In a summer that’s already proving to be a scorcher, the heat in the kitchen is sky-high too. These are the London restaurants to book in July 2025.
From standout new openings to one-off chef and venue collaborations that bring international flair to the capital, and even a planned celebration to say goodbye, London’s dining scene is putting on a show this month. Whether you’re after Champagne-fuelled terrace takeovers, countryside fire feasts, or just somewhere out of the city centre to escape the crowds, these are the tables to book now.
Canal: Bistro Freddie Team Open Waterside In West London
The team behind Bistro Freddie and Crispin is heading west with the opening of Canal, an all-day restaurant now open in Westbourne Park. This latest venture from Dom Hamdy is housed in the historic Taxi House, once the HQ of the London Taxi Drivers’ Association, and the space blends industrial character with contemporary energy and local charm. Overlooking the Grand Union Canal and with a generous terrace, this is set to become a popular spot for a summertime rendezvous. Inside, the dining room has been designed for communal connections and will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The kitchen is led by chef Adrian Hernandez Farina, whose CV includes The French Laundry, ASKA, Coal Rooms, Luca and Humo. His menu brings a refined bistro sensibility to seasonal British and European produce, with standout dishes including Portland crab doughnuts, seabream crudo with burnt blood orange, and ricotta agnolotti with cavolo nero. Larger sharing plates include red mullet bouillabaisse and a show-stopping Jersey sirloin with béarnaise. Front-of-house will be helmed by Sean Cooper, whose experience includes The Fat Duck, Café Murano and Quality Chop House, and Dalston’s A Bar with Shapes for a Name has created a signature cocktail list, whilst wine leans towards sustainable bottles from progressive winemakers.
Mareida: A Chilean Celebration Lands In Fitzrovia
A vibrant and bold celebration of Chilean life, Fitzrovia’s newest opening is determined to be more than ‘just a restaurant’, and instead a full celebration of Chilean cuisine, culture and design. Created by Prenay Agarwal in collaboration with a standout team of Latin American talent, Mareida is helmed by head chef Trinidad Vial Della Maggiora with creative input from renowned Chilean chef Carolina Bazán. The menu explores the country’s diverse culinary landscape, and mains come sharing-style and include Chupe de Jaiba (a rich crab dish from Chile’s southern coast) and Steak a lo Pobre with confit egg and fries. Vegetarians are well catered for too, with standout dishes featuring heart of palm, oyster mushrooms and celeriac. There’s thoughtful attention to detail throughout, from Chilean wines and cocktails to art, music by DJ Raff, and design by Santiago architect Macarena Aguilar.
Dante Takes Claridge’s: Manhattan Sass Meets Mayfair Class
A transatlantic affair is heading to Claridge’s: for one month only NYC’s hottest cocktail spot Dante, a winner of Worlds Best Bar and twice winner of America’s Best Bar, takes over Claridge’s Restaurant and Terrace. With a menu of nostalgic NYC classics, theatrical cocktails, and weekend brunch, the legendary Greenwich Village bar is offering what is set to be the top spot for aperitivo hour this July. Expect classic but standout drinks like the Dante Martini, and a chocolate negroni fountain – all served with stateside flair. The food is also an homage to Americana with seafood towers, shrimp cocktail, sliders, and a decadent house burger with pickled beets and “new school” American cheese, transporting you from the quintessential British hotel deep into New York City. Come the weekend, the brunch menu offers treats including banana bread with ricotta, huevos rancheros, and buttermilk pancakes. This is one booking we have had in the diary for weeks.
Cafe Linea: European Café Culture In Chelsea
Just off King’s Road, Café Linea has been designed as the kind of spot you’ll want to linger. Housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century arcade, this all-day dining sanctuary includes a quietly luxurious café, a decadent bakery and a terrace restaurant – all drawing on the great European café culture tradition, but reimagined for contemporary London life. This is a debut concept from husband-and-wife duo Greg and Felicity Godik, with interiors designed by Dion & Arles (Chiltern Firehouse, Dovetale) and comes with a menu rooted in thoughtful seasonality. Expect viennoiserie for breakfast, refined snacks and sharing plates by chefs Simon Merrick (previously of The Pelican and Richard Corrigan) and Carolina Ferpozzi, plus standout dishes like roasted hake with curried brown crab, or a millefeuille of chicken liver parfait. There’s also a dedicated on-site bakery for patisserie and smaller pastries that can be taken away. Add an on-site florist and Café Linea is the perfect space whether seeking out some solo respite or a long lunch with style-savvy friends.
