As 2025’s pretty bleak winter remains as unpredictable as ever, many of us ourselves with an abundance of firewood.
Sure, it’s a necessity for when the winter chill starts nipping at our noses and those cosy, crackling nights by the fire finally arrive. For now, however, all that firewood is posing something of a storage conundrum.
But what if we told you that this practical necessity could also become a charming part of your home decor?
Stylish Firewood Features
Indeed, firewood can be much more than just fuel for your fireplace. With a bit of creativity and a dash of inspiration, it can transform into a rustic, country chic element that adds warmth and character to your home. So, let’s turn that pile of logs into a stylish feature with these innovative decorating ideas.
A Firewood Feature Wall
Should you have invested in a bulk bag of logs that isn’t going down as quickly as you’d anticipated, then why not make a statement with a firewood feature wall? Stack your excess logs neatly from floor to ceiling in a recessed area of your living room or dining room. This creates a striking visual texture and adds a rustic charm to your space.
Firewood Bookends
For the bookworms out there, firewood can make for some sturdy and stylish bookends. Slice a log into two equal halves – ideally using a bearded axe for maximum precision and control – and use them to keep your favourite reads in place. It’s a simple yet effective way to incorporate a natural element into your home, whether you’re using the kiln-dried, real thing or something manufactured and therefore more uniform, like wood briquettes.
A Log Coffee Table
A log coffee table is a fantastic way to bring a touch of the outdoors inside. Simply secure a few similar-sized logs together, add a glass top, and voila! You have a unique, conversation-starting piece of furniture, and you’ll be promoting eco-friendly upcycling, too!
Or, get some scented candles burning with the scents of the season, perhaps combining the rich, warming aroma of spiced cherries with a hint of clove, encapsulating the festive spirit. Alternatively, for a scent reminiscent of a crisp, frosty morning, a blend of cinnamon, clove and fresh orange can create a sublime winter atmosphere.
Firewood Storage Bench
If you’re handy with a hammer and nails, consider building a firewood storage bench. It’s a practical solution that also provides additional seating. Plus, it’s a great way to keep your firewood neatly stored and easily accessible.
Firewood Art
Get creative and arrange your firewood into an artistic statement or sculpture. Whether it’s a heart shape on the wall (live, laugh, love, and all that) or a geometric pattern on the floor, the possibilities are endless and, often, a little bit tacky, we have to admit.
Firewood As A Functional Decor Element
Of course, you needn’t necessarily repurpose your firewood to use it for decoration. One of the most practical and stylish ways to decorate with firewood is to simply integrate it as a functional decor element. You can do this by storing your firewood in a way that turns it into a visually appealing feature. Here are a few ideas:
Firewood Wall Storage: Install custom shelves or wall-mounted brackets to store your firewood decoratively. Arrange the wood in a pattern or stack it neatly to create a stunning focal point in your living room or by the fireplace.
Firewood Baskets: Decorative baskets or bins can be a practical way to keep your firewood organised and add a touch of rustic charm to your space. Place a basket near the fireplace or in a corner for easy access.
Log Racks: Log racks come in various designs and sizes, allowing you to choose one that complements your home’s aesthetic. These racks keep your firewood neatly stacked and within reach.
Combining Firewood With Other Decor Elements
Firewood pairs well with various other decor elements to enhance the overall aesthetic of your living spaces. Here are some ideas for harmonious combinations:
Faux Fur Throws: Soften the rustic look of firewood with cozy faux fur throws or cushions. This combination provides a pleasing contrast and adds extra warmth to your decor.
Greenery: Incorporate houseplants or winter greens like pine branches and holly into your decor. These elements complement the natural feel of firewood and add a touch of life and color to your space.
Rustic Furniture: Choose rustic furniture pieces, like wooden coffee tables or reclaimed wood shelves, to complement your firewood decor. This cohesive design approach can create a harmonious and inviting atmosphere.
Neutral Colour Palette: Stick to a neutral color scheme with earthy tones, whites, and grays to create a soothing and balanced decor. The natural beauty of firewood stands out against a calm backdrop.
The Bottom Line
Remember, the key to decorating with firewood is to keep it neat and organised. It’s about adding a touch of nature and a sense of cosiness to your home. So, this winter, don’t just see your firewood as a practical necessity – see it as an opportunity to enhance your home’s decor and create a warm, inviting space.
From storage to country chic, firewood is more than just kindling for your fire. It’s a versatile, rustic element that can add a unique charm to your home. So, embrace the chill of winter and let your firewood take centre stage in your decor.
Fishing has always been a big part of Edinburgh’s DNA, particularly the district of Leith, which was one of the first British ports to welcome spices from Asia centuries ago.
If you were to stroll down the cobbled, industrial streets of Leith in the early nineteenth century, you would have been slapped with the stench of brine and the crisp smell of sea salt, not to mention the pungent fragrance of fresh – and not so fresh – fish resting in ice buckets and barrels alongside the racket of merchants and shoppers trading and selling.
You can still find this scene in pockets of the city, such as in Newhaven, where Welch Fishmongers welcomes regular dayboats into the harbour, and in The Fishmarket (actually a restaurant) here, which cherishes the tradition of the past while embracing new-world flavours. Their menu sees battered haddock and chips rubs shoulders (or should that be ‘fins’?) with curried monkfish, reflecting the time and place found in the first paragraph oh-so succinctly.
If you combine this citywide history with the institution of Scottish freshwater salmon, caught from one of the almost 400 different rivers that crisscross the country like a tartan print, it makes sense that Edinburgh has become an oasis of high-quality seafood restaurants in the intervening years, serving as culinary reminders of the city’s maritime heritage.
We’ve spent some time shucking every oyster and pinboning every mackerel in Auld Reekie so you don’t have to, all in the name of bringing you this; our guide to the best seafood restaurants in Edinburgh.
White Horse Oyster Bar
The Royal Mile of Edinburgh, flanked by Edinburgh Castle at one end and Holyrood palace at the other, is a famous thoroughfare that got its name from being a common procession route for past royal members to parade down.
And tucked away in the site of the oldest pub in the area is a seafood banquet fit for a king, that’s for sure. But be warned; when you enter White Horse Oyster Bar, you’re not greeted with a blast of the herald’s trumpet. Rather, you’re welcomed by a massive lobster tank that bubbles away gently as unassuming crustaceans clamber around. We know which we’d prefer.
The rest of the venue is quaint and compact, and blends old-timey charm with modern flourishes dexterously. An exposed brick wall looms over sleek, jet-black leather seating, creating a contrast in line with the soul of the city and the seafood served within it.
The food at the White Horse is designed to be a communal affair, to get everyone involved; this isn’t the place to be shy about rolling your sleeves up and showing your elbows.
Allow for saucy fingers as you tuck into their iconic sharing platters, filled to the brim with garlic-heavy whole lobster, fragrant pickled mussels, scotch bonnet salmon (a fruity kind of spicy rather than one that overwhelms the elegant flavour of the fish), delicate tuna tartare, and octopus that has been marinated for hours in a sauce made of sea herbs to lock in the flavour. Because what grows together goes together, right?
If you’re more of a lone diner who loves soaking up the vibe without distraction, you can also neck a single portion of oysters, served straight to your perch at the pub’s wooden-panelled bar. Mine’s a Radical Road Pale, if you’re getting them in.
Alongside the obligatory oysters, a must order are the crab straw fries, where thin crispy batons of potato are topped with a generous portion of sweet crab meat and dollops of brown crab mayo. Just lovely.
Image via White Horse Oyster Bar
The restaurant relies on a line of bespoke suppliers to individually source all the seafood from within Scotland, with Fish Brothers, Mara Seaweed, and the aforementioned Welch Fishmongers all bringing boxes to the White Horse door each morning. This ensures that the produce is squeaky fresh, with that taste of the sea that every piscivore savours all present and correct.
Address: The Royal Mile, 266 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8AA
Although Edinburgh has a deep history of seafood in its own right, Ondine seeks inspiration from corners further flung.
Sure, the fish here is sourced from the centuries-old, traditional fishing spots off Scotland’s East Coast, but the cooking techniques and flavour profile of the dishes buck the trend and instead dive headfirst into global influences, giving Ondine a globetrotting identity in tune with the increasingly multicultural nature of its home city.
Ondine is the brainchild of head chef Roy Brett, a chef with some serious pedigree; he cut his teeth at The Savoy before earning his seafood chops at the famous Rick Stein restaurants in Padstow, Cornwall. He’s now found his home in Edinburgh, offering diners a culinary voyage around the world through the medium of seafood.
The menu’s prosaically named ‘fish and shellfish soup’ is a case in point, with the humble dish embracing the flavours of Marseilles via North Africa in its use of saffron and orange. Equally, the restaurant’s salt and pepper squid is also given clout and vigour with a Vietnamese-inspired lime, ginger, and chilli dipping sauce.
Images via Ondine
Ondine also offers fine British meats (there is a single nod to a bone-in sirloin in the mains section) but it’s their divine seafood platters served on crisp, crushed ice that keeps bringing patrons through their doors. The sound of that ice gently granulating as you drag the first shell over it (what, you don’t do that?) is enough to set off a Pavlov-like reaction in this particular diner.
Ondine’s interior is adorned with porthole-styled mirrors, the restaurant’s support columns bejewelled with grey-scale tiles that evoke fish scales shimmering in the sunlight under the ocean. It’s certainly evocative, its sense of mise-en-scene far more fruitful than Heston’s ‘sound of the sea’ palaver.
Ondine was awarded the Best Restaurant in Scotland at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards as recently as 2021, meaning it will be a seafood spot that satisfies all your desires. If those desires concern dinner, of course!
*At the end of 2024, it was announced that Ondine would be closing temporarily and relocating to a city centre location. It’s not yet known when the new Ondine will open*.
The Ship on the Shore sits on Leith’s waterfront, in a former chandler’s shop where sailors once stocked their vessels. Today, this seafood restaurant and champagne bar strikes a careful balance between its maritime heritage and modern dining, much like the surrounding neighborhood that’s transformed from working port to culinary destination.
Behind the striking navy and gold frontage, brass fixtures and nautical details accent the dining room without tipping into theme-restaurant territory. Tall windows frame the Water of Leith, where small boats still dock alongside the cobbled shore. It’s all very romantic and entirely fitting with what’s on the plate.
The restaurant’s fruits de mer platters have earned their reputation among Edinburgh’s seafood enthusiasts. These generous platters showcase the best of Scottish waters: Loch Fyne oysters, hand-picked crab meat, North Sea langoustines, and fresh lobster kept in tanks on-site.
That said, it’s The Ship’s dedication to breakfast that perhaps sets it apart in these waters – a rare find among Edinburgh’s upscale seafood venues. Their morning menu features Arbroath smokies (hot-smoked haddock) with poached eggs and bacon, while their hot smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on sourdough draws early crowds, especially on weekends.
Evening service brings more refined dishes. The cullen skink here does justice to the Scottish classic, built on Shetland smoked haddock and finished with single malt whisky. Their lemon sole meunière demonstrates restraint – just brown butter, capers, and herbs to complement the fish’s delicate flavour. It’s bloody gorgeous.
The wine cellar focuses heavily on champagne, with one of Edinburgh’s more extensive selections. There’s something right about watching harbour traffic while working through a plate of oysters and a glass of good fizz.
The building’s history shows in its stone walls and wooden beams, creating a space that works equally well for special occasions or casual lunches. It’s a restaurant that knows what it is – a serious seafood establishment that doesn’t need to shout about it.
The Fishers name has been synonymous with fresh fish in the Scottish capital for over two decades now, with three sites now serving up the good stuff here.
It’s the original location in Leith that’s the pick of the bunch. Housed in a 17th-century watchtower right by the waterfront and offering dramatic views of the harbour, you can gaze over gently shimmering water while you dig into some classic Scottish seafood dishes, such as revered Shetland mussels and Anstruther smoked salmon.
In the summertime, you can even dine outside and feel a part of the harbourside hubbub while letting the water-spray breeze and salty air create a more sensory-pleasing culinary experience. Did we already mention Heston’s ‘sound of the sea’? You get the picture…
Fishers prides itself on offering a relaxed, approachable vibe, not wanting to scare off the working-class diners that have made up the majority of its clientele over the years. The exterior remains simple, with a classical, verging-on-parody colour scheme, utilising the navy blue and white combination you’d see on a cartoon sailor’s shirt.
Images via Fishers
The inside is far more subdued and sophisticated, with marble dining areas and a charming backboard that details the day’s specials in hurried handwriting. That said, it still maintains its charm thanks to a massive mermaid figure hanging over the bar. She’s actually rather sexy, if you don’t mind us saying…
Anyway, let’s not get distracted, we’ve come hungry. Here, Shetland Coley comes marinated in spices and cooked in a creamy tamarind coconut curry, served with king prawn bhajis. How good does that sound? Keep going and order the warming green harissa seabass with baba ganoush and pistachio dukkah, offering an earthy yet bright counterpoint to the main event. Just lovely.
Cadiz is named after the famous fishing city in Spain, home to one of the biggest freshwater fishing markets in Europe, and aims to translate the energy of the former market town while also paying homage to its bold Iberian flavours.
Cadiz (the restaurant, and the town, we guess) is a celebration of Spanish seafood, and that much is evident the second you’re ushered to your table. The venue boasts highly detailed and sculpted ceiling beams, a classy touch undercut by quirky paintings of lobsters, exposed brick walls, and muted leather seats.
Mussels and mull scallops, favourites among the Spanish, feature heavily on the menu. Although caught in Scottish waters, naturally, they’ve been given a Mediterranean twist that diners haven’t been able to get enough of… Booking in advance is very much recommended.
Cadiz opened fairly recently and already commands a cult following, with the Cumbrae oysters served with either an acidic lemon, sherry vinegar, and shallot dressing, or a fiery chilli, soy, and pickled ginger option, a particular favourite of ours.
Don’t stop there; the Shetland mussels are served with braised chorizo, chilli, saffron, and tomatoes that will send your palate straight to the southwest of Spain.
Image via Cadiz
Come back to Scotland; the main event here is arguably the seafood arroz, a plate of prawns, calamari and mussels all bedding down on rich and giving braised rice. It’s an absolute steal at £18; just don’t call it paella.
If the buzz of the bar and dining room is a little too much for you, a more intimate experience can be found at the chef’s table, a hidden area separated from the main restaurant. Here, you’ll have a full view of the chefs at work, allowing up to 14 diners to get a more personal connection with the food.
Wherever you choose to dine, you’re going to be fed very well here.
Opened in late 2020, Fin & Grape is a seafood spot for diners in the know. Located in the Edinburgh suburb Merchiston, it’s a good spot for locals to sample some delicious seafood and offers a sense of come-hither to tourists looking to branch out from the central sector of the city and drop anchor elsewhere.
With a seasonal menu curated by experienced hand Stuart Smith, Fin & Grape showcases the chef’s love for grilled seafood, with most meals prepared using a Japanese Konro BBQ that adds an unrivalled smokey texture and flavour to the dishes.
Smith isn’t a chef to experiment and play with a multitude of diverse flavours. Instead, he likes to keep things simple, with salt being his prized ingredient, using the mineral to unlock the deep flavour hidden within the fish itself.
As it’s a seasonal menu, you can be sure that all dishes are fresh and carefully considered, using ingredients that are most abundant each season that helps the restaurant stay new and exciting throughout the entire year. If you dine at the right time, you’ll be able to sample some line-caught mackerel, cod mousse, hake croquettes, and the catch of the day, all reimagined and enhanced via the power of smoke and flame.
The dishes are designed to be shared among friends, with a range of small bites and a la carte plates available. Despite the dining room being what an estate agent would charitably describe as ‘cosy’, the large windows that allow you to peer out into the foliage of nearby greenery add a sense of space, and it has a homely feel thanks to its dark blue trimmings and copper hanging lights that build a pleasant ambience that doesn’t distract from that’s on the plate.
And chiefly because of what’s on those plates, Fin & Grape was added to the Good Food Platinum List in 2021, one of only two Scottish venues to receive the accolade. We can’t wait to go back.
There’s something irresistible about a perfectly crafted burger. Although a simple dish in theory, no two burgers are the same and can be influenced by the quality of the meat, and the combination of condiments and toppings.
Cardiff is a fantastic place to grab a burger. Wales is prime farming real estate, with its livestock sector being world-leading in many regards. With some of the best native-breed beef farms, such as Gower Meadow Beef, plus plenty of game shot wild in the valleys, supplying the various restaurants within Cardiff, the city is filled with both traditional and innovative burgers for you to try.
