When it comes to trends in food and drink, London offers an enormous amount of inspiration. Editor Lisa Appels discovered how the city is buzzing with convenience concepts, world cuisines, and British classics—from innovative grab-and-go concepts to new pubs and high-end bakeries. Here are 5 trends from London.
1. High-End Convenience
Almost nowhere else in the world will you find as many food concepts per square meter as in London. While Berlin is known for creative stand-alone concepts and Paris is the place to indulge in classic bistros, in London, it is the chains that stand out on the street. Convenience and on-the-go, but on a a high level, with a strong emphasis on healthy food.
Throughout the city, you’ll find concepts catering to busy city life and a vibrant lunch culture. From innovative grab-and-go chains like the classics Pret A Manger and Leon to supermarkets offering meal deals. Think fresh wraps and well-composed salads, with careful consideration given to nutritional values.
An interesting concept is Atis, which opened its first location in 2019 but expanded significantly in the city in 2025 following an investment of around £8 million. The concept is a modern take on a salad bar. Guests can build their own bowls with a wide variety of ingredients and a focus on extra protein. Each guest is assigned a staff member who walks along the counter, filling the salad bowl with whatever the guest selects.
Notable is the ‘crunch station’ at the end, where guests can choose to add extra crunchy toppings like seeds, crispy onions, smoked almonds, maple crunch, sourdough croutons, or puffed chickpeas. A bowl costs between £7.00 and £11.50. Guests can also opt for standard bowls, such as fish marinated in hot honey with broccoli, baby spinach, and brown rice, or the Maple Ginger Tofu bowl with miso slaw. The exact grams of protein and calorie count are listed for every bowl.
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2. An Abundance of World Cuisines
London is one of the most diverse cities in the world—home to over 100 nationalities— which is reflected in its food concepts. In every neighborhood, you will find countless ethnic cuisines. Although London is most famous for its many Indian concepts—ranging from pub food to fine dining—Thai and Korean concepts have been growing in the city in recent years. Because the demand for and supply of various world cuisines is so high, there is room for entrepreneurs to dive into regional niche cuisines.
Miga, in the trendy Hackney district in East London, is a prime example. While 'K-food' (Korean street food) is gaining popularity in big cities, Miga offers guests traditional Korean dining. The restaurant opened its doors in 2024 and is run by two brothers and their father, who leads the kitchen. It is a family business with a rich culinary history; the family has been running a restaurant under the same name in New Malden (Southwest London) since the 1970s. The grandmother was a top chef in Seoul in the 70s and passed down her traditional Korean culinary skills to her son and grandchildren.
3. A Focus on Culinary Heritage
Although you can find dishes from every corner of the globe in London, there is also a strong affinity with local British cuisine. This has been revitalized in recent years, both within gastronomy and in more casual restaurants. British classics are getting a big amount of attention. A pioneer of this trend was Fergus Henderson, who opened St. John* in London back in 1995—30 years ago—and popularized cooking with offal in a refined and flavorful way. Today, the 62-year-old Henderson runs multiple restaurants, a wine bar, and three bakery-cafés. In October 2025, he opened a bakery shop with a café inside a bookstore.
English cuisine is also central at restaurant Fallow. Since opening in 2021, this establishment has been a huge success. The flashy-looking restaurant seats about 65, plus spots at the kitchen bar, and is packed even on Monday nights. Founders and chefs Jack Croft and William Murray work with British ingredients from local farmers as much as possible. They also grow their own mushrooms and source some of their meat from their own small farm just outside London. Thanks to their nose-to-tail approach, less common parts of the animal also find a place on the menu, such as lamb’s tongue and cod’s head. They also make a conscious choice to use beef from dairy cows. Waste products like whey are used for the Chelsea tart, which has been a guest favorite since opening.
While something new seems to open in London every day, it is certainly worth visiting restaurants and cafés that have been public favorites for decades. Think of The Regency Cafe, which has been serving English breakfast for over 80 years. Or The Quality Chop House, a historic British chop house—a restaurant specializing in meat—that has existed since 1869. Or Paul Rothe & Son, a family business established in 1900. In the deli, you’ll find mostly classic sandwiches—from pastrami to coronation chicken: a chicken salad with all kinds of fresh herbs.
4. Bakery & Drinks as Affordable Luxury
Artisanal bakeries and specialized drink shops are an important part of the London landscape. They offer an accessible way for consumers to treat themselves at a time when dining out has become unaffordable for some. A bakery that made a big impression on Londoners a few years ago is Buns From Home. Started during the pandemic by two brothers who didn't have much to do and, like the rest of the world, started baking. Buns From Home now has 13 locations in London, several of which are in the city center’s major shopping streets.
Another bakery making waves and appearing on many tip lists for London’s best bakeries is Toad Bakery, praised mainly for its savory viennoiserie. A concept going viral for its sweets is Chin Chin Dessert Club. The brand became famous for its ice cream featuring unconventional flavors like french fries. The menu also includes desserts such as a sticky toffee cake with butter ice cream or the ‘avocado taco,’ a waffle taco with avocado ice cream. Their hot chocolate with a marshmallow rim is currently so populair that they developed a separate concept for it, which opened under the name Mellow.
Notable in London is the significant presence of high-end drinks for a moment of indulgence. Think of high-end matchas in various flavor varieties. The coffee chain Blank Street, originally from the United States, has 38 locations in the British capital and is acclaimed for its blueberry matcha. Seasonal specials, such as banana bread matcha, are also on the menu. Also striking is the large number of ‘grown-up’ bubble tea shops in the city, with HeyTea being the most popular chain. Founded in China in 2012 with thousands of locations worldwide, HeyTea opened its first London branch in 2023; there are now 5 locations.
HeyTea is seen as one of the founders of ‘new-style’ or modern tea chains, where drinks are based on classic tea but served cold with various additions, such as coconut milk and fresh fruit. The drinks have an aesthetic design, perfect for social media. One of their most famous innovations is cheese tea: wich is a cold tea with a layer of foam on top of the tea made from cream cheese, milk, and salt.
5. Pubfood 2.0 – Food and Drink Combined
Pub culture is alive and well in London but has undergone an evolution in recent years. Many pubs have invested in better kitchens, creative chefs, and refined menus. The result is Pubfood 2.0: dishes that build on classic British comfort food, but with higher quality, better ingredients, and sometimes a modern twist. Think elevated fish & chips, seasonal pies, and dishes that approach restaurant quality.
Restaurant group Urban Pubs and Bars has more than 60 locations in London. The hospitality group is known for its classic pubs where food plays a major role. Their latest acquisition, St. Johns Tavern—not to be confused with St. John—was renovated in October 2025 for £1 million. Upon entering, the place looks like a ‘regular’ pub, but in the back, you find an enormous dining room. The menu features classic dishes like fish & chips and pigs head fritter.
A beautiful example of pub culture and food coming together is the Desi pub. The concept emerged in the late 1960s when Indian immigrants took over and transformed British pubs during times of discrimination and segregation. The term desi—derived from Sanskrit and literally meaning ‘of the land’ or ‘from home’—stands for everything reminiscent of the cuisine and culture of the motherland. In these pubs, British elements such as tap beer and pub games were retained, but the kitchen took on a distinct Punjabi character.