London


<p>Forget New Year, New You, we&#8217;re more into New Year, New Things To Do. From the hottest new places to eat to phone-free nights out, here&#8217;s your guide to the latest London trends for 2026. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-georgian-food">Georgian food </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="801" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-16.24.11-1024x801.png" alt="Daka Daka restaurant " class="wp-image-17448" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-16.24.11-1024x801.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-16.24.11-300x235.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-16.24.11-768x601.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-16.24.11.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image @dakadaka.london</figcaption></figure>



<p>Psst! Georgian restaurant <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dakadaka.london/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DakaDaka&#8217;s</a> opening in Heddon Street (off Regent St) on 17 Jan and we predict it&#8217;ll spark a new-found interest in the country&#8217;s cuisine. Opening at no 10 (formerly home to Fallow and Sarap) it promises a menu with a contemporary take on traditional dishes, think Kindzmari lightly cured seabream with citrus, red onion, fennel and fresh herbs. Want more? Try uber popular <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinkally.restaurant/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kinkally restaurant</a> in Charlotte Street which serves Georgian-inspired small plates with a twist, like baked aubergine, spiced satsebeli, vanilla matsoni. Or book a table at <a href="https://littlegeorgia.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Little Georgia</a> restaurants in Islington and Hackney where you can refuel on kotnis lobio (that&#8217;s beans and spices to you). </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daycaps">Daycaps </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Unknown-1024x683.jpeg" alt="Muse at the RSA " class="wp-image-17449" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Unknown-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Unknown-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Unknown-768x513.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Unknown.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You&#8217;ve heard of the nightcap? Well Gen Z are pushing the daycap &#8211; short, quality drinking experiences earlier in the day &#8211; according to new research. We&#8217;re keen to toast this trend, preferably with a Truffle Martini whipped up by expert mixologists at <a href="https://www.thersa.org/about/muse-at-rsa-house/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muse at the RSA</a>, a discreet bar (ring doorbell to enter) based in an elegant Georgian Townhouse behind the Strand, which opens at a Gen Z-friendly 4pm Mon-Fri. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-phone-free-nights-out">Phone-free nights out</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="771" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/thumbnail_PXL_20250910_220533753-1024x771.jpg" alt="Punk royale " class="wp-image-17453" style="aspect-ratio:1.3281452658884565;width:641px;height:auto" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/thumbnail_PXL_20250910_220533753-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/thumbnail_PXL_20250910_220533753-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/thumbnail_PXL_20250910_220533753-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/thumbnail_PXL_20250910_220533753.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Phones are locked in a box at Punk Royale </figcaption></figure>



<p>The tide is turning. Leading the charge on hedonistic nights that won&#8217;t be caught on camera is artist-led collective <a href="https://www.lost.org/main" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lost</a>, which transforms spaces into clubs with a strict no phones policy (your device is sealed in a pouch by bouncers on entry). Its most recent venue was an abandoned Odeon cinema in Covent Garden and the result? People partied like it was 1999 and <em>Vogue</em> declared it the hottest club in London last year. It might have shut after New Year&#8217;s Eve, but you can join the Lost list to find out where they transform next. in the meantime, new Mayfair restaurant <a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/review-punk-royale-restaurant-mayfair/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Punk Royale</a> locks your mobile in a box at the table and won&#8217;t release it until 12 courses later, and it&#8217;s strictly no camera phones at exclusive speakeasy <a href="https://theowo.london/the-spy-bar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spy Bar</a> at The OWO &#8211; but then what else would you expect from a subterranean bar formerly used by MI5?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-wellness">Social wellness </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="899" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-17.05.58-1024x899.png" alt="arc Canary Wharf " class="wp-image-17452" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-17.05.58-1024x899.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-17.05.58-300x263.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-17.05.58-768x674.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-17.05.58.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Communal wellbeing at arc</figcaption></figure>



<p>Led by the sauna surge, London&#8217;s hottest trend (literally), which isn&#8217;t only about getting your sweat on for mega benefits (everything from a faster metabolism to better skin), but also about getting together with friends (and strangers). Take <a href="https://www.arc-community.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arc</a> in Canary Wharf, inspired by European spa culture where groups gather for &#8216;communal contrast therapy&#8217; &#8211; flitting between hot saunas and ice cold baths. And then there&#8217;s <a href="https://www.saunasocialclub.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sauna Social Club</a> in Peckham, designed as a place to detox while connecting with others before hanging out in the arts space post-sweat. . </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ott-restaurants">OTT Restaurants </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="649" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/simpsons-assembly-rooms-detail-1024x649.jpg" alt="Simpsons in the Strand " class="wp-image-17450" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/simpsons-assembly-rooms-detail-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/simpsons-assembly-rooms-detail-300x190.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/simpsons-assembly-rooms-detail-768x486.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/01/simpsons-assembly-rooms-detail.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Forget minimalism and paired-back menus, this year London&#8217;s dining scene is all about old school glamour. If you haven&#8217;t been to recently-opened <a href="https://www.lilibetsrestaurant.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lilibets</a> in Mayfair yet, it&#8217;s time to book a table and soak up the OTT vibes. Sumptuous <a href="https://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simpsons in the Strand</a> is reopening in Feb (hello ballroom and silver-domed service) and save your best frock for the opening of <a href="https://auberge.com/cambridge-house/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Major&#8217;s Grill</a>, because this restaurant in a former ballroom at the Cambridge Hotel, Augberge Collection is going to be LAVISH &#8211; think white jacketed waiting staff and opulent interiors. </p>


5 trends that will shape your social life in 2026

You may also like