This week we wave goodbye to a jam packed August and anticipate September, where we’ll be looking forward to cosier, more autumnal things to do.
But fear not, it’s another hefty list of restaurants, bars and more to keep you busy.
We’ve got a Mrs Doubtfire inspired meal, neighbourhood restaurants – and truffle, truffle and more truffle.
Plus, it’s still sunny in the capital, so you can still get your rooftop and outdoor terrace fix.
We’re also spotlighting veggie-forward dining with a review from a meat-eater who thinks she might have been converted.
Read on for the latest recommendations for August 31-September 1, handpicked as always by The Slice.
Welcome to the Slice
The Slice is your weekly guide to what’s happening in London, so if you’re looking for restaurant reviews, drinks deals or just a great new exhibition to visit on a rainy Saturday in the capital, we’ve got you covered.
Click here for this week’s edit of the best things to do in town – and if you want get the next edition before anyone else, sign up here!
If you want to do it all on the cheap, you can also find our latest batch of exclusive hand-picked offers in partnership with Time Out here.
Don’t miss
1. Get into the silly Mrs Doubtfire mood at Colonel Saab
Dinner and a show is a long celebrated tradition of theatre goers, but Colonel Saab’s collaboration Mrs Doubtfire takes it to another level. The Indian restaurant has devised a dining adventure that celebrates the 90s film in all its chaotic glory, without compromising on taste. Start with a Chachi 420 (which is named after the Bollywood remake of Mrs Doubtfire), a gin-based cocktail that morphs from blue to purple just like the movie’s shapeshifting protagonist.
Each dish is named after a catchphrase or scene – ‘Hellooo’ Gutti vankaya and ‘Poppet’s’ panner pakeezah – and all are served by enthusiastic waiters wearing grey haired wigs and aprons with burn marks. The Jumping Jehosafatsi Jalpurl aloo potatoes are crisped to perfection with a gentle spice kick, and the Layered in Love mishti dol cheesecake finale was as light as Mrs Doubtfire’s spirit.
Colonel Saab is the perfect place to get in a silly mood to the hilarious West End show (the location is ideal too – you’ll only need to walk couple of minutes to arrive at Shaftesbury Theatre).
Mrs Doubtfire Experience Menu is £60pp for five courses including colour changing cocktail. Mrs Doubtfire Set Lunch Menu is £35pp for two courses. 193-197 High Holborn, Holborn. Book here.
2. London’s best truffle pasta
Gloria Trattoria. £23pp (serves 2). Best for: feeling fancy. Book here.
Stumble onto Gloria Trattoria, right in the middle of Shoreditch, and you might feel like you’re on a Disney film set in an enchanted forest. Dozens of plants sit at the entrance, and the interior looks almost theatrical. Their menu changes every month, but a staple is their Spaghetti Al Tartufo which is about as luxurious and creamy and as you can get.
Lina Stores. £16. Best for: nay-sayers. Book here.
Bright, airy and inviting, Lina Stores is actually a store – and a restaurant that’s slowly taking over London – importing hard to get high-quality products from Italy. Their truffle pasta is one for the disbelievers. The pricey fungus has a distinct earthy taste – you either love it or you hate it – and the light shavings in Lina Stores’ Tagliolini al Tartufo make a great intro. Plus, portions are on the smaller side (we go three between two) – the perfect sample size!
Harry’s. £14.50. Best for: the cheese-lovers. Book here.
With three branches across London – Victoria, Knightsbridge and Marylebone – Harry’s has become a real cult favourite. The elegant restaurant and bar serves up a gratinated tagliolini. It’s made with truffle (of course), plus parmesan and cream. And the gratinated topping makes it even cheesier. For those of you who aren’t scared of cheese, this would be a great choice.
3. Grab a bunch of friends and go out to watch The Paralympics
We know it’s only been two weeks since the 2024 Paris Olympics ended, but we’ve had a void in our heart ever since. It’s okay though, because the ‘greatest show on Earth’ is back from 7:30pm BST tonight with the Paralympics opening ceremony. See all the action in HD London’s flagship Official ParalympicsGB Fanzone in Power Station Park, Spitalfields’ Bishops Square Park or Canary Wharf’s Summer Screens.
