Joe Mackertich

Want a drink? Well 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 joint to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. The latest additions to our list include Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneat the famous Soho deli, Jumbi listening bar in Peckham, Oranj's vertitable wine warehouse in Shoreditch, and Helgi's, a suggestively Satanic rock bar in Hackney. Now go forth and booze. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

It’s that time again. Every year, we ask thousands of city-dwellers to tell us the coolest spots in their cities. What are the places locals love and visitors flock to? Where are the exciting new openings across food, drink and culture? Where are people going out, hanging out and having fun? For the sixth year running, the results are in. Over 12,000 people had their say in this year’s shortlist, naming the neighbourhoods in their hometowns where everyone wants to be right now. Then, we narrowed down the selection with the insight and expertise of city editors and local experts who know their cities better than anyone else. To create and rank the final list, we considered factors including community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life. In 2023, our neighbourhoods are more global than ever before. The rise and rise in post-pandemic digital nomadism has led to an explosion of brand-new community spaces, multi-purpose culture centres and more cafés than we can count on two hands. But while most of these neighbourhoods have experienced a transformation over recent years, they remain resolutely local at heart. Slick new developments and cool cafés might bring in new crowds, but neighbourhood stalwarts – from old pubs to family greengrocers – keep it real.  The world’s coolest neighbourhoods this year are, therefore, places with big personalities. Each area’s diversity is reflected in its food, culture and festivals. Community is key: local

Some people like to watch scary movies from the safety of their sofa with a cushion in front of their eyes. We prefer the communal experience: sitting in a huge, dark space with loads of fellow thrillseekers, all reacting to every collective gasp and shriek. If you’re with us, then you need to get your brave self to one of these Halloween film screenings. And when we say scary movies, we don’t just mean genuinely terrifying horror classics like ‘The Shining’ and ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. Many classics of the Halloween movie season range from camp as Christmas (‘Hocus Pocus’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’) to...actually low-key Christmassy (‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’).  Whether you like to be chilled to the bone or raucously entertained while wearing drag, London has a Halloween movie screening for you. Recommended: 🎃 Our guide to Halloween in London👹 The 66 greatest movie monsters of all time

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 Mediterranean small plates and tasty tapas, here is Time Out’s list of our absolute favourite Soho restaurants. Whether you fancy a slap-up meal or are just in the market for a mid-town pitstop, we have you covered. RECOMMENDED: Here are London’s best restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

In July 2023, podcasts turned 20. We know, it sounds weird, but podcasting actually technically began on July 9, 2003, so they haven't really been around all that long. And somehow, in that time, we've been blessed with endless brilliant things to listen to, and new gems are still popping up all the time. New additions to our list include Joe Pera's new sleep podcast and The Ringer's fascinating new look at pop culture's role in the Vietnam War, which has climbed to our top 10.   But wait. We've got more. Here at Time Out, we love a good poddy so much, we made our own, which aired in July this year: ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’ is a brand-new podcast, hosted by Time Out London's editor Joe Mackertich, where London celebs walk listeners through the best spots in their area. Oh, and it always ends in a pub. You can listen to ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the rest of the gang.  So read on for our full list of the best podcasts going right now, where we've got political podcasts that look behind the news, comedy podcasts with your favourite funny people, and plenty of those all-important investigative whodunnits to keep you up at night. Whatever you’re into, it’s all here. And if you’re looking to dig deeper into one genre, try our specialist lists on for size (you’ll find them below). Happy listening. Contributors: Anna Rahmanan, Eddy Frankel, Andy Kryza, Phil de Semlyen, Alex Plim, Dave Calhoun, Andrzej Lukowski, Alexandra Sims, Matthew Singer, Joe Macke

Calling all nightlife nuts, country bumpkins, spa seekers and urban explorers – London welcomes you. The capital has everything you could ever need for a day trip or a weekend break, from afternoon tea with cats and parks full of deer to hotels with hot water bottles and DJs. Swish. Wanna get in on the action? All you have to do is pick your perfect spot. Take a look at our guide to nine great neighbourhoods and find the best places to stay in London. RECOMMENDED.🛏️ The best London hotels.🏨 The best Airbnbs in London.🛀🏼 The best hotels with hot tubs in London.🍆 The best hotels for sex in London.

