9 Fun Things To Book For New Year’s Eve
The Ned
Best For: An Extravagant Party
Every year, The Ned holds a blow-out black-tie party complete with performers, aerialists, live bands, DJs and a special headline act. While details for this year’s festivities are still under wraps, last year’s headline act was Nicole Scherzinger. Held at the ground-floor banking hall, guests can enjoy canapés as well as bottomless lobster, oysters and roasts at various feasting stations. There will also be free-flowing cocktails made with Woodford Reserve, Diplomático Rum, Tequila Herradura, Fords Gin and The GlenDronach, plus beer, wine and fizz throughout the night. Tickets cost £350, or you can book in for its ‘Stay & Play’ package to stumble back upstairs when the night is through.
Visit TheNed.com
Stereo
Best For: Late Night Dancing
After 2023’s success, Covent Garden’s late-night music venue Stereo is sticking with the Studio 54 theme for this year’s party. Guests can sit down for dinner at the restaurant before dancing under the disco lights until the early hours. Singer Zach Said will perform with his live band before DJ Billie Jean takes to the decks. Expect danceable disco, soul and house tunes all night. Early bird tickets start from £20.
Visit DesignMyNight.com
Marceline
Best For: French Sophistication
From one of 2024’s hottest newcomers to another – this time Canary Wharf’s Marceline. Across the dining room and onto the terrace, the décor is inspired by Parisian brasseries with a dash of New York cool. Its New Year’s feast also takes inspiration from the French with an oyster platter to start, topped with a red wine and shallot mignonette, followed by the spot’s signature lobster frites and maître d’hotel butter. There will be live music throughout the night to soundtrack the evening, and every guest will receive a glass of bubbles to toast at midnight. The menu costs £75pp.
Visit @Marceline.London
Cornus
Best For: A Feast
Cornus is the fine-dining spot from the same team behind Chelsea’s Medlar, which opened earlier this year. Set across the top floor of The Ice Factory in Eccleston Yards, it has floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping views of London’s skyline, perfect for a midnight toast. For its debut New Year’s Eve, chef Gary Foulkes (ex-Angler) and head pastry chef Kelly Cullen (formerly at Michelin-starred Cornerstone) present a special five-course tasting menu. Highlights include Devon crab with hass avocado and wasabi, lobster ravioli with winter citrus, and fillet and glazed cheek of beef. Desserts include a coconut, passionfruit and banana sundae, a chocolate barquette with blood orange, Grand Marnier caramel and olive oil and the restaurant’s signature petit fours. The meal costs £155 per person, with optional wine or non-alcoholic tea pairings.
Visit CornusRestaurant.co.uk
Raffles London At The OWO
Best For: Fine Dining
Set in the impressive former Old War Office in Whitehall, this long-awaited hotel finally opened last summer after a monumental transformation – you will no doubt have seen its awe-inspiring entrance hall on Instagram. On the food front, there are three world-class restaurants on offer. Saison by Mauro Colagreco, one of the world’s most respected chefs, is housed in the restored glass arcade. Its New Year’s offering is a special four-course menu for £215pp. Guests start with an amuse-bouche of truffle pudding, before starters of hand-dived Orkney scallop and a raviolo aperto with confit enfit egg yolk and caviar. For mains, there’s a choice between roast monkfish or a classic beef Wellington served with clotted cream pomme puree and red wine sauce. Things finish on a sweet note with a St Honoré cake with yuzu and chantilly cream.
Visit Raffles.com
Kitchen Table
Best For: An Early Night
Staying up until midnight isn’t for everyone, which is why Fitzrovia’s two Michelin-starred Kitchen Table will open its lounge from 4pm to 7pm – perfect for those looking to start the new year fresh, or for others to make their first stop of the night. The menu is a winning combination of Grower Champagne and chef James Knappett’s signature fried chicken with bacon jam, jalapeño mascarpone and a side of tater tots. The meals finishes up with the honey-baked vacherin and white truffle ice cream. Tickets are £100pp.
Visit KitchenTableLondon.co.uk
JOIA
Best For: The View
Restaurant and open-air bar JOIA is the jewel in the crown of Battersea Power Station. For New Year’s Eve, it’s going back to the 70s with a Studio 54-themed bash. Guests at the restaurant can choose between two packages. The 6pm-8pm crowd will be served a set menu (£95pp) of pan con tomate; sea bass fillet; cogumelos rice with black truffle and wild mushrooms; and white port and lime sorbet to finish. From 8.30pm onwards, there is an extended menu – for £295pp – with standout dishes including lobster tail, beef fillet carpaccio and caramelised brioche with almonds, raspberries and Madeira ice cream. But suppose you are just interested in the spot’s unparalleled 15th-floor views over the Thames and the city? In that case, tickets to JOIA Bar and Rooftop are £150pp and include two drinks on arrival, a selection of canapés and Portuguese snacks and the chance to enjoy live DJ sets late into the night.
Visit JoiaBattersea.co.uk
Midland Grand Dining Room
Best For: Celebrating In Style
With its ornate moulding, sky-high ceilings and neo-gothic interior, the Midland Grand Dining Room could make a strong case for winning the title of London’s most opulent brasserie. Sitting in its grand interiors, New Year’s Eve guests can start the night with an early dinner (£125pp) or see in the start of 2025 with a later service beginning at 8pm – for £165pp – which secures your table for the rest of the night. If you don’t fancy a sit-down meal, there’s also the adjoining, handsome Gothic Bar for a night of dancing and cocktails, with DJ Dylan Glanz on the decks.
Visit MidlandGrandDining.com
St John Smithfield
Best For: British Traditionalism
St John is as pared-back as Midland is opulent, allowing the focus to stay on the good food and lively company. Its New Year’s celebration follows suit, with a glass of its famed blanc de blanc on arrival and a nose-to-tail feast revolving around home-grown British ingredients. The meal will finish with traditional mince pies and a glass of sherry to round off the evening – and probably a rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Visit SyJohnRestaurant.com
Sam A Harris
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