It’s official! Restaurants, cafes and pubs will open their doors from 4 July. And while social distancing will have to be in place and booking is encouraged, you can finally make it back to your favourite spot for a freshly poured pint and that plate of food you’ve been dreaming about since lockdown started.
It’s the news many restaurants and diners have been waiting for, especially since social distancing rules were relaxed from two metres to one metre plus. In London, pubs and restaurants are brushing off three-months worth of dust, removing window panels and preparing for the return of diners. If social media is anything to go by, the huge numbers of enthusiastic tweets paint a very positive picture.
What’s becoming clear is most places will require bookings. To help you nab a table at your favourite spots Culture Trip has rounded up some of the most exciting London reopenings below; go forth, prosper and dine to your heart’s desire.
From 4 July you’ll be able to pop by for an all-day brunch and tons of freshly brewed coffee. You can even grab some of your favourite bean to take home to keep you caffeinated for the rest of the week.
From 4 July you can grab an outdoor table and feast on the city’s best Sri Lankan food at Kolamba. Setting up more al-fresco tables on Kingly Street, Kolamba is the perfect spot to head to if you feel like rediscovering your own city again. Having lain dormant throughout lockdown, Soho will likely be coming back to life with vigour. Kolamba has been taking reservations since 24 June.
Without a doubt some of the best meat in the city, and almost definitely the sweetest interiors, Quality Chop House is a London institution. Whether it’s for a Sunday Roast, its life-changing confit potatoes or the mince on drippings toast that could convert even the most steadfast of vegetarians, this is somewhere you’ll want to get to. Taking bookings from now and opening 14 July.
Prawn on the Lawn – Highbury (and Padstow if you fancy a road trip)
Fishmonger, Restaurant, Seafood, $$$
A little slice of the beach in the city, Prawn on the Lawn is a delightful neighbourhood seafood spot that serves up delectable morsels from a small-plate-type menu. Bookings are open now for the London outpost reopening on 8 July, and the Padstow spot reopening on 22 July should you want to take a trip to Cornwall.
The restaurant will be utilising its enormous terrace on the canal to open as a restaurant in the evenings, and will continue to operate as a deli during the day. Reservations are now live.
One of those places that feels like a holiday in its own right, Gold will be utilising its enormous LA-esque terrace to welcome guests back from 10 July, with bookings open now. Oh those lucky Notting Hill locals.
The neighbourhood spot that everyone wishes they had, Llewelyn’s is a contemporary British restaurant in the heart of Herne Hill. With bookings open now, it’ll be reopening from lunchtime on the 4 July, with seating changes for safety, including more outdoor seating on the terrace.
Reopening on 4 July and remaining open from Thursday through to Sunday for the time being, The Laughing Heart will be serving up a fixed price three-/four-course menu of its moreish menu while continuing to offer takeaway – bookings are live on its website now.
Everyone’s favourite pasta spot will be open from 4 July, taking reservations via the WalkIn App (be in the area at opening time to put your name down for a table). With increased outdoor seating and a menu of authentic Italian dishes, you could almost pretend you’re sunning it up on the Amalfi coast.
Opening both their Paradise Row restaurant and the more casual wine bar spot in Hoxton, you’ll be back to drinking good wine from 4 July. Bookings are open and it’s continuing its £10 pasta-and-a-negroni deal every day from 5pm to 7pm.
The modern Indian restaurant will be reopening its Brixton and White City locations from 4 July, with bookings heavily encouraged. You’ll be feasting on these Indian-inspired small plates in no time.
The famed Spanish spot will be opening its Coal Drops Yard and Soho locations and offering bookings for the first time, which means no more waiting in its (at times) colossal lines. The Coal Drops Yard location will reopen on Saturday, 4 July, while the Soho spot will open its doors on Thursday, 9 July. Bookings are now live.
A must-visit for natural wine lovers, Levan serves up delicious drops accompanied by a modern European menu that will help ease away the three months you’ve spent inside. It’ll be opening on Saturday, 4 July and reservations are open now.
While Highbury and Islington residents are undoubtedly spoilt for choice when it comes to dining out, Trullo is a city-wide favourite. Its Italian-influenced menu never fails to hit the spot and would make a perfect first post-lockdown evening out. They’ll be open from the 4 July and are taking reservations now.
World-class pizzas, wine and beer on tap – Homeslice is the ideal pizza spot. Head to its Marylebone, City, Shoreditch or White City locations from Saturday, 4 July to get your cheesy slice fix – but be sure to book beforehand.
The famed Italian spot on the border of South Kensington and Chelsea will be reopening its doors from the 4 July, with bookings open now. This is a spot that warrants you digging out your best dress and booking a blow dry.
Set to become the world’s biggest socially distanced beer garden, the new Truman Brewery is opening its doors for the first time on 4 July, and is the perfect place to grab a pint while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Features including hand sanitiser everywhere, paying and ordering from your table, spaced-apart seating areas and a booking system are all on hand to make this the most corona-friendly pub garden around.
