Joe Mackertich

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. London’s best pizza at a glance: 🍞 Best in central London: Breadstall, Soho 🌋 Best in north London: Bar Etna, Newington Green 🚗 Best in east London: Short Road Pizza, Leyton and Bethnal Green  🌸 Best in south London: Spring Street Pizza, Borough 🇮🇹 Best in west London: Napoli on the Road, Chiswick and Richmond Recent additions to the list include some nifty kitchen residencies; Dough Hands at the Spurstowe Arms and All My Friends in Hackney Wick, 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 a standalone parlour in Victoria Park. Try also; Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pie with a Michelin-starred touch, Carmela’s on Upper Street for a cosy slice, Vincenzo’s in Shoreditch for no-flop pizza and Bar Etna in Newing

Here at Time Out, we love all hotels equally: the flashy five-stars, the cool boutiques, the well-thought-out budget stays. But some are, undoubtedly, better looking than others. Whether ‘beautiful’ to you is a secluded jungle lodge or an eco-cool city stay, a kitschy motel or a reawakened royal residence, we’ve got them all on this list (and then some).  Now, it goes without saying that any list of the world’s most beautiful hotels is entirely subjective and by no means exhaustive. But what we can offer is real-life experience: every place on this list has been visited by one of Time Out’s editors, writers and hotel experts. From Punjab to Palermo, California to Costa Rica, we can guarantee that each hotel packs serious wow factor, and you’ll have an excellent stay at them all.  The world’s most beautiful hotels at a glance 🏰 Best heritage hotel: Ashford Castle  ⛰️ Best for show-stopping scenery: The Hiramatsu Karuizawa Miyota 🌺 Most beautiful gardens and grounds: Four Seasons Hotel Firenze 🎨 Best for avant-garde art and design: Jackalope Hotel 👑 Best for all-out maximalism: The Fifth Avenue Hotel 🏊 Most beautiful pool: The Phoenicia Malta 🏙️ Most beautiful city-centre hotel: Le Pavillon de la Reine How did we choose the world’s most beautiful hotels?  Our global team of editors, writers and hotel experts spend a lot of their time reviewing hotels in their corner of the world. Every hotel on this list has been selected for a reason: show-stopping scenery, beautiful i

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: this is the year of the staycation. After all, who needs to go abroad when the weather is this damn good at home, and when there are oh-so-many incredible hotels to pitch up in for the weekend, right here in the UK? In fact, we’d go as far to say that the UK’s hotels are some of the very best in the business – 10-room boutiques, seaside townhouses, sprawling countryside estates n’ all. Whatever trip you’re after, be it a quick break from London or a remote coastal stay, there is a perfect hotel waiting for you. And on this list, we’ve got it all: food-focused pubs with rooms, remote hotels with blessedly patchy signal and all-out, OTT luxurious. However, we want this list to reflect a full spectrum of properties available to travellers (and not just the ones with gold towel holders and Michelin-starred room service.) As a result, we make sure to take into account location, price and value for money – and bring you a guide that has plenty of budget-friendly options included too. Oh, and family-friendly ones. And yes, dog-friendly, too. Itching to book? Read on, friends. Here are our favourite hotels in the UK right now.  The UK’s best hotels at a glance 👑 Best overall: Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh 🎀 Best boutique: The Newt, Somerset 🥂 Best luxury: Claridge’s, London 💍 Best for couples: The Bull, Cotswolds 🌾 Best countryside: Cavendish Hotel, Peak District 💸 Best budget option: Leven, Manchester How we curat

August 2026: Our latest update includes everything from an early morning Michelin-starred tasting menu to udon noodle bowls, South Indian platters and Hong Kong-style toasted buns. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom and their iconic-for-a-reason bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London. The most recent additions to the list include the return of the best bacon sarnie/bap in London, which is now available at St John Neal's Yard Wine Bar from 9am daily, and our brand new Number One in Highgate.   The best breakfasts in London at a glance: 😎 Best for celeb-spotting: The Wolseley, Mayfair 🥓 Best for a fry-up: E Pellicci, Bethnal Green 🍛 Best for a South Indian feast: The Tamil Prince, Islington 🍞 Best for Hong Kong French toast: Hoko Cafe, Brick Lane 🍱 Best for Japanese brekkie: Ikoi, Kings Cross Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible morning whim. These days, London isn’t just home to the fry-up, but the ubiquitous smashed avocado on toast, bowls of shakshuka and many more besides. In fact, London genuinely might be the best place to eat breakfast in the world. Whether you’re the kind of person who favours a posh restaurant over a greasy spoon, or who champions a caff over a swanky hotel, we’ve rounded up the ultimate list.  RECOMMENDED: Breakfast’s a little too e

Once upon a time, the only reason to grab a bite at King’s Cross was if you were waiting for your train. But this once-grimy post-industrial area has undergone an enormous regeneration, and these days it’s packed with fine restaurants and great places to grab a decent bite. These are the best King’s Cross restaurants at a glance: 🍴 Best for a long lunch: The Yellow Bittern 🦆 Best for Chinese cuisine: Dim Sum Duck 🍛 Best for Indian favourites: Tamilla 🍠 Best for vegetarians: Bubala 🌮 Best for Mexican classics: Mestizo Be it the lofty, warehouse-sized joints around Granary Square, the trendy cafés in Coal Drops Yard or the hip little spots around lower Pentonville and a selection of Cantonese cult classics, there’s something for all tastes (and budgets, high or low). Check out our list of the best. RECOMMENDED: These are the best pubs 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. 