There's no better way to mark the start of the Christmas season than by dragging a fir tree indoors, just like pagans would in times of yore. There's something about the smell of fresh pine that'll get even hardened Scrooges into the yule spirit: before you know it, you'll be booking festive shows, compulsively viewing Christmas lights and chugging mulled wine at every winter pop-up in London. Give your decor a tasteful nod to Christmas frivolities by getting a mini tree for the mantelpiece, head to a Christmas market to pick a fancy fir, or go all out with a 12 footer from a local garden centre. But before you make your choice, here are some tips and tricks... Know your Christmas trees The Norway spruce is the tree that generations of Brits have grown up with: but although its shape is traditional and the price is affordable, you're likely to be hoovering its needles out of the carpet til Easter. The Nordmann fir is a pricier alternative that hangs onto its needles and is softer and glossier (so fewer spiked fingers). If you're after a rich fragrance, seek out the rare Scots pine for its delicious scent. Or make a fashion statement with the blue spruce, which has a gorgeous silvery hue. Get to grips with dimensions Don’t buy a tree until you've measured the space you want to put it in, taking into account ceiling height and the fact that the stand you pick will likely add an inch or two. Bear in mind that the tree's width will likely expand threefold once that netting has be

Suggesting a trip to a graveyard as a day out in London might get you the odd funny look. Your friends will instantly assume you’re going through a goth phase. The truth, however, is that our city’s cemeteries are some of the most astonishing in the whole world. Not only are these historic places of rest the permanent homes of some of London’s most famous residents, but the on-site architecture is also often spectacular. Little wonder some of the capital’s writers have traditionally used them as places to walk and think. So why not swap an afternoon in a London park for a peaceful wander through one of these grand and picturesque cemeteries?  RECOMMENDED: The 50 best attractions in London.  

I moved to this city in the deep, dark depths of the pandemic. My first flat was, obviously, awful. The landlord was dodgy (shock). It was full of mold. The shower was next to the kitchen and had no door. Still, though, I look back on those days fondly. One rare sunny afternoon we climbed out of my flatmate’s window to sit on the roof, drinking homemade Bloody Marys and blasting the Bad Boy Chiller Crew from a box speaker into the sticky, polluted air of Kingsland Road. We got quite a few glares from passers-by, but also a fair amount of smiles.  Whether you’re moving here for study, work, family, or another reason, your first months in London will be challenging, but you’ll probably look back on them with such fogged-up rose-tinted glasses it will hardly matter anyway. Use this time to meet as many new people as you can and to make mistakes. Be broke, go to M&M world (don’t actually), get lost on the tube. That said, there are some things I wish I’d known before coming here. Hindsight is a blessing, as they say. But we’re not gatekeepers, so we asked Time Out staff to share their top tricks and tips for anyone moving to the capital. Some of these folks have been born and bred here. Others are adopted Londoners, like you might well be one day. Listen up, take note, and good luck. 

Bottomless brunch. These words strike excitement – and also a slight sting of terror – into our hearts. Endless quaffing of fizz, usually within a 90 minute time limit – and, often, endless platters of food, seem like the perfect backdrop to catching up with mates on a weekend. Simply bash your cash down and let the fashionable London restaurant of your chosing do the rest. Will you get drunk? Most likely. Will you be so full of food that you're worried you may explode? Also possible. Are you in? Yes, you very much are. In London, you’ll find bottomless bubbles and Bloody Marys, but you can also go beyond the tried-and-tested and experiment with infinite beer or endless streams of rosé. The food doesn’t have to be straightforward breakfast stuff either. Brunch can be anything from bao to barbecue, Turkish to Japanese. Time to go hard then go home! Or, you could just stick to regular old brunch. RECOMMENDED: Find more great breakfasts in London.

If you've got a wardrobe crisis on your hands, it's tempting to hit up fast fashion shops. But why buy flimsy, bad-for-the-planet new garms when you can find pretty much anything you can imagine in London's charity shops? These aren’t just musty stores full of other people's cast offs. This city's best charity shops are Aladdin's Caves full of donations from fashion mavens, lovingly preserved and ready to transform you into a sleeker, more stylish-looking version of yourself. Head to London's priciest postcodes (like Fulham, Richmond or Chelsea) and you'll find designer garms at prices their makers would be appalled at. Or have a good old-fashioned rummage at east London's rag emporiums, safe in the knowledge that your haul comes guilt free, in terms of both price tag and environmental impact. From charity ‘boutiques’ with more cashmere than your average yacht club to old-fashioned junk shops you can lose an afternoon in, here are London’s best charity shops. Just don’t go telling everyone.   RECOMMENDED: London’s best flea markets.

