the southern Thai-leaning Plaza Khao Gaeng in the Arcade food hall by Centrepoint – the food at Speedboat Bar is inspired by dishes popular on the Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s own Chinatown area. It’s part of the all-conquering JKS restaurant group, who are also behind the likes of Hoppers, Bao and Gymkhana.  Our original review praised Speedboat Bar for its ‘blow-your-socks-off’ way with flavour. ‘For all of Speedboat Bar’s flashy, fabulous chaos – the real Thai racing boats strung from the ceiling, the pool table in the first-floor bar, the wobbling three-litre towers of Singha beer that are constantly being carried across the room and the 1am weekend licence – there is some seriously sophisticated cooking going

Last year Time Out crowned Leyton the coolest neighbourhood in London – and now things in this part of east London are about to get even cooler. A brand new street market is launching on Francis Road on Saturday July 5.  KERB – which recently announced plans for a new sports bar in Spitalfields Market – will be bringing 20 rotating food vendors to Francis Road, reports Leytonstoner. Vendors will include Uzbek plov rice bowls from Oshpaz, homestyle Syrian food from Utopia, Vietnamese family recipes from Hanoi Cà Phê, mother-daughter Japanese cooking from Banzai Kitchen, and tacos from Mexclub.  The market opens for business at 10am (and closes at 4pm), and there will also be vendors selling local produce from the likes of Woodkin Mushrooms micro-farm, pickle pros Shedletskys, cakes and bakes from Liv’s Baked Goodies and Jones’ Crumpets. You won’t be shopping in silence either, with DJs from local music shop Dreamhouse Records providing the soundbed.  Leyton is part of the mayor’s new ‘Summer Streets’ scheme, which will see some of London’s most popular neighbourhood spots go car-free for longer during the summer months. The areas are spread across the city, from Leyton to Brixton, Shoreditch and the West End, and the project is being funded by £300,000 from the Mayor’s Summer Streets Fund.  These are the best things to do in Leyton and Leytonstone.  You can read more about Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods for 2024 here. ICYMI: the ‘best’ pub in London has been crowned for 202

Sushi heads, you’re in for a treat.  Chef Masayoshi Takayama – the man who launched one of New York’s most influential sushi restaurants, Masa – is set to open his first ever proper London restaurant.   Tobi Masa will open at Mayfair’s Chancery Rosewood hotel – aka the former US Embassy – in September. It’ll be serving up some of Masa’s signature dishes such as Masa toro tartare and peking duck tacos, as well as a host of brand new dishes, unique to the London opening. You can currently get a little taste of things to come at Sushi by MASA in the Harrods dining hall, but this outpost is set to close in the autumn.  Masa opened in New York in 2004 and is one of the most expensive restaurants in America, with the omakase offering set at $750 (£553) per person (and that’s before drinks, tax and tip!). It also offers a chef’s table experience for $950 (£701) per person. Oof. Masa has held three Michelin stars since 2009, which maybe justifies the cost. Maybe?!  Prices for Tobi Masa have yet to be confirmed, but we can’t imagine it’ll be cheap. ‘I’m so proud to be partnering with a creative and innovative brand like Rosewood. We are very excited to embark on this new adventure together, and especially in such a historic landmark building in the middle of Mayfair,’ said Takayama of the new opening.  Tobi means ‘to fly’ and draws its inspiration from the 10-foot high, 30-foot wide eagle on top of the building, which has been there since the site, built by architect Eero Saarinen, op

A bunch of London names have scored big at the Pub and Bar Awards 2025. The winners? The Red Lion & Sun in Highgate was named London Pub & Bar of the Year, while Soho’s The Devonshire scored the Industry’s Choice Award, which was voted for by 100s of pub and bar industry folk. Congrats to both of them, despite the fact that we’d say they’re actually gastropubs – complete with sitdown restaurants – rather than proper boozers.  If you prefer crisps, pints and a sticky carpet, take a look at our best 50 pubs in London list, with not a gastropub in sight. And if you do like a gastropub, then have a look at Time Out’s top 20 gastropubs list.   Another London win came for Mr Fogg’s, which weas named Bar Group of the Year for its trademark Disney-ification of the Victorian gin palace. Mr Fogg’s has venues in Mayfair, Covent Garden, Fitzrovia, Soho and the City.  The overall winner was the Bull in Charlbury, which was named the UK’s best pub. Which, granted, is very nice, but is another gastropub. Justice for the real pubs, say us! Since 2023, the Bull has been run by the Public House Group, which is behind The Hero in Maida Vale and The Pelican in Notting Hill.   Almost 100 county winners were announced at the awards, which took place at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, as well as 13 regional winners. The 50 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