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 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 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. Shekha Vyas is

July 2026: We're constantly keeping an eye on this Top 50 list to make sure it's up to scratch, and with so many new restaurant openings in and around Soho, that means regularly adding new places and removing those that might have failed to deliver on our last visit. Recent additions include the exceptional Impala, rowdy Osteria Vibrato, plush Japanese joint Moi, northern Spanish grill Alta, and the third outing for Peckham-born small plates spot Forza Wine, as well as Thai BBQ at Khao Bird, and a new branch of YeYe's Noodle & Dumpling in what was once legendary goth pub The Intrepid Fox, as well as London's third branch of Padella and handroll bar Kumori.   The best restaurants in Soho at a glance: 🥧 Best for British classics: Quo Vadis 💅 Best for the fashion crowd: Rita’s  🫚 Best for Thai heat: Kiln 🥕 Best for vegetarians: Bubala 🍝 Best for Italian classics: Osteria Vibrato 🌞 Best for an al fresco feast: Forza Wine There’s honestly nowhere in the world like Soho. The haunt of poets, gangsters, trendsetters and many a louche genius, the seedy, sleazy and impossibly romantic heart of London’s West End is also home to loads of great independent shops, cafés, bars and, most importantly, restaurants. Its culinary diversity has been fuelled by centuries of immigration and cultural cross-pollination. From rustic French fare to iconic Italian dishes and tasty tapas, here is Time Out’s list of our absolute favourite Soho restaurants. Whether you fancy a slap-up meal or are j

Looking for the best restaurants in Mayfair? You’re spoilt for choice in this swanky central London neighbourhood. There are enough Michelin stars to feed a village here and prices are fittingly fierce. But if you’re after some indulgence or looking for the perfect celebration spot, then this is where you could be taking your hard-earned cash, with hotel joints such as The Ritz and Claridge’s in-house eateries some of the area’s finest. The best Mayfair restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Best for Indian food: Bibi 🍔 Best for posh burgers: Dover Street Counter 🎨 Best for gazing at art: Mount St Restaurant 🇪🇸 Best for Spanish cuisine: Sabor 🍸 Best New York-style bistro: Dante Mayfair at Claridge’s  A tip: look out for set lunch menus, which many Mayfair fine-dining restaurants such Pavyllon, Murano and Ambassadors Clubhouse offer, and make the whole experience that much more affordable. Go forth and feast: these are Mayfair’s most impressive food spots. 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.

April 2026: We've recently given this list a reshuffle to make sure we're recommending you the finest burgers in town. Smash burgers still take up quite a lot of real estate and with good reason; they're a little bit more managable then the hefty burgers that were in style a few years ago. But one particularly big boy makes the grade; the burger at Dove in Notting Hill, of which there are only 10 made a day. Smaller, smashier offerings can be found at French import Dumbo in Shoreditch, Jupiter Burger in Hackney, and Chuck's in Fitzrovia. Want a bit of both in one burger? Try the offering at the Empire Tavern in Hackney. Our current No 1, Hanbaagaasuuteeki in Victoria, offers burgers with an Asian-twist. Fancy a burger? Of course you do. The simple meat-between-buns combo is always a winner, whether for a quick fast-food fix or a decadent, gourmet feast. We’ve selflessly toiled away, trying and tasting a vast range of patties to compile this list of London’s best burgers, including the inescapable smash burger. London’s finest are utter meaty marvels: juice-seeping, oozing with flavour and far more complex in creation than they’re ever given credit for. Roll up your sleeves and tuck in to the best burgers in London right now. RECOMMENDED: These are London's best pizza restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

July 2026: If you’ve had the pleasure of strolling down Exmouth Market recently, you’ll know the historic Clerkenwell strip is the buzziest pedestrianised street in London, full of al-fresco fun, convivial pintspeople and sidewalk tapas as far as the eye can see. Which is pretty much all down to the new Number 1 in our list of the best bars in London. Congratulations are due to Cafe Kick, the breezy Euro-chic sports bar about to celebrate 30 years of tricking your brain into thinking you’re on holiday. The rest of our Top 50 features bars old and new, posh and divey, and cheap and pricey, but all of them with great drinks and an unparalleled vibe. Fancy a drink? You’ve come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, which features the greatest bars in the capital right now. These are the places we’d recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars and places to sip wine, London’s got them all. You’ll find historic drinking holes here as well as brand new openings. But what makes a truly good bar? Our critieria is simple; a menu of great drinks is important, but so is the overall energy of the place – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bin juice. To make it into our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, convivial and inclusive, as we

Ranking the greatest pubs in the UK is, obviously, very tricky business indeed. Pub preference is such an intimate, personal thing – one person’s dream boozer might not remotely appeal to another. That said, when it comes to Britain’s absolute finest pubs there are universal marks of excellence: convivial atmosphere, charming staff, charismatic decor and, above all, a varied selection of well-kept, well-served drinks. Time Out’s 2026 ranking of Britain’s greatest pubs was compiled with the assistance of our UK-wide network of drinking aficionados, and features all kinds of establishments. Pint enclaves built in barren deserts, atop blustery mountains and on isolated beaches. Sturdy booze bastions, age-old no-fuss pubs, innovative craft alehouses and everything in between.  Some of these pubs are old favourites though plenty are more recent obsessions; they’re almost all independent (with a couple of worthy exceptions). Mostly, though, they’re united by one thing: a sense of community. A pub is made by its cast of regulars, and you’ll find quality company in each of the institutions below.  (Oh, and for the most part these pubs are outside London. You can find a list of the capital’s top drinking holes here). RECOMMENDED: The best gastropubs in the UK. Mapped: the best pubs in the UK Image: Time OutBest pubs in the UK map