Cada año, le preguntamos a miles de habitantes de ciudades de todo el mundo sobre la vida en su ciudad de origen. Indagamos acerca de la escena restaurantera y los mejores bares. Lo destacado en teatro y en las galerías de arte. También acerca de cómo son los vecinos y los barrios que consideran más cool. La idea es mostrar la vida global de cada ciudad y destacar los sitios que realmente entusiasman a los lugareños.   ¡Aquí están los resultados del Time Out Index 2022! Como siempre, hemos analizado todos esos datos y los hemos aprovechado para elaborar nuestra clasificación anual de las mejores ciudades del mundo. Durante los últimos dos años, la lista se ha enfocado en destacar cómo las ciudades se unieron durante la pandemia e hicieron de la vida (casi) tolerable durante los confinamientos. Pero ahora, después de dos años de restricciones para viajar, el mundo se está abriendo nuevamente y nosotros, como tú, estamos ansiosos por volver a salir. Nuestras principales ciudades este 2022 son las que cuentan con una vida nocturna próspera, comida y bebida increíbles, arte, cultura y museos en abundancia. También hemos aprovechado nuestra red global de editores y colaboradores expertos para obtener información privilegiada sobre lo que está de moda, lo que es nuevo y las tendencias. Si estás planeando una escapada por el mundo este año (especialmente si es la primera en mucho, mucho tiempo), estos son los lugares imperdibles.  

Success. Sometimes it comes quick, and sometimes it comes slow. For Mountain, the latest restaurant from god-chef Tomos Parry, it was instantaneous. After all, Mountain has impeccable, born-to-rule credentials. But unlike, say, Prince George who has to wait his turn, Mountain entered our world ready to claim its throne. All hail London’s coolest restaurant. Also unlike royalty, Parry earned his station. The Anglesey native’s journey from pot washer to Michy-starred phenom at Shoreditch's Brat was powered by talent. His kitchens are synonymous with flame-cooked, Basque-ish cooking that’s both cutting edge and assuredly simplistic. He thrills celebrities, critics and regular punters alike. So when he announced this massive Soho stronghold, everyone sat up and took notice. Blissed-out, raw prawns dozed on cloud-like beds of freshly made cheese.  Built on the burger-y bones of an old Byron on Beak Street, Mountain boasts an expansive, industrial-chic dining room, a downstairs bar and two open kitchens. The food is big on narrative. The sobrasada is made for Parry on an organic farm in Mallorca. Meat, sourced somewhere equally lovely, is butchered on-site downstairs. The butter has a backstory more compelling than the protagonists of most Netflix dramas.  When it’s good it’s excellent. Of course it is. The crab omelette, sprinkled with sugar kelp, was one of the best things I’ve had for ages; creamy and light, but with a perfectly judged texture. That honey-enlivened sobrasada, s

If you know, you know. You might have walked past the Old China Hand a load of times and not realised quite what a brilliant pub it is. After all, its friendly looking, cream-coloured exterior hardly screams ‘boozer’. One step inside, however, and you realise this place is something special.  It’s hard to say what gives the Old China Hand its vibe. The interior is unfussy, stripped back and wooden. Lighting is low and music remains unobtrusive. The beer, wine and cider selection is surprising and varied. And the owner, Rowena, is a total sweetheart and very hospitable. But the Old China Hand’s appeal is greater than the sum of its parts. Clerkenwell is full of flashy pubs that fill to capacity after work, often becoming deafening hell holes in the process. The Old China Hand, by comparison, is a very fun, very boozy oasis of conviviality and good taste. With lots of tables (including some very iconic barrels), nice outside space and breezily efficient staff, you’re seldom waiting long for a drink or a place to sit. It may bill itself as Clerkenwell’s ‘uncoolest pub’, but the Old China Hand has unforced credibility seeping out of its every unvarnished floorboard. The fact it also has darts only adds to the undeniable kudos. If this was near your house, you’d pop in every day.

