London in July is a little showy, and we’re not entirely mad about it. Wimbledon is in full swing, the school gates have closed for summer, and the city has responded with a week of openings and happenings.
This week, we’re swapping ales for electrolytes at a wellness pub in Clerkenwell, watching a cathedral come alive in light and song, and eating our way from Mykonos-in-Mayfair to Delhi-in-Leicester-Square, with a deckchair date in a secret Marylebone garden squeezed in between. This week Citzien Femme loves is showcasing the capital at its summery best.
ENJOY AN EVENING OUT HERE Luminiscence at Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is spectacular on any given day, but this summer it’s been transformed into something truly otherworldly. Luminiscence – the immersive 360° projection concert that has dazzled more than two million spectators worldwide – has arrived in London, bathing the cathedral’s soaring neo-Byzantine interior in light, colour and sound. Twenty-four laser projectors sculpt the architecture while the Lux Aeterna choir performs Beethoven, Verdi, Debussy and Vivaldi live, and Hugh Bonneville narrates the story of London and its cathedral in a specially commissioned script. The showstopper? The cathedral’s famously unfinished mosaic domes, digitally completed for the very first time in the architect’s original vision. Plus, across select Saturday evenings in September, LUMINISCENCE LIVE+ elevates the experience with an enhanced symphonic edition of the show, featuring a 14-piece live orchestra performing alongside the Lux Aeterna choir. It’s 50 minutes of pure goosebumps, and a magical one to do with the kids now school’s out.
HAVE A TIPPLE OF WELLNESS HERE The Wellness Tap
A pub where the pints are good for you? We’re intrigued. This Thursday and Friday, Holland & Barrett is opening The Wellness Tap at The Green in Clerkenwell, billed as a first-of-its-kind wellness pub, pouring free pints of electrolytes in place of ale, with healthy pub snacks standing in for the scampi fries. Expect lunchtime and evening pub quizzes, expert-led wellness talks, live DJ sets and goodies to take home. For those of us skipping Friday night rounds in favour of a Saturday morning run (or at least aspiring to), this is the boozer of our dreams – all the pub atmosphere, none of the Saturday regret.
HAVE A GIRLS NIGHT (OR DATE NIGHT) HERE Nammos London
The one we’ve all been waiting for. Nammos – the legendary beach club born on Mykonos’s Psarou Beach – has officially landed in Mayfair, marking the brand’s first-ever city opening. Set across two floors on Berkeley Street (the old Nobu Mayfair), the space channels sun-soaked coastal living for the capital: soft arches, warm whites and the brand’s signature broken-tile finishes. The menu is Mediterranean with a Japanese accent – think spicy crab tartare with yuzu truffle, aubergine mille-feuille with feta mousse, Black Angus steaks off the Josper grill and a dedicated raw bar – while live singers and DJs keep the Mykonos energy going daily, from breezy lunches to very late dinners. No sea view, granted, but close your eyes over a chilled glass of Assyrtiko and you’re practically there.
ENJOY WIMBLEDON HERE Summer in the Square
One of London’s best-kept secrets swings open its gates this week. Portman Square Garden – a private Marylebone garden normally locked to the public hosts the return of Summer in the Square, the free week-long festival that has become a staple of the London summer. Sink into a deckchair to watch the final week of Wimbledon on the big screen, graze your way through the street food village and the Guest Kitchen’s rotating line-up (Angela Hartnett’s Cafe Murano and The Montagu Kitchen both make appearances), and sip spritzes from the Home House garden bar. There’s a Wellness Den offering free yoga, Pilates and breathwork, plus creative workshops, storytelling and a dedicated children’s area. Everybody entertained? Check.
INDULGE IN A TASTE OF INDIA HERE Haldiram's
Few names in Indian gastronomy carry the weight of legacy quite like Haldiram’s. Since 1937, the brand has quietly shaped the way generations experience Indian sweets and savoury indulgences, and they have just opens their first UK restaurant in Leicester Square. The 120-cover, 3,000 square foot site (with 20 heated outdoor seats, because its London) marks a shift from the brand’s traditional quick-service roots to a premium casual dining format, bringing those iconic flavours to a whole new audience. The menu is a love letter to India’s most beloved dishes: choley bhature (North Indian chickpea curry with fluffy fried bread), rich, spiced Mumbai-style pao bhaji, and raj kachori – a large, crisp shell packed with classic chaat fillings – alongside an expansive chaat selection and fusion-led desserts created exclusively for London. There’s a dedicated retail corner too, with a sweets counter and shelves of Haldiram’s packaged favourites to take home. Interiors weave Indian heritage motifs into contemporary design, and at the helm is Rhea Agarwal, a third-generation entrepreneur from the founding family, leading the brand’s expansion across the UK and Europe – proof that legacy and a fresh vision can share a table beautifully.
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