Whether you’re in one of the UK’s diverse, underrated cities, our picture-perfect seaside towns or anywhere in between, there’s always a museum to educate, explain, enlighten. Far from just places to hide from grim weather, Britain’s greatest museums tell stories, explore histories and get you fascinated by stuff you’d never previously spared a thought for. Here at Time Out, we are, obviously, huge museum nerds. You’ll find countless of the cultural institutions peppered throughout our UK city guides, whether that’s a mighty, storeyed national behemoth or an adorably niche local exhibition space. Even better, plenty of those museums are totally free to visit (and they remain so, despite suggestions of change). But which British museums are most essential to visit this year? Which ones are having a moment, basking in a refurb, putting on the most tantalising exhibitions? We’ve rounded up the most unmissable, all chosen by Time Out UK editors who’ve recently visited them. Before we get stuck in, a quick note. The vast majority of the list below is outside London, and that’s intentional. If you’re looking for stuff in the capital, we have an excellent guide to the city’s museums here. We’ve also steered clear of conventional art galleries – watch out for a dedicated upcoming guide. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The UK’s top places to visit in 2026.🎨 The UK’s best new things to do in 2026.🎵 The best music festivals in the UK.🥾 The greatest walks and hikes in the UK. At Time Out, all of our 

A gleaming beacon of ultra-modern comfort and convenience, sticking out of Japan’s wildest and most unruly city. The Four Seasons is what happens when some very serious people decide to grapple with the conundrum of why there have never been any ‘decent’ luxury hotels in Osaka. Off the bat: the Four Seasons does offer a ‘traditional’ ryokan room type, but really this hotel’s appeal is its big, brash brilliance. From the vertiginous lobby to the panoramic restaurants and meticulously engineered rooms, everything about the Four Seasons projects high-flying opulence. In fact the hotel’s creators have been so successful in crafting something ornate and sumptuous, that it feels incongruous in a place like central Osaka, a city that always seemed too small, spiky and stubborn to allow for shining luxury. Rather than simply chucking expensive materials at every surface, the hotel’s designers have gone all in on contrast. Warm timber sits against dark stone, traditional craft references appear beside highly engineered details, and enormous sheets of glass constantly remind guests that they are suspended above one of Japan’s most chaotic urban landscapes. Why stay at Four Seasons Osaka? As mentioned, Osaka’s energy doesn’t naturally lend itself to the hushed, respectful atmosphere that you probably associate with high-end Japanese hotels. The city is a bit loud and messy which means, compared to most of the country, it feels like a lawless carnival. Happily, The Four Seasons doesn’t t

Kyoto has an abundance of perfectly lovely hotels that promise some version of the same thing: a contemporary building, a few pieces of tasteful Japanese furniture and (usually) a bonsai tree strategically positioned near reception. Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is a great deal more interesting than that. Opened in 2016 on the fringes of Higashiyama, on the eastern side of the city, it is a large international luxury property that is in fact built around Shakusui-en, a 12th-century pond garden that predates the hotel by (checks calendar) about 800 years.  Imagine if Claridge's in London was constructed around the millennia-old Totteridge Yew. The garden (which is really more like a park) is the thing that gives the place its identity. The hotel is built sympathetically across the existing landscape, working within Kyoto's strict height restrictions to produce a low-rise building with four floors above ground and three below. Architecturally, we’re talking cedar, we’re talking glass, we’re talking timber and we’re talking stone. A very calm, some might say blissed out, resort-y layout which encourages guests to hang out in the hotel and get familiar with the garden. Why stay at Four Seasons Kyoto? Because the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto combines the conventional advantages of an international luxury hotel (extremely soft beds, very efficient staff, exciting toiletries) with a commodity that is actually difficult to come by in Japan: space. The 800-year-old pond garden is not a little

In the middle of Tokyo’s Otemachi district, an area synonymous with charmless glass-and-steel skyscrapers, stands a building that looks nothing like the rest. Cloaked in a dark chainmail with a beguiling floral-effect pattern, alarmingly narrow and dramatically uplit at night, the Hoshinoya doesn’t belong among the banks and business hotels. It belongs to a different dimension. Approximately 99 percent of the luxury hotels in Japan describe themselves as a mix of the traditional and modern. But the Hoshinoya - one of the nationwide Hoshino chain’s flagship properties - grabs the old-new concept and takes it to new and exciting places. It’s not just modern – it’s downright futuristic; a utopian vision of luxury hospitality that’s close to science fiction. A blissfully tranquil yet uncompromisingly urban take on a ryokan, Hoshinoya asks ‘what if you took the concept of traditional Japanese spa inns, and replicated it multiple times inside a modern high rise?’ Why stay at Hoshinoya? The moment you step through the hotel’s front door you’re confronted by a unique, self-contained world. Actually that’s wrong. It begins when you see the front door: a whisper-silent automatic sliding number that’s made out of centuries-old, bewitchingly warped wood. Once you’re inside, the friendly and endlessly patient staff avail you of your shoes (stored from that point inside a nifty bamboo tower) and ferry you into the building proper. From that point the outside world basically fades into non-