4. Watch the UK African Acrobats do all sorts of tricks
🎪 You can also get a taste of the Olympics in a free acrobatics performance this Sunday at Woolwich Works. The UK African Acrobats are putting on a real show of juggling, balancing, and maybe even fire breathing that will make you go ‘ooh… aah’. Led by founder Emmanuel Okine with his family, two performances will take place (12pm and 2pm) to a backdrop of infectious West African sounds.
5. See free art at Hart Shoreditch
🎨 For three days (27 Aug-30 Sept), a FREE immersive exhibition by Hart Shoreditch and 2LG Studio finds a home in artsy Shoreditch as part of London Design Festival. SPECTRUM will use the hotel to showcase art by composer Quentin LaChapele, digital artist Lucy Hardcastle and more. Expect an exciting sensory journey that explores human and personal connections to colour through techniques like video projection, 3D printing, and bespoke upholstery. More info here.
6. Last chance to bag cheap seats at London Theatre week
Theatre ticket prices are plummeting down for London Theatre Week. Plenty of musicals and plays are taking part in this year’s offering, including massive hits like Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera and Mean Girls.
Ends 1 September, offers apply for selected days only, various venues.
Best places to eat
Try some local food at a neighbourhood restaurant
7. Quality small plates at Half Cut Market
There’s something so wonderful about finding a really good neighbourhood restaurant. And man, Half Cut Market is a really, really good neighbourhood restaurant. What is most impressive is the sheer quality and creativity of the dishes, considering their new chef Aidan Richardson has been running the kitchen for just a couple of months.
The menu changes regularly (a sign of dependency on seasonal food plus the calibre of the chef), which makes recommendations difficult, but we’ve been assured the chocolate eclair is a regular – so order it if it’s there. Eclairs that crunch like this one, that have a chocolate mousse so light and creamy, and a topping cherry coulis so floral, so brilliant, deserve to be hung up in the Louvre, let alone a cosy wine bar in Caledonian Road. If you’re lucky and they’re on the menu, we strongly recommend the sardine toast with fresh eel mousse or the braised carrots covered with salty roe mayonnaise. Half Cut is a gem; once you know about it, you’ll be showing it off to everyone you know.
Small plates from £7. 396 York Way, Caledonian Road. Book here.
8. Veggie-forward dining at Holy Carrot
Before we even get started on the food, we have to talk about the decor. Cosy, intimate and stylish. Perfect for a first date or really good Instagram pics – take your pick. Now, onto the main event: the menu is seasonal and shifts depending on what’s fresh, so you know that thought and care has been put into the dishes you’re about to eat. Take my word for it and order the stracciatella, peach, hazelnut, pumpkin seed salsa matcha.
The combo sounds strange, but works so well. The juicy peach bursts in your mouth, whilst the creamy stracciatella (complemented with a hint of spicy salsa) takes you on a culinary journey you didn’t know you needed. You won’t miss meat if you order the oyster mushroom al pastor. It tastes just the same, or dare I say better? Top it off with a matcha ‘tiramisu’ (I would eat five of them in a row) and that’s your perfect dinner curated. I might have to go vegan now.
Small plates from £8. 156 Portobello Rd, Notting Hill. Book here.
9. Eat at Mexican and North American inspired Rita’s Soho
Beloved Soho eatery, Rita’s, has only gone and updated their lunch menu for autumn. The new menu draws on inspiration from the cantinas of Mexico and the bars of North America with fresh, flavour-forward creations like grilled shrimp with fermented chilli and garlic, fillet steak ‘miso poivre’ with fries and oak smoked pork belly with spring greens and peach.
The wine list is sustainable and low intervention with references from the likes of Greece and Slovakia, alongside a superb selection of hard and soft cocktails loaded with fresh ingredients. What started as a pop-up in Hackney has been gentrified into a bricks and mortar ‘American-accented’ Soho dining spot, thank goodness. Set up by celebrated restauranteurs Gabriel Pryce and Missy Malik-Flynn three years ago, the food and drink offering is inspired by their stateside travels. I bet they’ve got some stories to share…
Mains from £26. Open for lunch Thurs-Sat 12-3pm. 49 Lexington St, Carnaby. Book here.
