How To Get Bookings At London’s Most In-Demand Restaurants

Here at C&TH we love discovering off-the-beaten-track restaurants – those quiet neighbourhood joints where you can spontaneously waltz in for dinner with no booking. But it’s hard not to be curious about the ultra-popular spots too, where nabbing a table is akin to securing Glastonbury tickets. Whether you’re dying to join all the A-listers at The Dover, want to see if the hype around Crisp Pizza is warranted or need to impress your date with a trip to The Devonshire, we’ve got the skinny on how to get a booking at London’s most in-demand restaurants for 2026.

London’s Hottest Restaurants 2026: How To Get A Table

The Dover, Mayfair

Since quietly opening in 2023, US-inspired dining room The Dover has become quite the celebrity magnet – everyone from C&TH cover star Sarah Jessica Parker to Jennifer Aniston has dined there recently. So it’s no surprise tables are hard to come by, particularly when you learn it was created by former Soho House chief Martin Kuczmarski, an expert in cultivating exclusive spaces. Inspired by old-school New York Italians and specialising in martinis, this sultry spot it’s well-suited to date nights… provided one of you has the cash to splash.

How To Get A Booking: Table reservations open 28 days ahead for lunch and 21 days ahead for dinner. Use the ‘alert me’ option and you’ll be notified if anyone cancels – or you can try sweet-talking the person on the other end of the reservation line (020 3327 8883). Lunch slots are much easier to come by, and the bar is reserved for walk-ins and operates on a first come, first served policy. thedoverrestaurant.com

Oma, Borough Market

From Smokestak to Manteca, restaurateur David Carter is a dab hand at opening viral eateries. But his most recent opening, Oma in Borough Market, has arguably garnered the most acclaim – last year becoming the UK’s first Greek Michelin-starred restaurant. A sharing-style menu includes moreish dips, breads and crudos ahead of standout plates like spanakopita gratin (a hot pot of cheese, spinach and feta served with malawach flatbreads), whole monkfish with chilli butter and oxtail giouvetsi (a slow-cooked orzo stew).

How To Get A Booking: Reservations open 30 days in advance for tables of up to eight people, while some counter seats are available for walk-ins – but expect to queue, particularly on weekends. Alternatively, head to no-bookings sister restaurant Agora downstairs. oma.london

Plates, Shoreditch

In 2025, Plates on Old Street became the first vegan restaurant in Britain to land a Michelin star (just a year after opening, no less). It’s the brainchild of chef Kirk Haworth, who worked in top kitchens like The French Laundry and Sat Bains before going on to win Great British Menu as Champion of Champions. Plates began as a series of supper clubs before opening a permanent venue, which was so popular the website crashed when advance reservations first opened online – and three months of bookings selling out within minutes. It serves a creative eight-course plant-based tasting menu featuring seasonal British produce: right now that includes barbecued mushrooms with black bean mole, Cornish potatoes with toasted hazelnut, and rice pudding ice cream with chewy beets and mulberries.

How To Get A Booking: While the hype has died down slightly since opening, booking Plates still requires forward planning. Reservations open three months in advance; you can also sign up to the newsletter to stay in-the-know. plates-london.com

Crisp Pizza at The Malborough, Mayfair

Few pizzerias are as frenzied as Crisp, which was originally based in Hammersmith before moving to a more central venue on Mayfair’s North Audley Street – upping its acclaim even further by partnering with another of the city’s cult favourites, The Devonshire. Nowadays the team (led by chef Carl McCluskey) operate from The Malborough, which comprises both a pub and a pizza joint in the basement serving signature thin base, crispy ‘pies’ topped with irresistible combos like pepperoni, burrata and hot honey.

How To Get A Booking: Unlike the west London OG, now you can book tables for Crisp, with reservations opening on Mondays at 12pm for the following six weeks. But for the less organised among us, queueing is still an option as some tables are saved for walk-ins. Arrive for 11am when the pub opens, and you can add your name to the virtual waitlist then have a drink and allow the excitement to build. crispmayfair.com

Nina, Marylebone

All of Pachamama Group’s eateries have sparked a buzz, but glitzy Italian trattoria Nina has proven particularly popular since landing in Marylebone last year. With leopard print walls, mirrored surfaces and quirky artworks lining the walls, it was always destined to be a TikTok hit – but it’s the electric atmosphere and lavish fare (the most-ordered dishes include bottarga linguine and giant chicken milanese with parmesan butter) that really turned Nina one of London’s hottest food spots.

How To Get A Booking: Table bookings drop six months in advance and sell out fast, so commit to the long game and you’ll thank yourself later. If you’re desperate to go sooner, try your luck with a walk-in either early evening or late evening (6pm or 9.30pm). nina.london

The Devonshire, Soho

Provided you’re happy to mill about on Denman Street amid big crowds of Guinness drinkers, you can wander into The Devonshire’s downstairs pub area any night of the week. But securing a table at the restaurant upstairs is much trickier. Since opening in November 2023 under the helm of Guinea Grill legend Oisin Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, the Soho hotspot has become London’s most talked-about gastropub. A wood ember grill sizzles up some of the finest steaks in town, alongside hearty beef suet pudding, juicy scallops and Iberico pork ribs.

How To Get A Booking: Tables are released three weeks in advance on Thursday mornings at 10.30am. You need to be ready to go on the dot – they sell out within seconds, particularly dinner bookings, so if you have some leeway consider a lunchtime slot. In the summer, get there early to try and nab a walk-in table on the roof terrace. It’s also worth following Rogers on Instagram (@mcmoop) as he has announced last-minute cancellations on his stories in the past. devonshiresoho.co.uk

Brutto, Farringdon

The late Russell Norman (of Polpo fame) is the man behind Brutto, a cosy trattoria which has been packed out every night of the week since opening in Farringdon. It serves affordable Florentine-inspired fare (hence its Michelin Bib Gourmand), with most mains under £20 – rabbit pappardelle, vodka rigatoni and Tuscan bean stew are among the signatures. Alongside the flavour-packed food, diners come here for the unmatched atmosphere, carefully crafted using low lighting and loud music, as well as the £5 negronis.

How To Get A Booking: Bookings open 14 days in advance for up to six guests, and you must be ready to go with your card details. If you’re unsuccessful, try calling the restaurant on the day to see if they’ve had any last-minute cancellations… otherwise there’s always the bar, which takes walk-ins. msha.ke/brutto

Carbone, Mayfair

The original Carbone, located in New York’s Greenwich Village, is one of the world’s most star-studded restaurants: on any given night you could be dining beside Rihanna or Leonardo DiCaprio. So inevitably there was lots of noise around the first London outpost, which landed in Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square last year. With its maximalist interiors (checkered marble flooring, burgundy booths and a crimson staircase), suited up ‘captains’ (waiters) and plenty of tableside action this is one for diners who love a bit of theatre with their meal. Food-wise, fan favourites include spicy vodka rigatoni, Caesar alla ZZ salad, veal parmesan and lobster ravioli. 

How To Get A Booking: Last-minute mid-week bookings aren’t too tricky to secure, but if you want a 7pm dinner slot on a Friday or Saturday be sure to plan ahead. Bookings open 60 days in advance, and you can also join the waitlist to hear about cancellations on any given date. carbonelondon.com