Kyoto, at its best, is a discreet, peaceful city. Yes, it’s majestic - filled with more stately temples and shrines than just about anywhere else on earth. But it’s also tranquil, very much in harmony with the bucolic and fantastical countryside that surrounds it.  At its worst, unfortunately, Kyoto can be a be-trampled victim of its own attractiveness, an untenably busy historic town, its wooden frame creaking under the weight of a million braying tourists.    The last thing Kyoto needs, therefore, is another galumphing luxury hotel pulling up onto its town centre like a Land Rover parked diagonally across the village green. The city has its fair share of international chains, and as you’d expect most of them don’t blend sympathetically into the city. The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto is emphatically not another galumphing luxury hotel. In fact, when you walk into it, it feels more like you’ve strolled aboard the obsidian-black deck of a cloaked spaceship belonging to a civilisation more advanced than our own. Opened in 2014 on the banks of the Kamo river, the Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto sits serenely between the city's commercial centre and the Higashiyama district, a sleek dark shape that complements the landscape instead of blighting it. In fact, maybe its most impressive quality is its ability to be quite so large while also being strangely invisible (helped by the fact it’s kind of built downwards, featuring a couple of subterranean levels).  Why stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto? I’ve bee

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to visit Tokyo. It’s a fizzing, seemingly never-ending city with a million exciting and distinctive qualities. Perhaps it’s the niche museums, the shady shrines, the lesser-known neighbourhoods, the world-class bars and restaurants or the shops that somehow remain open despite making no fiscal sense whatsoever. Whatever it is, chances are you're not there to waste too much time swanning round your hotel room in a bathrobe. You want to get out there. And arguably nowhere ‘gets you out there’ as efficiently and as stylishly as Trunk(Hotel) Cat Street. That’s right. To stay at Trunk(Hotel) Cat Street is to be placed into a (very comfortable and undeniably chic) cannon, which fires straight into the heart of what is arguably Tokyo’s coolest and most fashion-forward neighbourhood. The titular street on which the hotel is built is a long and winding (and surprisingly un-hectic) pedestrianised thoroughfare that separates Shibuya from Harajuku. It’s a bit like staying in the middle of Seven Dials in Covent Garden. Only with much better clothes shops and at least two places serving what might be the best doughnuts on Earth. Why stay at Trunk(Hotel) Cat Street? Because it’s an impressively calm, restorative base somehow hiding in the middle of one of the busiest bits of one of the busiest cities in the world.  Architecturally, Trunk(Hotel) smooshes together local design principles with recognisably ‘global’ boutique-y idioms. So despite being

Mayfair is the gleaming nexus of London’s luxury Indian food network. You’ve got the game-changing Gymkhana, critically acclaimed Bibi, older-than-old-school Veeraswamy and plenty more besides. For some reason Jamavar flies under the gilded golden, jasmine-scented radar. But it shouldn’t, because, for my (inadequate) money, it’s one of the very best. Unlike the afore-mentioned Gymkhana, which strives for intimate clubhouse ambience, Jamavar is all about the grandiose. The room is big. The ceiling is far away. Dark wood and shining brass abound. The staff are sharp as a tack and always at hand if you need something. Eating at Jamavar is a special occasion, whether you want it to be or not. Jamavar’s menu delivers comfort Gratefully, the food lives up to the setting. Jamavar understands that there’s little point ‘elevating’ south Asian cuisine if you also remove the inherent qualities that make the food so enduringly popular in Britain. You want warmth, depth of flavour, aromatics and sustenance. You want comfort, and Jamavar’s menu - which pinballs around the Indian subcontinent with gay abandon - delivers comfort. Ironically though, one of the only dishes which has been visibly elevated - the chandni chowk ki aloo tikki - is also one of the best. A prettified version of a Delhi street food classic, this starter of potato cakes, tamarind, mint and spiced white pea, presents a mind-expanding combination of smooth-crunchy textures and flavours. The haleem starter was another im

Tokyo is full of posh hotels. Tall buildings with large lobbies and impressive-yet-identical kaiseki restaurants. They’re all perfectly fine, but squint and it’s hard to tell them apart. Nobody is going to mix The Okura Tokyo up with any of those.  The Okura, a five-star hotel in Toranomon (and now part of the Leading Hotels of the World brand), is its own thing. Its vibe is contemporary but also an unapologetic, whole-hearted throwback to Japan’s pre-recession boom identity. The days of Sony Walkmans, smoking in business class, the ascension of Nintendo, Issey Miyake and the globe-straddling launch of the all-powerful Asahi Super Dry lager. The Okura somehow channels all of this into every square inch of its smooth, creamy tan interior. At this hotel, nihon truly still is ichiban. Why stay at The Okura? If ever a hotel was ‘Made in Japan’, it’s this one.  The Okura opened its doors in 1962 and instantly became one of the country’s most prestigious hotels. Anyone who was anyone, from superstar poets to presidents, stayed there if they found themselves in the capital. Formidable literary genius Yukio Mishima used it for meetings. John Lennon stayed when visiting Tokyo. Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren were fans. The old-world glamour is palpable. Which is weird, considering the hotel (as it exists today) is a completely different building. That’s right: Father Time comes for us all, even beloved 1960s modernist hotels. Its owners - presumably aware that the smell of 50 years-