10. Visit Brixton fave Fish, Wings & Tings
A walk down SW9’s vibrant Atlantic Road puts you near the end of Brixton market, where Fish, Wings & Tings – the brainchild of Trini chef Brian Danclair – lives.
The deliciously tender curried chicken and perfectly flaky roti is a standout, and while the jerk chicken is sweeter than you’d typically expect, the saltfish fritters swing in to save the day and create the ultimate flavour balance – its bright specks of scotch bonnet loudly make itself known to create a moreish dish I could’ve easily eaten double of.
And, just round the corner, the sun illuminates a joyful gospel choir as they sing and sway back and forth. You just can’t beat the atmosphere of Brixton Market, and Fish Wings & Tings is the perfect place to take it all in.
Brixton Village, Brixton. Book here.
11. Eat at oceanic aesthetic restaurant Piraña in style
By Sabrina Barr
In the world of fine dining, saying that a restaurant values ‘style over substance’ is a supremely crushing assessment. Luckily for Piraña on Mayfair’s St James Street, its sleek, oceanic aesthetic – complete with a fish tank in the bathroom – is a perfect match for its sophisticated and succulent dishes. The menu gives diners the option to keep prices low (or as low as can be, as the small plates do gradually add up), or to splash out big.
The restaurant is going for a Dubai-style vibe, with its DJ cranking up the tunes throughout your meal, and a menu full of Peruvian and Japanese fusion flavours, with the tuna tataki, the sea bass taco, and the Wagyu maki being particular highlights. Piraña’s extensive espresso martini menu might leave you feeling overwhelmed with choice, ranging from a classic to a chocolate orange offering and even a tiramisu-themed beverage.
As for dessert, the Peruvian chocolate mousse, featuring Brazilian espresso ice cream and dulce de leche crémeux, couldn’t be more heavenly. If you fancy a plush London meal or are just a big fan of haute cuisine fish, Piraña will certainly serve up a night to remember.
Small plates from £16, 7-9 St James’s St, Westminster. Book here.
12. Enjoy Korean-Japanese food at Jang
Perched on a mezzanine sits Jang, which is knocking Korean-Japanese dishes out of the grade I listed building it’s housed in. Start with a Subak Royal cocktail, their version of an Aperol Spritz which goes surprising well with their Jang KFC starter, aka crispy, juicy bundles of chicken drizzled with sticky-spicy gochujang sauce. Follow up with the intricately delicious 8-piece sushi, served on a silver crocodile, obviously.
For the main, the K-BBQ brings theatre to your table with slices of sirloin sizzling on the coals of Japanese barbecue, with a revelatory plate of condiments including wasabi butter, chimichurri and pollock roe.
Also on your order sheet should be the delicately sweet black cod miso alongside the most flavoursome bone broth for pouring or dunking. Finish on a naughty note with the Kkwabaegi Korean doughnut – basically a plaited churro accompanied by salted caramel ice cream and Biscoff crumble.
Mains from £22. First Floor, Royal Exchange, The City. Book here.
13. Go all out at London’s Michelin-Starred West African restaurant
By Hiyah Zaidi
It’s hard to believe that Akoko only received its first Michelin star this year, as since the start of Nigerian chef Ayo Adeyemi’s reign, a menu has been created here that sparks inspiration.
Neon greens and zesty oranges appear as traditional Nigerian flavours stuffed with spice that lead to immediate silence and verging tears. The potato/beef tatase relish, or Gambian Stew, sets the tone for the meal, creating an air of suspense for what comes next, as every course that comes after effortlessly produces its own pleasant surprise.
And dessert? Zobo, a watermelon granita that flirts with hibiscus, creates a homage to the flavours that came before and amplifies the white, pure dessert that follows. No matter your favourite course, you’ll leave hazy with delight, and with a reframed palate that brings you pleasure.
Tasting menu from £120. 21 Berners St, Fitzrovia. Book here.
