Seven London late-night restaurants worth staying up for
Our food critic picks the best late-night restaurants London has to offer, dishing up excellent food in stylish surroundings after midnight
![London late-night restaurants Chop Chop](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S46egRRieZLHUnn6KZ9Wif-415-80.jpg)
London might not quite be the city that never sleeps, but there are still enough places to eat if you’re hungry in the wee small hours and want something more substantial than a midnight snack before the Night Tube home.
This doesn’t, however, need to be a meal dictated by necessity or convenience; done properly, late-night dining has its own distinct vibe. 'There is something intriguing and mysterious about eating a little bit later,' says restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski, who opened The Dover in late 2023. 'Dimmed lights, moody atmosphere, a martini and a plate of comfort food is an unbeatable combination.'
Not every restaurant below promises all of that – but they do all serve excellent food in stylish surroundings after midnight.
Dining at a more sensible hour? Book in at one of London's buzziest new restaurants.
London late-night restaurants
The Dover
The Dover is located at 33 Dover Street, W1S 4NF
A club without the sub is the vibe of this supremely chic Mayfair Italian from former Soho House chief operating officer Martin Kuczmarski, tricked out with enough wood panelling and velvet curtains to make the clientele of post-theatre actors feel like they’re in a fabulous VIP suite backstage. A snack menu of lobster rolls and caviar-topped potato cakes is served between midnight and 1am. Read our full review of The Dover.
Open until 2am Thurs-Sat. Food served until 1am.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Duck and Waffle
Duck and Waffle is located at 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY
Duck and Waffle’s 40th-floor view faces downriver towards Docklands rather than back to the bright lights of central London, though there are few complaints from diners who are here to watch the sun rise over the horizon in the east. The late-night menu includes the namesake dish of waffle topped with confit duck leg, a fried duck egg and maple syrup, the perfect late-night (or early-morning) munchy.
Open 24 hours. Late-night menu served 12am-5.30am
Speedboat Bar
Speedboat Bar is located at 30 Rupert Street, W1D 6DL
A spicy spin on Chinatown, this Thai joint is inspired by the canals and Chinese cafés of Bangkok. There are curries, stir-fries, drunken noodles and seafood salads, with whisky sours to cool the palate between mouthfuls of hot, sweet and sour. Just the thing to jolt yourself awake after midnight, as too the green-and-yellow interiors and ear-splitting decibels.
Open until 1am Fri-Sat. Food served until 12.30am.
Cecconi’s Pizza Bar
Cecconi’s Pizza Bar is located at 19-21 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JJ
This casual offshoot of Cecconi’s, the Soho House-owned Italian, offers a late-night alternative to the legendary Bar Italia nearby, with the added benefit of both eating and seating. The straightforward menu is exactly what you want in the early hours – thin and crispy pizzas, creamy desserts, small plates of arancini and calamari – and there are Negronis and Aperol spritzes on tap.
Open until 3am Fri-Sat. Food served until 2am.
Sexy Fish
Sexy Fish is located at Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, W1J 6BR
There’s nothing subtle about Sexy Fish, from the Damien Hirst mermaids bobbing along the wall to an unofficial dress code of ‘all that glitters’. The Vegas-meets-Dubai vibe feels most appropriate once the clock has struck midnight and the pan-Asian snack menu is rolled out to a soundtrack of DJ sets. Expect lobster tempura, wagyu gyoza, spicy tuna maki and salt-and-pepper squid.
Open until 2am Thurs-Sat. Food served until 12.30am.
Los Mochis London City
Los Mochis London City is located at 9th Floor, 100 Liverpool Street, EC2M 2AT
The absence of residents in the Square Mile means that this ninth-floor Mexican/Japanese mash-up needn’t worry about disturbing the neighbours, which makes it just the ticket for City boys and girls working late. Take a seat on the heated rooftop terrace with a sushi roll in one hand and a taco in the other and forget about being back in the office any time soon.
Open until 3am Thurs-Sat. Food served until 2.30am
Chop Chop
Chop Chop is located at The Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7JH
Chinatown is a fertile hunting ground for hungry night owls – Dumplings Legend closes at 3am, Old Town 97 at 3.30am – though if it’s been a *really* big night, head to the Hippodrome Casino, where Chop Chop shuts at 4am. This sibling of the famous roast-meat specialist Four Seasons serves the same high-quality duck, pork and chicken, plus dim sum and noodles. Don’t forget some ID to show the casino doormen.
Open until 4am Mon-Sun. Food served until 3.30am.
Ben McCormack is a London-based restaurant journalist with over 25 years’ experience of writing. He has been the restaurant expert for Telegraph Luxury since 2013, for which he was shortlisted in the Restaurant Writer category at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. He is a regular contributor to the Evening Standard, Food and Travel and Decanter. He lives in west London with his partner and lockdown cockapoo.
-
Bali welcomes Tri Hita Karana Tower, a hybrid sound and vision centrepiece
Tri Hita Karana Tower is launching at Bali's Nuanu City; designed by Arthur Mamou-Mani, it’s a new hybrid art-AI architectural landmark for the island
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Lego opens its first Superpower Studios at Paris’ La Gaîté Lyrique
In collaboration with Lego’s new Global Play Ambassadors, artists Aurélia Durand, Chen Fenwan and Ekow Nimako, and overseen by Colette co-founder Sarah Andelman, Paris is the site of the first Lego Superpower Studios
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘If kids grew up going to London Design Festival they would learn so much’: architect Shawn Adams
In the first of our interviews with key figures lighting up the London Design Festival 2024, Shawn Adams, founder of POoR Collective, discusses the power of such events to encourage social change
By Ali Morris Published
-
London’s Covent Garden makes the perfect cosmopolitan backdrop for new British-French bistro, Henri
British chef Jackson Boxer and French designer Dorothée Meilichzon reunite for Henri, a restaurant located inside darling hotel, Henrietta
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Café Petiole is a pastel-hued, plant-based haven within Somerset House
Designed by female-led studio Duelle, Café Petiole’s romantic interiors complement a vibrant vegetarian menu by chef Rishim Sachdeva, at Somerset House in London
By Billie Brand Published
-
Cabaret, martinis and Yorkshire puddings: The Cockatoo by Bistrotheque has it all
The Cockatoo, a bar, restaurant and performance space designed by Nice Projects, adds spice and rhythm to storied east London venue Bistrotheque
By Daven Wu Published
-
Tollington’s is the new Spanish-inspired fish bar making a splash in north London
Tollington’s in Finsbury Park is a new opening from the team behind The Plimpsoll, championing Spanish-style dining and interiors
By Billie Brand Published
-
The Orangery at Kensington Palace offers high tea and verdant vistas in a royal London setting
The Orangery at Kensington Palace Gardens is the perfect green setting for a sunny day treat of afternoon tea and more
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet Paradise 2.0: the beloved Soho-based Sri Lankan restaurant, reinvented
Paradise 2.0 embraces tropical brutalism following a renovation by Dan Preston Studio
By Billie Brand Published
-
Step inside the majestic Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
In matching its exclusive and central location, a sleek building by RSHP houses the new ultra-refined Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Seek out September sunshine at London’s stylish rooftop bars
Discover the best London rooftop bars, from the Middle Eastern-themed Yasmin Soho to the Eastern Mediterranean haven, Kaso
By Sofia de la Cruz Last updated