What are the ingredients of the perfect city break? A fresh, relatively mysterious urban environment to explore? Obviously. Alluring museums, shops, cafes and restaurants that aren’t jam-packed with slack-jawed tourists? Yes. Neighbourhoods that feel like they still belong to the folk who actually live there? That would be nice, too.  There’s also the all-important fourth ingredient: a dynamic base of operations. Somewhere to stay. It has to be central enough that you’re in the thick of things, but still feel like a comfortable environment to come back to after a hard day exploring (eg not a hostel above a train station). It should be affordable (after all, you’re there to see the city not the accomodation) but still provide the kind of service and amenities that make you feel like someone’s guest and not their begrudged tenant. And most importantly it should hum with the energy of the city in which it exists. If we use these criteria, then OMO5 Kanazawa, which sits in lively Katamachi, is an ideal city-break hotel. It’s cheerful, it’s fast and it’s fun. But those qualities are complimented by the fact it’s also stylish, supremely comfortable and run by people who really do care about your experience of not just the hotel, but also Kanazawa as a whole. Why stay at OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi? Because it’s a Hoshino property. Resist the identikit global chains with their dreary Euro breakfasts and soul-killing lobbies; you’re in Japan, you should experience Japanese hospitality. T

If you’re looking for a Japanese getaway that’s unlike anything experienced by your smug, globe-trotting friends, the magisterial Hiramatsu Karuizawa Miyota, in the famous yet under-explored Nagano prefecture, might be just the ticket. The fact that the surrounding area looks and feels like the American Pacific northwest (it’s quite Twin Peaks-y) will have you forgetting you’re a mere 90 minutes outside of Tokyo. Once you step off that shinkansen, you’ll feel a million miles from Honshu’s relatively balmy southern fringe. Welcome then, to Miyota, a scenic region defined by huge skies, serene vistas and the all-seeing Mount Asama, slap-bang in the middle. Set against this inarguably dramatic backdrop, perched on a hillside, is the Hiramatsu Karuizawa Miyota, a low-slung, design-conscious retreat that blends slinkily into its surroundings like a prowling mountain lion.  Why stay at Hiramatsu Karuizawa? Because it’s bloody lovely? The Hiramatsu Karuizawa Miyota is where you go to find some peace of mind, detach from the rat race and sink into the warm embrace of a private onsen. It’s extremely comfortable, beautifully quiet and situated in such a way that you could quite happily spend your first few hours there gazing out your room’s massive window as the mist travels across the valleys and peaks below. That’s what we did, anyway. The property has 37 rooms and suites, split between 28 in the main building and nine standalone villas. The fact it’s all quite spread out helps the H

Chef Tom Geoffrey has opened a restaurant above a pub in Borough. Not just any pub. The pub that Bridget Jones used to live in. That pub. Having toured his Barang ‘concept’ around London for a while, the former Kiln man has settled down for a longer, more substantial stint in the tasteful dining room above the Globe Tavern. This is Cambodian food but, much like its Thai almost-nakesake Farang in Highbury, Barang doesn’t make any pious claims about ‘authenticity’. Instead these are creative dishes designed by people with a healthy love and respect for Khmer recipes, but also a desire to confound expectations. And crucially: they want to do this while offering a menu that is (for Borough) relatively affordable. Much like your favourite band’s discography, Barang’s menu hits hardest at the start. The snacks and small plates contain nary a dud. Prahok ktis (basically Cambodia’s fishy-porky national dipping sauce, served with a variety of scoop-shaped veggies) is an easy order: unpretentious and moreish, the minced meat has a pleasing heat that slowly makes itself known like a hidden but very surprisingly welcome houseguest. On the other end of the innovation spectrum is the blue fin tuna dish. Generous slices of raw, butter-soft fish, covered in a Kandinsky-esque arrangement of kumquat circles and compressed melon triangles, it is a triumph of texture and flavour.  Also demolished: fresh Carlingford oysters luxuriating in a greenish Cambodian sauce-mignonette hybrid; hogget chops

This is the (new) King’s Head Theatre’s second go at panto after a luke-warm Cinderella in 2024. By all accounts their first one (written and directed, as is the case this year, by Andrew Pollard) was fine, if a little lacking in the ‘fun’ department. I’m glad to say the team working away four floors below Upper Street got the memo, as this year’s Jack and the Beanstalk is absolutely bursting with berserk energy (and fart jokes) from the word go.  Nominally set in Islington, there isn’t anything hugely conceptually different about this retelling of the fairy tale. What it does have is bags of vim. The whole thing is supercharged with anarchic, Saturday-morning telly kineticism. The boy and girl actors (Elliot Baker-Costello and Priscile Grace) emanate the energy of a thousand Labrador puppies. Even the fact the theatre is so damn deep underground helps generate an atmosphere. As you descend into what feels like the bowels of the earth to reach the stage, there’s a tangible sense of mounting excitement. By the time the kids are in their seats, gathered in what feels like a cross between a school gymnasium and the Manhattan Project, it’s all a bit febrile.  The two children I brought along were properly engrossed for 90 percent of the two-hour run time, which is good going. In fact, the intimacy of the venue means that not paying attention is actively difficult. The cast of six hurl themselves around Jake Evans’ brutally colourful (and dynamically lit) stage, gurning at the cro

