Grabbing a booking at a hot restaurant can be hard at the best of times, but there are some places where getting a decent table seems almost an impossibility. To help you regain your sanity when trying to procure a seat at one of London's uber-hot restaurants, here's our guide with all the information you need from when booking windows open and more.
Hard to get
Carbone (Mayfair) - At the time of writing, this Italian American restaurant from New York is one of the hottest in London, and it is nigh on impossible to get a booking (although keep trying as we've seen times open up).
When to book: Bookings open around 60 days ahead, so if you really want to go, plan in advance. Next year, they should open for lunch too, and when that happens it'll get a lot easier. Book here.
Core by Clare Smyth
(Notting Hill) - Clare Smyth's three-Michelin-starred restaurant is the hardest by far of the three-starred restaurants to get a booking at.
When to book: Reservations open 91 days in advance and can be made online. As one of London's rare three Michelin-starred restaurants, this is one of those places people really do book in advance. Book here.
The Devonshire
(Soho) - You can always grab a pint at the bar, but a seat in the grill restaurant upstairs, run by Ashley Palmer-Watts, is much harder. Even though the restaurant has opened more dining spaces since it first opened, it's one of the hardest places to get a table in London.
When to book: Bookings are released three weeks in advance on Thursdays mornings at 10.30am. Lunchtimes are easier to find a spot if you book well ahead but dinner is very, very hard (although the odd post 9.30pm booking can be grabbed). Look out for the odd walk-in availability, particularly on unexpectedly sunny days when the terrace opens. Book here.
Gymkhana
(Mayfair) - The JKS group's flagship Indian restaurant is still a huge celebrity haunt and has become even harder to book since it got a second Michelin star.
When to book: Bookings open two months in advance at 6am GMT (three months if you're booking a private room) so securing a table here is one that requires an early start. This was one of the hardest places we looked at to get a booking. You'd be looking at at least a month away for a Friday night booking and even then it would probably be post 10pm. Book here.
Lupa
(Highbury) - It's rare that a neighbourhood restaurant is so fiendishly hard to get a table at, but this Roman-style restaurant is both tiny and owned by actor Theo James, so that's boosted its popularity. It helps that the restaurant is good, too.
When to book: From our experience, it's worth checking for cancellations on the day as last-minute booking opportunities can open up. Lunchtime bookings are much easier to get, and because the rolling booking window is five months, booking is easier if you're willing to book a couple of months in advance. Book here.
Plates
(Shoreditch) - This small Michelin-starred, plant-based restaurant from Kirk Haworth became quickly famous for immediately being booked out many months ahead.
When to book: Plates reservations go up in tranches (with bookings up to roughly 6 months ahead), so to find out when the next ones are being released, you should sign up to their newsletter. There is a waitlist for cancellations and if you search on Tock (their booking system), it's quite esay to check if there are random days with availability. Book here.
Plan in advance
The Dover
(Mayfair) - One of London's coolest restaurants, it's usually much easier to get into the bar at The Dover, but dinner is another matter altogether. Lunchtimes are generally OK to book, however. You have a much higher chance of seeing a celebrity if you go in the evening, though.
When to book: The booking window is three weeks in advance, with reservations released mid-week. Book here.
Nina
(Marylebone) - The Pachamama Group's move towards Mediterranean dining has been a big success, with all their restaurants being very hard to get tables at, particularly the most central, Nina.
When to book: The booking window is a rolling six months, so if you're willing to book about two months in advance, you'll have your fair share of options. Otherwise, plan about two weeks ahead and be prepared to take a 9pm table. Book here.
Also see: Their most recent opening, Lagana in Shoreditch, is also very hard to get a booking at,
Bouchon Racine
(Farringdon) - This classic French bouchon from Henry Harris is one of our favourite London restaurants and it's been hugely popular since opening a few years back.
When to book: The booking window is a rolling one calendar month. Book here.
Also note: There's a small menu from the same team in the Three Compasses downstairs, and it's much easier to grab a walk-in table there.
Or just be prepared to get in the queue
Dishoom Carnaby Street - Dishoom doesn't take bookings in the evenings, hence the perma-queues. But if you can gather five friends or colleagues or even folk off the street together you can make a group reservation. That said, we couldn't find a Friday evening spot free at any point in the next month. If you can switch to lunch, you can make reservations for any group size.
Are there any restaurants that you think should be on this guide? Let us know.
Also see
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