‘God damns all liars,’ is a line that gets uttered a few times in ‘The Crucible’. If Lyndsey Turner’s production, now transferred from the National Theatre to the West End, needed a catchy slogan to sum up her version of Arthur Miller’s puritans and paranoia masterpiece, she could do worse than those four words. Every adult in Salem – a town made up of ‘small-windowed, dark houses snuggling against the raw Massachusetts winter’ – seems physically weighed down by the crushing energy of God’s hatred. Everyone is lying or has lied about something. Sometimes this play suffers from a sloggy second half. Its initial scenes, where Salem’s hysteria is just coming to a boil, can overshadow the later bits (characters rotting in prison cells, minds and bodies shattered). This is absolutely not the case here. Turner’s version builds and builds like a storm. When the heavens finally open – both figuratively and literally – the downpour takes your breath away. This has a lot to do with Matthew Marsh. The actor’s portrayal of Danforth, the deputy governor is part Frasier Crane, part Thulsa Doom and utterly unignorable. Marsh’s lines, delivered with a kind of imperious otherworldliness, provide the second half with a mesmerising catalyst. Quite simply, Marsh behaves like no other actor on stage, yet somehow elevates everyone he comes into contact with. It’s quite something.   Elsewhere, star wattage is provided by ‘House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock, whose impudent and intense Abigail Willi

In a word: elegant! Or at least, as elegant as a Korean BBQ opposite the Coach and Horses on Greek Street can be.  Chungdam’s aesthetic (minimal, white, clean) veers dangerously close to cold and clinical, but is rescued by a hot, bubbly vibe and avuncular staff. And - crucially - its food.  The grill, operated by buttons at the side of the table, is the star attraction here. Our preternaturally handsome waiter came and went, checking it with his hand throughout, like a doting parent worrying over a sick child. Curled wafers of beef brisket, a marinated blanket of short rib and, best of all, a prime slab of rib eye were brought out, prepped and then sent into action. Each piece of meat was seared, fussed over, trimmed, flipped and lovingly squished. Everything is served with its own punchy dipping sauce. Nothing disappoints. Each piece of meat was seared, fussed over, trimmed, flipped and lovingly squished Away from the grill, things were equally compelling. Energetically spiced kimchi jousted with lovely pickles for our affections early on. The seafood pancakes, served nice and hot, were chunky and flavoursome yet not too heavy. And you know how cold glass noodles, mixed with mushrooms and (yet more) beef is the sort of dish that might, in slap-dash hands, devolve into a flavourless, slippery puddle of slime? That doesn’t happen at all here. Chungdam is a great night. It’s a shame the decor isn’t quite comfortable in its own skin. Too pokey to be flash, too refined to be fu

The Qing Dynasty was massive. In every way. The final dynastic era of imperial China (which itself stretched back to 200 BC), its Manchurian overlords presided over a landmass bigger than almost any empire in human history. At one point a third of the world’s population was contained within Qing borders. It went on for hundreds of years. It’s synonymous with creativity, inexorable decline, civil war, modernisation, nationalism, visual art, drugs, cooking and language. Massive. Too massive to cover in a show like this? The British Museum thinks so. That’s why it’s focusing on the final, climactic century of Qing rule. The country had just experienced the marathon tenure of legendary conqueror Qianlong and, unbeknownst to the people, it was all about to get messy. As China hurtled towards the revolution that would create a nationalist government (that would in turn cause the revolution that would create the Chinese Communist Party) every facet of life entered a state of flux. This exhibition is an attempt to show the afore-mentioned ‘every facet of life’. A relic of awe-inspiring potency if ever there was one Does it succeed? Well, loads of what’s on display is great. You’d have to be brain-dead to not be impressed by the eight-foot dragon-y vases, gifted by the final emperor Puyi to George V on the day of his coronation. Or indeed, the outfit for a child, complete with a fish-dragon hat, designed to keep evil at bay through sheer psychedelic weirdness (seriously). Homeware co

Built in 1864, situated bang-opposite the world-famous Ashmolean Museum, the Randolph is probably the best-known hotel in Oxford. Its name raises eyebrows. In a good way. Since being taken over by Graduate Hotels in 2019, it’s benefitted from a preppy, uni-themed makeover, but traditionalists need not be alarmed. The building’s Victorian gothic grandiosity and general aura remain resolutely intact.  The Randolph has more than 150 rooms, all of which feel fussed over, thought about and cared for. Decor is probably best described as startling, eccentric and inexorably British, with curtains and carpets clashing in glorious disharmony. In fact, the whole place is humming with colour, from the vibrant waterfall of college crests by the entrance to the restaurant’s photogenic pink seating. The hotel’s eatery, the Alice (named after the Lewis Carroll books, naturally), is top notch and charming, consisting mainly of seasonal British fare with a modern twist. If you’re there for the weekend, you’d be a damned fool to miss out on the exemplary Sunday roast.  Neighbourhood The hotel is extremely close to some of Oxford's biggest attractions. The Bodleian Library, the Oxford Botanic Garden and the Oxford Playhouse are all right there. And if you have a mind to get to know the university, the Randolph couldn’t be situated more conveniently, what with Balliol and Trinity colleges a few minutes’ walk away. Nearby The Ashmolean Museum: Obviously. Oxford’s most famous museum is directly o