Michelin-starred restaurants can be terrible, claustrophobic places. Fussy food, tedious customers and over-bearing staff, desperate to explain exactly why the hand-dived scallops are so dear to the chef’s heart. Two-starred places (not that I’ve been to many) can be even worse, with hushed dining rooms that appear more like sites of religious veneration than restaurants. How lucky - how blessed - you are, benighted gourmand, to be allowed to look upon the miracle split dill oil reduction.  Consistently present at A Wong is evidence of boundary-breaking imagination To the uninitiated, A Wong sounds dangerously like one of those places. It’s basically in Chelsea, for a start. People talk about how clever and cutting-edge and creative the dishes (called things like ‘memories of Peking Duck’) are. Finally, it’s a question of ‘when, not if’ the restaurant wins a third star. These are all factors (along with Michelin-level pricing) that should set alarm bells ringing.  It’s testament to A Wong’s quality that it incorporates all these things (including gratuitous table-side dish exposition) yet manages to still impress relentlessly. We were carpet bombed with a pan-Chinese menu of about 30 dishes, organised into six courses, and the effect was culinary shock and awe. In the open-front kitchen, marshalling the assault with a pencil tucked behind his ear, was Andrew Wong himself, a reassuring sight when you consider how few big-name chefs put in a literal shift these days. Although,

Time Out’s award-winning podcast, Love Thy Neighbourhood is back for a third series and you can listen to the trailer right now. Ever wanted to wander the streets of London in the company of a famous person? Love Thy Neighbourhood is a weekly show in which a celebrity guest shows Time Out editor Joe Mackertich around a neighbourhood that means a lot to them. One area and four locations, finishing in a pub or bar. Want to hear about Kiell Smith-Bynoe’s schooldays playing ‘Blasters’ in the playgrounds of Forest Gate? Interested in visiting Jameela Jamil’s favourite restaurant in the city? Curious to hear what Nick Mohammed makes of all the Ted Lasso super fans milling around Richmond? We’ve got 12 episodes full of fascinating stories, hilarious encounters and numerous instances of famous people almost getting hit by Lime bikes. You can listen to the trailer and subscribe to Love Thy Neighbourhood on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Love Thy Neighbourhood is the Time Out podcast brought to you by Ralph, and produced by Big Signal. First episode of series three is out Tuesday September 30, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday. 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. 

Psychologists say all people are either mountains or oceans. I don’t know what that means, but I’m definitely a mountain. No disrespect to water, but I’ve always been drawn to massive hills. As a youngster they spoke to my dweeby Tolkien-sympathetic side. They were windswept, blasted, dramatic and cruel. Treacherous passes and passages to places otherwise impossible to access. In other words: mountains were cool. As a result, the idea of a road trip through Scotland, the UK’s most mountainous region, always appealed to me. Setting off in a car, on an epic journey, through an unforgiving Highlands landscape. What’s not to love? I’ll tell you what’s not to love: I can’t drive. Don’t look at me like that. For Londoners, owning a car is both relatively unnecessary and appallingly expensive. As a result I long ago made peace with the idea that I would never refill a petrol tank in the foothills of Ben Nevis or befriend a wandering Shetland pony. My Scottish driving dream would remain just that: a dream.  That was until the people at Sixt got in touch. Did I, they asked, want to borrow a car and go anywhere for an indefinite amount of time? Sixt is the only vehicle-hire service where you don’t need to put down a credit card (or pass a credit check) to hire a vehicle. Which means, theoretically, anyone with a debit card can stroll into one of their orange shops and drive away in a Jaguar half an hour later. My partner (who does drive, albeit nervously) didn’t fancy anything so osten

AJ Odudu first came to London with big dreams of making it as a prime-time telly star. The Blackburn-born presenter may have taken her sweet time getting there, but it’s safe to say that these days she’s considered a staple of the small screen. We asked her to forget TV for just one minute and tell us about the best thing she’s ever seen on a London stage. ‘Ronnie Scott’s is my five-star venue. And I saw Prince there,’ she said on this week’s episode of the Time Out podcast. ‘It blew my mind. It was when he was doing those pop-up, secret surprise gigs around London. I was in Soho, I’d had a meeting, and was just passing. I saw these people queuing in the rain, so I just joined it and ended up paying 25 quid to see Prince. If you’ve ever been to Ronnie Scott’s you'll know it’s tiny. So it was like having Prince perform at me, in my living room. It was bonkers and nothing can top it.’ Prince came to London in 2014 and played a series of secret gigs in iconic venues. As well as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club Prince also appeared (often with almost no notice given) at Koko, King’s Place, Electric Ballroom and the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. ‘He was majestic and indescribable,’ said Odudu. ‘No one that was there could believe that he was in the room, playing these actual classics. He was petite but beautiful.  Want to hear AJ Odudu chat about her love of London while giving Time Out a guided tour of her favourite restaurants, parks and pubs? Have a listen to this week’s episode of ‘Love Thy

