Those keen to dine out on New Year’s Day, thus ringing in 2026 with admirable sensibility and style, are presented with slimmer options than most bank holidays. This is understandable — it takes somebody of immeasurable willpower to forego a hangover on the first day of the year. Hospitality folk included.
And so January 1 brings understandable closures. It is important people rest. But there are numerous restaurants with large enough teams to allow clocks to tick on, tables to be served. Here are 10 solid options for a breezy lunch on New Year’s Day. Go slow, go well, and be kind.
The Ritz
A two Michelin-star restaurant of near-unfathomable opulence, The Ritz is one of London’s most lavish restaurants, known for its grandeur as well as its impeccable service. Food comes from the mind of executive chef John Williams, every part a chefs’ chef but one who knows what it means to cook for people seeking food worthy of a special occasion. If nothing else, go for an enlivening menu of fine British meat, fish and game, and, for those not abstaining post-Christmas, a glass of champagne and a bottle of something lively. It is rare that spending £500 on dinner would seem fair. At The Ritz, it really is.
150 Piccadilly, W1, theritzlondon.com
The Fat Badger
One of the standout launches of 2025, the Fat Badger became a necessary go-to for fans of the Pelican, The Hero and the Bull at Charlbury. This pub and restaurant from the Public House Group seems like it’s part of the furniture in Notting Hill, despite being only a year old, and welcomes all manner of big names, the fashion crowd most notably. Tish Weinstock, Jazzy De Lisser, Lady Lola Bute are all regulars, no doubt charmed by the place. Now the barrage of A-list intrigue has washed away a little, it remains a popular haunt but one less inaccessible; it would make for an undemanding resting post come New Year’s Day. Head chef George Williams cooks splendid food.
310 Portobello Road, W10, thefatbadgerw10.com
The Churchill Arms
Ever a characterful pub in Kensington, the Churchill Arms is one of London’s finest drinking establishments, famed for its omnipresent floral displays and its raucous longevity. Be warned: these days it’s as much a tourist trap as a local. But if ever there’s a time to bed in with a pint or two, it’s New Year’s Day, where gentleness is in order. Though the pub’s longstanding landlord Gerry O’Brien called time in 2017, it’s still full of life, and there’s something special about London’s “Thairish culture”, of which O’Brien helped forge. One last note: fans of the film I Give It A Year — a festive classic for some — will recognise the back room, which featured in one of its many awkward scenes.
119 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LN, churchillarmskensington.co.uk
Twenty8 at the Nomad
US-style dining has had a been of a resurgence in London in recent years. That’s clearly the case here at Twenty8, where Boston-born Zak Gregoire is in charge. His menu is simple but comforting, ideal for New Year’s Day, and given the restaurant sits in a five-star hotel it’s almost always open in some capacity. On January 1, the menu begins with brunch before starters such as butternut squash soup, mushroom flatbread and crudites with a sprightly sesame seed dip. Main courses include lobster pasta, a very sound beef burger, and the the likes of steak frites, salmon with boiled potatoes and watercress, and chicken alongside gruyere and black truffle. This is somewhere to rest and recuperate.
28 Bow Street, WC2E 7AW hilton.com
Yauatcha
Soho’s Cantonese joint is a dimly lit, fish tank situation. Dining there feels a little like being on a movie set and indeed it’s used as the setting for many scenes in films. The dim sum would be a good shout for those nursing hangovers, a strong start to the year for anyone else. And given 2026 marks more than two decades of the West End hangout, it feels abundantly celebratory. The yum cha brunch comes in at £45 per head, otherwise there’s a wealth of à la carte dishes to explore.
15-17 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DL, yauatcha.com
Hawksmoor
Britain’s most famous steakhouse group will operate on a reduced hours basis on January 1-2, but its restaurants are open and willing nonetheless. The set menu would be a fine way to begin a new year: dishes such as mackerel salad, steak frites, and peanut butter shortbread are invariably restorative. Otherwise, there are all manner of other cuts on offer, these best paired with peppercorn sauce, beef dripping chips and winter veg. The new one, by St Pancras, is particularly good.
Hawksmoor, various locations in London, thehawksmoor.com
Kettner’s
Kettner’s reopened to the public after a four-year hiatus early in 2023. Today, the Soho House-run fixture still breathes history, but serves a modern menu alongside east London pub the Clarence Tavern. Food is British and seasonal; the dining room remains beautiful. For most, the Soho haunt makes for a suitable place for champagne: why not come New Year’s Day? Otherwise, here’s somewhere for hedonists to start as they mean to go on: in Soho, the beating heart of London’s revelry.
29 Romilly Street, W1D 5AL, sohohouse.com
Scott’s
Many would suppose a wise move is to begin the year as one means to go on: book a table at Scott’s Mayfair, therefore. The celebrity hangout is one of glittering heritage. The food — seafood, cooked with tradition and just enough flair — is generally better than it needs to be. Oysters, shellfish bisque, lobster, Dover sole… these are dishes to enjoy when January plans are otherwise sparse. Or else simply sit down to tempura prawns and a bottle of white wine.
20 Mount Street, W1K 2HE, scotts-mayfair.com
St. John Bread & Wine
Anyone would be hard-pressed to find anywhere more clinical and righteous than St. John Bread & Wine. It is a temple of gastronomy and one that would inoculate against any hangover threatening to last longer than the agreed 12 hours. To visit here is to accept the graces of pie, of light red wine from the South of France, of more madeleines than are needed but are eaten nonetheless.
94-96 Commercial Street, E1 6LZ, stjohnrestaurant.com
Seabird at the Hoxton
Hoxton hotels are beautiful and the Southwark outpost might be London’s most fabulous. The views from the rooftop restaurant, seafood joint Seabird, are grand indeed. Anyone intent on beginning 2026 with aplomb should probably do so with langoustines overlooking the Thames. Champagne is usually the order of the day here, this due to the proliferation of oysters and the like, but there are also plentiful low and no-alcohol options for those minded to abstain.
South Bank, 40 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8NY, thehoxton.com