Depending on who you ask, Otto's French Restaurant is either a tragic, gaudily decorated shrine to a bygone age or an idiosyncratic bastion of fine-dining traditions, worthy of actual pilgrimage. The people in the latter category are correct. I now count myself among their number. Despite the jolly decor, there’s something very ‘gothic fiction’ about Otto Albert Tepasse’s gaff on the Gray’s Inn Road. Like you’ve been invited into the home of an enigmatic, semi-mythic Danubian count. The man’s as convivial as they come, an upright, tidy presence who not only remembered my dining partner from a visit years previous, but also the name of her dad. Behind the geniality however, there is a touching seriousness. Otto worships, in a completely unironic way, at the tricolore altar of gastronomie francaise. When it comes to service his restaurant is as polished and posh as they come. Even if you are next door to a dry cleaners.  Otto is also famous for bringing (unasked, one presumes) the centuries-old Breton tradition of ‘duck press’ to London. To whit: give the restaurant adequate notice and Otto will cheerfully crush the carcass of a quacker at your table in an antique vice, cook down the results, and serve it as a sauce. As far as mid-meal theatre goes, it makes Salt Bae’s crumbly hijinks look feeble.  Chefs have spoken to me in hushed, reverential tones about Otto’s. Taste the food and you’ll understand why. The asparagus, glowing white buttery batons, were meatier than any piece

Jon Bradfield’s new play about a disabled man’s dating life covers a lot of serious subjects. Bias (conscious and unconscious), consent, virtue signalling, accessibility issues, body dysmorphia… they all get a look in. But ultimately, ‘Animal’ is a zippy, poignant play about wanking. And it’s great. The story has been co-created with Josh Hepple, who has cerebral palsy, and follows David (Christopher John-Slater) a young, gay bloke with cerebral palsy. He lives with his generous, caring flatmate Jill (Amy Loughton, more later) and is assisted by an optimistic, struggling actor called Derek (Matt Ayleigh, sensational hair). What David lacks in conventional mobility he makes up for in better-than-average dick pics. ‘Animal’ follows him as he negotiates the unforgiving and relentless world of app dating. Disregard all your assumptions about what such a play might entail. The combination of Bradfield’s propulsive, fat-free dialogue and Slater-John’s brooding, hormone-charged performance ensure that ‘Animal’ never drags, preaches or befuddles. Yes, it’s hard-hitting, but Bronagh Lagan's lively production feels more like a feature-length, live episode of an award-winning sitcom. A really good one. The set, designed by Gregor Donnelly, does exactly what you want it to do, embellishing the drama with a satisfying amount of eye-catching pizzazz while never diminishing the work done by the cast. Among the supporting players, Loughton deserves significant praise for her arrestingly dign

Soho lacks decent bars. It’s true. But here’s one! Opened by strapping Soho resident Gabriel Iliopoulos originally in 2019, the converted barbershop was refurbed in 2022. These days it’s a pretty chilled out, very comfortable cocktail bar specialising in excellent drinks, gourmet hot dogs and tater tots. It’s worth checking out the downstairs, if you get a chance. The basement is decked out like a posh person’s cosy living room, with its own bar and (when it gets late) a soundsystem too. Upstairs, meanwhile, is a more conventional affair with a decent amount of space and a very friendly vibe. Music (played at a laudably sociable volume) is obviously a priority here. Not for Beasy the endless Spotify-ordained infinite playlist. Someone here’s spent tons of time curating a proper deep-dive into 1990s deep-cut hip hop. Ted Draws would be proud. We ate our way through pretty much everything on the menu, with standouts including the smashed cheeseburger dog (not a hot dog at all, really) and the chilli loaded tater tots, served with bacon bits and chilli con carne. Drinks-wise don’t sleep on the spicy margaritas (made with a very smooth secret ingredient) or the very impressive mezcal negroni. Gratifyingly, everything meaty on the menu can be ordered as a vegetarian version of itself. Comfort food done with attention to detail, flair and a tangible sense of fun. A very decent spot for your next night out.

