The best things we ate and drank in October 2026

Dorothy’s (Mayfair) - Deviled eggs

Savile Row’s newish cafe and restaurant, Dorothy’s, celebrated the start of its first evening residency, by chef Joe Couldridge, with an oysters and martini party. The party food was particularly good with our favourite snack of the night being these deviled eggs.

Soraya (Marylebone) - Mixed grill platter

It’s probably the most photographed mixed grill in London right now, but most photos (like this one) only show the lamb koobideh, lamb shashlik, chicken joojeh and chicken wings from Soraya’s £110 platter. What you don’t see are all the sides like their house buttered rice, homemade red shatta, green shatta sauce and yoghurt dip. Go and order it with a group and enjoy.

Quo Vadis (Soho) - Vodka martini luge

Leave it to Soho centenarian Quo Vadis to celebrate their party with a double martini ice luge. One side was for dirty gin martinis, the other for vodka martinis with a twist. We may have overindulged, but thank goodness there were canapé-sized eel toast sandwiches from chef Jeremy Lee to soak up some of the excess.

The Horses (Clerkenwell) - Half a dressed lobster

Sometimes it’s the simplest things in life that can bring pleasure, and so it was with the lobster we enjoyed at the Public House Group’s latest pub opening in Clerkenwell. A really beautifully cooked lobster, it was served simply with mayonnaise and a punchy cocktail sauce.

Shōtengai Market (King's Cross) - salted egg honey toast from Cantoast

On a post-party recovery mission following the party at Quo Vadis, we pitched up at King’s Cross to eat our way through the offerings at the monthly Pan-Asian community market in Coal Drops Yard. Best of the bunch was a salmon onigiri from Onigiri Heads, and this wonderful dessert from market first-timers Cantoast. Special mention too, to the Malaysian coffee from the Kopi truck on King’s Boulevard.

Lunette (Temple) - Cock crab with pepper and yolk

For two months running, chef Florence Knight’s rooftop restaurant at The Clement has made it on to our best things we ate list. This month we finally got around to having a proper lunch there. And in a meal of many, many delights, we’re still thinking of how amazing this seafood rice with shellfish butter and egg yolk jam was.

The Kimpton Fitzroy (Fitzrovia) - Martini & unlimited fries

There are various iterations of this martini and fries deal around town, but two things separate the one at the Kimpton from the rest. The first is that the fries here are bottomless (although we only managed a single bowl). The second is that the dirty vodka freezer martini here is fast becoming our favourite in town.

Faros (Fitzrovia) - Truffle pizza

We popped into this popular Mediterranean spot for dinner one evening to find it absolutely rammed on a weekday night. Maybe they’d all realised just how good this pizza with its cheese base of Fior di latte, Gorgonzola and Grana Padano is.

Nettle (Covent Garden) - Wild rabbit skewer with fermented chilli

An exemplary dinner from Michelin green star holder chef Will Devlin at his new rooftop restaurant in Covent Garden featured various culinary highlights, but if we had to pick out one dish that summed the meal up it would be this rabbit skewer. Here it’s all about ethical, farm-to-table cooking and we loved that kick from the fermented chilli this came with.

Around Bar (Clerkenwell) - Cosmopolitan and aperitivo

Perfect for pre-dinner drinks if you’re heading to PAM (see below), this lovely Exmouth Market bar takes a leaf from Italian bars with a complimentary menu of aperitivo for every round of drinks ordered. We had some very well-balanced Cosmos, accompanied by pan con tomate, as well as a mini martini shot for the road.

PAM (Farringdon) - roasted duck breast with fries and red curry

We popped in on day two of the soft launch for new Thai spot PAM, and while restaurants always take a while to get into their stride, there were already a few clear must-order dishes, this roasted duck among them. We’d been warned by the waiter that this was the spiciest thing on the menu and he wasn’t joking, but it was worth the heat.

FKBAM (Islington) - Smoked cod roe and wild Irish seaweed cream cheese sandwich

For two days this month, chef Lee Tiernan was back in action at the now-shuttered Black Axe Mangal on Highbury Corner, making top-tier sandwiches as part of a pop-up with Kerrygold. This seafood take used BAM’s much-missed squid ink flatbread as inspo, adding trout caviar and cress to the mix. God, it was good.

Four Seasons (Hampshire) - Handpicked Cornish crab tartlet

For storm Boelo, we hid out at the five-star Four Seasons in the Hampshire countryside for the weekend. And while we had plenty of great food over the two days we spent there, it was this delicate Brixham crab starter with elderflower gel and lovage sauce at Executive Chef Tahla Barkin’s Wild Rabbit that really stood out.

Bunso (Kentish Town) - Longanisa Sausage pizza

At Bunso, Omar Shah has brought Filipino flavours into a pizzeria with real style. The place looks fantastic, and it's backed up by a strong menu of pizzas that really offer something different from the crowd. This was our favourite (the sausage itself was amazing) but the pasta dish of pappardelle with oxtail and peanut chilli crisp came a close second.

Yield Essex Road (Islington) - Charcuterie board

We're feeling a little spoiled for Yields at the moment. Not only is there one literally at the bottom of one of our roads, but there's now another barely 10 minutes away on Essex Road. Much more a standalone wine bar than a shop, this is an excellent addition to the area and helps that the charcuterie boards here are always excellent. 

Cloth Cornhill (City of London) - Coronation crab rostis

This second Cloth restaurant has already been a big success, and there's much to love about the main restaurant upstairs. But we think the pub snacks here are particularly strong as evidenced by these bite-sized rostis, which are also really well priced at £8 for two. When we're next back at the pub, these will be the first things we order.