6pm Dinner Bookings Are On The Rise – Here Are London’s Best Early Bird Deals

Once upon a time, booking a restaurant for 5pm meant one of two things: you were heading to the theatre afterwards, or had a young family. But nowadays, early dinners are becoming the norm. According to hospitality tech service Zonal, the new national average dining time is 6.12pm, while OpenTable data shows Londoners made 11 percent more restaurant reservations at 6pm in the first six months of 2025 than the previous year.

OpenTable has reported a gradual shift towards earlier bookings since Covid – likely a result of changing attitudes surrounding flexible working. But health and wellness no doubt plays a big part too. We’re all obsessed with our bedtime routines nowadays, and there’s a greater awareness of the fact that eating late at night will impact your sleep. Plus, it’s those 9pm restaurant bookings that often turn into boozy, expensive nights out, and as we continue to battle a cost-of-living crisis, many of us are looking for savvy ways to cut down on spending.

While some eateries are trying to tempt diners in with late-night deals, others are leaning into the trend, offering special early evening deals. We’ve pulled together the best of the bunch below.

Early Restaurant Booking Deals In London For 2025

Pophams, London Fields

Cult bakery Pophams rose to fame for its viennoiserie pastries, but in 2019 the brand expanded to include Italian food too. The second site, located in London Fields, turns into a restaurant in the evening, serving fresh pasta, small plates and wine. And if you visit from 6pm – 6.30pm, you can enjoy two courses for £25 or three for £30. The menu changes often, but it could include dishes like crispy lamb belly with courgette and green chilli, cannelloni with mushroom ricotta, and strawberry Eton Mess croissant pudding.

Details: £25 for two courses or £30 for three courses, 6pm – 6.30pm

BOOK: 197 Richmond Rd, London E8 3NJ, pophamsbakery.com

(c) Amber Rowlands

Spring at Somerset House, the Strand

A bright, beautifully designed restaurant set within the grounds of Somerset House, Skye Gyngell’s Spring is always a joy to visit. But your visit will be even more joyful if you visit between 5.30pm and 6.15pm, when the £40 Scratch menu is on offer. Better still, this is created using waste produce from the kitchen. Pasta trimmings are baked with some leftover cheese, for example, while potato skins are used to make soups, and yesterday’s bread is transformed into a warm bread pudding. 

Details: £40pp for three courses, 5.30pm – 6.15pm

BOOK: Lancaster Pl, London WC2R 1LA, springrestaurant.co.uk

The Cinnamon Club, Westminster

Since opening in 2001 within Westminster’s grand Old Westminster Library, Vivek Singh’s flagship restaurant has remained one of the city’s top Indian restaurants. Nab an early booking to make the most of its very reasonable £38pp three-course set menu, which features starters of lamb chukka (South Indian stir-fried lamb) and grilled king scallops ahead of mains like Mangalore-style shrimp curry, and tandoori cauliflower with tomato rice. Finish on a sweet note with the signature Jivara chocolate mousse, served with a cherry and mint sorbet. 

Details: £38pp, Monday – Saturday, 5.30pm – 6pm

BOOK: The Old Westminster Library, Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BU, cinnamonclub.com 

Portland, Fitzrovia

Like many Michelin-starred restaurants, Fitzrovia stalwart Portland offers a decadent tasting menu which will set you back a small fortune (£110 a head, plus an optional £85 for wine pairing). But here’s a little hack: visit from 5.30pm – 6.30pm, and you can enjoy four courses for just £55, thanks to a new initiative to celebrate the eatery’s 10th anniversary. The menu changes monthly, but right now it includes snacks of raw scallops and strawberries ahead of dishes like truffled potato salad with burnt leeks, Highland beef with braised turnip, and vanilla sponge with elderflower cream. 

Details: £55pp, 5.30pm – 6.30pm

BOOK: 113 Great Portland St, London W1W 6QQ, portlandrestaurant.co.uk

Ambassadors Clubhouse, Mayfair

This lavish Mayfair restaurant from the team behind Gymkhana is a hotspot for the rich and famous – but since it introduced an early evening menu, it has become more affordable for us mere mortals. For £38, diners will be treated to a selection of its signature Punjabi-inspired dishes, beginning with paneer samosas and rabbit keema cheela ahead of mains like BBQ butter chicken chops, and prawn curry. For dessert, there are traditional Indian desserts like mango angoori rasmalai and gulab jamun. 

Details: Three courses for £38pp or four courses for £43pp, 5.30pm – 6pm Monday – Wednesday

BOOK: 25 Heddon St, London W1B 4BH, ambassadorsclubhouse.com