The 8 best new London restaurant openings in July 2025
1. The Italian pub
Elephant, Clapton
A long time ago, this place was known as the Elephant's Head. On July 9 this Victorian-era pub takes on a new lease of life as Elephant, a southern Italian-inspired gastropub with ex-Manteca chef Francesco Sarvonio doing imperious things with pasta. Come for ziti genovese ragù, buffalo mozzarella with tomato carpaccio and fried courgette flowers with spicy honey aioli, as well as a daily pizza menu. Hackney dads will be more than happy to hear of the 'kids eat free' policy, so you can stuff little Milo's face with marinara while necking a negroni.
43 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, E5 0NS
2. The dive bar
All My Gods, Bethnal Green
Fans of Denmark Street's foremost whiskey den Dram will be excited to hear that the same team are behind new dive bar All My Gods. Opening at some point in July, the knowingly sleazy spot is a passion project of tattoo artist Roxy Velvet, who founded the now-shuttered Velvet Underground, London's first female-staffed tattoo parlour. The bar will pay tribute to London's 1990s' skater scene, British motorbike culture, and long-lost rock boozers the Crobar and 12 Bar Club. Americana influences, be damned!
253 Paradise Row, Bethnal Green, E2 9LE
3. The all-star chef supper club
La Carte by Le Creuset at 180 Studios, Temple
A trio of the UK's best nomadic chefs – Julius Roberts, Rahel Stephanie [pictured], and James Cochran – will be cooking for a series of special dinners celebrating the 100th birthday of cast iron casserole titans, Le Creuset. Taking place over three nights from July 8-10 at 180 Studios on the Strand, each chef will be serving up a luxe three-course dinner complete with a drinks pairing. At £175 a head, it's not cheap, but promises to offer iron-clad deliciousness. Get tickets here.
180 House, Strand, Temple, WC2R 1EA
4. The second coming
Speedboat Bar, Notting Hill
Your chances of eating at one of London's best restaurants have just doubled, as a second location for the excellent Thai -inspired Speedboat Bar is opening in July. Set inside the Electric House in Notting Hill, Speedboat Bar 2.0 will feature the same menu as the Rupert Street original with everything from the legendary chicken matches with green mango kerabu, to those brimming bowls of tom yam mama noodles on offer.
Electric House, 191 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, W11 2ED
5. The very good pizza place
Ace Pizza, Victoria Park
We've been big fans of Ace Pizza for ages. We remain obsessed with their residency at Hackney Downs' Pembury Tavern and are pleased as passata to hear that Rachel Jones will be opening her first ever permanent pizza palace on July 28. Come through for their now legendary vegan Clapton Cowboy, made with Texas 'beef', jalapeños, pickled pink onions and chipotle ranch drizzle, as well as the Honey Pie with fior di latte, spicy salami, fennel seeds, guindilla chillies and chilli honey. There will also be a bunch of brand new menu items, including a vodka penne and a meatball pizza.
126-128 Lauriston Road, Victoria Park, E9 7LH
6. The really high one
Shanghai Me, Hyde Park
Taking over the 28th-floor spot occupied by Galvin at Windows until April last year, Shanghai Me is based on the Dubai original, so expect super-glossy, and super-expensive things from this sleek import. As befits the highest restaurant in Mayfair, this place is all about glamour (the next branch is set for Monaco), with interiors inspired by 1930s Shanghai, and a pan-Asian menu featuring yellowtail carpaccio with black truffle, and Cantonese-style roast duck with foie gras and caviar. It opens July 21.
Hilton on Park Lane, 22 Park Lane, Mayfair, W1K 1BE
7. The mighty mezcal bar
Little Fires, Shoreditch
With a cocktail list created alongside Sabina Sabe, an award-winning mezcal bar in Oaxaca – this Mexican-inspired, late-night drinking den is off to a very good start indeed. Opening July 11, and taking over a Grade II-listed, two-floor building, it'll also have Rodolfo Castellanos, the winner of Top Chef Mexico and owner of Origen Oaxaca, leading a food menu of tostadas and ceviche.
125 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, E2 7DG
8. More pizza? Sure!
Crust Bros, Covent Garden
On July 7, Waterloo's Crust Bros will be opening their biggest pizza parlour yet. Known for their natty Neapolitan-style pizzas, the space will fit 135 covers, and have a special menu of savoury bombas, including a lasagna-inspired take on the fried Italian dough ball, made with six hour ragu, parmesan, bechamel, and a deep fried lasagna sheet. You'll be able to mix and match toppings on personalised, custom pizzas.