Iain Stirling is known by millions for his idiosyncratic, sardonic voiceovers on ITV’s ‘Love Island’. He’s the Scottish guy who talks in a very deliberate, some would say brutally sarcastic, way. But he is of course much more than that. He’s a stand-up comedian, sitcom writer, podcaster and, for a long while, a lead presenter on CBBC.  It was while appearing on CBBC that Iain first become acquainted with Mr Falafel in Shepherd’s Bush Market.  ‘This is the greatest food on the planet,’ said Iain on this week’s ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’ podcast. ‘Mr Falafel in Shepherd’s Bush Market. Oh my god. It’s where I used to go for lunch three or four times a week. Honestly of all the places I’ve taken to you today, this is the one where I’d say you should come. The food is genuinely amazing. The extra large here is absolutely ma-hoosive. You wouldn’t get through a king size unless you were a rabies-ridden maniac.’ If you want to understand the rabies reference you might want to listen to all of this week’s podcast episode, in which Iain shows editor Joe Mackertich around the neighbourhood of Shepherd’s Bush. Guinness, Westfield and Iain’s abiding love of Spaghetti House all get discussed.  Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Amazon Music Each week on ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, someone interesting gives Joe a personal tour around a neighbourhood that means a lot to them. Four locations, with a bit of chitchat en route

Comedian Jon Pointing, best known for his Bafta-nominated starring turn in Channel 4’s ‘Big Boys’, has revealed his London tourist attraction of choice. And it’s not an obvious choice (sorry London Dungeon fans). ‘I would say the Crossness Sewage Works,’ he says on this week’s Love Thy Neighbourhood podcast. ‘You can book it and you get a tour around these sewers that were built near Abbey Wood in Victorian times. An unnecessarily beautiful cast-iron interior that’s being slowly restored by die-hard retired maniacs. They’re down there scraping rust off iron bars.’ The Crossness Pumping Station was designed by legendary British architect Charles Driver in 1865. Described as a ‘masterpiece of engineering’ the Grade I-listed sewers are the subject of ongoing restorations.  ‘Look,’ he says. ‘There is a smell. But you learn a great bit of history, about water. It’s all connected to clean water and cholera. People used to come off pleasure cruises on the Thames and die because the layer of air above the water was so incredibly toxic. I learned all that down in the sewer.’ Want to hear Jon chat about his favourite neighbourhood of Deptford? Tune in to this week’s ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’ podcast. Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Amazon Music Each week on ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, someone interesting gives Joe a personal tour around a neighbourhood that means a lot to them. Four locations, with a bit of chitchat en route to ea

Noomi Rapace is a bit of a global citizen. The actor, who rose to international prominence playing Lisbeth Salander in the original, Swedish-language ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, has lived all over the world. Which is why it’s so flattering she’s chosen to call London home (most of the time).  So where’s her favourite venue in the capital? In the latest episode of our podcast 'Love Thy Neighbourhood', we asked Noomi where in London really floats her movie-star boat right now. ‘I've been going to House of Koko, a lot,’ she says. ‘I love it there. It has four floors, it has little vinyl rooms, I’ve been bringing people there who visit me from LA or New York, friends who are coming to London where we need to have a work dinner, and then have some fun. It’s a beautiful venue.’  House of Koko is the new, swankier incarnation of the notorious Koko nightclub in Camden. Synonymous with rock and indie throughout the naughties, Koko closed down for a bit (and suffered a fire), got a revamp, and reopened as House of Koko in 2022.  ‘I saw Nas perform there last year, at the Koko Theatre, which was epic. And I saw Little Simz there too, she was magical.’ If you want to hear Noomi wax lyrical about her adopted neighbourhood of Portobello (including diversions into squirrels, Premier League football and the film ‘Notting Hill’) do check out this week’s ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’. Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Amazon Musi

Bafta-winning writer and actor Allan Mustafa (who you might know as Seapa) is serious about food. Best known for creating and starring in the phenomenal comedy series ‘People Just Do Nothing’, the born-and-bred Londoner is also deep into his food. So deep that he and two pals started Taste Cadets, a show where they travel around the world eating. But what about eats that are closer to home? In the latest episode of our podcast 'Love Thy Neighbourhood', we asked Seapa what his favourite pizza in London was. Because everyone likes pizza. ‘I'd say Crisp Pizza, in Hammersmith,’ he says. ‘But, by the way, I’m not one of those people that are just now jumping on the trend. We [the Taste Cadets] were some of the first people to go there, really, and the first people to properly document it. You can ask Carl down at Crisp.’  In the last year Crisp Pizza became a word-of-mouth phenomenon after various influencers started calling it the best slice in London. Owner Carl McCluskey does however, credit Seapa and his mates with being the first to raves about his cheesy wares. ‘It’s very thin, very crispy,’ says Seapa. ‘It’s a New York pizza that’s has been, for some reason, really hard to get in London. And he [Carl] has done it so well. He basically did it as a lockdown thing. This pub is called the Chancellor’s in Hammersmith. And he knocks them out of there. He went to New York, he got obsessed, and he came back and just started nerding out on it so much. He got it wrong so many times,

