Some people get seasonal allergies. We, in the UK, seem to get seasonal appetites. Thankfully, with London shedding its raincoat and stepping into early summer, it’s the perfect time to make plans that don’t revolve around desk lunches and Deliveroo. New restaurants are launching, terrace pop-ups are fighting for your rosé-all-day loyalty, and if you time it right, you might even make the long stroll to a dessert stop without needing a coat.
This month’s line-up is quietly chaotic (I ate too much great food recently, what can I say). We’ve got a Michelin-starred chef in their Knightsbridge comeback, a Mediterranean terrace that wants to be your entire personality for the next two months, and a chocolate-cum-cookie shop in Kennington that’s already halfway to cult status.
For every must-visit spot listed below, my instructions are simple: plan now, go hungry, and thank me later.
1. Tom Brown at The Capital
Where: Knightsbridge
Why now: The Cornerstone chef’s back — this time, with a 12-course tasting menu set inside his prestigious former hotel home.
What to expect: The £125 menu is full of clever, confident moves — mussel and beetroot “charcuterie,” cuttlefish masquerading as ravioli, and a chocolate dessert laced with caviar, olive oil, and capers. Dishes are refined but never polite, taking all the risks Cornerstone didn’t have the backing to take. Expect seriously sensational cooking.
Vibe: Understated luxury, big flavours, no posturing.
2. 108 Brasserie x Maison Mirabeau Terrace
Where: Marylebone
Why now: The terrace has had a French Riviera makeover — and the rosé’s flowing accordingly.
What to expect: Fresh seafood, serious rosé, and just enough sunlight to pretend you’re on the Côte d’Azur. Go for seabass crudo or burrata-stuffed crispy gnocchi if you’re snacking; level up with the butterflied sea bass or a seafood platter if you’re staying a while. Strawberries and cream are on standby for dessert, and the sensational rosé list includes Mirabeau’s ‘Pure,’ ‘La Réserve,’ and sparkling ‘La Folie.’ Basically the perfect way to spend a day with friends.
Vibe: Day drinking done chic.
3. Twenty8
Where: Covent Garden
Why now: The team behind NoMad London has launched its most ambitious concept yet: an ultra-luxe bistro channelling old New York glam
What to expect: Set in a reimagined Victorian palm court (designed by Martin Brudnizki, naturally), Twenty8 delivers on both phenomenal British produce and big-theatre flair. The menu leans hard into elevated comfort food — seafood towers, dry-aged Galician steak, that infamous foie-gras-stuffed chicken — while the martini list reads like a liquid history of New York’s cocktail canon.
Vibe: Big on Instagramability, bigger on flavour and service.
4. Nine Lives
Where: London Bridge
Why now: A brilliant bar made better by bargain tacos and a terrace that’s finally open again.
What to expect: Every Tuesday chef Ramón Ramos serves £3 tacos inspired by those from his hometown of Guadalajara — best paired with £10 Champagne cocktails under the disco ball. Throughout the week, you can also expect a new experimental cocktail menu shaped by 2025 trend forecasts, a fresh outdoor space for spicy margs in the sun, and a custom hi-fi sound system that takes the ‘listening bar’ brief seriously. If you know, you know.
Vibe: Underground in all the right ways.
5. Estiatorio Milos
Where: St James’s
Why now: Because sometimes only grilled octopus and a £50 sea bass will do.
What to expect: Impeccably fresh seafood, flown in daily and displayed on ice like edible sculpture. Greek minimalism on the plate and in the room — think white linen, an unbelievably friendly and skilled staff, plus a dining crowd that looks like they summer in Hydra. Don’t miss the paper-thin zucchini and aubergine tower, stacked high over saganaki cheese and finished tableside with wild thyme honey.
Vibe: International money, Med-light diet, the best mineral wine mandatory.
6. Chocolate Dino Co
Where: Kennington
Why now: Because your inner child deserves it.
What to expect: It started as a lockdown brownie delivery service and now turns out some of London’s best cookies from a low-key Kennington spot. Thick, gooey, and properly indulgent, the cookies come in rotating flavours (red velvet and chocolate orange are personal faves), often still warm from the oven. There’s coffee, brunch and bagels, too — but let’s be honest, you’re going for the cookies.
Vibe: Neighbourhood gem you can order to your door. No notes.