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The Herald Scotland
16 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Jeff Bezos' wedding and the depthless billionaire photo op
The affair, which ended Saturday with its third official day of festivities, is estimated to have cost some $50 million. The depthless expense culminated a deluge of events facing many Americans: The country held its breath and doomscrolled in fear of war with Iran, endured record heat, witnessed charged protests over President Donald Trump's immigration policies, heard major Supreme Court decisions about reproductive health and saw Zohran Mamdani (who said on June 29, "I don't think we should have billionaires") win New York City's mayoral Democratic primary. Meanwhile, the city of Venice erupted in protests by locals and activists who saw the Bezos wedding as a sign of garish commodification of a fragile city. And that's a smattering of the news from last week. The atmosphere of whiplash could explain our numbness. When social media timelines showed the world's richest zooming across Venetian waters to the wedding venue on the island of San Giorgio, its lack of substantial meaning or cultural impact is likely why so many hated it. It's OK if you enjoyed gobbling up images of the richest people in the world in their fanciest attire. And we naturally seek fantasy in moments like these, according to culture journalist Louis Pisano (who was blocked on Instagram by Sanchez after posting his impressions about the wedding). But this wedding didn't provide sentimental escapism, he said - it was a chilly reminder there's a billionaire-dollar world we'll never dream of inhabiting. "It felt extremely exploitative, which turned off any audience from the get-go," Pisano says. "The public had no bandwidth." The Bezos wedding was an Italian melodrama we've seen before The Italian celebrity wedding is a formula we've already experienced, Pisano says. The wedding heavily sampled Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian's pan-European nuptials in 2014, which saw Parisian pre-wedding events, a rehearsal dinner in Versailles and a Florence ceremony. The Bezos-Sanchez affair mapped itself along this Kardashian inspiration, mirroring Kim's highly-visible Parisian bachelorette party and featuring a performance at the main event by Mateo Bocelli, son of Andre Bocelli, who famously sang at both Kim and Kanye's and sister Kourtney Kardashian's weddings, Pisano points out. Reference spawns much creativity in the world of fashion and culture (Kim expressed approval of the event, calling it "magical"). But somehow the Italian drama didn't hit the same tone. While not everyone is a Kardashian-West fan, audiences engaged with their wedding because they feel they knew the bride and groom, Pisano says, from watching the reality star and her family on TV to listening to the rapper's music. "All of that created this worldbuilding around their wedding and their marriage ... to see how far both of them came," Pisano says. Their wedding was innovative for 2014, lifting worlds traditionally reserved for magazine pages onto social media. But this time, the parade felt vapid. The event seems to have desperately wanted a spot in the canon of celebrity weddings, says Discoursted newsletter writer Pisano. Fans approved as lifelong bachelor George Clooney finally (and romantically) tied the knot in Venice in 2014 to accomplished lawyer Amal Clooney. Or Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's multiday party melding ritual with rich visuals. Or, most recently, the billionaire Ambani wedding in India that drew former U.S. officials, celebrities and, of course, Rihanna to its epicenter. They weren't just icing on the wedding cake, but cultural touchpoints realized through marriages. 'It turned my stomach': Rosie O'Donnell blasts Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez's Italy wedding But Bezos and Sanchez's wedding lacked a story to "root for," Pisano says. Rather, the couple invited a 200-person guest list that felt "random," if not transactional, Pisano says, with names like Sydney Sweeney, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Ellie Goulding and a solo Orlando Bloom. "It was all very strategic from everybody's side," he says. "Was it believable that all of these people were such good friends? Absolutely not." The guest list drew reactions across the internet. "Does she know them?" one TikToker mused of Sweeney's invite. Leonardo DiCaprio was called out for attending a "carbon-intensive billionaire's wedding" in apparent opposition to the actor's climate activism. Commentator Blakely Thornton even went as far as to call the guests "confirmed losers" seeking gratification and status. "I have a newly found disrespect for all of the celebrities who attended the Bezos wedding," one TikToker said. "Even if you don't think about the politics of it all, it's just an utterly swagless move. Now we all know who's tacky and tasteless." Bethenny Frankel pokes fun at Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez's wedding invitation And those guests didn't come cheap: The cost of this single affair could cover the cost about 1,515 weddings in the U.S. today. As couples weigh economic uncertainty while planning their own weddings, they couldn't relate. Pisano says the grandeur felt incongruent with current trends favoring smaller, more thoughtful weddings. And then there's the fact the pair waved and blew kisses as they boarded motorboats while protests raged across the city, decrying environmental and antitourist messages to the overcrowded city that is struggling with rising water levels. While the couple donated to local Venetian charities, Pisano says he's skeptical how much impact that holds. "For one of the richest men in the world, to go to one of the most troubled cities in the world, and contribute to that, doesn't help bring public goodwill toward them," he says. More: What to know about Jeff Bezos' first wife, MacKenzie Scott Jeff Bezos' bride and a fashion message not received The fashion is also a reason why the wedding was seemingly detached for people. Sanchez donned numerous looks over the multiday spectacle, but perhaps most notable was her wedding gown from Dolce & Gabbana, designers who've had their own controversies. The more conservative dress featured a high-neck, adorned with 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons paired with a tulle-and-lace veil, according to a Vogue magazine exclusive. The buttoned-up 1950s-inspired look was nod to Italian actress Sophia Loren. While the bride recognized the look was a "departure," for her, Pisano says the style was too jarring of a twist from the peekaboo lacy bra Sanchez wore to President Donald Trump's inauguration earlier this year. "It's such a jump that feels inauthentic to her," Pisano says, noting her "girl boss bombshell persona." Donatella Versace, who has been an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate, also dressed the bride for one of the wedding party events, in spite of Amazon's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion measures. To her credit, Sanchez wears a heavy mantle trying to fit in as such a visible figure, but people were left wondering who this woman is supposed to be to them, Pisano says. "She's looking for legitimacy ... She wants to switch into 'icon mode.'" But was it a fit? The couple desperately wanted to recreate an image from an outdated attention economy. The curation left the Bezos-Sanchez wedding feeling tired, working too hard to squeeze itself into a size it was starving for.