The lads that do Top Cuvée (the wine bar that pivoted to Covid shop that pivoted to classy Highbury restaurant) also have a cave. And this is it. You get to their Bethnal Green bottle shop, descend some stairs and there you are. A little bit of Paris for you, mate. A bit of the old Gallic insouciance. A cave is not just a subterranean chamber to the people of France. No, it’s what they call small, informal underground drinking establishments, like this one. I like it. It’s obviously good that you can no longer smoke inside, but in my mind this place is crying out for a load of cheap ashtrays. It’s giving student kitchen. But in a sexy way. Food-wise you have some plump hotdogs and charcuterie to soak up the booze. You can even slurp down some oysters. But this isn’t somewhere you go to eat actual food, really. It’s a place to hang out, drink wine and chat (crucially, the music, which is good, is played at a non-deafening volume). That kind of pared-back, casual spot that your mates told you didn’t really exist in London. Prove them wrong. Get drunk here.

Three-hundred and eighty splendid rooms. More than 150 years of gilded heritage. Five gleaming stars. Make no mistake, The Langham - the very model of a properly prestigious hotel - is a London hospitality heavyweight. Just look at it there, looming gloriously over Portland Place in all of its gothy, Italianate glory. It has history seeping out of its immaculate furnishings and decor, tangible everywhere from the buzzy lobby’s marble pillars to the indoor pool built into an old bank vault. As you’d expect the rooms are elegant and mostly spacious. Worth mentioning that if you splash out on the fancier end of the spectrum, you’ll get access to the Langham Club which is basically a big chilled-out-but-still luxurious area where they serve complimentary champagne cocktails  all day. On the subject of booze, the hotel bar, Artesian, has, at very times, been considered one of the very best in the world. The drinks on offer vary from straight-forward to high concept (the one we had featured blue cheese, and was delicious). If you fancy a less formal meal than what’s on offer in the two restaurants (Roux at the Landau and Palm Court), go next-door to the Langham’s gastropub (complete with footie on the telly), the Wigmore. While staying, we also made full use of Chuan Body + Soul, the big spa specialising in Chinese traditional medicine in the basement. Worked wonders. Neighbourhood If you’re visiting London as an eager tourist, it’s hard to do better than this, really. The Langham

Do you like music? You’ll love the Beatles. Enjoy movies? Check out a little gem known as ‘The Godfather’. Fan of the dramatic arts? Do yourself a favour, mate: Shakespeare. Thank me later. Am I about to compare Noble Rot to Shakespeare? No! Kind of. It’s more that if you’re a fan of really nice food and wine you should definitely go to Noble Rot. It is a no-brainer. Anything I write after this point is garnish. When, one lunchtime, I walked into the Bloomsbury restaurant and wine bar, a blissful calm set over me, similar to how the barefoot pilgrim Louis IV must have felt on arriving at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres. Some divine harmony, running through the mellow decor, extending into the staff and finally through the menu and wine list. Everything is on point. Everything is nice. The bread is a Rush-esque power trio of carbohydrates: soda, focaccia, and sourdough selflessly working together to achieve a common goal. The slipsole - a kind of buttery, beautiful ellipse - may well be the restaurant’s special move. This fish is a soft and smokey wonder that refuses to not be eaten. Similarly charismatic were the comte beignets. Dusted in parmesan and served with pickled walnut ketchup (a more well-read and worldly Daddies Sauce), these bad boys made me flout my own ‘no more oily crispy things filled with hot goo’ rule. Crucially everything tasted of something. This shouldn’t be a remarkable quality in a restaurant, but how often have you paid through the nose for some

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.

Craft beer heads in the city know that Blackhorse Lane is probably London’s most vital and exciting booze location. Signature, Exale, Beerblefish, Hackney, Wild Card and Truman’s all have massive taprooms there. It’s a fun place to have a drink (and do pub quizzes, eat pizza and all that other beer-adjacent stuff). Well, this Sunday, all day from noon to midnight, the aforementioned breweries will be throwing a big old shindig, featuring exclusive beers, live music, street food and brewery tours. Entry is absolutely free. The cause for all the celebrating? The official launch of the Blackhorse Beer Mile (aka the name that people have been using for the area, unofficially, for absolutely ages). But nice that it’s now legit!  Blackhorse Lane, E17.  Check it out: a new retro arcade bar is opening in Soho. The Ukraine Freedom Orchestra is playing at the Proms this year.

