The 13 best restaurants where you can eat into the early hours – and their special offers
Unlike in Spain or Italy, where eating at 9pm or 10pm is common practice, Britain has never been a late-dining nation. Our habits have become further entrenched since the pandemic: a 9pm booking at a restaurant was once normal, but restaurateurs now fret that late-night dining might become extinct.
According to reservations platform OpenTable, 'early-bird dining' has increased by 5 per cent this year. Its research suggests that almost half of us plan to book earlier dinners in 2025, with many pointing the finger at social changes such as healthier lifestyles and the rise of streaming services. We'd much prefer a light supper and an evening on the sofa, it seems.
Tom Rogers, who works in restaurant public relations, says some restaurants are focusing all their efforts on their early-evening customers. At Bubala, which has three branches in London, 5.30pm is now the prime-time slot, while The River Cafe Cafe, which opened last year, quickly ditched dinners on Monday to Wednesday, opening at breakfast instead.
Now, chefs and restaurateurs are fighting back, hoping to encourage diners to 'reacquaint themselves' with later dining. Leading the charge is Jeremy King, who has announced a 25 per cent discount for post-9.15pm dining at his London restaurants Arlington and The Park.
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Londoners are 'becoming strangers to the joy and fun of late-night dining', King told Restaurant Online. He isn't the only one on a mission to lure them back. Kitty Fisher's Group, which runs Kitty Fisher's in Mayfair and Cora Pearl in Covent Garden, has launched a 'Champagne on Us' offer, promising a free bottle for late diners. Vivek Singh of the Cinnamon Collection, a six-strong restaurant group he founded more than 20 years ago, recently told The Telegraph that 10pm bookings were once common; now, there are barely any past 9.30pm. Singh advocates dynamic pricing, offering cheaper meals after 9pm as a way to entice customers.
While it's a myth that there are no late-night spots at all in London – or elsewhere in the UK – they are certainly less common than in many major cities abroad. The Government is exploring new licensing laws to help pubs and restaurants open later, but, for now, many operators are doing all they can to bring back the night owls.
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