14. Have dinner at one of Covent Garden’s beautiful Floral Court’s Restaurants
By Rob Buckhaven and Jeremy Ullmann
We’ve all found ourselves passing through Floral Court. Whether we’re tourists or seasoned Londoners on a stroll. The Petersham is the more formal option in Petershams Nurseries’ Floral Court restaurant complex, and it has just launched its summer menu using ingredients from a Devon family farm for its ‘farm-to-fork’ approach.
Yards away at airy al-fresco Italian La Goccia, you basically choose one item from each menu section to share between two, Italian tapas-style. Of note are the line caught tuna carpaccio and the richly delicious orecchiette alla Norma with aubergine, tomato and ricotta. They really are doing the Lord’s work over at Petersham Nurseries.
Mains from £24 at The Petersham; small plates from £10 at La Goccia. Floral Court, Covent Garden. Book here.
15. Try Pani Puri at Kahani
It’s unlikely you would stumble upon the elegant entrance to Kahani by chance but fine-dining Indian food in a warm atmosphere makes it well worth seeking out. Don’t be afraid to put your experience into the hands of renowned chef Peter Joseph and the excellent staff to serve up some unknown gems alongside new twists on old favourites.
The small plate offering of Mango Pani Puri – an Indian street food – with sweet potato, black chickpea and spiced mango juice served inside a crispy puri should be mandatory with any visit, and for the tandoori broccoli – and it’s hard to hype up broccoli – but I would die for that dish. Head along on a Thursday to pair the incredible food with a backdrop of live jazz.
Mains from £16. 1 Wilbraham Plc, Chelsea. Book here.
We visitied Kahani as part of a our South Asian Heritage Month series. Catch up over on our TikTok with visits to Tamarind Kitchen, Dhakaah and more.
16. Enjoy a meal in the sunshine at The Broadcaster
By Kate Rice
The Broadcaster offers the classic combination of views and booze to accompany British summertime (when it decides to actually rear its head). Located in White City, you can take in a 360-view of West London on the restaurant’s rooftop, enjoying some classic Gastro pub-style food.
Highlights include monkfish scampi — which comes with a curry tartare so good you could drink it with a straw — and pan roasted cod. The Smoked and Spiced Margarita is also an absolute must-order for all tequila lovers out there (you can thank me later). Sunshine, cocktails, and a hell of a lot of food — there’s little to fault
Bar snacks from £5, mains from £16. 89 Wood Lane, White City. Book here.
17. Try Richmond’s new Pasta Emporium with a self-serve wine machine
The brand new Emporium is Pasta Evangelists’ very first dedicated restaurant space. There’s a pasta counter where you can watch your food being prepared and see exactly what you’re getting, self-service machines to allow you to fully customise your order, and outside you might even spot a branded Vespa which Deliveroo drivers will be rocking up to your house on when you order food.
Read our Food Writer Courtney Pochin’s full review here.
18. Visit Covent Garden’s new Churreria Aguamiel
Covent Garden is now home to @aguamiel.ldn, London’s first authentic “churreria”! Indulge in fresh churros, iced horchata, and mouthwatering churro ice cream sandwiches.
19. Bask in the sun at From The Ashes BBQ
Saturday afternoons in the sun are bliss at Five Points Brewery, elevated by the smoky haze of From The Ashes, a sizzling food truck serving up slabs of proper BBQ grub.
Smoke ring galore can be found in the succulent short ribs, while the porchetta is melt in the mouth and the tacos moreishly juicy. If you’re looking for BBQ classics and a beer in the sun, things don’t get much better than this.
61 Mare St, Hackney. Book here.
Like Sushi? These are some of our favourite spots
Taku. Best for: a once-in-a-year experience
Michelin Star spell-binding flavours, remarkably skilful chefs and an intimate environment – this is sushi fine dining turned up to 100. 36 Albemarle St, Mayfair. Book here.
Miyako. Best for: a post-work sushi
Miyako, a delightful and traditional sushi joint is very reasonably priced for what is standard but deliciously fresh sushi, and a variety of excellent sake options (plus sake-based cocktails). Try the Nasu Dengaku (miso-infused aubergine). Book here. 40 Liverpool St.