Cardiff has multiple options to suit various tastes, whether you’ve got a hankering for beef, prefer some out-the-box vegan options, or wish to sample something a bit more upmarket.
Here are some of the best places in Cardiff to sink your teeth into a ridiculously good burger.
Honest Burgers, Church Street
Boringly predictable, predictably boring or just plain, well, honest? Though it’s a country-conquering chain, there’s no denying the quality of the burgers here. Taking up residence in the heart of Cardiff’s Castle Quarter, Honest Burgers has brought its critically acclaimed burgers to Wales with the same commitment to quality that made them famous in London, Brighton, Bristol et al. Their Cardiff branch maintains their signature style of serving medium-rare British beef patties (unless requested otherwise) alongside their rightly regarded rosemary salted chips that come with every burger.
What sets each Honest joint apart and helps the brand rise above those ‘chain’ accusations from a paragraph previous is their dedication to local collaboration – they’ve created a Cardiff-exclusive burger featuring (for some reason) Thai fried chicken and spicy accoutrements, in collaboration with local restaurant Brother Thai. The restaurant space itself perfectly suits Church Street’s historic character, with simple wooden furnishings and exposed brick walls creating a relaxed, contemporary atmosphere. Their bacon gravy – glossy, viscous and saltier than the sea – always hits the spot if you’ve enough cold beer to hand.
Although these guys are located in the heart of Cardiff on Mary Ann St, there’s nothing Welsh about The Smoke Haus. Instead, the burger joint specialises in burgers influenced by the traditions of American BBQ culture in the South, with all their meat slow-cooked over wood fires. This not-so traditional burger technique punctuates each burger with a distinct smokey flavour, accenting the beef, adding depth, as well as making it a more texturally intriguing burger than we’re generally used to.
To lean into the American theme – stetsons, cowboy hat, Stars’n Stripes and all – order their Baby Bertha burger, a fully loaded option topped with stretchy cheese, streaky bacon, fried onions, jalapenos, and special burger sauce. It’s a rich burger with deep tastes unlike anywhere else in Cardiff.
Another all-American creation here is the donut burger; two beef burgers topped with melted cheese, smoked streaky bacon sandwiched between two glazed donuts drizzled in ‘sweet sauce’. It sounds like a strange, sickly sweet combination and a cardiac arrest waiting to happen, but this sugar-in-savoury burger somehow works. You’ve simply got to try it to believe it!
As expected, the restaurant has an urbanised American diner aesthetic, with iconic red leather booths alongside faux brick walls covered in graffiti and street art. Oh, and they do a mean fried chicken, too. Well, it would be rude not to, right?
Address: Mary Ann St, St Davids Centre, Cardiff CF10 2EN
Spit & Sawdust is more than a burger joint; it’s a community hub that offers an incredible place not only to eat but to hangout, too. With a skatepark and art studio on site, it’s clear that this is a buzzy place where you can spend the entire day (and evening) if the mood suits you.
Thankfully, if you’re not into skating (or hanging out, for that matter), the burgers alone make it worth a visit. Served out of their small cafe adjacent to the skatepark, they offer affordable options starting at just £7.50. Their classic option uses organic beef and positively drenches the patties in a beautiful house burger sauce that has a pleasantly tangy taste. If you don’t like the taste of McDonald’s gherkins, this one won’t be for you is all we’re saying…
Anyway, Spit and Sawdust is a bit out of the way from the city centre but is well worth the trek for its cool vibes and simple yet tasty burgers.
Address: Unit B, Rhymney River Bridge Rd, Cardiff CF23 9AF
Despite being a reasonably big burger chain, with its origins in Birmingham, SLAMBURGER still delivers by offering an authentic burger experience from its Cardiff outpost, with every meal being crafted by you, for you.
This is because each order is created at the point of ordering, Subway style, allowing you to add extras and customise your toppings to unlock new taste combinations… Get you, Heston.
The base of each burger is their grilled patties, which you can have either thick or smashed, and is made from 100% local British beef, all of which is Halal.
The interior has a distinctive hot-red colour palette that is reminiscent of the old McDonald, but SLAMBURGER is head and shoulders superior to its faster-food siblings.
Taking pride of place on Whitchurch Road, Got Beef has evolved from one of Cardiff’s first street food ventures to become a proper burger institution that has punters making the pilgrimage to the city’s north western suburbs. Their commitment to quality shows in every aspect – from their locally-sourced Welsh beef patties to their house-made sauces. Each burger is cooked to order, allowing diners to specify their preferred doneness.
The restaurant maintains its street food roots with an edgy, urban vibe featuring graffiti art and industrial styling. Their signature Dirty South burger has achieved local fame, featuring a beef patty topped with American cheese, maple bacon, whiskey-caramelised onions, and their secret recipe burger sauce. They’ve also earned praise for their loaded fries and impressive selection of local craft beers.
If you’re looking for large portions (hey, who isn’t?), Fat Hippo has you covered, as every menu item comes with not one but two patties of either beef or buttermilk chicken. Size isn’t everything, though, as Fat Hippo also comes through on flavour, offering some quirky options such as their Born Slippy beef burger, filled to the brim with a double patty, garlic mayo, American cheese, braised pork rib, chilli jam, and jalapenos.
Eating at Fat Hippo is a messy experience, as their burgers ooze with juice – best wear black for this one, we think. Their monochrome tiled interior adds to this vibe (game of chess, anyone?), with the restaurant spilling out onto Church Street, slap bang in the Castle Quarter, until the early hours, bringing that party atmosphere which the thoroughfare is so well known for.
Those steering clear of beef will be pleased to hear that Fat Hippo is one of the best burger joints in Cardiff for lovers of chicken burgers. Not only are their options stacked with the good stuff, but the fillets are double-fried, locking the juices inside and ensuring a golden, crispy finish. Each meal also comes with a generous portion of hand-cut fries, too, making this a mammoth, massively satisfying meal.
Incidentally, the guys at Fat Hippo contributed to our guide on how to cook the perfect burger at home. Do check it out, but not before checking out some of the entries on our best burgers in Cardiff list!
South London’s district of Bermondsey, with its expansive, extensive history dating back to the Domesday Book, has long been an essential part of London lore and landscape. Originally known for its monasteries, the area gradually transformed with the arrival of the leather industry in the 17th century, becoming a major manufacturing centre during the Industrial Revolution.
As the years have passed, Bermondsey has continued to evolve, embracing its industrial heritage while simultaneously adapting to modern times – indeed, many of the area’s most forward thinking restaurants and bars are now housed in former warehouses.
And it’s with one foot in the past and another in the present that today we’re exploring its defining artery, Bermondsey Street, which seems to have carved out a niche all of its own in this little spot south of the river, its outdoor seating and upright drinking spilling onto its cobbled streets and evoking something altogether more continental than its SE1 postcode might suggest.
Running from the southern end of Tower Bridge Road to Grange Road, this lively thoroughfare boasts some of London’s most cherished culinary institutions; whether it’s tapas or tapenade you’re after, Bermondsey Street has got you covered.
So, put on your best dress, bring your appetite, and meet us out on the street; here are the best restaurants on Bermondsey Street.
The Garrison
Ideal for inclusive, confidently-cooked pub dining…
With its old-school ambience and good-natured service, the Garrison has become a beloved Bermondsey institution since opening two decades ago.
Sitting on the corner of Bermondsey Street and White Ground and coaxing passersby in with a most insistent of come hithers, the gastropub has seemingly grown up with the surrounding area. As this stretch of southeast London has slowly gentrified – for better or for worse – the Garrison has been there, as welcoming to the increasingly yuppy population as it is its beloved regulars.
It could be argued that the Garrison’s most major evolutionary step happened in the spring of 2014, when the pub appointed Tom Langdon as its new head chef. Langdon brought his expertise to the award-winning gastropub, ensuring that the menu was defined by pared back, proudly unrefined, ingredient-led modern European food.
Under Langdon’s guidance, the restaurant has continued to flourish, offering a clean and contemporary farm-to-table approach to its dishes, evident in the no-nonsense, utterly delicious dishes currently on offer; how does a blushing onglet steak with caramelised cauliflower and bone marrow gravy sound?
Just lovely to us, but for those seeking something a little more summerlike, on a recent visit the heritage courgettes with smoked tomato over a bed of braised borlotti beans was particularly synergistic with the London sun.
Daily delivery of fish caught the night before, whether that’s black bass from Brixham, seabass from Perranporth or brill caught off the Cornish coast, is also treated thoughtfully here; whole beasts arrive adorned with simple but superlative buttersauces; the house sourdough perfectly poised for dredging and mopping.
As any pub still devoted to serving the community should, the Garrison does a mean Sunday roast, too, with all the bells, whistles, flourishes and fancy that you’d expect from a Michelin-rated place. The middle white pork belly, crackling crisped separately and plenty of it, is the must-order, if you ask the locals (us).
Pair any and all of the above with a pint of unfiltered lager from nearby Battersea Brewery, and you’ve got yourself one of London’s most laid back afternoons.
It could quite convincingly be argued that the celebrated Spanish chef José Pizarro rules the restaurant roost in SE1, with not one but two celebrated tapas bars in Bermondsey, and a certain level of ubiquity on lists such as this.
But in this case, familiarity certainly doesn’t breed contempt, with Bermondsey locals and diners coming from further afoot ensuring that both Pizarro and José are buzzing every night of the week.
José Pizarro’s passion for Spanish gastronomy has led him on an international journey to share his culinary expertise with the world. Born in Extremadura, Pizarro honed his culinary skills in kitchens across Europe before opening his first restaurant, Bermondsey’s José, in London.
Its (and his) increasing popularity quickly gave rise to Pizarro, located just a stone’s throw from the former. With an unwavering commitment to Spanish culinary traditions, Pizarro showcases the richness and diversity of Spain’s food culture at his (sur)namesake restaurant.
Though just a 200 metre stretch of sidestreet separates the two restaurants, there is actually a fair amount of discrepancy in the food and vibe offered within each. Pizarro sets itself apart by highlighting the essence of broadly southern Spanish cuisine through innovative dishes made from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients that are perhaps a little more elaborate – and larger – than the more traditional tapas plates served up to road.
There’s also a keen focus on seafood here, with the pulpo a la Gallega (Galician-style octopus), served in a reduction of the red-wine braising liquor that it’s been bathed in, a particular highlight. For the carnivores, the menu’s centrepiece is the suckling lamb, a simultaneously wobbly and crisp piece that’s been slow cooked over charcoal, its corners blistered and burnished from that familiar dripping of fat and licking of flames. A yoghurt aioli helps temper the sweet fattiness of this young cut.
An essential part of dining at Pizarro is exploring the exquisite, eclectic all-Spanish wine selection. The restaurant’s extensive wine list features traditional Spanish favourites like Rioja and Cava, as well as lesser-known wines such as Almansa and Picapoll, the latter of which pairing particularly well with that suckling lamb from just a paragraph prior.
Indeed, if you’re keen to sit a while and savour that wine, alongside some larger sharing dishes, then Pizarro is perhaps a better bet than its sibling, with banquettes and booths catering to larger groups looking to take a load off. Should you be looking for a truly traditional tapas bar experience, though, then it’s to José you should head…
Ideal perhaps the most traditional tapas experience in London…
José, an elegant yet welcoming tapas bar, wouldn’t feel at all out of place down a side street of Seville or Valencia, with its open-door, standing room only vibe causing an inviting din from midday until close. Located in a former Victorian building, José’s interior reflects the aesthetic charm of southern Spain, with its exposed brick walls, wooden floors, and an open kitchen. Yep, it’s all kitchen clatter and dining room chatter here…
The chalkboard menu features an array of seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients presented in the most traditional of styles – expect faultless versions of patatas bravas, oozing, onion-heavy tortilla, piquant boquerones, blistered padron peppers, chorizo in sherry, and the restaurant’s exemplary daily changing croquettes. It’s all there, and it’s all bang on the money…
…No wonder, then, that José is one of Bermondsey Street’s most beloved restaurants.
Ideal for when you fancy a classic French dining experience…
As this Bermondsey neighbourhood has evolved into something that feels as close to ‘continental’ as we’ll get on these gloomy shores, with its alfresco dining and drinking scene, so too have its restaurants, with a whole host of tapas bars, pasta restaurants and French bistros opening in recent years to keep in step with the changing atmosphere.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the charming, unassuming bistro Casse-Croûte is flourishing on Bermondsey Street. Now celebrating its second decade here, the allure is arguably in its consistency; though the menu regularly changes, the food is reliably, resolutely hearty and fresh. A fine balancing act, indeed…
The masterminds behind this culinary gem are three French friends – chef Hervé Durochat and front-of-house duo, Alexandre Bonnefoy and Sylvain Soulard. The trio brings with them extensive experience in the hospitality and culinary industries, having honed their skills in both London and their native France.
Focusing on traditional French cuisine, Chef Durochat and his dedicated team prepare daily menus that draw inspiration from rural, hearty classics alongside lighter, ‘metropolitan’ dishes. The compact menu ensures that each dish is crafted with the utmost care and quality ingredients, often procured from local producers.
On the tight chalkboard menu in an even tighter dining room, expect homemade boudin noir using rare breed British pork alongside fish soup, the swimmers sourced from Billingsgate, the soup bolstered via a very pokey rouille. Yep, this is proud French fare from a team who know how to do the classics with precision and respect.
In that compact 20-seater dining room, it’s all iconic red-and-white chequered tablecloths, while the walls are adorned with vintage posters, photographs, and shelves housing a treasure trove of wines. Fairy lights and a small terrace with tables for al fresco dining provide the perfect ambiance for a warm summer evening, accompanied by a glass of fine wine and the soothing melodies of classic French chansons.
And speaking of wine, Casse-Croûte boasts a thoughtfully curated wine list, showcasing vibrant selections from various French regions.
The pastry work at this restaurant is on point, too, just as you’d expect from a restaurant that might as well be flying the Tricolore outfront. The skilfully constructed chou chou forêt noir is a must-order, but even better is a particularly brooding chocolate mousse, served with a trio of freshly baked madeleines. When it’s on the menu, profiteroles coated in chocolate sauce and sprinkled with almond flakes are a beautiful thing, too. Expect to leave Casse-Croûte a couple of kilos heavier, sure, but also several hedons happier.
Just at the point where Abbey Street becomes Bermondsey Street, you’ll find Flour & Grape, an understated Italian pastificio who have understood the assignment and deliver on its finer details with aplomb.
Open for just six years but already well in its stride, the vibe here is freshly made pasta and wines poured by the glass – a place where you can drop by for the swiftest of snacks and sips, or one you can sink into for a longer stint, if you’ve got nowhere to be.
Should you fall into the former camp, take up a stool at the marble-topped bar, which offers a fantastic vantage point for those who wish to witness the pasta-making process first hand. If you’ve come here to take your time, there’s an additional dining space upstairs, which showcases the building’s exposed brickwork and high ceilings, imbued with an air of historic charm. Seating options include comfortable leather banquettes as well as intimate tables for two, ideal for a romantic dinner.
At the helm is founder and owner Nick Crispini, a hospitality heavyweight with a passion for celebrating Italian produce – wine included – in a modern London setting. Crispini’s dedication to upholding authentic recipes and techniques is mirrored by Head Chef Roberto Mercandino, who brings his rich Neapolitan heritage and culinary prowess to the kitchen. It’s a match made in heaven.
Flour & Grape’s mainstay is, without question, its range of freshly crafted pasta dishes. Each one is prepared onsite daily with inspiring combinations of classic sauces, seasonal ingredients, and a contemporary twist. From the indulgent yet delicate crab taglierini to the hearty sausage and fennel pappardelle, there’s a dish to satisfy every pasta lover’s cravings.
But the food at Flour & Grape is not limited to pasta. Gourmet antipasti offerings such as beef carpaccio and burrata with fresh heritage tomatoes provide an irresistible start to any meal. Desserts continue the theme; order the the creamy Amalfi lemon and ricotta cheesecake or the satisfyingly rich chocolate and espresso budino, either of which will undoubtedly end your meal on a sweet high note.
Cafe Murano is the brainchild of chef Angela Hartnett, whose restaurant Murano in Mayfair is the proud holder of a Michelin star. Here, it’s a more laid back and leisurely affair, with more manageable prices to match.
