London Restaurant Festival returns for 2024

The summer edition of LRF spans over 50 events, encompassing the best of London’s culinary scene. The festival offers a myriad of experiences from tasting menus at some of the city’s most sought-after restaurants to a showcase of emerging talent and brand-new events. 2024 brings the most diverse selection of events yet, with a particular emphasis on celebrating global cuisine across London.

For a second year running, the events are split into ‘Classic’ and ‘Trending’ categories; the more casual ‘Trending’ category celebrates what’s new and hot, while the ‘Classic’ category features the best of London’s traditional dining scene.

Trending Events

‘Trending’ events include the ever-popular ‘Restaurant-Hopping Tours’, taking guests on a foodie jaunt across four restaurants in one evening around areas including Connaught Village and St Katharine Docks. Also back for summer will be ‘Neighbourhood Nights’, showcasing independent restaurants in zone 2 and 3 with ‘local’ dining at the likes of The Laundry in Brixton, Noci in Islington, and London Shell Co in Hampstead.

‘Ones to Watch’ shines the spotlight on restaurants breaking the mould, with this year’s line-up including hotspot TÓU and Bubbledogs in its new home for the summer at CUT at 45 Park Lane. This year’s ‘Masterclasses’ include a dim sum masterclass hosted by Andrew Yeo, the chef at the helm of Hakkasan and Yauatcha. Guests can also look forward to a wine tasting by D.O. Rueda at Madera at Treehouse London.

Classic Events

The ‘Classic’ events include London Restaurant Festival favourite: ‘Top Ten Cuisines’, a series of ten evenings hosted by best in their field chefs: Florence Mae Maglanoc’s Filipino cuisine at Donia, Indian regional delights from Avi Shashidara at Pahli Hill, British classics from Lisa Goodwin-Allen at The Game Bird, Thai fusion with Andy Oliver at newcomer Kolae, West African marvels at Akara, and Ramael Scully’s Asian fusion at his namesake, Scully in St James’s Market. The evenings include a welcome glass of Champagne Henriot and a bespoke four-course menu, hosted by these top London chefs.

Restaurants taking part in the ‘Tasting Menu’ events offer bespoke menus created especially for London Restaurant Festival, all keenly priced and offering a chance to dine at highly sought-after restaurants including Theo Randall at the InterContinental Park Lane and a bespoke menu paired with D.O. Rueda at Ekstedt at The Yard.

Look forward to the unmissable ‘Festival Highlights’ presenting a selection of one-off experiences, from a pasta masterclass by Emilia’s Crafted Pasta on the famous St Katharine Docks’ pontoon to an evening at the National Theatre preceded by dinner at newcomer Lasdun.

OpenTable: Festival Menus

Restaurant booking and discovery platform OpenTable makes a triumphant return to the festival as LRF’s exclusive ‘Festival Menus’ partner, with over 180 unmissable menus available to book from 1st to 30th June (inclusive), throughout the capital.

Restaurants participating this year include Pavyllon by multi Michelin Star French chef Yannick Alléno at The Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, who will offer a 7-course menu for £97pp featuring innovative seasonal dishes. Or, head to Flesh & Buns (both Oxford Circus and Covent Garden) to feast on a 9-course Tasting Menu for £50pp, which features ceviche, Korean wings, crispy duck leg buns and more. Other restaurants include the world's first zero-waste restaurant, Silo, in Hackney and Caribbean vegan restaurant Jam Delish in Angel.

“We’ve partnered with London Restaurant Festival, and our restaurant partners, to bring more than 180 special menus to diners, showcasing the breadth of incredible restaurants across the capital,” said Laure Bornet, Vice President of International Growth at OpenTable.

“From tasting menus created by award-winning chefs to affordable set menus and everything in between, OpenTable’s Festival Menus feature some of London’s most beloved and coveted dining spots.”

The Festival Menus* are categorised by neighbourhood, including Central, North, East and City, South East, South West and West and can be booked through OpenTable’s website and app.

Amex Premium Cardmembers

London Restaurant Festival has curated a series of events exclusively for Amex Premium Cardmembers, including ‘The Gastronomic Staycation’: a luxury stay at The Londoner Hotel with a two-day programme featuring a lunch with Anna Haugh at the acclaimed Myrtle. Fan favourite ‘Champagne Gourmet Odysseys’ return to the line-up: Over an afternoon, guests are served six-courses paired with Champagne Henriot across three fine dining restaurants, including Orasay by Jackson Boxer and Gold in Notting Hill.

‘The New Stars’ highlight this year’s restaurants awarded their first Michelin stars, from West African restaurant Akoko to Angelo Sato’s Humble Chicken. ‘Double Act’ is a series of showstopping evenings combining live performances and delectable dining. Guests can head to Brasserie Zédel, off Regent Street, for dinner followed by sensational jazz at Crazy Coqs, and critically acclaimed Cafe Kitty with live comedy at the Underbelly Boulevard, the new Soho-based theatre from the producers of ‘Cabaret’.

‘Cutting Edge Cuisines’ aims to highlight emerging cuisines, with tasting menus from London restaurants that push the boundaries of global cuisine: from Kerth Gumbs’ flavours of the Caribbean at Fenchurch Restaurant to Woongchul Park at Michelin-starred Sollip, taking guests on a journey through South Korea.

London Restaurant Festival has created a selection of ultra-premium events including ‘Sukiru’, the Japanese word for “skills”, a masterclass-based series where guests can experience the culinary mastery of the East. From an exploration of bluefin tuna at Izakaya at Dreams to a deep dive into Tajima beef from Steak Master Kazuo at Aragawa, the evenings are set to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best chefs.

Also on offer, ‘A Tale of Two Stars’ where two restaurants, each boasting two Michelin stars, will offer an exclusive menu for Amex Premium customers for the festival. This year, Anne-Sophie Pic from Le Dame de Pic London and Tom Sellers at his newly reopened Restaurant Story take centre stage. A new event series for this year, ‘Bistro Revival’ celebrates the resurgence of old-school hospitality: the much-celebrated Bistro Freddie, Claude Bosi’s latest opening Josephine Bouchon in Fulham, and Leroy will all take part for a series of experiences reminiscent of an evening on Rue Saint-Dominique.

2024 will be the 16th year of London Restaurant Festival in partnership with American Express, which takes place twice a year throughout June and October. The festival continues to celebrate the best of the vibrant dining scene London has to offer.

Chris Wright, Managing Partner of LRF, says: “London Restaurant Festival offers something for all foodies, and adapts to the ever-evolving trends. Much of London’s restaurant scene now is a much less formal, more convivial experience and LRF embraces this.”