After the storm comes the calm. Silly season is all but over (well, excusing New Year's Eve). The mad Christmas rush, the last-minute table-booking panic and group gatherings; for a few days, they're done. It’s time to take a deep breath.
There are a host of hot tables in town, and just after Christmas is often a good time to nab an otherwise impossible-to-book reservation (provided the restaurant is open, that is).
So here, we’ve got the rundown of top tables in London where, despite the hype, you can book now for the in-between period before New Year, after the Christmas rush is over. Fair warning: these were bookable at time of writing and availability may well have changed since. Godspeed.
Plaza Khao Gaeng
Luke Farrell’s high heat Thai restaurant above Arcade Food Hall remains one of London’s top tables — even if said tables are clad with thick multi-coloured vinyl. The khua kling gai (dry wok chicken and chillies with galangal) and the beef shoulder massaman curry remain essential ordering and with a glut of tables available for lunch and dinner between Christmas and New Year, this could be the best chance to nab a spot here for a while.
103-105 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DB, plazakhaogaeng.com
Il Gattopardo
Amazonico’s Italian sister on Albemarle Street is, for a certain kind of moneyed diner, one of the hottest tickets in town. The luxurious space evokes an air of Portofino-by-W1, but overcoming the occasionally eye-watering prices — yes, that is £52 for the truffle pizzette — much of the food is pleasingly delicious. The prawn crudo with citrus is a particular stand out and the guazzetto di mare, a Neapolitan stew, is a hearty must. A handful of prime-time dinner spots remain available from Boxing Day till the 30.
27 Albemarle Street, W1S 4HZ, gattopardo.restaurant
Humo
Sometimes a counter is the only place to really savour a restaurant. Watching the chefs toing and froing with live fire and smoke and flavour: it’s dinner and a show. The counter at new(ish) spot Humo might be one of London’s finest, offering an ideal perch from which to observe the masters at work. The food spans Japanese-forward raw fish dishes such as ike-jime trout to more European-leaning turbot with mushrooms and sea buckthorn, all by way of varying degrees of fire. The availability isn’t only restricted to the counter, but it’s certainly when the better time slots are currently available.
12 St George Street, W1S 2FB, humolondon.com
Scott’s
Few places in London are better for an old-school lunch than Scott’s. The discreet, elegant dining room, the see-and-be-seen terrace (granted, better saved for spring), the charming old-school service: it’s all unmistakably Scott’s. This normally impossible-to-book restaurant has a few tables at lunchtime left between Christmas and New Year. So, if seafood is just what the doctor ordered — understandable after all that heavy festive fare — then a two-hour lunch with light white wines, oysters and perhaps a Dover sole is just the prescription.
20 Mount Street, W1K 2HE, scotts-mayfair.com
Carlotta
As hot tables go, the Big Mamma group seem to have a winning formula. Maximalist interiors, simple Italian fare, warm lighting and lashing of silliness help put the likes of Gloria, Ave Mario and Jacuzzi on the map. The newest, and arguably most grown-up of the group, Carlotta, caused quite the stir when it opened. Sure, more go for atmosphere than food, but the allure and vibe is undeniable. Unlike a number of other restaurants in the group, Carlotta seems to still have a few prime time slots for tables during Twixmas. Run, don't walk.
77-78 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5JX, bigmammagroup.com
The Ivy
Sometimes a restaurant’s reputation precedes itself, and many of the historic grand dames of the London restaurant world have an aura of unassailability. Whilst the Ivy might typically fall into this category, there do happen to be a number of tables available for lunch and dinner between Christmas and New Year. There are the festive specials to contend with, but the crispy duck salad and the Shepherd's Pie remain a delight. Availability is far better for tables of two than it is for larger parties — in short: take your better half, not their extended family.
1-5 West Street, WC2H 9NQ, the-ivy.co.uk
Amazonico
With three distinct dining spaces available, this Berkeley Square hot spot offers a glut of tables in the main dining room at lunchtime and a handful of dining lounge and sushi counter seats available to book for dinner. The Madrid import, which serves a kind of Japan-via-Latin America menu, has proved unrelentingly popular, but buyer beware: it’s very much priced to location.
10 Berkeley Square, W1J 6BR, amazonicorestaurant.com
Rita’s Soho
Some places are hard to book because everyone and his dog wants a table, some because they are particularly small spaces unable to accommodate big numbers. Rita’s is both. The food is described as “modern American”, which roughly translates to dishes like beans with peppers and walnuts served with Creole gribiche, and hand-made pappardelle with sunchoke and shiitake ragu. Normally 10pm is the only hope for a timeslot, but on December 28, 29 and 30 there seems to be half-decent lunch and dinner availability all round.
49 Lexington Street, W1F 9AP, ritasdining.com
Fallow
Calling Fallow a restaurant made famous by TikTok is doing a dishonourable disservice to the hard work of founders Will Murray, Jack Croft and James Robson: a pair of chefs who cut their teeth at the two Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston, and an entrepreneur who hasn't just been around the block, but built it, too. The more recent exposure the social platform has brought also increases demand, meaning tables can be hard to come by. Whilst indoor bookings can’t be made online, the heated and covered terrace tables have improved availability for December 27-30, with a prime time indoor spot likely a phone call away.
