When it comes to finding fun things to do in London, it’s more of a case of trying to locate the bits of haystack around the needle.
And while we’re very fortunate to be faced with such a wild profusion of goings-on, it does create the frankly agonising problem of deciding where to go and what to do. Which is why we’ve stepped up as your humble guides to round up the best of the city, from the finest hidden cocktail bars, to the best places for a steak, or this month’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it events. And to make your life that bit easier, we’ve even gone the extra mile and put all of our recommendations for the best things to do in London in one, easily navigable place.
So behold, the ultimate round-up of the Nudge’s round-ups.
Meta.
Jump to: RESTAURANTS | BARS | DATE IDEAS | POP UPS | CULTURE | PARTY PLANNING | EXPLORE LONDON
RESTAURANTS
Ordering in restaurants is easy.
Ordering restaurants, however – in terms of their ambience, decor and, most importantly, food – is a much trickier task. Which is why we’ve put together a collection of razor-sharp recommendations for you in multiple categories, whether you’re looking to run the gamut of London’s latest openings, or merely peruse the all-time best eateries in our fair capital.
Restaurants in London | Peruse our highly curated listings of the most noteworthy restaurants in London.
The London Restaurant Bible | And The Lord said “Let there be a London Restaurant Bible from The Nudge that shall guide the worthy to the 50 very best places to eat in the city.” And lo, it was so. And lo, it was good. And lo, here it is.
Michelin Starred Restaurants in London | If you need a second opinion on that.
The Best Restaurants In Every London Neighbourhood | For the evenings when you fancy some of that ineffable local hospitality. Even if it’s not strictly local to you.
The Ultimate Brunch Guide | This city is filled with restaurants who have very good ideas about what to do with a couple of eggs. We wouldn’t want to poach them, though. Instead, we’ve merely gathered them into a handy, brunch-focussed guide…
The Best Bottomless Brunches In London | For when you need to cut to the good stuff.
The Best Afternoon Tea In London | For every budget.
Best Al Fresco Dining In London | Some people might tell you that al fresco dining is out. But these restaurants boasting excellent terraces, rooftops and courtyards beg to differ…
The Best London Restaurants With Live Music | Don’t worry, you won’t need to sing for your supper.
Restaurants With A View | You can look down on everyone without this list.
The Best Hidden Restaurants In London | Presenting the most scrupulously hidden, under-the-radar, classified restaurants in London. According to Buddha.
Unusual Restaurants In London | The only places in the city where you can dine alongside opera, fire-eating dancers, or beneath a Soho sex shop.
Fun Restaurants In London | Gospel brunches, flaming cocktails and secret karaoke rooms – this is where to head for a big, raucous meal.
The Best Romantic Restaurants In London | Candlelight, music, and a second date.
The Best Vegetarian Restaurants In London | Trust us, they all do more than just meat expectations.
The Best Vegan Friendly Restaurants In London | Great restaurants that cater for everyone.
London’s Best Sunday Roast Spots | Because the last thing you want is for you to get roasted on your choice of eatery.
The Most Underrated Steak Restaurants In London | Celebrating the unsung heroes of the London steak scene.
BYOB Restaurants In London | And tonight’s sommelier is… you.
TOP RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE: Chinese | Korean| Indian | Italian | Spanish | Sushi
MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Recently Opened Restaurants In London | Over 200 restaurants open in London each year, which means it would take you almost 7 months of continuous dining out to try all of them. Luckily, we’ve taken one for the team and reported back on only the absolute best…
London Restaurants Opening Soon | And based on the aforementioned research, here are the restaurants which genuinely merit the hype around their forthcoming opening.
BARS
We like to think we’re a pretty good authority on London bars.
But the last thing we want to do is walk in and order everyone a round.
So instead, we’ll let you use your astute and carefully honed judgement to plan your evening with a little hand from our expertly curated guides to the best bars in London, from neon-lit tequila dens to hidden, subterranean Victorian bath-houses serving gin made from hay.
Bars In London | Browse our full roster of recommended bars in the city.
The Best Rooftop Bars In London | Yes, these are the bars which truly stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Underground Bars In London | Not bars which are actually on the Underground. That’s not the track we’re going down. Instead, it’s a finely-tuned collation of the best subterranean hangouts in London.
The Best London Speakeasies | Disclaimer: many of these are also, as it happens, underground. But that’s exactly how they’ve slipped under the radar for so long…
The Best London Bars With Live Music | Acoustic dens and rock and roll cocktail bars.
Jazz Bars in London | Where to sip sazeracs to New Orleans blues.
The Best London Cocktail Bars | For when you want to shake things up.
London Wine Bars | A corking collection, if we say so ourselves.
Cool London Bars | From tinfoil walls to molecular cocktails in the Breaking Bad RV.
The Best Champagne Bars In London | If you’re looking for real pain, then you’re in the wrong place.
Your Official Spirits Bar Guide | It wasn’t easy putting together lists of the finest bars for tequila, vodka, rum, gin and whisky – but it was certainly worth a shot.
Best Pubs In London With Open Fires | All you need to do is sit back and warm your cockles…
London’s Top Activity Bars | If you’ve ever thought that drinking would be far more enjoyable if you were armed with darts, a golf club, or an endless supply of ping pong balls – you are not alone.
Karaoke Bars | If you’ve visited everywhere else on this list, you might just have enough Dutch courage to tackle this one.