On August 1, the Proms (celebrating its 150th anniversary this year) is going to break a few barriers. An orchestra consisting only of kazoos? No. A programme made up entirely of incidental music from cancelled soap opera ‘Neighbours’? Also no. Instead, the annual series of classical concerts is dedicating a whole show to soundtracks from video games. The concert, titled ‘Gaming Prom: From 8-Bit to Infinity’, will feature music from the entire history of the medium. So not just the modern stuff that sounds like a film track. We’re talking bleepy-bloopy music, but played by an actual orchestra. Titles confirmed for inclusion so far: ‘The Legend of Zelda’ (sick), ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ (very atmospheric), ‘Pokemon’ (crowdpleaser) and ‘Battlefield 2042’ (don’t know it). The concert has been curated (and will be conducted) by one Robert Ames, who was also responsible for a 2009 sci-fi Proms concert that focused on film and television soundtracks. His Twitter profile image shows him scowling in the Barbican, which is quite cool in our opinion.  ‘The nostalgia of gaming music is very much part of our lives,’ Ames told the Guardian. ‘The fanbase is massive and gaming music, since its inception, has been ahead of the curve in terms of diversity. I really believe somebody like [‘Kingdom Hearts’ composer] Yoko Shimomura should be celebrated at an international music festival alongside composers like Brahms and Mahler.’ Too right, Mr Ames. Mozart did some solid work, but did he ever c

When Robbie Williams famously asked us to let him ‘entertain us’, we naively assumed he meant strictly through the mediums of song and dance. How wrong we were. It turns out that the ‘Angels’ singer is bang into painting. And throughout May the 300-year-old Bond Street auction house Sotheby’s will be exhibiting the fruits of his creative labour. The 14 never-before-seen paintings aren’t entirely his own work, though. Williams has collaborated with his designer pal Ed Godrich. ‘Art is really whatever you want it to be,’ observed the singer-painter, sagely. ‘Just like music it has the ability to soothe and provide company when you’re lonely. Art and music have punctuated my ups and downs, but more importantly they both have the power to change how I feel in a moment.’ Williams has admitted that his introduction to art came in the form of Peter Blake’s famous cover design for the Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. Meanwhile, the new work, exhibited as part of The Black and White Paintings show, is heavily inspired by ’90s rave culture and dance music. Does that mean it features little smiley faces? Why not pop along to Sotheby’s and find out for yourself? ‘Black and White Paintings’ runs May 13-25 at the auction house’s New Bond Street base. The Royal Court’s new play is by a guy that no one’s ever heard of. Brilliant London fundraising events to help you support the people of Ukraine.

London Fashion Week is a bi-annual, week-long event that sees the world’s most glamorous people flock to the capital to attend run-way shows, network and make comments like ‘next summer's aesthetic is all about fisherman chic’. But you don’t need to be part of the industry to have a ball during London’s most fashionable five-day period. From Friday February 18 to Tuesday February 22 there are quite a few fun, open-to-the-public events that will admit even the schlubbiest layperson. Here are seven good 'uns. Waxy workshop French Connection’s snazzy, two-floor West End concept store is playing host to a DJ-assisted candle making workshop. If that doesn’t say ‘fashion’, then nothing does. February 19, 12-4 pm. 55 Duke Street, W1K 5NR. Clock on A lovely little shoe shop off Wigmore Street, Tracey Neuls has been made to look a bit like an old-school office to celebrate the brand’s 20-year anniversary. Pop in for free cups of tea, coffee and some stronger stuff too.  Feb 18–22, 10am – 6pm, 29 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2NQ. Future clothes Today’s fashion? All well and good. But why not go and get a good gander at tomorrow’s fashion. Gaze far into the future of clothes at the London College of Fashion’s special showroom, decked out with creations from the school’s masters graduates. Feb 19, 12–5pm, Victoria House Basement, WC1B. Sustainable snacking Remember Silo? The zero-waste restaurant in Hackney that we gave five stars to, just before the pandemic. They’ve teamed up with swanky cloth

Hackney Council has put out the call: it wants the help of local artists to renovate that much-loved stretch of Dalston known as Ridley Road. Part of the exciting, million-quid overhaul of the street, the chosen artists will be asked to create two public works that reflect the character and spirit of Ridley Road Market. The council has also made it clear that the artworks need to reference the history and heritage of the area. Considering the market started in 1880, there’s a lot of history and heritage to work with. The final request is that applicants should know all about the area and understand the market’s special significance. ‘There is a great tradition in Dalston of hosting exciting, progressive and participatory public art from the Peace Mural to the Dalston House installation,’ said Councillor Guy Nicholson. ‘It's now time to look beyond Dalston’s cultural quarter in and around Ashwin Street, to Ridley Road street market as the space for the next arts-led interventions in Dalston.’ The plan, currently, is to exhibit the works at the end of the market that connects with Kingsland Road. Prime real estate! If this sounds like you (or someone you know) why not get in touch with the council? Batten down the hatches: Storm Dudley is on its way to drench London. Notting Hill Carnival is back and better than ever (hopefully) for 2022.  