Temaki. Best for: an affordable finger food delight
Set up like a traditional sushi house – you get a full authentic experience but for a fraction of the cost of the higher-end restaurants. The Wagyu tataki stands out here; melt-in-your-mouth, salty, crispy, garlicky, heavenly. 12 Market Row, Brixton. Book here.
Where to go for a drink
20. Get cocktails for £6 at community centred pub Queen of the South
If you want to wash down all those burgers, but you want to do it very cheaply, community centred pub Queen of the South is offering cocktails for £6 on Tuesdays, and £5 off selected wines for Wine Down Wednesdays and the Tulse Hill Tombola.
Every second Thursday – in partnership with Brixton Brewery – the pub reconnects with the local community, meaning you can win bar tabs, beers and all sorts of prizes all for the cost of a drink.
21. Visit Shoreditch’s gorgeous new bar Chiave
Probably the best part of the Chiave experience is sitting on the table that stretches the width of the bar facing out onto Redchurch Street – with the full vibrancy of a Shoreditch neighbourhood on constant display in front of you like a cinema screen. It’s to Chiave’s credit that even a man riding a penny farthing down the street is merely a quirky addition, rather than a distraction from the calming space and fantastic cocktail menu.
Expect a list of eccentric cocktail names (because…Shoreditch) including the Electric Lullaby, Doomsday and Libertango. The Street Spirit was a personal favourite, with the sweetness of the salted caramel wonderfully contrasted by the liquorice tones from the Rakı spirit. ‘Chiave’ is the Italian word for key, and on select nights, Chiave’s secret is unlocked, and you can head downstairs to their intimate dance floor for an after-hours boogie.
Cocktails from £11. 36 Redchurch St, Shoreditch. Book here.
22. Enjoy the sun at a rooftop bar
From terraces on top of skyscrapers to vibey rooftop restaurants, London is full of high up perches to get soak up the sunshine and incredible views with a glass in hand.
We’ve rounded up some of our favourite central London suntraps here.
23. Experience a life of luxury at Churchill Bar & Terrace
The leathery smell of tobacco lingers in the air at the Churchill Bar Bar & Terrace. Though likely to come from customers’ own cigars, it might as well be Churchill himself, considering the bronze statue of him with a cigar in hand, or the numerous portraits of the former prime minister watching over the nautical-themed terrace.
The marine-inspired excellent Sailor’s Serenade menu is the fresh and cost-friendly cocktail option here, but it is the Unity menu that steals the show. Cocktails mixed with a variety of tonics made from harvested rainwater and with ingredients from across the globe result in a taste that is both distinctly homemade and yet exotic.
Touches of mango make the Destiny cocktail a customer favourite, but the Middle-Eastern spices in the Purity cocktail won it for me. Splendid, Sir.
Cocktails from £14. 30 Portman Sq, Marylebone. Book here.
24. Grab a bottle at Bottles
Bottles is a gorgeous little spot with a colourful aesthetic that seems to mix an authentic Mediterranean wine bar and a French bohemian dining spot.
There’s an exhaustive (and we mean exhaustive) wine list focusing primarily on Italy and France but includes a ‘new world’ section ranging from New Zealand to Georgia – some using indigenous grapes, others are organic, vegan, riserva or orange.
There’s also an excellent small food menu with which the chefs very nearly steal the wine’s thunder. Is Bottles a date spot or a post-work food stop? Frankly, we don’t know and we don’t care. Just go and crack a bottle. It’s a 10 either way.
Wine bottles from £35. Mains from £16. 67 Brushfield St, Tower Hamlets. Book here.
25. Have a beer and chill under the arches at Bird House Brewery
A couple minutes walk from Herne Hill station, you’ll find it hidden this laid-back, outdoor brewery under a rustic railway arch (think Bermondsey Arches vibes but less crowded). With great food and delicious cocktails, it ideal for a family day out (it’s dog friendly!) or a night with friends with live music (or DJs at the weekend), a big variety of quality beers on tap, and just all-around fun, chill, vibes.
Burgers from £9. Cocktails from £11. Arch 1127, Bath Factory Estate, Herne Hill. Book here.
26. One evening left to catch the sunset at Searcys at Horizon 22
Friday 30 August is the final day you can watch the sun set over the city in style at Searcys at Horizon 22. Usually only available for private events after dusk, they’ve been opening up Level 58 of the City’s tallest building for a sparkling sundowner every Friday for a month.
