The Standard hotel has linked up with cult Parisian café PaperBoy for a spring residency at Double Standard. Head over for New York-style sandwiches, wagyu burgers and light bites, plus iced drinks like ginger lemonade and tea. If you want to earn the burger, New Balance’s Sunday run club is operating out of here on select weekends.

Double Standard, The Standard, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG

Visit StandardHotels.com

Shoreditch’s latest opening brings a slice of Tokyo energy to east London. Mitsu channels the spirit of electric izakayas with robata grilling at its core, filling the space with smoke, heat and late-night buzz. Expect smoky skewers, refined small plates and a drinks offering built around Japanese highballs and sake, plus DJs on weekends.

10-50 Willow Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4BH

Visit MitsuRestaurant.com

Sloane Square gets a seasonal reset courtesy of Longchamp. A Parisian-style pop-up designed for warmer days, La Plage Longchamp brings a relaxed mix of drinks, ice cream, light bites and open-air energy, alongside workshops, games and DJ sets across the bank holiday period.

Sloane Square, Chelsea, SW1; until 12th May

Visit KingsRoad.co.uk & Longchamp.com

Nest evolves into Tavern, shifting from tasting-menu fine dining into something looser and more grounded. The new concept leans into generous, nostalgic British cooking with live-fire dishes, big sharing plates and beer on tap. It’s still ambitious, just less formal – the kind of place built for longer, messier dinners rather than set-course precision.

28 Wilton Way, London Fields, E8 3ED

Visit TavernLondon.co.uk

A new sister to Highbury Fields’ Lupa, Ornella is a Milanese restaurant from Naz Hassan, Ed Templeton and Theo James. The menu focuses on northern Italian classics done properly – risotto alla Milanese, vitello tonnato, cotoletta and simple pasta plates. The 48-cover space is warm, light-filled and centred around an open kitchen, designed to feel more neighbourhood Milan than East London dining room.

51 Wilton Way, London Fields, E8 1BG

Visit Ornella.Restaurant

On 6th May, Mayfair gets a new Japanese-led dining room. MA/NA promises high-end cooking and cocktails, with chef Leonard Tanyag drawing on his experience from Los Mochis and London’s omakase scene to shape a menu that spans refined Japanese dishes and modern plates designed for the neighbourhood crowd. Expect precision, polish and a strong bar programme built for late-night bookings.

30 Upper Grosvenor Street, Mayfair, W1K 7PH

Visit MANARestaurants.com

A serious new wellness destination lands at Fulham Pier this May, bringing a multi-floor spa and members’ club to the Thames. Sæl leans high-spec: a rooftop infinity pool, sauna and steam circuits, contrast therapy suites and a full programme of reformer, yoga and recovery sessions. There’s also a strong clinical edge, with diagnostics, IV treatments and advanced therapies built in. 

Fulham Pier, Fulham, SW6 6HH; Opens May

Visit SaelSpa.com

French label AMI Paris is opening a new long-term pop-up on Sloane Street, bringing its signature laid-back Parisian aesthetic to West London. The space will mirror the brand’s Marais flagship, with a clean, contemporary fit-out and a full run of ready-to-wear and accessories. Set to run for 18 months, it lands just in time for summer.

Sloane Street, Chelsea, SW1X; Opens 9th May

Visit AmiParis.com
 

Tucked away in Regent’s Park, this open-air theatre returns for the season with its signature mix of ambitious productions and unbeatable setting. With over 1,200 seats arranged beneath the trees, it’s one of London’s more atmospheric places to catch a show – especially as the nights get warmer. The staging makes full use of the outdoors, delivering the kind of scale and creativity you rarely get indoors. 

Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NU; until 12th September

Visit OpenAirTheatre.com

Rooftop Film Club has had a slight name tweak, but the formula stays the same: deckchairs, wireless headphones, skyline views and a crowd-pleasing film line-up. Expect everything from cult classics to newer releases, plus themed screenings dotted throughout the season – think Interstellar under a rare blue moon or 10 Things I Hate About You paired with live music. It’s an easy win for warm evenings, whether it’s a date, a group thing or just an upgrade on the usual cinema trip.

Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 3QF; Roof East, Great Eastern Road, Stratford, E15 1BB; From 30th April (Peckham) & 7th May (Stratford)

Visit RooftopCinemaClub.com

A multi-storey car park in Peckham might not sound like an obvious cultural venue, but Bold Tendencies has spent 20 years proving otherwise. It returns this month with a packed programme of live music, large-scale art, dance and talks, all staged across its rooftop levels. On the line-up? Everything from orchestras to installations, plus a reliably good crowd. 

Multi-Storey Car Park, 95A Rye Lane, SE15 4ST; 15th May – 12th September

Visit BoldTendencies.com