One Club Row (pictured left) and Duck & Waffle (right).
London has it all when it comes to food, thanks to its diverse culinary landscape, and you're increasingly able to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. In fact, there seems to have been a shift towards late-night dining in London. Following the footsteps of New York’s late-night bistros and Europeans' long dinners, reservations are being increasingly pushed back.
Chef-owner Tomos Parry of Michelin-starred Mountain has made his final reservation 10.30pm, speakeasy Oriole in Covent Garden has launched a late-night menu from 10.30pm, and even Gordon Ramsay is considering turning his Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate into an all-nighter spot too.
But let's not forget Duck & Waffle, who have been open 24/7 since 2012. One of its defining features is that it's open around the clock, says Christian Southcott, Head of Operations at SUSHISAMBA Group, "We wanted to create a destination that felt alive at any hour. Being open 24/7 allows us to offer something rare in London: an elevated, all-hours experience. On weekends alone, we regularly host between 150 and 200 late-night guests between the hours of 12am and 6am." And he's right - as I zoom past its Heron Tower location in an Uber at 1am, I'm always impressed by the queue of people looking to get a bite of a fluffy, syrup-drizzled waffle.
It’s been a long-time goal of Mayor Sadiq Khan to turn London into a 24-hour city, something that’s been limited due to local councils refusing to issue late-night licenses. According to Gov.uk, in 2024 "over two million visitors were out-and-about in London on a typical weekend night between 9pm and midnigh', and around one million were out even later, between midnight and 3am." This goes hand in hand with the trend we've been seeing around late-night activities, including the adoption of Mediterranean or Spanish eating habits, where dinner after 10pm is normal.
There are a few reasons why dining later is popular today, with one being the post-pandemic effect. Since 2020, London has seen a decline in late-night venues like clubs and pubs, due to licensing restrictions, noise complaints, economic pressure, and staffing shortages, which has left dining as the primary social outlet late at night.
It's on this basis that the After Hours menu at Oriole exists, explains its Front of House Director, Jacopo,"It's a way to reignite the late-night spirit and give guests a reason to linger longer. It’s more than just extending kitchen hours; it’s about creating a menu that speaks to the cravings of the post-theatre, post-cocktail, and post-'one-more-song' crowd." And it's clearly having the desired impact, as since introducing the menu, the venue has seen a 15 to 20% increase in bookings post 10pm, especially from Thursdays to Saturdays.
This leads me to wonder whether the 'increase' we're noticing is due to restaurants creating opportunities to dine late at night, and that they are indeed leading the change as a chance to increase business. For example, influential figures like restaurateur Jeremy King (the brains behind Arlington Restaurant and The Park, to name a few) are spearheading this by offering post‑9 pm discounts and promoting spontaneity and fun.
In his newsletter, he wrote: "What has become apparent to me is that Londoners are eating earlier and earlier and becoming strangers to the joy and fun of late-night dining. I am determined to capture back the night and encourage people to re-acquaint themselves with sitting down to dinner after 9pm."
Although some restaurants and bars have always catered to the later crowds, especially when their goal is to sober up those who've perhaps had one too many margaritas. As Richard Wynne, founder of Little Bat and Callooh Callay, who's also seen a small increase in later bookings notes, "While a late-night menu can encourage a few later bookings, it’s actually to help sober up a few drinkers as well. If you’ve not eaten since lunch and have hit the Aperol spritzes at 5pm with no dinner plans, by 10pm you’ll need something to line your stomach."
While not all restaurants will be looking, or even able, to open with a 24-hour license, one thing is for sure: the city is catering to night owls for dinner more than ever in 2025. As Duck & Waffle's Christian Southcott explains, "For a global city like London, embracing late-night hospitality isn’t just exciting - it’s essential to staying relevant."
Where To Eat In London After 9pm
- One Club Row - last reservation 10pm
- Oriole - 'After Hours' menu for after 10.30pm
- Oma - last reservation 10.30pm
- Decimo - 'sobremesa' menu available from 10.30pm 'til 2am
- Duck and Waffle - open 24-hours
- Bocca di Lupo - last reservation 22:45pm from Monday to Saturday (with the bar open until midnight) and on Sundays, last reservation 21:15pm (with the bar open until 23:30pm)
- Gelupo - open until 11pm (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays)
- The Dover - reservations available post 11pm
- Ambassadors Clubhouse - last reservation 10.30pm
- Town by Steve Parle - last reservation 10.15pm
- Little Bat - food served until 10.30pm
- 27 Compton Street - last reservation midnight
- Mountain - last reservation 10.30pm
- Noodle & Beer - open until 4am, Thursday to Saturday
- Cinnamon Kitchen - 'City Lights' menu after 9pm
- The Little Yellow Door - last reservation 9.30pm
- Balthazar - last reservation 10.45pm
- PIRAÑA - last reservation 11pm
- Smoking Goat - last reservation 10.45pm
- SUSHISAMBA, Heron Tower - last reservation 11.30pm
- Speedboat Bar - last reservation 10.30pm
- Rita's - 10 After 10 menu offering classic martinis and margaritas for just £10 alongside food
- Chop Chop by Four Seasons - open until 4am
- The Evolv Collection’s restaurants (Angler, Coq d’Argent, Fiume, Quaglino’s and more) - until the 31st August, you can get 40% off your bill back in points if you dine after 9pm
- Cafe Murano - Nightcap Dining menu: any bowl of pasta from the à la carte menu for £15, and a portion of tiramisu for £5 after 9pm