That’s not to say the quality of ingredients or cooking are compromised here. No, at Cafe Murano, you’ll find plates of power and precision which celebrate British produce via an Italian home cooking sensibility, whether that’s in the superb cacio e pepe gnocchi with a silky, peppery coating, or the superlative seafood risotto, properly portioned and generously appointed with clams, mussels and cuttlefish. It’s a briny delight.
Larger plates keep things simple to great effect; the light and breezy hake with summer minestrone and pesto is especially good. For something a little more gutsy, Sunday lunches at Murano are a hearty affair. Think hunking plates of roast beef from with a side of horseradish cream, plenty of fluffy yet crispy roast potatoes and a pouring of rich gravy.
Don’t leave without satisfying that sweet tooth; Cafe Murano’s desserts are bright and seasonal affairs. Ours is a vanilla panna cotta with strawberries, if you’re asking.
Ideal for smart, seasonaldishes from one of London’s most beloved wine bars…
Okay, it’s starting to feel a little restrictive, unwieldy even, to stay within the parameters of a single thoroughfare when a couple of London’s very best restaurants are just a minute’s walk off Bermondsey Street. So, allow us a little poetic licence for these final two…
Nestled between London Bridge and Bermondsey stations, 40 Maltby Street is a gem that many in the know call their favourite London restaurant. To be fair, it’s actually kind of hard to call 40 Maltby Street a restaurant – it’s a wine importer and bar first and foremost, with a kind of spare tunnel of a dining room tacked onto its kitchen, built into the railway arches it calls home.
The wine bottles that line the walls form the backbone of visual intrigue here, shaking ominously every time a train rumbles above. Not that any of this distracts from things; here, it simply allows the focus to fall firmly on the ever-changing, seasonally-appropriate chalkboard menu of around 12 dishes.
Though it’s rendered in a scrawl almost illegible, what a menu it is, with the kitchen thriving under the culinary direction of head chef Steve Williams, who is celebrated for his judicious use of British produce. Williams creates dishes that are both simple and spectacular, boasting a refined touch recognisable from his time leading the Harwood Arms kitchen when it became the first pub in London to win a Michelin star.
The tarts here are, quite simply, must-orders, with elegant pastry work and seasonally appropriate, expertly judged fillings leading to some truly masterful creations. A recent quiche-adjacent asparagus and bacon tart, with a salsa verde-dressed watercress salad on the side, was wonderful, the egg custard set just right – not too firm, certainly not too runny – and its piquant salad sparring partner the perfect foil to the tart’s richer, saltier tones.
Even better, slices of roast beef that are warmed gently so the yellow, sweet fat is melting but the rest remains blushing, are served with fried Jersey Royals and a properly piquant horseradish number. Yep, this is a glorious expression of late spring produce, and with that tart clocking in at £11 and the beef at £26, you’ve got yourself a damn good, light meal for two for under £40.
Though matching wine with asparagus can be a tricky ask, the Potron Miney Pari Trouillas Rosé, which is currently being poured by the glass, pairs beautifully with the tart, its fresh acidity just the right foil for the asparagus’ more vegetal notes. So, pour one up and luxuriate in some sunshine, both on the plate and just outside 40 Maltby Street’s flung-open doors.
Open from Wednesday dinner to Saturdays for both lunch and dinner, 40 Maltby Street does not accept reservations, ensuring a spontaneous and vibrant atmosphere reflective of the bustling market area it resides in.
Ideal for Michelin-starred plates of pedigree and precision…
A short stroll from London Bridge, Trivet offers a sophisticated dining experience that has earned it two Michelin stars in just five years of doing business. It’s arguably the best starred experience in London Bridge, which should come as no surprise when you consider the pedigree behind the operation.
Founded by chef Jonny Lake and sommelier Isa Bal, both alumni of the legendary Fat Duck, Trivet opened its doors in October 2019 and has somehow managed to both earn accolades and keep things relaxed and refined, without an unseemly hype machine forever circling, reeling and story-ing.
The restaurant’s design, crafted by Umay Çeviker, helps emphasise this elegant understatement, blending natural wood textures with Mediterranean, Japanese and Nordic influences. The menu at Trivet continues this theme, and is a testament to Lake’s and Bal’s extensive experience, featuring dishes that are both highly inventive and strangely comforting, with premium ingredients treated with the most delicate of touches.
A little less delicate, admittedly, are the a la carte prices – you’ll be paying nearly £40 for a dish of stuffed morels, crispy chicken oyster, wild garlic and parmesan, whilst a main of grilled Cornish turbot with leek ragu is in the mid-sixties, but boy will you get clarity of flavour from your investment. If you’re simultaneously baulking at those prices and salivating at the idea of such pristine ingredients not getting fucked with, then fear not; Trivet also offers a ‘Lunch at Trivet’ situation where things feel eminently more reasonable.
Running from Wednesday to Saturday, from midday to 3pm, you’ll find the same star-quality cooking, but with dishes a little lighter and prices accordingly lower. The hot tongue brioche bun with anchovy mayo, fermented blueberries and blackcurrant mostarda is, quite frankly, a masterpiece (and just £14).
Notably, the wine list at Trivet is uniquely arranged in chronological order based on the earliest mentions of wines in literature, showcasing a deep respect for historical richness and gastronomic storytelling. And with our own gastronomic storytelling in danger of getting a little chronologically confusing, we’re returning to the food menu for dessert, which has got to be Trivet’s iconic baked potato mille feuille, which is layered with an intoxicating sake and white chocolate mousse. Christ, it’s good, and we’d appreciate being left alone with it now. Byyyeeeee.
East London’s Hackney Wick is an area that’s leaning into its industrial history to help shape its future. Even as recently as the start of the century, Hackney Wick was largely defined by abandoned industrial warehouses, barges, and canal boats, with the commercial potential of the neighbourhood yet untapped.
Now, some of these abandoned spaces have been given new life, transforming Hackney Wick into a world-class creative quarter, filled with over 250 artist studios and 100 businesses within the creative sector, with Hackney council citing the positive influence on the 2012 Olympics as a major factor in the area’s development.
Opinion is divided on whether this development is entirely a good thing, with many accusing developers of pricing out the working class from living here, the artistic side of the area also at loggerheads with property developers keen to build flats rather than cultivate a creative community.
In addition to both those art studios and unwelcome residential developments, however, the once-neglected spaces of commercial Hackney Wick have also been turned into some of London’s most exciting places to eat and drink. In this area, you’re spoilt for choice regardless of what you’re craving, with many of the best restaurants and bars housed within the famous Hackney Wick horseshoe, an eclectic medley of curiosities that curls around Hackney Wick Station.
Slowly but surely, Hackney Wick is building itself brick by brick into one of London’s grooviest neighbourhoods, continuing to resist gentrification via important community trusts such as Wick CDT, and generating buzz thanks to its bohemian art, a counter-culture nightlife scene, and, of course, fantastic dining spaces.
If you’re ever in the area taking in some of the great street art and brutalist architecture and find yourself getting peckish, here are some of the best places to grab a bite.
Barge East
Ideal for casual fine-dining aboard a floating barge…
As Hackney Wick is crisscrossed with various canals and waterways, historically used to transport produce and steel across the city and beyond, it makes perfect sense for restaurants to hone in on this unique landscape to help define what they do.
Barge East is a charming, floating venue housed within a 118-year-old Dutch barge that gently bobs off the calm canal waters. Tastefully renovated and updated over the years, the barge is easy to spot thanks to its olive green hull and bright white cabin area where diners eat.
Barge East isn’t the only floating restaurant in London, sure, but not many have the accolades that Barge East possesses, with it having won multiple awards over the years, including the Taste of London award in 2022 and recently a prestigious two AA Rosettes in the 2023 batch of the Automobile Association’s restaurant accolade announcement.
Images via Barge East Facebook
The food on board Barge East is the brainchild of Stefano Camplone, who channels his Italian heritage to create delightful dishes made with local, seasonal produce. Highlights include braised ox cheek, rich and succulent, served with a unique coffee-salt baked celeriac to build a plateful that interplays between the bitter and the sweet brilliantly.
Or, go for the restaurant’s ever-changing market fish of the day, sourced from Billingsgate Market and grilled simply, served with potatoes, seaweed dumplings, and a perfectly pitched seaweed beurre blanc.
Barge East’s interior evokes Hackney Wick’s ethos: repurposing something old and derelict into something new and exciting. There’s a lot of rustic wood for the dining and bar area, with gigantic slabs serving as make-do tables. It all feels succinct in a deliberately rugged kind of way.
If you haven’t yet got your sea legs and prefer to be on solid ground while you eat, Barge East also own a nearby garden area that’s one of the largest in London, filled with upcycled materials and herb gardens that they regularly pick to help keep things sustainable. It’s a great location to sip a drink or too, including an excellent Petalo, an off-dry white from Spain with loads of stewed-apple flavour. You can also enjoy a 90 minutes of bottomless brunch here every weekend. Go on; you know you want to.
Address: River Lee, Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Ln, London E9 5EN
Ideal for authentic Texas BBQ in a graffiti-covered East London landmark…
After years of sitting derelict as one of Hackney Wick’s most photographed buildings thanks to its ever-changing street art facade, the Lord Napier reopened in 2021 as the Lord Napier Star. This beloved local landmark has preserved the building’s iconic exterior (though now with a permanent design by the celebrated street artist and self-declared cynophile Teddy Baden), while the interior cleverly balances the raw industrial heritage of Hackney Wick with modern comfort. The original Victorian features sit comfortably alongside contemporary artwork and salvaged furniture, creating a space that feels chimes nicely with the carefully, chaotically curated vibe of the wider area.
The pub (Hackney Wick’s only one, strangely) is now home to Red Dog, who bring their take on Texas barbecue to this storied East London corner. The kitchen team smoke their meats fresh daily using imported hickory wood from the States, with the USDA brisket taking centre stage in smokers they’ve flown in from across the Atlantic. Their St Louis Cut Pork Ribs and pulled pork showcase the versatility of their smoking technique, while the burnt end nuggets offer a moreish taste of proper barbecue tradition that just pairs so well with a cold one.
Beyond the smoker, Red Dog’s menu extends to burgers ground in-house using aged cuts. The Gooey Louie exemplifies their approach to excess, combining hickory maple bacon and mozzarella sticks with American cheese and their signature sauce, while their Nashville Hot Chicken brings the Tennessee heat.
For those wanting to sample the full spectrum of Red Dog’s smoking expertise, the Carnivore Platter (minimum two people) offers a feast of USDA brisket, St Louis Cut Pork Ribs, Buffalo Wings, Hot Links, and Hickory Smoked Pork Shoulder, served with all the traditional fixings. It’s your for £25 per person.
The rooftop terrace remains one of the best viewing spots in Hackney Wick, looking out over the Olympic Park and the area’s street art-adorned buildings – an ideal spot to work your way through both the impressive beer selection and the Red Dog menu. Sure, it might not be the finest American barbecue we’ve ever tried, but it doesn’t half go well with a beer or tow.
Perched along the Lee Navigation canal, Gotto Trattoria has been bringing a slice of Italian riverside dining to East London since 2016. The restaurant, opened by the team behind Soho’s Mele e Pere, was founded by three brothers and a friend who grew up in northern Italy, with the aim of creating a genuine neighbourhood trattoria reminiscent of the family-run establishments of their childhood. This waterside spot has become something of a Hackney favourite for its combination of thoughtful Italian cooking and relaxed canalside atmosphere, and whilst we doubt sitting in the shadow of the ArcelorMittal Orbit calls to mind familial Lombardian dining, there’s no denying that the vibe at Gotto is agreeable, regardless if it quite nails the whole dolce vita thing.
Everything possible is made in-house, from the fresh pasta rolled daily to their 48-hour proved pizza dough, which develops its character in Gotto’s unique microclimate, a combination of a hot kitchen and the ripe breeze blowing in off the Hackney Community Sauna, perhaps. On the menu, the brooding fettuccine al nero with squid ink, king prawns, courgette and chilli has depth and earthines, while the house-made pork and fennel polpettine in San Marzano tomato sauce is a bowl of pure comfort food.
The pizzas are decent, too; too crisp to qualify as Neapolitan, and too delicately adorned to be erroneously labelled ‘New York’ by yet another vlog of someone holding a slice aloft to check its structural integrity, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The wine list is exclusively Italian, thoughtfully curated to include everything from easy-drinking Terre Forti to more premium options like their Barolo from Angelo Veglio. Their spritz selection and signature negroni make the canalside terrace a perfect spot for aperitivo hour, especially during summer evenings when the light plays off the water. You’d be fucking mental to sit outside here during the winter, let’s be honest.
Ideal for chicken wings that perfectly fuse American flavours with a certain British sensibility…
Randy’s Wing Bar is perfect for those who like to get their hands dirty and white T-shirt written off while sampling some of the best chicken wings in London. The venue has maintained a cult following among locals and has taken this recognition in its stride, innovating to create sought-after drinking food.
Randy’s wings perfectly fuse American flavours with British sensibilities, and nothing demonstrates this more succinctly than their tongue-in-cheek afternoon tea chicken platter. Here, instead of having a tiered stand filled with scones and tiny, tasty treats, the platter is instead layered with fried chicken bathed in a variety of sauces, creating an eating experience that, admittedly, is more Instagram-able than manageable in the flesh.
Beyond the tea stands, there’s nothing fancy about Randy’s Wing Bar, with the interior instead using wooden tables and worn communal benches that, alongside the exposed ceiling and air vents, give it a bare, open feel, which allows for the wings to take centre stage.
Image via Randy’s Wing Bar
There’s plenty of choice and customisation available at Randy’s Wing Bar, with grilled chicken on offer for those afraid of the fryer, as well as vegan-friendly cauliflower wings for the plant-based eaters in the crew.
From here, you can dose up your wings with a medley of delicious sauces that give the wings life, such as Great Taste Award winning Korean BBQ sauce that’s sticky and sweet and served with a coating of roasted peanuts. Alternatively, Randy’s smokey Kansas BBQ sauce is a great match for the restaurant’s grilled wings – add a little chipotle mayo to the mix for extra luxury.
If you’re not feeling wings, fear not; a signature chicken burger is to hand; a butterflied piece of chicken thigh that’s been marinated in tenderising buttermilk and served with special burger mayo, chipotle cheese, and southwestern sauce. This spicy sauce fuses the Californian and Mexican flavours of sour cream, paprika, and dijon mustard to leave a warm tingle on your lips that lingers long after you’ve paid the bill.
You can also take some of the fun home with you, as they sell bottles of their award-winning sauces. If you’re looking for the best time to visit Randy’s Wing Bar, try and clear your calendar on Monday, as on these days the wings are all-you-can-eat.
Ideal for burgers & bbq ribs alongside vegan food and good vibes…
No. 90 is more than a restaurant; it’s grown into a major focal point of Hackney Wick culture and community. The restaurant, housed in an expressive urban warehouse adorned in murals and street art, has become a major hang-out in the area for those with a creative spirit.
The venue hosts a rich tapestry of artistic articulation, ranging from DJ sets and raves to poetry sessions, expert talks and life drawing; it even has its own in-house art exhibition showcasing established and up-and-coming artists from the area. With fingers in so many proverbial pies, you’d be forgiven for thinking the actual food might be something of an afterthought.
It isn’t. Instead, fortifying, filling burgers take centre stage, with the signature here the 90s burger, which sees beef patties topped with two types of cheese – smoky cheddar and Monterey jack – alongside thick slices of smoked, streaky bacon and sriracha mayo sauce. Yep, this one’s an umami bomb and a half, and it fills a certain hole with aplomb.
Though you’ll certainly be well fed here, you’re not likely to be leaving with a spring in your step; ‘small’ plates are equally hefty, whether that’s a rack of BBQ baby pork ribs or surprisingly punchy, funky mushroom and truffle arancini with garlic mayo. They also do a pretty decent roast on Sunday’s.
Though No. 90 pays lip service to the warehouse energy of its surroundings with repurposed pieces of art and furniture, the dining room here – vast and spacious – is defined by a giant disco ball overhead, twinkling over the room and adding some much-needed frivolity.
When night falls, you’ll catch the disco lights twinkling off the canal, the bright lights of metropolitan London in the distance. Although some will end their evening here (No. 90 closes at 1am at the weekend), if you’re keen to keep the night going then local legend the Colour Factory is just a moment’s stroll away.