A brand new sports bar – complete with an outdoor terrace – is set to open in Spitalfields Market this August. KERB Social Club comes from, funnily enough, street food folk KERB, who also run Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden. The plan is to create a space where ‘American sports bar energy’ meets ‘proper pub comfort’.  The bar’s outdoor terrace will overlook Spitalfields Market. Inside, there’ll be a large main room, as well as five private rooms, which you’ll be able to book for everything from karaoke to pool nights, darts, gaming and chess nights.  KERB Social Club will feature three food traders: fried chicken from Only Jerkin’, hot dogs from Oh My Dog, and Detroit-style pizza from Cutie Pies. Joe Howard Speaking about the new bar, general manager of KERB Social Club Abi Watson said: ‘KERB Social Club is what happens when you take the spirit of a proper British local, mix it with the casual chaos and fun of an American sports bar, and give it an inclusive, modern KERB twist. This isn’t about gimmicks – it’s a reminder that community hangouts really matter. And for us, opening our first Social Club in a legendary market like Spitalfields makes it even more special.’ Time Out’s ranking of the 50 best bars in London. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your i

One of London’s favourite caffs is releasing a very special football shirt to celebrate 125 years of business. Founded in 1900, E Pellicci was opened by Priamo Pellicci and is currently run by Anna and Nev alongside their 84-year-old mother Maria. It is the oldest family-run restaurant in the UK. Pellicci’s was awarded Grade-II listed status in 2005 for its art deco-style panelled wooden décor, described by inspectors as ‘an increasingly rare example of the stylish Italian cafe that flourished in London in the inter-war years’. The décor was carved by regular customer and carpenter Achille Capocci.  The football shirts - which will be on sale for four days only – also boast an art deco-inspired design, with the caff’s famous logo on the front of the shirt. The shirts are £40, and come in blue or white. They can be purchased here.   Priamo Pellicci began working in the cafe in 1900, and his wife, Elide, ran the business after her husband’s death in 1931. Elide is the ‘E’ in the E Pellicci. Her son, Nevio Senior, who was born upstairs, ran the caff until he passed away in 2008. Nev’s wife, Maria, is the head of the family business today and has been cooking there every day since 1966.  E Pellicci is known for its fry-ups, pasta dishes and celebrity clientele. Since last year, the podcast Down The Caff has seen Anna and Nev interview famous regulars, including actor Ray Winstone and musician Hak Baker.  Read Time Out’s oral history of E Pellicci.   ICYMI: The award winning Londo

Crust Bros is set to open the brand’s biggest restaurant yet. A two-floor temple to pizza will open in Covent Garden on July 7 at 29 Bedford Street. Known for its natty Neapolitan-style pizzas, which have won Crust Bros two National Pizza Awards, Crust Bros already has locations in Waterloo and Earl’s Court.  Crust Bros’ Covent Garden branch will have space for 135 covers, and as well as serving up all manner of pizzas. The flagship will have a special menu of savoury bombas, including a lasagna-inspired take on the fried Italian dough ball, made with six hour ragu, parmesan, bechamel, and a deep fried lasagna sheet.  You’ll be able to order pizzas from a menu that includes classic marinara and margheritas, as well as the house ‘seven nation salami’, ‘veggie hot one’, ‘big poppa’ and ‘meat sweatz’ offerings. Personalised pizzas will also be available, allowing punters to pick their own dough, sauces, protein, cheeses and veg. So yes, you can order a chaotic gluten-free, green sauce, anchovy, burrata and chilli pizza if you so wish.    For pudding there’ll be a gelato menu from local ice-cream slingers La Gelateria, and the cocktail menu also sounds rather intriguing, with a house coffee negroni and negroni espresso martini up for grabs. The best pizzas in London, according to Time Out. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Ou