DATE IDEAS
London dates can be hard to come up with.
To be fair, there are probably better climates to grow them in.
As for dates in the romantic sense – well, there’s a plethora of dimly-lit cocktail bars, cosy-boothed eateries and unexpectedly spark-kindling activities to be sought out. So we did. And here’s what we found…
100 London Date Ideas | From soaking up wine in a riverside, cloistered bar to urban glassblowing, gourmet cheese-tasting and karaoke on a barge – these are the best things to do in London for the romantics out there. Like you.
Quirky London Date Ideas | Toad petting. Competitive axe throwing. “Divorce”. If you like your dates quirky, this is for you.
50 London Summer Date Ideas | If the pressure of planning a perfect date brings you out in a sweat, you’re going to have an especially hard time in summer. But fear not, we’ve painstakingly created the ultimate mid-year date guide for you. No sweat.
50 Autumn Date Ideas | The leaves are falling…and so will you. Here’s our guide to the best seasonally-enhanced date ideas, from stargazing to cocktail canal cruises…
Romantic Restaurants in London | Because a little candlelight never hurt anyone (as long as you don’t get too close to it).
London’s Best Boutique Hotels | For those special occasions when you’d rather spend the night on a giant floating apartment block. Or an authentic Georgian townhouse. Or a renovated art deco town hall with its own critically lauded restaurant attached.
THINGS TO DO
The Latest Events in London | As currently featured on The Nudge, these are the best exhibitions, events and happenings in London right now.
Things To Do For Free In London | How to see all the city’s best bits, without spending a penny.
Things To Do With Kids in London | London for little people.
The Best Craft Workshops In London | From circus skills to robot building, here are the best places to (probably literally) add another string to your bow.
London’s Best Escape Rooms | There’s no getting out of this one.
London’s Crazy Golf Spots | This guide is full of holes…
MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Things To Do In London This Month | Only the greatest transient things happening in London this month, including pop up bars, supperclubs, immersive experiences, festivals, parties and general shenanigans.
What’s On In London This Weekend | Sure, you could leave work on a Friday evening and hope that the weekend fairy’s visited and planned a glorious two days off, full of quirky, one-off events; unusual dinner parties and themed nights out… or you could do the more reliable thing, and read this.
CULTURE
The Best London Theatre Shows Right Now | A discerning guide to only the very best shows on in London, from musicals to dramas, comedy to site-specific, immersive experiences.
How To Get Cheap Theatre Tickets in London | From ticket booths to online lotteries.
Art Galleries In London | Every picture-house in the city, plus information on all the current exhibitions taking place, from multimedia installations to old masters.
Lectures & Talks in London | We don’t want to lecture you… but you should go.
The Best Museums In London | A carefully curated collection of London’s carefully curated collections.
The Most Unusual Museums In London | For when you’re less interested in ancient pottery, and more interested in secret underground railways, subversive penny arcades, and clown eggs.
PARTY PLANNING
Birthday parties.
Statistics suggest that the more you have, the longer you live. And there’s no reason to stop at mere birthdays when London is flooded with excellent party ideas…
The Ultimate London Birthday Guide | Birthdays used to be a piece of cake. Now, it’s tough to pick between the wealth of options available. Unless of course, you have an easy-to-navigate, extensive guide to the best spots in the city…
A Throng Of London Hen Party Ideas | Where a throng, specifically, means 50 – including dance lessons, cocktail making, and a room full of balls (not like that…)
The Best Office Christmas Parties In London | A roster of activity-bolstered venues at which to hold your annual office festive shindig – complete with potential embarrassment ratings.
Private Dining Rooms in London | Special, intimate dining rooms for a private soirée in some of London’s best restaurants.
EXPLORE LONDON
Martin Hesketh
Walking tours might be two a penny these days, but nevertheless…
We’re going to follow in their footsteps.
Because it’s here that we’re gathering all our recommendations for lazy Sunday strolls around London’s best ice cream parlours, hidden London spots to explore, and our tips for tracking down the finest street food in the capital.
Here’s the scoop:
The Best London Walks | How to see the best parts of the city.
Walking The Thames | Sure, it may be pretty mainstream. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Thames boasts some of the best sights in London – here’s the best way to see them all.
Street Food Markets In London | If you’re in the market for a market, look no further.
The Best Places To Work In London As A Freelancer | Certified workspots where you won’t get pass ag coughs after your third glass of water…
The Best Coffee Shops In London | Only the best, mind. The others have been thoroughly roasted.
London’s Best Secret Gardens | We have scientific evidence that the grass really is greener in these secluded spots. Somewhere…
Tour The West End On Foot | It’s at least 92% more rewarding than attempting it on your knees.
A Central London Ice Cream Crawl | We defy you to travel any other way after working your way through these bad boys.
An Incredibly Useful Walking Tube Map | Around £2,400 a day is spent on the 45-second tube journey between Covent Garden and Leicester Square. Here’s how not to be that guy.
Museum Hopping Around London | A hop, skip and a jump through London’s greatest enlightening institutions.
London Secrets Hidden In Plain Sight | Everyone knows about the noses of Soho, but did you hear about the ears of Covent Garden?
20 Excellent Day Trips From London | If, by some miracle, you manage to exhaust the above lists… here’s a bunch of things you can do outside of London, too.
Last Updated: 3rd October 2019 | Main image: Candlelight Club
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