Between landmark reopenings, ambitious new members' clubs and a handful of restaurants that have already made waiting lists feel like a sport, London is having a moment. From century-old dining rooms brought back to their former glory to rooftop bars rewriting what a view can do for a drink, these are the openings and perennial favorites worth knowing about right now.
The Gambit Bar
The Gambit Bar at The Newman
Tucked inside The Newman, a new boutique hotel in the heart of Fitzrovia, the Gambit Bar operates as a destination in its own right. The drinks list leans into London's rich cocktail tradition while finding its own modern footing, with expertly mixed serves and local craft beers keeping the bar well stocked. Evenings here have a distinct energy, shaped by resident DJs, guest artists and a house band that plays most nights, making it as much a spot for a nightcap as a full evening out.
Bread Street Kitchen & Bar
Perched on the 59th floor of 22 Bishopsgate—the City's tallest tower—Gordon Ramsay's latest flagship brings a new level of altitude to London dining, quite literally. Marking the group's 100th restaurant worldwide, the all-day destination spans everything from early breakfast and afternoon tea through to late-night dining and a 24-hour licensed sports bar, with DJ sets Thursday to Saturday keeping the energy running well past midnight. Executive Head Chef Kamarl Rees John oversees a menu of over 35 dishes alongside the venue's first-ever tasting menu, and with floor-to-ceiling views stretching across the capital, the setting alone makes a compelling case for the journey up.
Tigermilk, Spitalfields
The concept that had queues forming on Tottenham Court Road within days of opening now arrives in Spitalfields at its most commanding scale yet: a 280-seat flagship that unfolds like a grand hacienda, room by room, courtyard by orangery. Founded by Nina and Alexis Melikov, Tigermilk has quietly become one of Europe's most prolific restaurant groups, and this thirteenth opening makes the boldest case yet for their vision of the Latin American brasserie: theatrical in design, generous in spirit, and anchored by a six-metre bar stacked with over 2,000 bottles and a tequila and mezcal list running past 250 labels. The food – including ceviches, cochinita pibil tacos, large-format sharing plates and indulgent desserts – is built for long, unhurried evenings.
Broadwick Soho
An independent luxury hotel, Broadwick Soho is a 57-key property designed by Martin Brudnizki with interiors that splice English eccentricity, Jazz Age glamour and disco-era confidence into something entirely its own. The food and drink offering spans three distinct venues: Dear Jackie for sumptuous Italian-inspired dining, street-level Bar Jackie for coffee through to aperitivo, and rooftop bar Flute for cocktails and grazing plates above the West End roofline. A packed cultural calendar of DJs, live musicians and artists ensures the energy stays high, making it as relevant for a night out as it is for a stay.
St-Germain Afternoon Tea at Shangri-La The Shard
Running from March through November, this seasonal afternoon tea at TĪNG takes the classic format and lifts it, literally and figuratively, 35 floors above the city. The collaboration with St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur gives the menu its through-line, with floral, citrus and berry notes woven across refined savouries and delicate pâtisserie curated by Executive Pastry Chef Piero Sottile. Elderflower cocktails accompany throughout, and with panoramic views stretching across the London skyline, it makes a strong case for letting the afternoon drift unhurriedly into evening.
JUL'S London
Occupying a former bank near St James's, JUL'S London turns a building steeped in history into something quietly contemporary, with interiors built around natural materials and artisanal craft that sit in easy harmony with the original architecture. Chef Christos leads a Greek-inspired Mediterranean menu that lets seasonality and produce do the heavy lifting, with dishes spanning bluefin tuna tartare with blood orange ponzu to slow-cooked lamb flatbread and a lobster risotto finished with truffle and espresso butter.
Sunday Roast LAVO at The BoTree
LAVO's take on the Sunday roast keeps the spirit of the tradition intact while pulling it firmly into Italian territory. Served every Sunday from noon until five, the menu centres on roasted beef striploin, corn-fed chicken and porchetta, each arriving with roast potatoes, seasonal root vegetables and panini semidolci, LAVO's soft Italian milk bread standing in for the Yorkshire pudding. Groups can opt for the Sunday Sharing Feast, bringing all three meats to the table, while the wider menu stretches to lobster linguine, roasted cauliflower with salsa verde and a dessert list headlined by the cult 20-layer chocolate and peanut butter cake.
The Goring Garden
The largest private garden in Zone 1 has long been one of the capital's best-kept open secrets, and this summer The Goring puts it to particularly good use with the launch of Cham Pong, a champagne-fueled ping pong pop-up that leans into the hotel's characteristically dry sense of fun. The Goring has been doing things its own way since 1910, and the garden remains its greatest asset: a genuinely rare patch of green in the heart of Belgravia, made even better with a glass in hand.