Akoko x Salsify: African Fine Dining Icons Join Forces
In recent years London’s African dining scene has been on the rise, but this collaboration is set to be something truly special. For two nights only, 7 and 8 July, Michelin-starred Akoko hosts Cape Town’s Salsify at the Roundhouse for a special four-hands dinner that will bring together two of the most exciting names in modern African cuisine. South-African chef Ryan Cole, whose restaurant just debuted at No.88 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025, joins Akoko’s Theo Clench for an evening of expressive, heritage-led cooking. The £150 tasting menu is still being finalised but dishes are expected to incorporate the ingredients and flavours both venues are known for: expect dishes such as coal-roasted oyster with ginger and spekboom; raw springbok with agave and umfino; langoustine paired with Akoko’s signature Moi Moi. The famed Salsify chocolate bar with Bain’s 18-year whisky ice cream is also set to make an appearance. An unmissable moment bringing the best of London and Cape Town dining together.
Kudu’s Farewell Menu: The Best Is Yet To Come
One of London’s favourite South-African restaurants, Kudi is leaving Peckham and setting up home in Marylebone, but the husband-and-wife team of Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams are sending it off in style. From 1 July both the Queen’s Road flagship and sister site Kudu Grill will serve a limited-time ‘Best of Kudu’ set menu that revisits the dishes which helped to put SE15 on the London gastronomy map. Expect favourites such as fluffy Kudu bread drenched in seafood butter and almonds, parmesan churros with miso mayo, and a sharing onglet with hispi cabbage, enoki and truffled potato mousse, finished with salted-chocolate ganache and sesame ice cream. Over at Kudu Grill, the braai takes centre stage: grilled prawns in fiery peri-peri, pork chop with monkey-gland sauce, and whole black bream with cultured-butter rotis, plus beef-fat fingerlings on the side and a playful choux to finish. Both menus kick off with a spicy Saffa Rita margarita, ensuring the goodbye feels more like a celebration.
Mount St. Restaurant: A Retro Menu Revival
From 1 July, Mount St. Restaurant is launching a limited-edition Retro Menu, a playful yet elegant homage to some mid-century favourites given a modern twist and delivered with Mount St. flair. Executive chef Jamie Shears dug into vintage cookbooks to create this three-course tribute to the past and the menu includes a Melon Ball Cocktail with Dorset crab and caviar, a rich Chicken à la King vol-au-vent with black truffle mash, and a nostalgic Arctic roll served with strawberry and elderflower sorbet. It’s part memory lane, part modern British cooking, and uses fine ingredients to deliver a delicious and chic throwback.
Afternoon Tea At Maison Francois: An Elegant French Twist On The British Classic
In a city famous for its afternoon teas, this one brings a little extra joie de vivre. At Maison François’ daily afternoon tea offering, you’ll begin with a glass of Champagne, before enjoying a three-tiered stand of brasserie-style sandwiches, including oeufs mimosa, curried chicken with vadouvan, and a very chic jambon beurre. Executive pastry chef Jérémy Prakhin provides the finale including roulé à la fraise, pistachio and orange blossom gâteau and hazelnut choux. To finish, warm babkas – a further nod to French cuisine – are served with jam and clotted cream for the traditionalists, whilst house-made chocolate hazelnut spread is on offer for the Francophiles. It’s the perfect afternoon indulgence, full of the style and hospitality Maison François is known for.