The latest episode of ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, our very good podcast about London and the people who love it, has landed. This week comedian and writer Phil Wang is showing us around his ends (aka Nunhead). One of the stops of the journey just happens to be Phil’s favourite eatery in the area. We are talking, of course, about the magisterial Kudu Grill on Nunhead Lane. The former pub (that still has some of the old signage) serves South African small plates. ‘It’s a beautiful restaurant,’ says Phil. ‘Fancy South African food with amazing flat breads and meats and stuff. To me, there’s no better flavour in all cooking than that slightly burned taste. That’s braai grill, and you can’t get quite the same flavour with anything else. ‘I filmed an episode of “The World’s Most Dangerous Roads” in South Africa. We stopped at these rondavels, which are like traditional round houses, and they had these grills outside that were free to use. The crew bought all these steaks and sausages and started grilling and it was the most delicious thing. They’re just so good at meat, I don’t think anyone grills as well as the South Africans, and Kudu Grill reflects that.’ Phil also describes the restaurant’s stylish interior as ‘a millennials’ wet dream. Forest green, mid-century chairs and lots of wood. Distressed walls, a bit of piping and ceiling fans that are definitely never turned on.’ Want to hear Phil hold forth about Kudu Grill, and loads of other places in Nunhead and beyond? Have a list

We've been banging on about 'Van Gogh: The Immersive Show" for what feels like forever. With good reason! The retina-battering, virtual-reality post-Impressionist extravaganza that's taken up residence at 106 Commercial Street has all the qualities needed to make it a post-pandemic smash. Why not utterly lose yourself in a load of lush brush-strokes for a few hours? Sounds nice. Studio Melrose How does it work though? Is it projections? Are head-sets involved? Do they play depressive music to recreate the feeling of being inside the famously morose artist's head? We went along and found out. As you can see from the photos, Van Gogh's paintings are beamed hyper-sharp all over the floors and walls, using dozens of cutting-edge projectors. The all-encompassing sight of iconic works like Starry Night and Wheatfield with Crows (complete with flying birds, natch) knock a lot of socks off (particularly when augmented and combined with VR headsets). Studio Melrose The exhibition is in three parts, each one dedicated to a different section of the Dutch artist's life.  Be forewarned: the VR part of the exhibition (which takes you on a trip through eight Van Gogh paintings) is included in the price of VIP tickets, but anyone with a standard ticket will need to stump up a bit extra to experience the head-set bit of the exhibition.  Photo: Studio Melrose Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’, 106 Commercial St, E1 6LZ, Jul 29-Feb 2022. Tickets from £19.90 (adult), available here. The

Mark it in your diary: June 20 (aka ‘this coming Monday’). This is the day on which Time Out’s all-new, daily newsletter hits eager inboxes all across London and beyond. It’s called Out Here. And it’s wonderful. You like Time Out? Of course you do. You adore the way we sort the wheat from the London chaff, rising above the noise and hype to recommend and highlight only the tastiest dishes, crispest pints, weirdest (in a good way) exhibitions and, uh, least-boring plays. Our jokes amuse and delight you. Your friends consider you clued up about culture, trends and vibes because you frequently pass off our opinions as your own. And we’re fine with that. Really. Out Here is everything you love about Time Out, condensed into a five-minute morning read. You’ll be bowled over by its brilliance, its usefulness, its humour and its charm. It’ll tell you what’s good, with daily bite-sized reviews of film, art, food and all the rest, and also provide recommendations from the capital’s best chefs, artists and makers. Daily London news? But of course. We’ll even find time to rate the city’s park benches and stuff like that. Don’t waste even a single second of your time. Subscribe here. Eating, drinking and having fun. We’ll show you how it’s done. Out Here is a daily email from the Time Out team. Subscribe to it right here. A massive, immersive dinosaur experience thing is coming to London. The 30 best rooftop bars in the city (according to us).

Name a cool London brand. Good. Now name another one. Okay. Chances are you just said ‘Um, Yard Sale.... Top Cuvée?’. Because both of those are cool London brands. We like them both. Good news: they're teaming up for a bit. The pizzeria and natural wine specialists are joining forces to create a kind of ultimate London food Voltron restaurant. Vin-Yard is the pop-up. Hackney Road is the place. May is the month. From this Friday (until May 25) the Yard Sale basement will play host to this collab of dreams. As you'd expect, Top Cuvée is handling the booze, while Yard Sale will be slinging their hot, hot pies. All the classics will be present, as well as Yard Sale’s game-changing cheese and Marmite garlic bread. See you there, basically. 184 Hackney Road London, E2 7QL, May 6- May 25. The absolute best bottomless brunches in London. Yo, Bone Daddies be collab-ing with Ivan Ramen.  

You a fan of rock and/or roll? Then you will definitely be interested to learn about a new, sexy boutique hotel, named Chateau Denmark, perhaps unsurprisingly located on Denmark Street in central London. Denmark Street was, of course, famous for its music shops. If you wanted to buy a guitar in London, that was where you went. The Chateau’s owners are no doubt hoping the hotel offers a similar level of attraction to the city’s music-loving populace and rock-steeped visitors. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHATEAU DENMARK (@chateaudenmark) Excitingly, the hotel, which features loads of themed rooms, is set across 16 buildings (including some grade II-listed eighteenth-century townhouses). That’s loads. Interior designers were asked to ‘imagine a time where punk rock and vintage gothic meets modern psychedelia with a timeless grandeur’. Erm, right…  Several of the buildings which make up the Chateau Denmark are veritably drenched in rock and pop history. Maybe the best fact of all is that the Rolling Stones (who are celebrating their sixtieth anniversary this year) recorded their eponymous debut LP in one of these buildings. Chateau Denmark, Denmark Place, WC2H 0LA. Coca Cola’s opened a flagship shop in Covent Garden. Blackhorse Beer Mile is kicking things off with a free party this Sunday.