£29.50pp and include a glass of Searcys Champagne. 22 Bishopsgate, The City. Book here.
What’s on
27. Sing like you’ve never sung before at BAM Karaoke
Who doesn’t love a bit of karaoke? The Slice certainly does. Last month the team visited BAM, the latest addition to London’s singalong scene. Standing for Boite a Musique (aka Music Box), BAM has taken a detour from Japan via Paris, resulting in a party bar that’s a little bit Moulin Rouge, a little bit Simmons, and a whole lot of X Factor.
Descend their red-carpeted staircase to find a warren of 22 private rooms, with themes ranging from the saucy Corset Room to the hot pink Flamingo Room. A high tech touch screen menu gives you full artistic control over your performance, with options to set the mood with lighting, volume and special effects, plus access to an encyclopedic song catalogue which even our merry band of Disney and Eurovision enthusiasts couldn’t exhaust.
You don’t even have to put down your mic to order your next drink, as you can summon cocktails – Kate Bush fans should try the Bambooshka – shots, bottles of bubbly and classic party snacks straight to your room with a touch of a button. All of that just a warm-up? On Thursdays, head straight to the main stage for open mic night or chill out with Bandeoke’s singalong acoustic session on Friday night. Watch the full review of our night of revelry here.
Private karaoke rooms from £8.50 pp/per hr. 74 Victoria St, Victoria. Book here.
28. Watch ‘the most entertaining’ show in the West End
WOW. What a difference a medium makes. Unlike the screen musical released in January that felt like a very pale imitation of the original 2004 film – on stage, Mean Girls the musical has its own high-octane energy and this near-flawless production inspires awe.
Where to start with the praise? The design is wondrous, Casey Nicholaw’s direction and choreography create some brilliant visuals, many of the songs resonate in a way that they simply didn’t on screen, and as for the performances, they are uniformly excellent.
Spin-off musicals from movies may be ten-a-penny these days, but this one really is a cut above most – in fact, you won’t find a more entertaining evening in the West End right now.
Tickets from £25. Savoy Theatre, West End. Book here.
29. Party the night (and day) away at the latest ‘Little Door’ venue
Known for their Orange, Yellow, Scarlet, and Blue Little Doors counterparts, a Violet has joined them in Carnaby. The Little Violet Door is a permanent house party.
Or, as they describe it, it’s “a flatshare turned bar and restaurant” where you’ll find a DJ spinning on an island turntable. The party doesn’t stop during the day. Every weekend they lay on a classic brunch complete with crumpet stacks and virtuous courgette pancakes, plus a £25pp bottomless option for 90 glorious minutes of free-flowing Aperol spritz, rum punch, rosé, prosecco or house ‘hop property lager’.
Watch our video review here:
30. Try London’s smallest pub quiz at Finch Wine Bar
Introducing London’s smallest pub quiz at the whimsical Finch in Brixton Village, where the cozy micro bar enhances the competition. Inspired by the owner’s quirky style, this event adds a new twist to the classic British pub quiz as locals and visitors alike join a weekly battle of wits. With a fine wine selection, teams of up to four compete in this vibrant, eclectic setting.
Wednesdays. Granville Arcade, Unit 89 Coldharbour Ln. Book here.
31. See Six The Musical
Thanks to casting TikToker Hannah Lowther, Six The Musical is gaining quite the following online, with videos of the famous MegaSix finale posted daily. But, it turns out that the show really does live up to the hype.
This is a story that attempts to reframe the historical narrative – giving a voice to the six women who have for centuries only been known as a King’s wife. It’s feminist and fabulous – and at times pretty emotional too. You can book tickets for the London show until May 2025, it’s also touring, so check out if it’s coming to a theatre near you.
Tickets from £34.50. Vaudeville Theatre, West End. Book here.
See you next week!
MORE : The best afternoon tea in London to book right now
MORE : It’s been 14 years, so why are people still queuing for Dishoom?
Sign up to our guide to what’s on in London, trusted reviews, brilliant offers and competitions. London’s best bits in your inbox
Share this with