W/c 21st July

I’ve been researching, writing and designing every inch and crevice of this newsletter over the past year and as much as I want to make it feel textured, layered and unique, I never quite felt satisfied. I realised I needed to simplify if I really wanted to help busy people going through tens of emails a day absorb what I was writing. So here we are, a new version of our newsletter that will further inform how we improve our website, articles and socials. It’ll always be a work in progress, but the most important is to always work on delivering great research and content for you. We’ve got some really exciting stuff coming up!

You don’t need a list to tell you your dog’s allowed at the pub or the park. London’s full of places you can technically bring your dog, but this is about something else. A special day out. A swim in the ponds before coffee, a quiet gallery visit, an afternoon tea that’s tailored to paws and people. Consider this your companion guide to doing London with your dog - not just where they’re welcome, but where it all feels worth it.

After years as a cult favourite inside The Pembury Tavern, Ace Pizza gets a standalone home just off Victoria Park. Rachel Jones’ “London-style” crust blends Neapolitan char with New York fold - chewy, crisp, and made for the table. Expect hits like the Honey Pie and Clapton Cowboy, plus soft-serve, chilli honey margaritas, and retro flourishes in a disco-diner space.

MOI lands on Poland Street this summer - a concrete-and-kombu kind of place where Soho’s buzz meets Japanese precision. Fire-led plates lean local (turbot with yuzu kosho, Orkney scallops), while downstairs, the Listening Room teases its full launch. Expect vinyl residencies with a a world-class sound system from Friendly Pressure, and cocktails that flirt with flavour through playful storytelling. Sculpted, cinematic, and quietly confident in its craft.

Eighteen floors above Park Lane, Shanghai Me opens with skyline views and a sultry nod to 1930s Shanghai. Taking over the Galvin Brothers’ old rooftop, the menu blends Cantonese classics with jet-set flair - think foie gras duck, truffled yellowtail, and a dim sum library to graze through. Upstairs at Bund, cocktails follow the Chinese zodiac, and the aesthetic leans full Orient Express dreamscape. It’s polished, theatrical, and built for long nights above the trees.

A two-floor mezcal den arrives on Bethnal Green Road as Alfie’s turns into Little Fires, a moody, late-night homage to Oaxaca. Upstairs is all tostadas, elotes and cocktails kissed by the Sabina Sabe team, with a rare Asunción mezcal list to match. Downstairs, a vinyl-led speakeasy carries the evening deeper.