Al fresco dining in London – three of my favourites
Image by Kyle Caddey via Toklas London
As we move from an overheated summer into autumn and then winter, I have been reflecting on the improvements in outdoor dining in London.
The summer months are heading towards their conclusion, soon the nights will get shorter as the leaves start turning. But it doesn’t have to mean the end of enjoying dining outdoors. Sitting outside on the crisp and cooler autumnal evenings or lunchtime, candle on the table, a cosy blanket draped over the legs to keep us warm, has its own charms.
In London I have always found it a bit of a struggle to find amazing outdoor spaces that hit the sweet spot of great food, a comfortable setting and plentiful seating. Sure, lots of places have pavement seating and pedestrianised streets, such as Exmouth Market in north London, offer a great option – but it is not the sort of place you head for a spontaneous dinner on a summer evening, simply because you will never get a seat.
This year I have enjoyed some wonderful restaurants with fabulous outdoor spaces. Three of them are:
Toklas
For me this is the place to eat in London right now. I know it is not exactly new, but I just love it. Launched by the founders of the Frieze Art Fair, it is set in a hulking brutalist building just off the Strand. Its on point dining room featuring mid-century furniture and a buzzy atmosphere is complemented by a huge terrace, which I sincerely hope they keep open through autumn and winter.
Sessions Arts Club
Yes, I know, it is so difficult to bag a reservation here, but you just need to be organised. I have been three times in the past nine months. It is possible and totally worth all the hoop jumping.
Stunning as the inside is here – the shabby chic dining room on the top floor of the old court house in Clerkenwell is perfectly photogenic – the terrace upstairs from the restaurant is surely one of London’s best outdoor spaces. High above the streets of London, the tables feel properly special and for the winter there is a fireplace to keep you toasty. I am not sure if it will be possible to eat a meal on the terrace through colder times, but last winter they lit the fireplace for an extended dinner for me.
Native at Browns
In what turned out to be London’s hottest week, this place gave me a perfect summer dining experience. The nomadic restaurant with a zero waste philosophy has put down roots, at least for a while. Having started out in Covent Garden before moving to London Bridge, it has arrived in plush Mayfair via a short stint of “extreme restauranting” on Osea island. At first glance the location in Browns, a fashion department store in this exclusive area, might seem unlikely but in reality it feels like a natural fit. And in addition to the cosy dining room inside, the beautiful courtyard where I enjoyed the creative sustainable food is an oasis in the middle of busy central London.