The London Summer 25

Few caves in London hoard people’s dignity like Mascara Bar. The Stoke Newington spot is open until at least 3am on weekends, or until the Guinness runs dry and your regret-o-meter peaks. Entry is free, live jazz is occasional, and inhibitions are minimal. - Jake Missing

Disappointment is something every flimsy umbrella-wielding Brit knows too well. A lunch at Mayfair’s Saltie Girl is the cure. The interiors serve crustacean chic, lobster rolls are 50% butter, and the mood is permanently set to seaside cheer. Just don’t look outside. - Rianne Shlebak

Not all pub gardens are created equal. The Herne Tavern’s maze-like backyard is one for drinking, eating, spilling, and repeating. The leafy spot by Peckham Rye has everything for an all-day, all-night stint: shady corners, Taytos, excellent pints, and a big canopy for surprise downpours. - Daisy Meager

Summer is for snoozing alarms, not setting them. Unless it’s to pre-order London’s best cheese pies from Crisp Pizza W6. The pop-up at Hammersmith pub The Chancellors often sells out quickly so being organised is essential—as is the puffy, ricotta-stuffed calzone. - Rianne Shlebak

Summer is all about doing something dumb—meeting sneaky links, sneaky second desserts, and sneaky long lunches. At Vauxhall cafe Italo, split a ciabatta with your ex and have Italian biscuits after ice cream, right around the time you were supposed to be sending that email. - Rianne Shlebak

A woman strips a sardine with her hands while murdering Respect on the mic. Disco lights orbit the room and groups double fist piri-piri chicken and vinho verde. Holiday? No. Heaven at Sporting Clube De Londres in Notting Hill? Yes. - Jake Missing

Icy martinis in Rita's hidden backyard hit differently. Partly because you've stumbled on a secret courtyard in the heart of Soho. It feels like your coolest mate's garden, with whitewashed walls and artful graffiti, plus juicy lamb skewers. Their Tesco disposable could never. - Sinéad Cranna

The Guinea Grill spills out onto Bruton Place like a half-drunk lager knocked to the floor. Windowsills become tables and steps become seats on this beer garden of a street. Clock off early, get a pint, and lean around for a few hours. - Jake Missing

Walthamstow Village has big street party energy at the weekend. Start the day with toasties at Froth & Rind, brewery-hop along Shernhall Street, dodge anxious sighthounds, and refuel at Peeld Poké & Açai. End the day at The Nags Head because the pub just makes sense. - Sinéad Cranna

Your ex is staring at the person saved as 'WeWork lift meet cute.' Excellent. Give them a 360-degree look at your co-ord as you turn to watch the skyline melt to negroni orange at Peckham's most popular rooftop bar—and desperately try to remember your date's name. - Sinéad Cranna

The party patio situation at Fish, Wings & Tings will replace your Optrex bottle with a rum cocktail and salt fish fritters. The street-side seating at the Caribbean spot in Brixton is mercifully foliage-free. Settle in and feel smug that you've bested p-who-shall-not-be-named (pollen). - Sinéad Cranna

Tasty Jerk is home to Crystal Palace’s finest tarmac dining room. Consult the perma-smoking steel drum setup, get a box of sensationally charred jerk chicken, bag some blazing scotch bonnet sauce, and find a supermarket parking space out back. No permits needed. - Jake Missing

You haven’t seen a queue this spectacular since dear Lizzy’s passing. But that one didn’t promise sun-speckled tomatoes at the end. East London’s heaving, summer-only brunch spot is worth the catwalk wait. Slip on your clogs, grab a coffee, and pose patiently. - Jake Missing

Carafes flow, glasses clink, and Japanese linen 'fits flutter in this serene courtyard beside the Thames. The Lambeth restaurant has a demographic who read Nigel Slater, and the food—asparagus, hollandaise, a gratin here, strawberries and shortbread there—is similarly tasteful (and tasty).  - Jake Missing

Splish, splash. That’s not the sound of your backstroke. It’s your glass being refilled in London’s most idyllic wine bar. Brockwell Lido is a dreamy open-air pool and combined with a stroll to Lulu’s, you have Herne Hill’s perfect double act. - Jake Missing

Warren Street deli Honey & Spice makes us want to be a better person. The kind who brings a spread of smoky hummus and pillowy chocolate babka to Regent's Park. And not the single Twix and six-pack of White Claw we usually contribute to picnics. - Sinéad Cranna

The terrace of dreams, the unspoiled Thames view, and a lavish seafood menu that taps into the money-comes-and-goes-but-memories-are-forever mood we get when the sun comes out. Mute your bank notifications—the whole buttery dover sole at Scott’s Richmond is worth every penny. - Rianne Shlebak

You’re on top of the world (a Southwark rooftop), wearing Loewe shades (ASOS dupes), and are completely carefree (ignoring your inbox). Ordering Seabird’s seafood tower is excessive. But summer is about snatching moments of recklessness—like a few hours cracking lobster claws and sucking prawn heads. - Daisy Meager

If the weather is serving ‘put your sunnies on’, bingsoo should be your go-to. Time stands still at New Malden’s Cake & Bingsoo Cafe when you’re working your way through a deep bowl of shaved ice, piled high with fresh fruit, Oreos, ice cream, and sprinkles. - Rianne Shlebak

After day-drinking or working up an appetite lazing around, nothing beats sitting on a patch of grass after getting change from a tenner at Falafel & Shawarma in Camberwell. Mezze box in one hand, Fanta in the other, and plenty of toum breath. - Rianne Shlebak

Quo Vadis does a martini that'll slap the sweat off your face and has air con frostier than a Phil and Holly reunion. Enter the classic British Soho spot with a kidney bean-shaped sweat patch, leave with goosebumps. - Sinéad Cranna

Alphonso season is pretty much over. Your go-to shop with sindhri has gone quiet. Murmurings about fake Sainsbury’s in Clapton having chaunsa are proving unfounded. Enter east London’s Bake Street. Their summer-only mango sorbet—creamy, sweet, floral—is the fix you need. - Jake Missing

Fun things to do in London: hop on a train to Margate for cod and chips. It doesn’t get better than a takeaway from Peter’s Fish Factory. Find a spot to eat with a view of the sea and go full mama bear when seagulls swoop down. - Rianne Shlebak

Forgot to pack Lactaid in your sequined bum bag? Just can’t with the steamy portaloo? The oh so clean toilets at chic pub The Pelican have got you. Think dried flowers, cushioned loo roll, and no one trying to kick the door in. Bliss. Update 18/08: The Pelican has now decided to close during Notting Hill Carnival. We can neither confirm nor deny whether our PSA was the cause. - Sinéad Cranna

Follow the whiff of a smoking drum and the sound of bumping reggae from Dalston Kingsland and you’ll find Ewarts Jerk in Gillett Square. Order the smoky jerk pork belly, crack a few cans, and get comfortable. - Jake Missing