Just a little further east, and if you’re looking for tips a good feed before watching West Ham play, immersing youself in ABBA Voyage, or simply doing some shopping in Westfield, then check out our take on where to eat in Stratford. We’ll see you down the front for Dancing Queen?
Last year, Barcelona’s Disfrutar was crowned the winner of the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants List . This remarkable achievement highlighted a culinary rise through the rankings to the ultimate culmination for this experimental, playful restaurant.
Attention grabbing, sure, but perhaps even more eye-catching in this influential rundown of the world’s best restaurants was Dubai’s keen representation, with its esteemed eatery Trèsind Studio securing 13th position on the list and being named second Best Restaurant in the Middle East and Africa to boot. First place in MENA’s 50 Best is also in, you guessed it, Dubai. With the 2025 list dropping next week, it would be something of a surprise if Orfali Bros Bistro isn’t again crowned as the best in the region.
Indeed, the emirate has emerged as a prominent gastronomic destination in recent years, with the standard of both its local and international food offerings now reaching the lofty heights of its famed skyscrapers. Global recognition has followed; not only on the aforementioned World’s 50 Best list, but also with Dubai’s inaugural Michelin guide, which was released in 2023 and whose smattering of stars has been increasing ever since.
We think it’s fair to say that no trip to Dubai would be complete without sampling some of the city’s most groundbreaking restaurants. Today, we’re honing in on arguably the City of Gold’s most affluent and well-appointed shopping and dining destination; the Palm Jumeirah.
We’re hitting this artificial archipelago hungry, in search of where to eat on the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
Trèsind Studio
We had to start here, at Trèsind Studio. Located on the rooftop of flash, opulent Nakheel Mall, it has quickly become one of Dubai’s most sought-after dining destinations.
The restaurant has received numerous accolades, including two Michelin stars as well as those awards we dropped two paragraphs ago. Helmed by the talented, precocious chef Himanshu Saini, who honed his culinary skills at the renowned New Delhi dining institution Indian Accent, Trèsind Studio offers a unique and innovative take on the food of the Sub Continent which now ranks as the most acclaimed Indian restaurant on the planet.
The restaurant’s intimate, exclusive setting, with only 20 seats available per seating, provides an unparalleled theatrical dining experience. Guests are treated to a 17-course degustation dinner menu that showcases a mélange of global ingredients and modern cooking techniques combined with traditional Indian elements. Standout dishes include the blossom chaat with pumpkin mash and trio of chutneys, and the Mangalorean ghee roast crab with burnt cinnamon and curry leaf tempura. Being Dubai, of course no expense is spared when it comes to premium ingredients.
The menu is constantly evolving, ensuring that each visit to Trèsind Studio is a fresh and exciting gastronomic journey – talk about keeping those well-heeled customers coming back for more! With its exceptional cuisine, impeccable service, and stunning location, Trèsind Studio is undoubtedly one of the best places to eat, not only on the Palm Jumeirah, but in the whole of the Middle East and beyond.
While the Palm Jumeirah boardwalk is known for its range of food trucks peddling very capable servings of shawarma, cut inland just a little into the Avenues at Atlantis, and you’ll find perhaps the finest shawarma in the whole of the city at Shawafel, an assuming restaurant that does the simple things just right.
This order-at-the-counter eatery has gained a reputation for serving some of the best shawarma in the area since its lowkey opening back in 2015. In a city known for such fanfare and fanfaronade, a visit to Shawafel feels like a welcome tonic.
It’s not only about the shawarma here; Shawafel specialises in a variety of Middle Eastern specialities, its falafel particularly good, too. Although the surroundings and story of Shawafel may not be as grand as some of the other places on the Palm Jumeirah, its unpretentious nature and satisfying shawarma sets them apart.
Kinoya, located in The Onyx Tower 2 in The Greens community of Dubai, right at the entrance to the Palm Jumeirah, has quickly become the Middle East’s premier ramen specialist. This izakaya-style restaurant, founded by self-taught chef Neha Mishra, offers an authentic Japanese dining experience that has its roots in a sold-out supper club, A Story of Food.
Mishra’s passion for ramen began as a personal quest to create the perfect bowl in a part of the world where hefty noodle soups perhaps feel a little out of place. This quest eventually led her to open Kinoya in April 2021, and we’re so glad she did. The restaurant’s menu features a variety of ramen bowls, including shio, shoyu, spicy miso, and wontonmen, as well as other Japanese ‘everyday’ favourites like gyoza, yakitori, karaage, tempura, and omurice. What’s not to love?
Being Dubai, the familiar porcine notes of a nourishing ramen broth are understandably absent, but in their place, deep and rich chicken and duck broths offer an elegant richness. For those seeking something lighter to take the edge of the Emirati heat, the yuzu shio ramen is particularly fine; piquant, perky and refreshing, the famed citrus brings the perfect respite.
The interior of Kinoya is designed with a zen layout and decor, featuring monochrome colours, rice paper screens, pendant lights, and compartmentalised seating areas that include a ramen counter, an open seating area, a bar, a chef’s table, and two tatami rooms for private dining, further emphasising that sense of gentle intermission from Dubai’s profound heat.
In January 2022, Kinoya was named the One To Watch as part of the inaugural World’s 50 Best Restaurants MENA awards program, solidifying its reputation as one of the best places to eat in Dubai. A Michelin Bib Gourmand soon followed, denoting great food and even better value. Which, in Dubai, is something we could all use a bit more of…
Below the waterline at Atlantis The Palm, Ossiano transforms fine dining into pure theater. The restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows look directly into the Ambassador Lagoon, where 65,000 marine creatures swim past as diners savor their meals – a setting that’s extraordinary even by Dubai’s ambitious standards. This underwater spectacle caught the attention of Netflix’s popular series Somebody Feed Phil, with the show’s seventh (and most recent) season featuring Ossiano as a prime example of Dubai’s audacious approach to dining. The episode captured what local food enthusiasts have long known: that Ossiano delivers not just a meal, but a complete sensory experience that epitomizes Dubai’s flair for the dramatic.
The restaurant earned its Michelin star under the direction of Chef Grégoire Berger, who departed at the end of 2024 after an acclaimed tenure that helped establish Ossiano as one of Dubai’s most significant culinary destinations. As the restaurant enters an exciting new chapter in 2025, its commitment to precise technique and creative vision continues, though diners should expect fresh interpretations and new gastronomic directions from the kitchen.
Under Berger’s leadership, the multi-course tasting menu ‘Metanoia’ guided diners through an immersive oceanic journey. His signature dishes included an intricate arrangement of sea urchin with Osetra caviar and yuzu, while the langoustine course paired the delicate crustacean with vanilla-scented parsnip and a rich sauce made from its coral. While the specific menu has likely evolved with the restaurant’s transition, Ossiano’s dedication to celebrating both local waters and premium ingredients from around the world remains at its core.
The restaurant’s underwater setting adds an unrepeatable dimension to each meal. As rays glide past and schools of fish dart by, the aquarium’s blue glow transforms each dinner service into something distinctly Dubai – a place where luxury dining reaches for new depths, quite literally. In a city that constantly pushes boundaries (sometimes in welcome directions, quite honestly), Ossiano stands out by offering an experience that feels both grounded in gold standard culinary technique and elevated by its unique surroundings.
One of the best places to eat on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai for 2025 is undoubtedly the Lebanese seafood restaurant, Ibn Albahr. Located at Club Vista Mare, this popular dining spot has gained a reputation for serving some of the freshest and most authentic Lebanese seafood dishes in town, with a cooking sensibility that combines the generous and the modest dexterously, appealing to Dubai diners of all stripes and statuses.
The restaurant’s name, which translates to ‘Son of The Sea’, reflects its deep connection to the ocean and its bounties. With a beautiful terrace offering stunning sea views and a décor featuring fishing paraphernalia like ropes, anchors, and even a boat, alongside some gorgeously intricate blue and white Lebanese tiles, Ibn Albahr truly captures the essence of Lebanese beach culture succinctly.
The culinary team at Ibn Albahr takes pride in using age-old recipes with a fresh twist, creating a deep connection with the motherland to the north-west.
It’s a connection that’s not gone unnoticed; Ibn Albahr is the holder of a Michelin Bib Gourmand. But perhaps even more tellingly in a city blessed with such a wealth of dining options is that Ibn Albahr is packed for lunch and dinner every day of the week, right until closing time well beyond midnight. It’s certainly one of the most fashionable places to be seen in the city.
The menu at Ibn Albahr is extensive, and features a wide variety of seafood dishes, but you can’t go wrong with the centrepiece ‘catch of the day’, which showcases the freshest seafood from local markets in a statement display, all sparkling whole fish laid over ice. Coming with two straightforward but satisfying sauces, one tahini-based, the other a light lemon and olive oil dressing, this is simplicity at its finest.
All of this can be paired with perfectly cooked aromatic Lebanese rice or a selection of flavourful mezze (or both, of course) which arrives theatrically in a large circular basket. Whole prawns, butterflied through the belly and splayed open across the grill so they catch their cashew nut dressing, are particularly good.
Rüya, situated in the luxurious Grosvenor House Dubai at the Palm Jumeirah’s Marina, is one of the best places to enjoy Turkish cuisine in Dubai. This upscale restaurant has gained a reputation for offering a confident, well-drilled dining experience that showcases the rich culinary heritage of Turkey.
Rüya, which means ‘dream’ in Turkish, is the brainchild of renowned chef Colin Clague, who has expertly crafted a menu that combines traditional Anatolian recipes with contemporary techniques and presentation.
The restaurant’s stylish interior features a blend of modern design elements and traditional Turkish motifs, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that perfectly complements the subtly innovative dishes served, of which the short rib pide – blistered and burnished in all the right places – is a clear highlight. Do leave room for the exquisite desserts, of which the baklava and künefe are especially indulgent, and as delicately crafted as we’ve had anywhere in the world.
Rüya has received numerous accolades for its outstanding cuisine, including being named the Best Middle Eastern Restaurant in Dubai by Time Out Dubai in 2021.
We’re heading next to the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, and to La Mar by Gastón Acurio, one of the best places to eat on the Palm Jumeirah without a doubt.
As Peruvian food continues to gain popularity across the world and in Dubai, La Mar stands out as a premier destination for those seeking an authentic, exceptional dining experience.
The restaurant is helmed by the renowned chef Gastón Acurio, who has earned an illustrious reputation globally for his innovative approach to traditional Peruvian dishes. So much so, in fact, that Acurio won a Lifetime Achievement Award back in 2018, as voted for by the world’s top chefs. He is also the Ambassador of Peruvian food worldwide.
La Mar’s menu showcases the diverse flavours and ingredients of Peru, with a focus on fresh seafood and vibrantly colourful presentations. The natural start and end point here is the Cebiche Bar, which serves a lengthy list of sliced and marinated to order dishes, all impeccably, squeakingly fresh. From the larger plates, the arroz verde (green rice) with premium shellfish generously heaped on, is always a winner, too.
With the aforementioned Ibn Albahr doing its thing on the other side of this set of manmade islands, it’s tempting to think of the Palm Juremiah as something of a ‘Little Lebanon’, such is the quality of the cuisine served at Ayamna, too.
Housed in the same imposing structure as La Mar, this elegant restaurant offers a luxurious dining experience that showcases the rich culinary heritage of Lebanon. Ayamna, which means ‘the good old days’ in Arabic, transports guests back in time with its nostalgic atmosphere, traditional recipes, and warm hospitality.
The menu at Ayamna is expertly crafted by the talented Chef Ali El Bourji, who brings over 20 years of experience in creating exquisite Lebanese dishes. The restaurant’s interior features a blend of modern design elements and traditional Lebanese motifs – all ornate white marble columns and arches, and mosaic tiling – setting the scene for a veritable feast of authentic flavours.
If you’re celebrating a special occasion (or, you know, just another day in Dubai), don’t miss out on the whole roasted lobster with saffron, which boasts just the right level of bounce and floral tang. Paired with Ayamna’s impeccably balanced freekeh salad, you’ve got yourself one of the finest, lightest lunches in the city right there. And in a city of such abundance, leaving lunch with a spring in your step sounds rather nice, don’t you think?
A series looking at the best dining options within walking distance (1 mile) of city landmarks worldwide. Here, we offer our the best restaurants close to Manchester’s Picadilly Station.
Talk of Manchester’s food scene has been dominated by one familiar refrain for years; just when will the city boast a Michelin starred restaurant? Well, now that the dust has settled on Restaurant Mana finally being bestowed with that coveted, controversial honour, we can put the speculation to bed and finally appreciate the city for what it is; a thriving, thrilling place to get fed.
Yep, a foodie revolution is afoot. With trains taking just two hours from London Euston, and plenty of great restaurants just minutes from the city’s main station Manchester Piccadilly, there really is no excuse not to get stuck into the UK’s latest restaurant destination. With that in mind, here are 5 of the best restaurants near Manchester Piccadilly.
Erst
Now six years old, Erst is predominantly a natural wine bar, but one which happens to serve some downright delicious food. You’ll know from the empty bottles which line the windowsill, and from the soundtrack of clinking glasses and good cheer which meets you in arrival. Dingy gentleman’s club, smelling of stale cigars and chauvinism this is not; the facade of huge windows both lets the light in and beckons you in from the street, arms wide open.
The food is anything but an afterthought. It’s a small plates affair with a vaguely Mediterranean bent. Expect to see the ubiquitous flatbreads and ferments, nduja and bitter leaves…you know the score. But Erst happens to do these things very, very well indeed.
On a recent visit, their boudin noir (black pudding, ish) with a sharp, garlicky sauce was sensational, and a dish of gnudi and grilled leeks deeply comforting in the depths of a chilly Mancunian winter’s day. Following a glowing national review in The Times recently, Erst only looks set to get more popular; get in there while you can.
We won’t bother with all the obligatory intro, of a combative Twitter personality and a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign; you know all that already, right? But Gary Usher’s newest venture in a string of affordable, perfectly pitched modern bistros has well and truly found its home on King Street, just a 15 minute stroll from the station. True to the consistency and confidence of the cooking which defines all six restaurants which fall under the Elite Bistro’s umbrella, there’s superb, affordable food to be found here, and an experience made warm and welcoming by capable, charming service.
A class act from the moment you walk through the door to your final farewell, it’s obvious every detail has been considered and accounted for. The focaccia is an early hit, warm, crispy and just the right level of rich. The signature braised beef (here, feather blade) with truffle and parmesan chips is as good as it sounds, as in, bloody good, but vegetarians are equally well catered for; an excellent Middle Eastern style roast cauliflower is given pep via green chilli and cured lemon. Although it’s only been open for just under a year, Kala is already one of those places you trust to feed and look after you brilliantly, regardless of what you order. We love a restaurant which gives us that kind of confidence.
We think it’s safe to say that the superb tapas bar El Gato Negro, on Manchester’s King Street, was a success story from the start. Rammed from the very first night, it quickly racked up the accolades, including a Bib Gourmand from that Manchester loathing Michelin man.
It’s a gorgeous place to settle into for an evening, with three floors of fun and frivolity. Take a stool leaning on their lengthy bar to watch the action go down on the first floor, or the chef’s table which overlooks an open kitchen on the second, but perhaps best of all is the gorgeous terrace on the top floor, with banquette seating and plenty of boisterous cheer when the weather’s right.
With such a splendid setting, the food needs to be damn good to match, and it doesn’t disappoint; it’s a menu of all the good stuff done just right. So, patatas bravas are a proper size, rather than the dice you increasingly find, with the perfect mix of punchy aioli and an angry tomato sauce, pimenton all present and correct. The house tortilla oozes just the right amount of egg, and is given complexity with lightly caramelised onions. But it’s the seafood that’s the real star of the show here, with the grill doing most of the hard work and simplicity quite rightly favoured. The chargrilled bream, if on the menu, is a must order.
Proving very much that vegan food needn’t sacrifice on flavour, or dare we say, indulgence, is the Allotment. The vibe here on Lloyd Street is 100% plant based, with clever use of ingredients meaning a meal here will have you wondering if you’ll ever go back to meat again.
There’s a pan Asian bent to proceedings, with a tofu laksa sweet and soothing through coconut milk but with that crucial slick of chilli oil very much in the mix. A simple kale and edamame manages to handle both grassy and zingy ginger notes deftly. Dishes are all thoughtfully presented, and desserts way more decadent than you might expect. Who said vegan food couldn’t be fun?