The Roof Gardens, Kensington
One of London's most storied rooftop addresses, The Roof Gardens sits 100 feet above Kensington High Street atop a building with a lineage stretching from a 1930s department store through Biba and beyond. Now operating as a private members club, the space pairs lush gardens, first planted in 1938, with Komorebi, a Japanese restaurant designed by Roman and Williams where floor-to-ceiling windows frame some of the best elevated views in the city. As summer sets in, there are few more compelling reasons to seek out a membership.
Hanover Bar at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair
Perched above Hanover Square at the top of the Mandarin Oriental's Mayfair outpost, the Hanover Bar remains one of the city's better-kept rooftop secrets. The 50-seat indoor-outdoor space looks out across the Mayfair skyline all the way to Hampstead Heath and the London Eye, and comes into its own properly once the evenings stretch out. The cocktail menu takes the neighbourhood as its starting point, blending heritage and contemporary technique, while refined small plates, from wagyu beef tacos to toro caviar nigiri, give ample reason to settle in for longer than planned.
Simpson's in the Strand
After closing its Grade II-listed doors in 2020, one of the capital's most storied dining rooms is back — and in considerably better shape for it. Reopened in March 2026 under Jeremy King, the near 200-year-old institution has been restored to something closer to its original grandeur, with the silver carving trolleys returned to the Grand Divan dining room and a first-floor cocktail bar making a strong case for pre-dinner drinks. Late nights have a home too in Nellie's, an underground bar open until 3am.
Dover Street Counter, Mayfair
The younger sibling to Martin Kuczmarski's acclaimed Dover just a few doors along, Dover Street Counter arrived in late 2025 and has been almost impossible to get into since. The room is built around a gleaming stainless steel bar and open kitchen, with glossy black lacquer floors and walnut panelling setting a tone that is simultaneously relaxed and very considered. The menu reads like elevated diner classics done with real skill, including the disco fries that have developed something of a cult following.
The Bar at Chez Lui, Notting Hill
The Bar at Chez Lui has the feel of a tucked-away Parisian side street find — low-lit, plush and unhurried, with French classics anchoring both the drinks and the food. Three Negroni variations, a well-made Paloma, beef tartare and a slow-roasted herb-butter chicken give the menu real substance, while Sunday evenings bring live jazz from the Lotus Blossom Duo. The kind of place that makes an ordinary weeknight feel like a small occasion.
Samyukta Nair's newest opening arrived on 23 April on the ground floor of MiMi Mei Fair, and it is already shaping up to be one of the spring's most talked-about tables. Fifty covers of teal panelling, red leather banquettes and gold-leaf lotus motifs set an intimate, considered scene, with a robata-style grill at the centre of a fire-led Thai menu. The Apple Wood Fire Peking Duck Penang Curry has already established itself as the dish of the opening. If you can secure the private dining room for eight, do.
Seven years in and Amazónico remains the table in Mayfair that nobody seems to tire of. Live musicians move through a jungle-green room, and the bar fills early and stays full. The weekend Asado lunch is the main event: pão de queijo, stone bass ceviche, grilled meats, South American wine and live music that turns a lazy Sunday into something considerably more memorable.
Brooklands Bar at The Peninsula
The journey to Brooklands Bar is part of the experience: a wicker-lined lift that nods to a hot-air balloon ride delivers you to the eighth floor of The Peninsula, where the bar opens onto sweeping views across Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and the wider London skyline. The design is rooted in the golden era of British aviation and motorsport, from a latticed ceiling referencing a 1930s twin-engine bomber to a chandelier modelled on Rolls Royce turbine blades, and the cocktail list from Director of Mixology Florian Thireau is built to match the ambition of the setting. At sunset it is particularly hard to argue with.
One of the City's more quietly impressive five-star hotels, Pan Pacific London has refreshed its offering across the board this season. Straits Kitchen sees Executive Head Chef Adam Bateman launch a new spring and summer menu, anchored by a five-course experience menu; the Ginger Lily Lounge hosts a revamped afternoon tea in collaboration with luxury tea house Newby Teas; and a new Sunday brunch arrives in Straits Kitchen, served to a live jazz backdrop with a tableside Bloody Mary trolley crafted to order.
The Pembroke (opening autumn 2026)
One to have firmly on the radar: The Pembroke arrives later this year as the largest members' club in the history of the city, spanning 50,000 square feet across six floors of a Grosvenor Place townhouse that was once the residence of a Liberal Prime Minister. Bars, restaurants, cigar lounges, billiards rooms and a literary salon are all promised, along with a level of considered detail that extends as far as a dedicated butter sommelier. It opens this autumn in Belgravia, and membership is already very much the conversation.