The Science Museum has decided to expose Londoners to the blinding light of pure genius. For the first time, the personal items of legendary cosmologist Stephen Hawking have gone on public display to, hopefully, provide unrivalled insight into the great man’s life and ideas. ‘Stephen Hawking at Work’ gives Londoners an opportunity to get up close and personal with loads of totemic objects, including the scientist’s actual, pre-fame PhD thesis, first voice synthesiser, spectacles and even an invitation to a ‘time travellers’ party’ that Hawking hosted. The objects have been chosen from more than 700 items belonging to Stephen Hawking that are now in the Science Museum’s possession. The museum says that, in time, details of all of them will be uploaded online for the public to study and enjoy.   One item of particular interest is a ‘treasured blackboard’ daubed in mathematical equations, scribbles, cartoons and weird maths in-jokes. What does any of it mean? Unless you’re also a Cambridge-educated super-genius, probably nothing. But it’ll certainly be nice to stare at, slack-jawed, for a while. ‘Stephen Hawking at Work’ is at the Science Museum until Jun 12. Free entry. Extremely cool things to do in London this weekend. More 20mph speed limit zones are going to be created across London.

Pasty powerhouse Greggs is teaming up with popular high-street clothing retailer Primark for a first-of-its-kind collab. Details are sketchy at the minute, but we’re told the collection will feature a limited-edition, 11-piece clothing range which will be available in 60 Primark stores across the UK from Saturday February 19. Could Primark and Aldi be the new Gucci and Versace? People first became aware that something was afoot, when a bloke called Anthony noticed something was off about one of the window displays in the Oxford Street Primark. It had Greggs food items placed stealthily within it! Imagine ‘Where’s Wally’, but instead of a creepy bespectacled weirdo in a massive crowd, it’s beige, baked goods peeking out of faux-leather handbags. It is, in other words, a Greggsbombing. Anthony promptly posted pics of his findings on Twitter. Erm, why are there sausage rolls and pasties in the windows of Primark on Oxford Street? This you @GreggsOfficial? 👀 pic.twitter.com/V7IGCICEQo — Anthony 🦥 (@anorderlymess) February 6, 2022 ‘Deffo Banksy,’ commented one wag. Someone else accused Irish drag queen Victoria Secret of being involved, somehow. ‘I would never waste Greggs like this,’ came the reply. A cursory glance at Anthony’s profile does reveal he works in marketing. And while that is certainly not reason enough to assume the whole thing is a big ol’ PR stunt, it does make this particular Greggsbombing a little sus. In our opinion. The clothing collection will be av

April 1 will forever be known as the day the dinosaurs came to London! Huge, terrifying prehistoric lizards are heading for the capital, and there can only be one outcome: a wonderful day out for kids and families.  Dino Kingdom (which runs until April 18) will be a huge, interactive, outdoor experience, featuring AR holograms, life-sized dinosaurs, digital installation and loads more. Greeting you at the gate will be The King of the Tyrant Lizards himself, a 16-metre-tall replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Keep your eyes peeled also for an 18-metre-long Apotasaurus (aka the one you and everyone else used to call a Brontosaurus).  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dino Kingdom (@dinokingdomuk) It’s not all about the giants though. The place will be scattered with loads and loads of smaller dinos and other creatures including, crocs, frogs, bees, spiders and even little hatching babies. You and the kids will also get to enjoy volcanoes, eggs, an excavation sandpit and a giant skeletal dinosaur head with a walk-through fossil tunnel. Worth noting too, that Dino Kingdom comes from the same creative minds as the deliriously popular Lightopia. So probably safe to assume it’ll deliver the goods. Dino Kingdom is at Gunnersbury Park from from Apr 1-18. The London Insta pet power ranking according to us. An ultra-immersive theatre event is coming to the Churchill War Rooms.