Just a short jaunt from Piccadilly, this Grade II listed former meat market has been transformed into one of Manchester’s most impressive food halls. The Victorian building’s soaring glass ceiling and cast-iron framework create a rather grand setting for casual dining, whilst managing to feel properly convivial rather than corporate. Unlike some food halls which can feel a bit soulless, Mackie Mayor has genuine character in buckets and spades.
The joy here is in the variety. Tender Cow serves up some of the city’s most beautifully barked steaks, whilst Pico’s Tacos headliner dish are ace – their fish tacos, in particular, are bang on the money with perfectly crisp batter and a zippy lime crema. Tortillas are made fresh daily, just as it should be.
The real scene-stealer, though, might be Honest Crust’s pizzas. Their naturally leavened sourdough, proved for 36 hours and blasted in a wood-fired oven, produces something really quite special – perfectly charred, pockmarked crusts and just the right amount of chew. The mushroom pizza, humming with garlic and thyme, is worth crossing town and enduring the chaotic acoustics (think children’s swimming lessons) for.
Address: 1 Eagle Street, Manchester M4 5BU
The Refuge
Housed in the stunning Kimptown Clocktower Hotel, the Refuge by Volta is one of those rare hotel restaurants that’s become a genuine destination in its own right. The setting, described as ‘glam industrial’ by the restaurant, is impressive – all Victorian tiles, soaring ceilings and elegant archways – but it’s the quality of the food that keeps the punters coming back.
The menu takes influence from globe-trotting travels but never feels confused or trying too hard. Housed in the stunning Principal Hotel, the Refuge by Volta is one of those rare hotel restaurants that’s become a genuine destination in its own right. The setting is properly impressive – all Victorian tiles, soaring ceilings and elegant archways – but it’s the quality of the food that keeps the punters coming back.
The menu takes influence from globe-trotting travels but never feels confused or trying too hard. Their small plates are perfect for sharing, with the lamb shawarma particularly a highlight – tender meat that’s been enthusiastically spiced, served with a harissa sauce that packs just the right amount of heat. The vegetable dishes aren’t mere afterthoughts either; their roasted cauliflower with raita and crispy curry leaves is a crowd-pleaser whatever your plant-based persuasion. The Sunday roasts have become somewhat legendary locally, with their beef sirloin and all the trimmings drawing crowds week after week. The yorkshire puddings, we’re pleased to report, are absolutely massive.
Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese islands and one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations, is not only steeped in history and blessed with sun-drenched beaches but also boasts a culinary scene that is as rich as its heritage.
From traditional Greek tavernas to sophisticated Mediterranean restaurants, Rhodes offers a dining experience to suit every palate. Here, the narrative thread that runs through pretty much anywhere of note on the island is without doubt the superb local ingredients that truly deserve celebrating.
With that in mind, and only visiting the places that celebrate them to their full potential, here are some of the very best places to eat in Rhodes.
*Please do note that many of the best places to eat in Rhodes are seasonal restaurant, are usually close for the winter season. Check opening times in advance of visiting!*
Tamam, Rhodes Town
Ideal for gently refined yet traditional Greek food…
In the heart of Rhodes Town and therefore a little saturated by pretty mediocre tourist-facing gyros and souvlaki stands, the restaurant Tamam stands out with its charming ambience and a menu that pays homage to Greek cuisine, all with a gently modern twist. Housed in a restored building, the restaurant’s stone walls and vintage decor provide a warm and inviting atmosphere that ultimately lets the food do the talking.
Start your meal with a selection of meze (how else), with the spoon-tender braised octopus, grilled feta, bar marked and almost-bracing, and the creamy, piquant tzatziki, all particularly good. For the main course, the slow-cooked lamb kleftiko, tender and infused with local wild oregano and rosemary, is a revelation.
Pair your meal with a carafe of eminently drinkable house wine. Amorgiano is the dominant local variety of red, and is pleasingly refreshing and light on tannins when served cold, as they do here. Make sure to save room for the Greek version of baklava, rich with melted butter and hefty chunks of walnut – a sweet ending to a delightful dining experience.
Please note that Tamam is temporarily closed for the off season, and when operating, opens at 3pm daily.
Located in the picturesque village of Lindos, Mavrikos is a culinary institution that has been serving up traditional Greek dishes since 1933. The restaurant’s legacy is evident in its time-honoured recipes and the passion for food that is passed down through generations of the same family.
Now helmed by brothers Dimitris and Michalis Mavrikos, known locally as the ‘Knights’ of Rhodes gastronomy, the menu at Mavrikos is a testament to the island’s produce, with dishes like the grilled sea bream or the stuffed vine leaves showcasing Rhodes’ freshest ingredients.
No where else is this better showcased than the cuttlefish ink risotto, perfumed with local sweet Moschato wine – truly superb. The almond-crusted feta is a standout appetiser, too, the nuts offering a crunchy contrast to the soft cheese within. The fact you can see almond trees growing so close to the restaurant hammers home those hyperlocal credentials.
Dining under the stars (possible with the stars, as everyone from David Gilmour to Barbara Streissland has dined here) in the restaurant’s courtyard is an enchanting experience that is quintessentially Greek.
For those who prefer their meal with a view, Ronda is a beachfront gem that should not be missed. Situated on the sands of Tsambika Beach, this eatery offers a panoramic view of the Aegean Sea, making it the perfect spot for a romantic dinner or a leisurely lunch.
Unsurprisingly for a restaurant with such an esteemed location, the seafood here is the star of the show, with the grilled calamari and the lobster spaghetti knockout. For those on a more globetrotting tip, the maki rolls may not be as expertly assembled as in Tokyo – a little looser, the rice a touch over-vinegared – but the freshness of the seafood within is undeniable.
As the sun sets, sip on a chilled ouzo and let the cracking of claws and the sound of the waves be the soundtrack to a memorable dining experience. Or, you know, the unfortunate, pumping ‘beach chill house’ playlist coming from the restaurant…
Nestled within the medieval walls of Rhodes Town, Marco Polo Café is a fusion of East meets West, reflecting the island’s historical position as a strategic position on the trade routes between Europe and Asia, and, therefore, a crossroads of cultures.
Situated in a beautifully restored medieval building and boasting a lush garden setting that provides a tranquil escape from the bustling streets, Marco Polo features a fusion of Mediterranean and international flavours, ensuring there’s something to satisfy every palate (except those who think they came up with the line ‘Fusion? Confusion, more like!’, that is…).
The menu is an adventurous blend of Mediterranean and Far East Asian flavours, which, despite the restaurant’s billing, does lean much more heavily on the former than the latter, the Chinese and Japanese flourishes restrained and interesting rather than jarring.
Try the teriyaki glazed salmon loin is well-judged, the toasted sesame seed crust bringing the necessary texture to a fish that can sometimes be a little unctuous in all the wrong ways. Better still, the shrimp ravioli that you could easily call a dumpling if you wanted to continue that particular narratives, arrives plump and bouncy, its bisque-adjacent dressing anointing rather than flooding the pasta. Perfectly judged.
Part of the same building, Marco Polo Mansion is also one of the island’s conveniently positioned hotels, though it should be noted that facilities here are rather basic. Given the impeccable variety of accommodation on offer on the island, it’s hardly surprising that many families choose to rent a villa in Rhodes instead.
Ideal for laid-back all-day dining and local specialities…
A stone’s throw from the bustling centre of Rhodes Town, GranCaffe has been quietly going about its business since 1991, save for a brief hiatus for renovation in 2017. What emerged is a refreshingly unfussy establishment that manages to be all things to all people – café, wine bar and deli rolled into one – with a keen focus on sourcing and without compromising on quality.
The real draw here is their selection of regional specialities, with generous platters that read like a greatest hits of Greek charcuterie and cheese. Don’t miss the nouboulo (a prosciutto-style cured meat) from Corfu or the piquant arseniko cheese from Naxos. The mortadella sardinella from Drama in northeastern Greece is worth seeking out too, especially when paired with a glass from their thoughtfully curated wine list – do inquire about the rosés from the nearby Alexandris winery, which are pert and briny, and just perfect with a local cheese or too.
For something sweeter, the traditional spoon sweets from Syros that they serve at GranCaffe offer a lovely counterpoint to all that salt-aged satisfaction. Breakfast and brunch are equally well-handled, with everything from protein bowls to properly done farmhouse eggs. It’s telling that you’ll find as many locals as tourists here, particularly during the morning coffee rush – though with doors open from 8am until late at 11:30pm Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays), there’s really no wrong time to visit. Those staying nearby might appreciate their delivery service, too.
Another ‘hidden gem’ tucked away in a narrow alley of Rhodes Town, To Steno is an ode to the authentic Greek taverna experience. This family-run joint exudes a rustic charm, with its cobblestone floor, simple wooden tables, and open-armed welcome from the matriarch/maitre d’.
The menu is a celebration of Greek comfort food – the contemporary, globetrotting flourishes of previous paragraphs left just there. To Steno’s moussaka, with its layers of olive oil laden aubergine slices, minced lamb that verges on the funky, and a béchamel sauce that’s souffled skywards due to the addition of an egg, is a hearty choice indeed.
For something lighter, the grilled sardines are a delight, especially when paired with a crisp Greek salad and even crisper glass of local Athiri.
All that said, the souvlaki is the signature here – it feels like every other table is ordering a skewer or five – and jolly nice it is, too. For those visiting Greece on something of a budget, To Steno is just the kind of place you should be dining at night after night.
Hatzikelis Restaurant offers a more knowingly ‘upscale’ dining experience, perfect for special occasions or a romantic evening out. Specialising in Greek seafood dishes, the restaurant boasts a menu that highlights the best of what the Aegean Sea has to offer.
Here, diners can expect expertly prepared dishes that are as pleasing to the palate as they are to the eye, but that’s not to say the deceptively simple seafood dishes are too extortionately priced. You’ll eat very well here for under €100 a head. The sea urchin linguine, a signature and our go-to order at Hatzikelis, is an eminently reasonable €20, for instance.
With a family vineyard part of the offering here and over 100 wine labels in a stacked cellar, Hatzikelis is the perfect place for getting more familiar with Rhodes’ revered wine culture, too. Enjoy a glass (or several) in the restaurant’s courtyard, which boasts dramatic views of the ruins of the Church of the Virgin. And yes, we realise how cumbersome the previous sentence looked – so much ‘the’.
Ideal for communal, alfresco dining in the heart of Rhodes old town…
Forgive the cumbersome, all-hospitality-venues-to-all-people name, and settle into one of Rhodes’ most amiable eating experiences. The dining ‘room’ here is in fact the old town’s Great Alexander Square, the tables so close they’re pretty much communal and all the more convivial for it. The nightly live performances of traditional demotiko certainly does nothing to dampen these vibes…
…On the menu, it’s an all-day grazing kind of affair, as well suited to a morning coffee and a pastry as it is a more comprehensive feast to see out your evening. Or, you know, you could do both; this is one pretty place to while away the hours, it has to be said.
Whether you’re seeking a romantic dinner by the sea, a family meal in a traditional taverna, or an innovative fusion of flavours, Rhodes’ restaurants offer something special. Each establishment mentioned here not only serves delicious food but also provides an atmosphere that captures the essence of Greek hospitality and that much cherished spirit of siga siga.
So, when in Rhodes, indulge in the local cuisine and let your taste buds embark on a journey they won’t soon forget. Kalí óreksi! (Bon appétit!)
London Bridge may be falling down, but its options for dining are well and truly on the up. Formerly a busy commercial centre dedicated to the production of leather, felt, pottery and soap (as well as a few more illicit activities), the area around London Bridge is now arguably most well known for its restaurants and food markets.
But with such wealth of options comes the paradox of choice, which can grip you so hard in this neck of the woods that you suffocate.
We’re here to ease the pain. We’ve slurped every strand of spaghetti, put away several tons of pilaf and got through our weight in guac, to bring you this; our guide on where to eat in London Bridge, and the best restaurants in the London Bridge area.
Legare, Tower Bridge
Ideal for ingredient-led Italian cooking in an intimate space by the Thames…
Just a stone’s throw from Tower Bridge or a pretty 15 minute stroll along Queen’s Walk from London Bridge, Legare (meaning ‘to bind’ or ‘connect’ in Italian) lives up to its name, bringing people together over thoughtfully crafted Italian cuisine. Founded by ex-Trullo chef Matt Beardmore and Jay Patel, formerly of Barrafina and Koya, this intimate neighbourhood restaurant opened in late 2019 and has quickly established itself as one of the area’s most compelling dining destinations, earning recognition from Michelin with a Bib Gourmand in its first year.
The 35-cover restaurant occupies a minimalist space in the Cardamom Building, with white-washed walls and an open kitchen that allows diners to witness the daily pasta-making ritual. This transparency isn’t just for show – all pasta is made fresh each morning, with shapes and fillings changing based on what’s best at the markets that day.
The menu here changes frequently, dancing to the rhythm of the seasons, but certain gems remain constant. Their chicken liver crostini with plum and Madeira jam is a masterclass in balance – rich, sweet and utterly moreish. The kitchen naturally shows particular prowess with pasta (we’d be fucking worried if they didn’t); their fazzoletti – those delicate ‘handkerchiefs’ of pasta – might come dressed with Cornish mackerel and pangrattato, whilst their Sicily-adjacent gnocchi with sausage and saffron ragù demonstrates that sometimes the simplest combinations yield the most satisfaction. Both were priced in the early-twenties on a recent-ish visit.
The wine list is a love letter to Italian viticulture, with particular attention paid to small producers and indigenous varieties. It’s accessibly priced at the entry level, starting at £6.50 a glass for the house Garganega from Veneto, with bottles beginning at a reasonable £32 for both white (Monopolio Gambellara Classico) and red (Tule Rosso, Nero d’Avola). Natural wine enthusiasts will find plenty to explore in their ‘skin contact’ section, including some remarkable Sicilian offerings from producers like Arianna Occhipinti and COS (ranging from £45-81 per bottle). The by-the-glass selection is thoughtfully curated, making it all too easy to while away an afternoon sampling different regions of Italy. Hey, it’s cheaper than a flight there, maybe…
What’s particularly refreshing about Legare is its unfussy approach to Italian cooking. There’s no pomp or circumstance here, just carefully sourced ingredients treated with respect. The burrata comes from Puglia (where else?), the violet artichokes are served with a vibrant green romesco (£16), and the whole grilled red mullet with chickpeas and aïoli (£35) speaks to the kitchen’s confidence in letting quality ingredients shine. They’ve even taken the admirable step of adding £1 to every bill to support Belu Water Aid – a small gesture that speaks to their broader ethos.
Interestingly, it was announced late last year that Patel and team were due to open a new restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop in Spring 2025. Called Luna, it’s set to be on Shad Thames, just a short stroll from the mothership.
Ideal for a theatrical, two-Michelin-starred journey through contemporary British cuisine…
In the decade since Tom Sellers first opened Restaurant Story in 2013, this sophisticated spot just 300 metres from London Bridge Station has evolved into one of city’s most compelling gastronomic narratives. Sellers, who started his culinary journey at just 16 and honed his craft under culinary giants including René Redzepi at Noma and Thomas Keller at Per Se, opened Story at the age of 26 – earning his first Michelin star within just five months of opening, one of the fastest achievements of this accolade in British restaurant history.
Now boasting two Michelin stars (the second awarded in 2021) and fresh from a £2.5 million refurbishment to mark its 10th anniversary in 2023, Story continues to push the boundaries of modern British cuisine while maintaining an unwavering commitment to precision and creativity. The renovation included the addition of an upstairs dining area with outdoor seating, offering new perspectives on both the restaurant’s culinary theatre and its Tower Bridge location (from some tables, The Shard is visible, if you care)..
The restaurant’s philosophy is embedded in its name – each dish tells a story, crafted with theatrical flair and technical mastery. The experience begins the moment you’re seated; there’s no menu presented, just a carefully orchestrated progression of dishes that unfold like chapters in a compelling narrative. The nine-course tasting menu (£250 per person) is the only option, running for both lunch and dinner service. There’s an excellent vegetarian version of the menu, too.
Recent highlights from the kitchen have included an English pea custard with charred spring onion that captures the essence of early summer, and a technically accomplished dish of Jersey Royals with morels and chervil velouté. The kitchen shows particular skill with vegetables – a dish of celeriac with barley ragù and garlic panade demonstrates how humble ingredients can be elevated to star status.