CORD Café By Le Cordon Bleu: Afternoon Tea With A Parisian Pedigree
Another French-inspired afternoon tea to add to your weekday radar: CORD Café by Le Cordon Bleu is offering a refined take on the British tradition, crafted by chefs and pâtissiers trained at the world’s most prestigious culinary school. Available weekdays, it’s a luxurious but low-key option just steps from St. Paul’s. Expect Paris-Brest, apricot-thyme entremets, caramel-chocolate creations and perfect macarons, alongside scones with clotted cream and a polished savoury line-up that includes turmeric smoked salmon focaccia, pulled brisket baguettes, and red pesto chicken panini. The tea is sourced from Rare Tea Company, and the calm, café space is as elegant as the pâtisserie itself. Ideal for a midweek treat with a little savoir-faire.
The Gladwin Brothers: Summer Seafood And Steak Specials
The Gladwin Brothers are back with a summer special that’s worth hunting out. Native lobster (or steak tartare), crisp fries, and a glass of their family-made English wine all for £25. Available Monday to Friday from 14 July for both lunch and dinner, this is a stellar seasonal deal with sustainability baked in. The beef is hand-reared and grass-fed on their family farm, and the wine hails from the Gladwin vineyard in Sussex. Whether opting for The Shed’s suntrap terrace in Notting Hill or the buzzy tables of their Soho spot, this is an indulgent treat for an incredibly reasonable price – perfect for a working lunch.
Pippin’s: Comfort Food In A Hidden Garden
A charming new addition to West London’s dining scene, Pippin’s is a neighbourhood restaurant inside the new Templeton Garden Hotel. Led by executive head chef Liam Fauchard Newman (formerly of Holborn Dining Room, The Ledbury and Kitchen W8), the menu is designed to deliver that comforting, home-from-home feeling, with a sophisticated edge. Think Hereford beef tartare, tarragon-stuffed chicken and chips, and a signature Templeton trifle that leans wholeheartedly into nostalgia. The light-filled dining room opens onto one of the area’s best-kept secrets: a generous garden terrace, the ideal escape from summer crowds and perfect for breakfast meetings or leisurely lunches.
SUSHISAMBA x Veuve Clicquot: Champagne On The Piazza
For those in the West End looking for a refreshing respite, SUSHISAMBA Covent Garden has transformed its terrace into a Veuve Clicquot, sunshine-soaked escape. Open daily until September, the Veuve Clicquot Piazza Terrace is the ultimate al fresco backdrop for a glass of weekday fizz after a day at the office. The exclusive cocktail menu offers refreshing treats like the Verbena Spark with orange blossom and Rosé Champagne, a floral Pandan Spritz, and the non-alcoholic Coconada, a creamy, tropical blend of pineapple and Brazilian lemonade. Champagne sorbets (yuzu or strawberry) offer a cool finish. Pair your drinks with signature SUSHISAMBA dishes: crispy crab taquitos, tiraditos, robata-grilled ribeye and vibrant Samba rolls. Bold, breezy and the perfect place for capturing those golden hour shots.
The Woodland Table At Down Hall: Fire Dining In The Essex Countryside
For those looking to escape the city heat for the night, the newly crowned AA Hotel of the Year for England, Down Hall Hotel is offering a Sunday foodie escape. Set within their 110-acre estate, their monthly Garden Gathering dining experience at The Woodland Table is taking place on select Sundays over the summer (20 July, 31 August and 21 September). Each Garden Gathering begins with garden-inspired cocktails before guests are welcomed to join sharing tables carved from estate-felled trees and encircled by fire pits, while a live vocalist provides evening entertainment. The setting is laid-back yet atmospheric, and perfect for long summer evenings. The four-course menu, crafted by executive chef Robert Pearce, is cooked entirely over open flames, with a focus on ingredients grown in the on-site two-acre kitchen garden and sourced from trusted local suppliers. Expect dishes like miso-glazed celeriac, Chalk Farm trout, succulent pork belly, and toasted pavlova with rhubarb, all designed for sharing. For those wishing to make a night of it, overnight packages are available from a very reasonable £200 for two, including event tickets, an in-room hamper, and breakfast the following morning.
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Lead image: Mount Street
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