Rhyl Journal
3 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
BBC director-general was at Glastonbury during Bob Vylan performance
It is understood Tim Davie was on a visit to meet staff at the Somerset music event on Saturday afternoon and was informed after Bobby Vylan, one half of the British rap punk duo, led his audience in chants that also included 'Free, free Palestine'. The performance at the West Holts Stage was livestreamed by the BBC but the organisation later expressed regret for not stopping its broadcast of the 'unacceptable' set. A BBC spokesperson said: 'The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.' The news of Mr Davie's presence at the festival comes as the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis berated the BBC for what he called 'the airing of vile Jew-hatred' and the broadcaster's 'belated and mishandled response'. The corporation has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language. Broadcasting regulator Ofcom saying it was 'very concerned' by the decision and the Culture Secretary claimed the issue should have been foreseeable and constituted 'a problem of leadership' for the BBC. In a post on X, Sir Ephraim wrote: 'This is a time of national shame. 'The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury and the BBC's belated and mishandled response, brings confidence in our national broadcaster's ability to treat antisemitism seriously to a new low. 'It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it. 'Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society.' Irish rap trio Kneecap, including member Liam Og O hAnnaidh who appeared in court earlier this month charged with a terror offence, took to the stage directly after Bob Vylan and led chants of 'Free Palestine'. On Monday, Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation. A police spokesman said: 'This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage. 'The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.' In a statement on Monday, the BBC said: 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive. 'The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. 'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. 'We welcome Glastonbury's condemnation of the performance. 'The performance was part of a livestream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. 'The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines. 'In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. 'The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.' US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau announced that Bob Vylan's US visas had been revoked due to 'their hateful tirade at Glastonbury', with the duo scheduled to tour in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in October. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the Commons on Monday the Government was 'exasperated' with the 'lack of account from the leadership' at the BBC. Ms Nandy said the incident at Worthy Farm had raised 'very, very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about the operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are understood', adding that she wanted to see 'rapid action' from the broadcaster. Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said the scenes at Glastonbury raised wider concerns about society. He told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'There are some lessons, I think, for broadcasters from this, but let's also not shy away from the issue, which is people in a crowd glorifying violence. 'I don't think it's something we'd associate with any music festival, but it's a wider societal problem.' He added:'It's possible, I think, to be completely concerned by the scenes in Gaza and not stray into the kind of behaviour and endorsement that we saw with that performance. 'And I'm deeply shocked to be honest, that people would even not realise what I think they're participating in when they do that.' Glastonbury Festival organisers also condemned Bob Vylan's chants, saying it was 'appalled' by what was said on stage, adding 'there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence'. Bob Vylan formed in Ipswich in 2017 and have released four albums addressing issues such as racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan is the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. His bandmate drummer uses the alias Bobbie Vylan. In a statement posted to Instagram, he said: 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.'
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan says it's being targeted for speaking up about Gaza at Glastonbury
LONDON — Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan on Tuesday rejected claims of antisemitism over onstage comments at the Glastonbury Festival that triggered a police investigation and sparked criticism from politicians, the BBC and festival organizers. The band said in a statement that it was being "targeted for speaking up" about the war in Gaza. Police are investigating whether a crime was committed when frontman Bob Vylan led the audience in chants of "Death to the IDF" — the Israel Defense Forces — during the band's set at the festival in southwest England on Saturday. The British government called the chants "appalling hate speech" and the BBC said it regretted livestreaming the "antisemitic sentiments." U.S. authorities revoked the musicians' visas. Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some supporters have described the protests as antisemitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents. In a statement on Instagram, Bob Vylan said: "We are not for the death of jews, arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. … A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza." Alleging that "we are a distraction from the story," the duo added: "We are being targeted for speaking up." The BBC is under pressure to explain why it did not cut the feed of the performance after the anti-IDF chants. Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said "the airing of vile Jew-hatred" by the BBC was a moment of "national shame." "It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it," he wrote on X. Avon and Somerset Police said it is investigating Bob Vylan's performance, along with that by Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap, whose pro-Palestinian stance has also attracted controversy. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under Britain's Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, Israel has killed more than 56,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