Those ordering from the main (as in, meat and fish) tasting menu won’t be disappointed, either; there’s a pleasing heft to each plate here – nothing too dainty, and you’ll certainly leave full. In fact, it’s surprisingly refreshing to eat in a two-star and ‘only’ have nine courses. It allows for proper platefuls rather than a 20-plus string of canapes. The squab pigeon dish with watercress and Madagascan pepper is the absolute highlight of the recent menu – a beautifully composed, alluring plate that we’d go back for in a heartbeat.
Story’s commitment to innovation extends to dessert, with the end of the meal here currently a take on a rum baba. It’s as pretty as a picture, the cake soaked in champagne and topped with a delicate. It demonstrates Seller’s ability to offer something that’s technically impressive, sure, but also massively satisfying.
Wine pairings are taken as seriously as the food, with options ranging from a classic selection (£125) to a fine wine pairing (£175). For those avoiding alcohol, the non-alcoholic pairing (£90) shows the same creativity as the cuisine. The wine list itself is extensive and impressive, with by-the-glass options starting from £9 for the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie and bottles beginning at £40. While the list spans an impressive range of prestige bottles, including various vintages of Château d’Yquem and rare finds like the 1969 Colares Reserva Viuva Gomes from Lisboa, there’s still value to be found in their selection of regional French wines. The restaurant maintains a particularly strong selection of Burgundies and Bordeaux, with notable depth in vintages from prestigious producers.
The dining room, following its 2023 renovation, has nurtured a more elegant space than its predecessor (which was a bit like a cross between a sauna and public toilet, let’s face it) blending natural materials with subtle references to Mediterranean, Japanese and Nordic design – a reflection of Sellers’ culinary influences. The interior strikes a balance between elegance and understatement, creating a canvas where the bits on the plate can take centre stage.
Ideal for modern Mexican street food in a relaxed and eclectic atmosphere…
There’s been plenty of discourse in recent months about the state of Mexican food in the UK, made all the more fervent by a poorly-pitched episode of Great British Bake Off ‘celebrating’ the country’s cuisine.
But to be dismissive of the standard of Mexican restaurants here would be to do a disservice to Santo Remedio, a boisterous, beautiful place to enjoy some of the best food in the vicinity of London Bridge Station.
The first thing that hits you when you walk through the door is the noise, in the best possible way, of course. This is a restaurant where big groups congregate, converse animatedly and put away quite a few margaritas; if you ever want to witness the restorative nature of a busy, buzzing restaurant, you should head here, make no mistake.
The food certainly isn’t an afterthought to the atmosphere. The signatures here – a grasshopper topped guacamole, with the insect bringing both crunch and a distinctive, floral citrus hit, and a tempura soft shell crab taco, which is a textural delight – are just that for a reason. But don’t miss the sharing seabass a la Talla (a traditional dish from Acapulco) either, which comes adorned in both red and green salsas, and is delicious as it is eye-catching.
At the weekend between 12:30pm and 16:30pm, Santo Remedio does a popular bottomless brunch, which sees margaritas, wine, beer and cava freely flowing for two hours, for £58 a person. This includes two courses and a dessert from a broad-ranging menu of the SM classics. Go on then, you’ve twisted our arm…
Ideal for Portuguese plates and wine set inside an azulejos-tiled dining room…
It feels like London Bridge and Portuguese food have a natural affinity, with the beloved peri-peri chicken joint Casa do Frango (more of that later) and superlative (though now sadly closed) Londrino both finding their feet here. That should come as no surprise, with London’s very own Little Portugal just a 15 minute tube ride south to Stockwell.
London Bridge, Little Portugal or Leytonstone, our favourite Portuguese place in the whole of the city is Bar Douro, the superb small plates restaurant nestled under a railway arch in London’s vibrant Flat Iron Square.
This charming eatery boasts a stunning blue-and-white azulejos-tiled dining room, transporting you to the heart of Lisbon or Porto and those instantly recognisable streets. Pull up a pew at the counter here and enjoy the show; Executive Chef Neuza leads his meticulously drilled team in a kitchen that throbs with almost as much energy as the plates. Almost…
Of those plates, we’re enamoured with the grilled ox tongue, served with a piquant salsa verde positively humming with garlic (insert joke about ‘not eating this one a first date’ here). Even better is the luxurious arroz de pato malandrinho – a brooding little number of rice cooked in both duck stock and fat, served with slices of duck breast and a funky chouriço that’s closer to Toulouse sausage than a Spanish chorizo. It’s comfort food at its finest. Oh, and the salt cod fritters – let’s just say you’d be a fool not to order them. One of the best things to eat in all of London Bridge? We certainly so.
Ideal for contemporary Thai cuisine and creative cocktails inspired by the bars of Bangkok…
Meaning ‘eat and drink’ in Thai, the restaurant’s name is a gentle, straightforward invitation that seems to translate to the wholesome plates, plant tonics and general easy-going vibe at Kin + Deum.
It’s a family-run affair. Led by three stylish Thai siblings from the Inngern family, there’s a real focus on nutrition and balance here; the restaurant doesn’t use refined sugars or MSG (for better or worse) and it’s a 100% gluten-free affair to boot. The paired back but gorgeous interiors of the restaurant further reflect this.
The recipes here are nominally based on dishes heralding from Bangkok, though really the menu spans the whole country, with laap salad from the North East, khao soi curry noodle soup from the North, and panang from the deep south of Thailand. Hey, there’s even a katsu curry, Kin + Deum style, if you’re hankering for it.
Regardless of origin, the cooking here is fantastic; though there’s a lightness of touch in the dishes, that isn’t in the name of sacrificing chilli heat or punchy acidity. Nope, it’s all here, and it’s all very delicious, indeed, making it one of the very best choices for great food in London Bridge, Thai or otherwise.
When it comes to the ‘deum’ side of the menu, you’ll find Thai Tea’s and terrific tonics like the their beautifully blue butterfly pea drink. If you’re after creative cocktails, then this is the place to come. The menu is inspired by the owners’ favourite cocktails found in Bangkok’s buzzing bar scene, and their coconut lychee mojito is excellent.
Speaking of Bangkok’s bars, we’re hoping that the owners will read this and try the ‘Go Nuts’ cocktail at BBK Social Club, which draws on the uniquely fragrant aromas of pandan infused whiskey, lemongrass and nutty hazelnuts – it’s worth flying to BKK for, but we’d rather hop on the train and try a version at Kin + Deum… Just sayin’!
Address: 2 Crucifix Ln, London SE1 3JW, United Kingdom
Ideal for a subtle, seasonal and sophisticated tasting menu with influences from Korea…
One of London’s most interesting restaurant openings of recent years, Sollip is a subtle place in every way. From its unassuming location on Melior Street – a street that London Bridge estate agents will tell you is one of the most sought after in the area – all the way to the refined dining room and sophisticated cooking coming out of the husband-and-wife led kitchen, this is a place that oozes class.
Here, it’s a no-choice, tasting menu affair which blends ingredients and influences from the the owners’ homeland South Korea with French cooking sensibilities, with dishes regularly changing to reflect the seasons.
At £135 a head, it’s certainly not cheap, and though that price-point certainly falls into the ‘premium’ category, there are some seriously top-notch ingredients on that menu, with a pairing of wagyu beef – on our last visit, served Tteokgalbi-style, minced and in a patty – and Orkney scallop treated with real deftness.
A savoury daikon tarte tatin remains something of a menu mainstay, and for good reason; the pastry is delicate as you like and the daikon texturally alluring.
Sollip is a special occasion kind of place, for sure, but what a place it is.
Address: Unit 1, 8 Melior St, London SE1 3QP, United Kingdom
Ideal for some of the best tapas you’ll find this side of Punta de Estaca de Bares…
There’s a heap of tapas options in and around London Bridge and Borough, but for us, Jose, in Bermondsey, takes the galleta. Jose Pizarro is something of a London celebrity, a chef of great geniality and generosity, and this translates itself into the warm welcome at any of his London joints.
Jose has the feel of a San Sebastian pinxtos bar, with plenty of standing and bar stools, and chalkboard menu to match. You wouldn’t feel out of place dropping in here for a glass of wine and one plate. Equally, you can have a feast of tapas classics and a few larger, ingredients-led plates, all detailed on the restaurant’s blackboard.
If there are clams on the menu, order them. Here, they’re often done in the ‘marinera’ style; that is, in light, acidic sauce made from white wine, chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika and plenty of garlic. Perhaps even better are when it’s served as those from the Basque country do, with salsa verde. Either way, it’s a reliably fantastic order at Jose, one of London Bridge’s best places to eat.
Address: 104 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UB, United Kingdom
Ideal for Portuguese plates and a true taste of the Algarve in a light, bright room…
You’ll find a Nandos just a five minute walk away from London Bridge Station on Clink Street, sure, but even closer (and quite possibly, better) is Caso Do Frango, whose grilled chicken qualifies as truly top notch. Considering half a chicken is only a couple of quid more here than the cost of a ‘cheeky’ one, Caso Do Frango feels like a fairly thrifty treat, too.
At the restaurant, chickens are grilled over wood-charcoal, ensuring a smoky finish and blistered skin, with their secret Piri-Piri blend providing a satisfying kick of chilli.
It’s not all about the chicken, though; the supporting acts and side dishes are fantastic, too, particularly the rice with crispy chicken skin and chorizo, rounded off with plantain, which is an inspired touch. We’re also big fans of their charred cauliflower, which is marinated in honey, lemon and piri-piri, and served smothered in coriander yoghurt and topped with pistachios.
Housed in a converted 19th-century industrial warehouse, the dining room at Casa do Frango is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Vaulted ceilings, arched windows, and exposed brickwork create a warm and breezy atmosphere, while greenery draped skylights add a touch of whimsy to the space.
That said, it’s a dining room where you can often feel a little exposed. For a more intimate experience, venture into The Green Room, a speakeasy-style bar hidden behind an unmarked door. Here, you can indulge in creative cocktails infused with Portuguese spirit; the properly pert Piri-Piri Margarita is excellent.
Casa do Frango’s commitment to authenticity extends beyond their food, with an entirely Portuguese wine list featuring rich reds from the Douro Valley and effervescent Vinho Verde from Monção. For those with a sweet tooth, the dessert menu celebrates national culinary icons like Pastéis de Nata, made fresh on-site daily and wonderfully wobbly in all the right places.
A second (in Victoria) and third (just opened off Oxford Circus) Caso do Frango offer the same superb value grilled chicken, though arguably, in a less striking venue.
Address: 32 Southwark St, London SE1 1TU, United Kingdom
Ideal for gourmet pizzas made with premium ingredients…
Would you like some seawater with your pizza, sir? Rather than being poured by the glass by a very confused sommelier, ‘O Ver’s USP is that they are the first restaurant in the UK to use 100% seawater in their dough, with the stuff imported from the Bay of Naples to hammer home those authenticity chops.
That seawater is said to lead to a light, digestible dough, and whilst we can’t speak with authority on why that might be the case scientifically, from a diner’s perspective it’s hard to argue with the claim. These are wonderfully airy – and yes, digestible – pizzas, hitting the table with a canotto that seemingly inhales and exhales whilst the requisite photos are taken (why have people started saying “the phone eats first” quite so much, by the way?).
Pizza is meant to be eaten fresh and hot, so fuck the phones. Ours has come from the ‘gourmet pizzas’ section of the menu, which is a joy. Rather than experimental affairs, it’s simply a roll call of some of the finest ingredients that could be imported from Italy, with the spaccanapoli pizza brimming with the sweet, bitter minerality of only the best Vesuvio tomatoes and the milkiest burrata straight from Puglia. What a joy this pizza is, and so it should be for £20.
Though there are two branches of ‘O Ver, one in London Bridge and one in St James’s, it’s the former that’s the original, and the outpost that was recently named in the top 30 pizzerias in Europe. It’s easy to see why.
Everyone deals with a divorce or break-up in their own way. Whether it’s ended with animosity or things are left amicably, there’s no correct, certified way to get through the pain or celebrate a new found freedom.
Though recent news reports of a fall of 29.5% in divorce applications between 2021 and 2022 (the latest figures) rather put paid to the notion that COVID-19 would lead to a breaking-up epidemic, there were still around 80’000 divorces in 2022. And that’s before we consider all of the break-ups, conscious uncouplings, falling outs and any other term you can throw at the painful process of splitting with a partner.
Divorce is an emotional time, regardless of exactly what those emotions are, with the most protracted often the most painful, and administration related issues being hurdles to happiness, without fail.
It can be something as mundane as the divvying up of your shared fridge’s contents or as complex as the bureaucracy of the actual divorce; either way, it’s best to prevent things getting messy if you’re to get through this thing in one piece. With our sensible hat on, here’s how to deal with a divorce or break-up without losing your head.
However, it’s important, through all the rushes of emotion and feelings of longing, to remember what brought you to this situation in the first place. You and your spouse felt that this was the right way to go and that likely hasn’t changed in the time it’s taken to move through the divorce process.
Though couples can have a change of heart and end up staying together, this rarely works out. Ask yourself what you want to get out of the process. Maybe it’s just a clean break from that part of your life, or it’s something physical – a house, a pet – that you both owned and now need clarification over. It’s a good idea to go through this with yourself, your lawyer and, ultimately, your ex-spouse to get the best outcome for everyone.
Keep Yourself Busy
Simply put, if you’re going to get through the trials and tribulations of divorce in one piece, then it’s important to confine the past to the past.
In the modern, always-online world, this starts by making huge efforts to avoid cyberstalking your ex-partner, constantly checking up on what they’re up to and who they’re spending their newly single life with.
A better, more productive idea than flicking through endless photos of the past is to keep yourself busy on things your relationship may have otherwise prevented you from doing. Hit the gym or the library, see your close friends more or get really stuck into your career. Keeping busy and spending some time on yourself is a great way to draw a line under the past.
Keep Those Thumbs Idle
We have become known as the ‘Tinder generation’ for good reason. Take a straw poll of how couples met and the answer is now almost always the same. In fact, according to a 2022 article in The Knot, ”dating apps are the most common ways couples meet”.
Yep, having new partners at the swipe of a screen is now so commonplace and convenient, and that’s generally no bad thing. But the temptation after a break-up or divorce is to dive straight back into the endless pool of singles for some pain relief. It’s not always the best idea, believe us. Avoid the hard and fast rebound and just take your time.
Embrace A New Social Circle
That said, new platonic relationships can truly help keep your head clear and distracted. After divorce, you may feel like the odd one out amongst your happily married friends. If you were married for a long time, a lot of your friends might also be friends of your spouse, which can be an awkward proposition at social gatherings.
Making new friends who are yours and yours alone will help you move on instead of being reminded of the past. Going to a class or trying out a new hobby is a great way to meet new people, whether you want to try your hand at yoga, go on a cooking course or express yourself at an art or craft club. And even if you don’t click with anyone, you’ll have learned a new skill or discovered a new favourite pastime!
Don’t Drink & Dial
Booze may help you forget for a few hours, but a renewed melancholy with added headache will meet you in the morning if you’re prone to drunk dialling or reeling off a raging email detailing all of your complaints after a couple of wines. We’re not saying monk-like abstinence is required, but it’s a good idea to take it fairly easy on the alcohol as your adjust emotionally to your life post-divorce.
Going through a breakup or divorce can bring about such a shake up in your everyday structure and sense of normality that it can completely throw you off kilter, both mentally and physically, if you let it.
Suddenly you’re forgetting to eat, neglecting the gym regime and finding yourself in your pyjamas way past the closing credits of Good Morning Britain. Worse still, you’re finding yourself increasingly attracted to Richard Madeley. That is a sign, more than any, that you need to sort yourself out.
It’s vital if you’re to keep control of the spiralling situation to stick to a routine. It needn’t be the same as the one you used to follow with your former partner, but having some semblance of normality and discipline in this difficult time can be really reassuring.
Sort Out The Money Stuff
Let’s be honest – nobody likes talking about finances, but getting your monetary affairs in order is crucial when you’re splitting up. One thing many couples overlook is getting a financial consent order. Think of it as your financial full stop – it makes your money split legally binding and stops your ex from making claims against you years down the line (yes, even after the divorce is finalised).
Without one, you could find yourself sharing that lottery win or inheritance with your former spouse, even if it comes years after you’ve gone your separate ways. It might seem like an extra expense when you’re already juggling solicitor’s fees, but consider it an investment in your future peace of mind. Besides, it’s far cheaper than dealing with an unexpected financial claim from your ex when you’re finally back on your feet.
The courts won’t automatically sort this for you during the divorce process – you need to arrange it separately. So pop it on your to-do list, somewhere between ‘delete their Netflix profile’ and ‘figure out who gets to keep the fancy coffee machine’.
Do What Makes You Feel Happy
Ok, sensible hat off now, the best approach to dealing with a divorce without losing your head is to do whatever makes you feel happy. A break-up can be a traumatic, lonely time. So, within reason, do whatever you need to raise your spirits. Get out there. Eat well, drink well, go on a shopping splurge, have a fling, don’t. It’s up to you!
*This article offers general guidance and tips based on common experiences. Everyone’s situation is unique, and divorce or separation can involve complex legal and financial matters. For specific advice about your circumstances, particularly regarding financial settlements and legal proceedings, please consult a qualified legal professional or financial advisor. This article is not intended to replace professional legal counsel.*
What it’s like to be using your ironing board as a makeshift desk. What it’s like to have your laptop precariously balanced on a stack of cushions in lieu of a proper stand. What it’s like to be confusing vital documents with your kid’s latest ‘drawing’, losing your phone and your mind under piles of papers, and struggling to get things done because of a complete lack of organisation in your home office.
Yep, we know what it’s like…
‘’Tidy desk, tidy mind’’, as they say, and this curious mantra is only amplified when working from home. It’s safe to say that finding true workplace contentment and, in turn, delivering great results, isn’t always easy from a hastily arranged home office, particularly when your organisation and storage is found wanting.
But we’re here to help clear things up, both physically and metaphorically; here are 10 sometimes simple, sometimes innovative storage ideas for your home office.
Slim Shelving Units
If you don’t have much space to work with (and we know you don’t; that’s why you’re here), then slim shelving is a great choice to organise lightweight items, such as boxes, small pieces of tech, smaller files and other items.
These shelving units offer a smart and cost-effective solution to help you store a high quantity of items without wasting valuable space. This allows you to maximise your storage space and maintain an organised and effective working environment.
Under Desk Storage
Under desk storage can be helpful in gaining extra space for general storage and filing. In general, most people tend to choose an under desk pedestal, as it can fit under most office desks.
These units are often referred to as ‘mobile storage’ and often feature two or three drawer options. This allows employees to store a variety of items and office accessories.
Alternatively, if you’re the kind of desk dweller who likes to kick back and keep their feet elevated while working, you could invest in a footstool with storage space within it; talk about killing – or kicking! – two birds with one stone – or, erm, one stool.
Talk about kicking two birds with one stool. Nah, that doesn’t work. Let’s move on…
Other ‘Dead’ Space Storage Ideas
Come out from under your desk and think outside the box here. Or, rather, think outside the office. Because there is plenty of organisational acumen to be flexed away from your actual home office space.
Indeed, even in the tightest, most compact of rooms you should be able to eke out ample storage space within. There are nooks, crannies, shelves and spaces lurking in every home; you just have to know where to look.
Beds with built-in storage are particularly useful here for office-related items you don’t need immediate access to, as are Ottoman storage chests at the end of the bed; both provide an answer to those pesky storage conundrums posed by a small home office.
And for those bulkier items you only need seasonally – like trade show displays or reference materials – a small self storage unit can be a cost-effective way to keep your home office clutter-free while maintaining access to everything you need.
Tambour Cupboards
Tambour storage options are the perfect home office product to combine space-saving and style. Instead of opening large doors outwards and into a room with limited space, a side-sliding tambour door may be a better choice. These guys require little space directly in front of them, which can be a real space-saver.
Moreover, they have the added benefit of security, as it is possible to lock them fully at the end of the day. This means that you can keep all of your important files and documents neat, tidy, and secure, away from the pesky hands of young family members and pets! With a large capacity and a sturdy platform, their contemporary design will look stylish and sleek in your home office.
Desk Organiser
Hey, let’s go back to basics for a minute and satisfy that word ‘simple’ from the title. A desk organiser will help you keep important supplies within reach and organised. The top tray can usually be moved around, which will allow them to stack their items and save space.
At the bottom, there may also be a pull-out drawer where you can store post-its, glue, tape, and even a calculator (dream big my friend!). As there is plenty of space available, this storage unit can be customised to separate and organise stationery based on usage.
Desk Monitor Stand Riser
This is another great storage solution suitable for any computer, laptop, monitor, or notebook. Typically, a desk monitor stand riser consists of two departments, which can be used to keep a phone, iPad, pens and other office essentials.
Moreover, the nook on top is removable, which makes it simple to clean and arrange items faster. Alongside this, it will raise the monitor to just the right height, which will ensure there is no additional strain on the body and help prevent subsequent issues caused by bad posture.
Wall Mounted Storage
A great way to maximise your office space is to incorporate an over-the-door hanging organiser. It is an attractive and elegant storage solution, which offers many benefits. This option can save you plenty of floor space, as you can store pens, highlighters and post-its instantly.
Most hanging wall organisers also feature durable pockets, which makes it easy to manage your office organisation in the long run. Wall organisers are made with high quality metal materials and they offer strong metal construction. Moreover, you can easily label the different pockets and classify your papers clearly.
Printer Stand
Finally, whilst many home office workers may baulk at the idea of integrating a printer into a tight domestic space, others will have had to make adjustments for this most essential of items.
A useful solution to accommodate your printer and its various accessories, including printing paper, highlighters, ink, and staplers, is a printer stand with storage. It is easy to place it on top of any desk, shelf, or cabinet, acting as an extension to the storage in your office, making printing and scanning even faster.
Tech Hub Station
In 2025’s hybrid work environment, managing multiple devices and their connections is crucial. A dedicated hub station combines charging, connectivity, and tech organisation in one sleek solution. Look for a hub that includes wireless charging pads for your phone and earbuds, USB-C ports for laptops and tablets, and cable management features to keep everything tidy.
Many modern tech hubs also include built-in Bluetooth device management and even small display screens showing connection status and battery levels of your various devices. Some units come with additional storage compartments for dongles, adapters, and spare cables, making them a perfect all-in-one solution for the tech-heavy home office. Position your tech hub where you can easily access it – either on your desk surface or mounted to the wall – to keep all your devices charged and ready for your next video call or collaborative session.
Or, Relocate Outside
Or, instead of making room in your home by decluttering and putting your belongings into self-storage, why not make some extra room by creating a ‘shofice’? Of course, you’ll need a garden for this one, but it might be a smart investment to relocate your home office to the garden shed. Remember any furniture or equipment installed into the building, such as desks and shelving units, can be claimed back on tax relief. Food for thought, indeed.
Here’s a terminally online debate that shows no signs of abating; what is the best type of pint known to a person?
Is it the post-work Madri in the closest pub to the office, straight after shutting up shop for Christmas? Is it the lukewarm, halftime Creamflow, triumphantly chugged from a plastic pint when your team is winning? Or, is it the first Brothers cider in the Wednesday morning sunshine at Glastonbury, your tent safely erected and your spirits soaring?
Whilst all of those are plainly spectacular, for us it’s the 7am airport lounge beer as you wait for your flight – pre-holiday, of course. It’s one that feels crisper and colder than any other, chugged with wanton abandon and a tangible sense of possibility. Magic.
What perhaps isn’t so magic is the accompanying airport lounge meal, which promises only indigestion and a rather dehydrated, flatulent flight.
But not anymore. In recent years, the standard of airport food feels like it’s improved immeasurably, with some genuinely decent feeds to be found in the UK’s bigger airports.
Today, we’re kicking back in the country’s busiest. Whilst you could rely on luxury airport transfers getting you to the gate just in time for check-in, there’s something rather relaxing about giving yourself a bit of time at Heathrow, to savour that first pint and a slap-up meal in style before your onward flight. We think we’ll do just that; care to join us?
With all this in mind, here’s our guide on where to eat in London Heathrow.
Gordon Ramsay Plane Food – Terminal 5 (in departures, after security)
Recently named the UK’s busiest airport terminal by some distance, in Heathrow’s Terminal 5 you’ll find some respite from the crowds at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food.
This restaurant brings the Michelin-starred chef’s reputed high (though increasingly thinly-spread) standards to the airport, offering travellers a chance to bask in a sense of manufactured luxury before their flight.
The menu here aims to place an emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients – a welcome antidote to the usual airport Burger King, make no mistake. The restaurant also offers a ‘Plane Food Picnic’ – a take-away option that allows you to enjoy a gourmet meal on your flight.
For those staying grounded, the restaurant’s sleek, Mad Men-inspired design and runway views complement a menu of globetrotting classics with a twist. Perfect for a squad of disparate tastes and proving that any sense of decorum flies out of the window at the airport, why not start with salmon teriyaki skewers, pair them with a Caesar salad, and then move onto a butter chicken with garlic roti and some ramen? Because let’s be honest; where else would this be acceptable?
There’s a more keenly focused breakfast menu, to be fair, served between 5am and midday, daily.
Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen – Terminal 2 (departures, after security)
If you’re after genuine craft beer (and a load of subsequent toilet breaks) with your pre-flight feed, Big Smoke’s Terminal 2 outpost brings a slice of Surrey brewing excellence to the airport. The Surbiton-based brewery has created something that feels distinctly un-airport-like (as long as you’re staring forlornly into your pint glass), despite the ever-present departure boards looming overhead.
The main event here is their range of craft beers, brewed just down the road at their Esher brewery. Their Cold Spark lager and Electric Eye Pale Ale are reliable companions to that ‘holiday’s officially started’ moment, whilst their rotating guest taps keep things interesting for regular travellers. They’ve even managed to squeeze in some traditional cask ales – a rarity in airport bars where kegs usually reign supreme.
Image via bigsmoke-taphousekitchen.co.uk
The food menu sticks to what works: hearty beer-friendly fare. The burgers are a cut above standard airport offerings, made with dry-aged beef and served with crispy, golden chips (none of that anaemic airport fries business). Their chicken wings, glazed in house-made beer BBQ sauce, have earned a reputation among Terminal 2 regulars as the ideal pre-flight sharing plate – though sharing is entirely optional, we won’t judge.
For breakfast, they serve up a generous full English that comes with their own beer-braised beans, and their eggs Benedict makes a convincing case for starting the day with brunch even at 6am. Because let’s face it – time becomes rather meaningless once you’re airside, doesn’t it?
Spuntino – Terminal 3(landside, before security)
Over in Terminal 3, the satellite version of the acclaimed but now sadly closed Soho institution Spuntino (which means snack in Italian) is getting flyers well and truly lubricated with their fine selection of bourbon and a crackling, transportive blues soundtrack.
True to form for a place conceived by the already hugely missed Russel Norman, the snacks are where it’s at here – the stuffed, deep-fried olives would feel like a treat anywhere in London, whilst the chips with chicken salt and aioli are as more-ish as that old joke about heroin.
That said, Spuntino’s most iconic dish is undeniably the truffle egg toast, where fontina & gruyère cheese meet a poached egg and a good dousing of truffle oil. Their crab mac and cheese is a comforting dish to delve into, too, and larger plates further hone in on the idea of Italian/American comfort food, with thin crust sourdough pizzas, spaghetti and meatballs, and house hamburgers all several notches above what you’d usually find at an airport.
Look out for the restaurant’s original mural by famed Soho artist Neal Fox, which adds to the place’s eclectic charm, and don’t forget to end on a Spuntino donut, freshly fried and paired indulgently with a blueberry sundae.
Sure, they might need to wheel you out of Spuntino and take you to the boarding gate in one of those beeping electric cart thingys, but you’ll feel pretty satisfied and smug as you cruise through Heathrow, semi-comatose.
The Perfectionists’ Café – Terminal 2 (in departures, after security)
Created by superstar chef Heston Blumenthal, The Perfectionists’ Café is a tribute to the golden age of 1960s air travel, when every flight promised a glamorous and exciting adventure.
True to that tribute, the ‘café’ is somewhere you can genuinely sink into. Sure, airport restaurants are never toocomfy, and usually harshly lit – no doubt to stop us missing flights – but Heston’s is comfier than most, with expansive views of the airport below so you don’t forget where you are.
Back in the room, and it’s dominated not only by a frankly weird stained-glass style depiction of a cross-legged Blumenthal, but also by the flickering heat of a central wood-fired pizza oven, promising a pizza in just 90 seconds – ideal if you’re on a tight schedule.
Aside from the pizzas, and taking inspiration from the chef’s In Search of Perfection TV series and books where he explored and reinvented Britain’s favourite dishes, the menu is a blend of British favourites and international classics, all executed with Blumenthal’s signature flair and attention to detail.
Image by City Foodsters via Flickr
For breakfast (still haven’t located that decorum), you’ll find ‘extraordinary fish and chips’ perhaps aimed at departing tourists who’d missed out on the national dish during their time in the UK. Heston’s version is genuinely excellent, with, in true perfectionist style, a special beer batter that’s been aerated through a syphon, creating a light, crunchy texture. Chips are served with an atomiser, allowing diners to spritz over that unmistakable chippie smell.
Those ‘Heston’ touches are found again in a pea and ham soup sandwich and in the chef’s signature liquid nitrogen ice cream, which comes in a variety of freshly-frozen flavours. Sure, it’s not the Fat Duck, but it’s about as much fun as you’ll have eating airport food just about anywhere in the UK.
La Belle Époque at the Sofitel Hotel, Terminal 5 (landside, connectedto Heathrow via covered walkway)
For those with a penchant for French cuisine and a desire for a proper sitdown meal away from the check-in queues and boarding gate chaos, La Belle Époque at the Sofitel London Heathrow offers the airport’s most outwardly sophisticated dining experience.
As Heathrow’s only restaurant with serious designs on fine dining (not many airport restaurants boast 2 AA Rosettes, that’s for sure), La Belle is a unique proposition. There’s certainly nowhere else at Heathrow could you feast on a smoked duck liver parfait with grilled brioche, or on a thick portion of expertly roasted Cornish hake, served with pommes puree and a red wine ‘Matelote’ reduction. And for that, La Belle Époque has to be applauded.
The dim lights and royal purple hues, alongside impeccable service and that precisely-cooked food, make it an excellent choice for a business meeting, or for a farewell meal with someone special before your flights. Cheers!
Fortnum & Mason Bar – Terminal 5 (in departures, after security)
For a quintessentially British experience (enthusiastically drinking in an airport), the Fortnum & Mason Bar in Terminal 5 is the place to be.
Known for their luxury picnic hampers, Fortnum & Mason have brought their grazing expertise indoors, and to Heathrow, offering a selection of teas, wines, and light bites at their central bar. You’ll find a range of elegant finger foods here, from smoked salmon to Welsh rarebit and beyond, making it the perfect spot for a relaxing drink before you board and a meal that won’t weigh too heavy around the plane seatbelt.
Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar – Multiple Terminals (departures, after security)
If you have a penchant for (risking it all by having pre-flight) seafood, the Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar is something of a Heathrow haven.
Located airside in four of the airport’s terminals (Terminal 1 is missing out, hey?), this ubiquitous stand specialises in Prunier caviar and Balik smoked salmon. The menu also features a variety of seafood options, including oysters and seafood platters, all paired with a selection of fine wines and champagnes. It’s the ideal spot for luxurious pre-flight indulgence in less than luxurious surrounds.
Shan Shui, Terminal 2 (departures, after security)
Few people enjoy flying after a massive roast dinner or something similarly substantial. And those that do, you certainly don’t want to be sitting next to…
For a feed that will liven you up rather than put you down pre-flight, Shan Shui in Heathrow Terminal 2 is probably your best bet. The all-halal menu at this Old Shanghai-inspired eatery features a continent-spanning roll call of spirited pan-Asian dishes, including Cantonese roast duck rice, chicken satay, beef rendang, and even a cheeky katsu sando. You can even enjoy a dim sum lunch if you so desire, with three pieces of har gau or vegetarian teochew clocking in at just £6.25.
Sure, this perhaps isn’t the spread for you if you’re flying to Beijing, Penang or Phuket, but if you’ve spent the last week eating fry-ups and steak and ale pies, the serviceable, spicy food at Shan Shui will be a welcome change.
The Bottom Line
Who said airport food had to be boring? The restaurants at London Heathrow may not be winning a star anytime soon, but as an accompaniment to that first glorious holiday pint, the options for a decent meal have vastly improved in recent years. Cheers!
Regarded for being the home of the New Nordic food movement and, of course, Noma, as well as a whole host of other highly inventive, critically-acclaimed restaurants, as well as an ever–evolving pop-up scene and superb traditional cuisine, there are fewer better places to be fed.
What the city is perhaps not as well known for is its pizza scene. But boy is that changing, with that trademark Copenhagen combination of meticulous craft and inquisitiveness now translating into pizzas operating at the lofty echelons usually only associated with Naples.
True to that mentality, today we’re considering only the very best of the best in the city. Here is our guide to the best pizza in Copenhagen.
Bæst
Found in the neighborhood of Nørrebro, the award-winning pizzeria BÆST is well known for using the highest quality ingredients and operating with sustainability at the core of everything it does.
Even though the pizzeria is, quite rightly, clearly inspired by Italian traditions and craft, BÆST harnesses the power of these techniques and ideals using local, organic ingredients. In fact, the restaurant very proudly states that they aren’t an ‘Italian’ restaurant per se, but, rather, a mix of Italian and Danish sensibilities as told by chef Christian Puglisi, who was born in Messina, Italy and moved to Denmark in 1990 with his parents.
All this build-up would be irrelevant if the product wasn’t good, and here, to be fair, it isn’t good; it’s exceptional. The restaurant’s signature ‘fior di latte’, made using biodynamic Danish cows’ milk, is as good as we’ve tasted anywhere in the world, and the salami, coppa and nduja from organic, free-range pigs from the famous Hindsholm-farm provide the perfect counterpoint when placed atop these superb pizzas.
Address: Guldbergsgade 29, 2200 København N, Denmark
We’ve all been there, gripped by the pizza paradox of choice so badly when perusing the menu that we end up ordering tiramisu as a main course.
Right, guys? Right?
Well, Pico Pizza has got your back. Here, instead of offering single pizzas that are hard to take down in a single sitting, the guys at Pico sling their pies in a much more manageable ‘mini’ size, arriving in batches of three and allowing guests to try a few in one sitting from the expansive 15-pizza menu.
But frozen Mini Chicago Town Pizza this ain’t. Pico’s pizzas are proper, nominally in the Neapolitan ‘style’ rather than adhering to strict AVPN legislation, with an airy sourdough base and properly blistered crust.
With outposts in Nørrebro, Vesterbro, and most recently a huge new opening in Valby, the USP here is the ‘Pico Trio’ order, which allows you to choose three different sourdough pizzas from the menu. We’re particularly in thrall to the restaurant’s Sloppy Joe, which boasts Bolognese sauce alongside red Irish cheddar. The ‘Hawaii’, pineapple and all, is also excellent.
Yes, it’s that kind of place – there are tasty little pots of crust dippers, too – and it’s all the better for it, but if you do prefer the classics, both the Margherita and Capricciosa are superb.
And the best news? Pico’s pizzas are available in vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, too. What’s not to love?
Perfectly positioned between Peblinge Sø lake and the Copenhagen harbour in the heart of the city, La Fiorita (‘the little flower bud’) has been something of a Copenhagen institution since 1991, offering a kind of homely authenticity in food scene that’s always at the cutting edge of contemporary. Originally opened in Nansensgade, the business quickly bloomed, adding a second location focused on Italian specialties in 1995 before consolidating both into their current basement space on Charlotte Ammundsens Plads.
In their current home, this bustling Roman-style pizzeria and salumeria offers much more than just their signature pizza tonda Romana. The glass-fronted display cabinet is packed with fresh panzerotti, calzones stuffed with mozzarella and tomato sauce, and an array of ready-to-eat Italian specialties with prices neatly chalked on the glass. The menu extends to pasta dishes, while the deli counter offers an impressive selection of Italian wines, cheeses, charcuterie, bread, and olives.
Unlike the Neapolitan numbers that dominate Copenhagen’s scene, La Fiorita’s Roman-style pizzas are characteristically thin and crispy, with a delightfully crunchy crust that maintains its structure from first bite to last. The dough is rolled rather than hand-stretched, resulting in that distinctive even crunch that Roman-style pizza is celebrated for.
The atmosphere is that familial, boisterous Italian style that’s a welcome antidote to to the crisp and curt precision of Copenhagen’s fine dining scene, filled with singing and laughter as sports matches and Italian television shows play in the background. It’s exactly the kind of place where you might pop in for a quick slice but end up staying for hours, caught up in the convivial spirit and the occasional gratis amaro.
Address: Charlotte Ammundsens Pl. 2, kld, 1359 København, Denmark
Gorm’s
Have you even been to Copenhagen if you haven’t had a Gorm’s? There are eight in total across the capital, with more expected to open as the popularity of these simple, crisp pizzas which fuse Italian traditions with Nordic ingredients shows no signs of slowing.
The mothership is on Magstræde, one of the oldest streets in Copenhagen, where celebrity chef Gorm Wisweh (or, more likely, one of his many devoted pizzaiolo) prepares his pizzas with the sensibility of a Roman ‘tonda’; that’s an ultra-thin crust and base crisp enough to support a generous – though not showy – set of toppings.
Our go-to order here is the Miss Wishbone, which boasts thinly sliced potato, rosemary, basil pesto and 16-month matured parma ham. It’s a banger, and we dare you not to order a second!
Last but not least is Mother, located in Copenhagen’s hip Meatpacking District. Known for its trademark sourdough (the restaurant’s name refers to the dough’s starter culture), the humble restaurant opened its doors in 2010 and has grown in popularity with the foodies of Copenhagen ever since.
These days Mother is well known far beyond the Danish border for its approachable way of doing business, focusing on organic quality food imported directly from Italy or made in Copenhagen itself.
In September 2016, the innovative restaurant took its ‘good food for the people’ and ‘back to nature’ philosophy a step further by introducing a new way of making pizza dough, using purified seawater instead of traditional salt and water.
The results are tremendous, with refined, carefully sourced toppings taking precedence over the more indulgent offerings found on some of the other pizzas on our list, allowing the true star of the show, the dough, to shine through. True to that ethos, perhaps the most delicious pizza on the list is also the most simple; the mozzarella-less (ooft, that’s a clumsy word) Marinara is as good as a pizza gets, in our humble appetite.
Housed in the historic Lauras Hus in Carlsbergbyen, Surt (meaning ‘sour’ in Danish) is the passion project of Giuseppe ‘Peppe’ Oliva, whose impressive credentials include stints at both Tribeca NV and Bæst. The 50-seat restaurant creates an intimate atmosphere where diners can watch their pizzas being crafted in the custom-built stone oven – the literal and metaphorical heart of the establishment, which was constructed on-site.
The sourdough bases here undergoes a watchful 72-hour fermentation process, made without industrial yeast and using only ancient grain varieties. True to Copenhagen’s commitment to seasonality, the menu evolves with what’s available, though certain standouts remain constant. The Hindsholm pizza, featuring local pork sausage, buffalo mozzarella, and 30-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, exemplifies their approach to combining premium ingredients with careful fermentation.
For those seeking something different, their Shrooms pizza with blue oyster mushrooms (yep, sadly it won’t get you high) and fresh herbs showcases their vegetarian prowess, whilst the Rianata with anchovies, red onion, and pecorino offers a beautiful balance of savouriness. Don’t leave without trying their cleverly named Tiramisurt, which features their house-made sourdough shokupan in place of the usual ladyfingers.
Address: Bag Elefanterne 2, 1799 København, Denmark
All full of dough and nowhere to go? If you’re looking for something a little lighter, check out these affordable seafood restaurants in Copenhagen for a taste of a more traditional side to Danish cuisine.
The humble garden shed – that stalwart sentinel of British gardens – often evolves from a simple storage space into something rather more complex: part workshop, part tool library, and occasional refuge from summer showers. Yet despite our best intentions, these wooden sanctuaries frequently descend into disorder, with cherished tools buried beneath holiday decorations and half-empty paint tins forming precarious towers in corners. The challenge lies not merely in finding space for everything, but in creating an organised system that adapts to the seasonal rhythm of gardening life, from the frenetic activity of spring to the quieter winter months.
A well-organised shed transforms not just your storage space but your entire gardening experience. When every tool has its place, and every storage solution serves a purpose, you’ll find yourself spending less time searching and more time nurturing your garden. Here’s how to bring order to your horticultural headquarters.
The Art Of Vertical Tool Storage
Every gardener knows the frustration of wrestling with long-handled tools propped precariously in corners or tangled together like unruly saplings. Proper vertical storage not only solves these common headaches but transforms your wall space into a practical tool library that would make any allotment holder proud.
Consider installing a French cleat system, which offers unparalleled flexibility and strength. This ingenious method uses angled wooden strips mounted horizontally along your shed wall, with corresponding cleats on tool holders that can be easily repositioned as your needs change.
For lighter tools, create a customised tool wall using marine-grade plywood (crucial in our damp climate) with precisely routed holders. Position tools strategically—frequently used implements at waist height, seasonal equipment higher up. Incorporate adjustable straps or bungee cord systems for securing longer handles, preventing that frustrating tendency of tools to slip sideways.
In any garden shed, small metal tools have an uncanny ability to vanish just when they’re needed most. While basic magnetic storage has been around for years, contemporary systems offer sophisticated solutions that turn your walls into highly organised, easily accessible tool galleries.
Install multiple high-strength magnetic bars at different heights, interspersed with small magnetic shelving units for boxes of screws and other ferrous items. Create dedicated magnetic tool stations—combining strips with small magnetic whiteboard sections where you can note maintenance schedules or required replacements. For frequently used hand tools, add silicone coating to portions of the magnetic strips to prevent metal-on-metal scratching and reduce noise.
Mobile Storage: A Workshop On Wheels
Traditional stationary storage can limit your gardening efficiency, especially when working on larger projects. As far as shed storage ideas go, mobile solutions offer unparalleled flexibility, bringing your tools to your work, rather than forcing constant trips back to the shed.
Design custom carts with fold-out worksurfaces, integrated power tool charging stations, and adjustable dividers. Include dedicated spaces for battery storage with proper ventilation, and incorporate a small off-grid solar charging system for cordless tool batteries. Use heavy-duty castor wheels with proper locking mechanisms, and ensure your mobile units can nest together when not in use.
Sophisticated Ceiling Storage Engineering
Those rafters and joists above your head represent some of the most valuable storage real estate in your garden shed. With careful planning and the right equipment, your ceiling can become an ingenious storage system that keeps seasonal items safe and accessible.
Install adjustable pulley systems for heavier items like ladders or seasonal equipment. Create a sliding track system with hanging baskets that can be moved along the length of your shed, maximising accessibility while maintaining organisation. Consider mounting clear polycarbonate storage boxes on ceiling-mounted rails—this allows you to see contents from below while protecting items from dust. Incorporate LED strip lighting alongside storage tracks to eliminate shadowed areas.
The Evolution Of The Folding Workbench
Space constraints needn’t mean sacrificing a proper workstation. Modern folding solutions can create a full-featured workbench that disappears when not needed.
Install a robust folding with integrated tool storage within its thickness when folded. Include retractable LED task lighting, multiple power points, and a small solar-powered fan for summer use. Design the bench with removable sections that can double as potting trays or tool caddies, and incorporate a built-in sharpening station for maintaining tools.
Door Storage: Engineered Excellence
That often-overlooked door space represents prime storage territory, offering solutions that quite literally work while you walk.
Create a counterweighted storage system that maintains balance whether the door is open or closed. Install adjustable storage pods that can be reconfigured seasonally. Use the door’s movement to your advantage—design storage units that present tools at an angle when the door opens, improving accessibility. Include a weather-sealed document pocket for keeping garden plans and seed packets dry.
Transform old copper water cylinders into rotating tool storage units, or convert discarded filing cabinets into weather-sealed outdoor storage extensions. Create modular storage walls from reclaimed scaffolding boards, treated and finished to withstand shed environments. Repurpose industrial cable reels as rotating storage solutions for lighter items, with added dividers for organisation.
Consider the flow of your movement through the space, the frequency with which you use different tools, and the changing seasons of gardening life. Create zones for different activities—potting, tool maintenance, project work—and ensure each zone has appropriate storage and work surfaces.
Remember to incorporate proper ventilation systems to prevent damp and rust, and consider adding a small dehumidifier for particularly damp periods. Label everything clearly, but also create a simple shed manual documenting your organisation system—invaluable for maintaining order and helping others locate items in your absence.
The Bottom Line
With these systems in place, your shed becomes more than a simple storage space—it transforms into a year-round workshop that evolves with your gardening ambitions. The time invested in creating this organisation will repay itself many times over, not just in time saved searching for tools, but in the longer life of well-stored equipment and the pure pleasure of working in a space where everything is just where you need it, when you need it. After all, a well-ordered shed is the cornerstone of a well-tended garden.
Isn’t it funny how the items in our home that tend to do the most work keeping us safe, warm and comfortable are also those that we tend to place the least aesthetic emphasis on?
Okay, not exactly haha funny, but you catch our drift; whether it’s the locks on our door, the frames on our windows or the radiators on our walls, straightforward function and striking form don’t always correlate seamlessly in the domestic setting.
Today, we’re considering the latter of those three examples; radiators.
We think it’s fair to say that homeowners often look at radiators as a domestic essential with no aesthetic purpose. But let’s be honest here; you have radiators in every room, so it’s important that they look attractive and in keeping with the overall flow of the rest of your home’s design.
Indeed, it’s possible for a radiator to be versatile and decorative, and command attention in a room for all the right reasons, rather than the fact it’s making that troubling gurgling sound again.
Though reasons for seeking a stylistic change may differ, the current top trends in the world of radiators remain surprisingly resolute. With that in mind, here’s our IDEAL radiator style guide for 2025.
Flat Panel Vertical Radiator
Vertical flat panel radiators are a step up aesthetically from your usual white convector radiators. The manufacturing process of this radiator leaves it with an extra modern and smooth finish, the perfect modern spruce up for any home.
Flat panel vertical radiators usually consist of a large thin container which fills with hot water, while a double-panel is two of these containers back to back. These have a real, ultra-modern edge, and look great if your home has a more minimalist design.
These radiators are unique in style with oval panelling on the front and back. They are the perfect go-to choice for rooms that don’t lack in space; due to the oval design they stand-out more than other radiators and do require a few extra square metres of room-based real estate to really pop. These radiators can be used on all UK heating systems, whether they’re tank fed or sealed systems.
Next, column radiators are the most traditional looking, with long tubes connecting at the top and bottom.
These will suit a more traditionally styled – even, whisper it, old fashioned – home, providing the perfect visual fit for those who don’t like to push the envelope aesthetically. Anyway, with the aid of radiator covers, the seamless integration into the chosen theme of your space is simple.
Column radiators are ideal for larger spaces with high ceilings as they produce a lot more heat than some of the other radiator options, due to their large surface area.
Never underestimate the luxury of a towel radiator, suitable for not only heating a room but also keeping your towels warm and fluffy.
For more on these indulgent though surprisingly efficient additions to the bathroom, do check out our guide on 5 things to consider when buying heated towel rails. You can thank us the next time you’re slipping into the most snuggly of towels!
Aluminium Radiators
Aluminium radiators are gaining traction in 2025 for good reason; they’re incredibly efficient heat conductors and significantly lighter than their steel counterparts. These radiators heat up quickly and cool down fast, making them perfect for rooms that require responsive temperature control. Though they might cost a little more upfront, their excellent heat output and energy efficiency often make them a smart long-term investment.
Moreover, aluminium radiators can be manufactured in sleek, contemporary designs that work particularly well in modern spaces. Their versatility in terms of finish options – from brushed metal to powder-coated colours – means they can either stand out as a design feature or blend seamlessly into your existing décor.
Designer Cast Iron Radiators
For those seeking a statement piece that combines historical charm with modern functionality, designer cast iron radiators are experiencing something of a renaissance. These heavyweight heroes of heating offer unparalleled heat retention, continuing to warm your space long after your heating system has switched off.
While traditional cast iron radiators often feature ornate Victorian-style designs, contemporary versions now come in stripped-back, architectural styles that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern art gallery. Their robust construction means they’re built to last, and many homeowners find that they actually appreciate in value over time – making them as much an investment piece as they are a practical heating solution.
The Bottom Line
When choosing a radiator in 2025, it’s no longer a case of simply picking the most practical option. Today’s market offers an exciting array of choices that combine efficient heating with striking aesthetics, meaning your radiators can enhance your interior design, whether it’s in the bathroom, bedroom, basement or loft, rather than detract from it. Whether you opt for sleek aluminium, traditional column, or contemporary vertical panels, there’s a radiator style out there that will complement your space while keeping you cosy through the cooler months.
