First of all, going out on New Year’s Eve is almost always going to be bank-busting. And so it’s not for everyone. There are many who prefer to do a dinner party at home — whoever has the biggest gaff — or else pitch up at a country pub and enjoy a casual, merry affair. What’s better than congregating around a fire with pinks and a whisky or two, having a little sing-song and then stumbling home in hat and gloves? If you’re thinking of Jude Law in The Holiday, that last sentence worked okay.
But the glitz and glam of a bougie party in some high-end hotel is ever-seductive to some. Dinner and a dance, what’s not to like? Especially when there are triumphant views across town. Those London fireworks, all that razzle-dazzle. A jazz band. Dressing up swishly. If you fancy splashing out on such things, you may do so in London with ease. Here are 10 places to dine in style on New Year’s Eve.
Fenchurch restaurant – Sky Garden
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The views at Sky Garden are superb, stretching across the Thames and much of London’s skyline. It’s a fine place to see the fireworks at midnight. The party here will include live music, dinner and dancing, plenty of drinks and resident DJs later on. There are various restaurants to choose from, including a brasserie, with prices from £445 per person and which includes five courses and a glass of Ruinart champagne. Tables are only for two-hour time slots, however, so anyone who wants to experience the whole shebang will need to be there at 10pm.
Few locations, if any in London, are as glamorous as the Ritz. The five-star hotel will be throwing a New Year’s Eve party that includes a four-course menu led by the esteemed chef John Williams MBE — who led the restaurant to two Michelin-stars last year — a dance orchestra, bagpipes, a 14-piece marching band, a special midnight countdown and more. Guests will be greeted with a glass of Perrier-Jouet champagne. Tickets including dinner from £970 per person. One for the big, big, big spenders.
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Another restaurant with admirable views, Duck & Waffle in Heron Tower is famed for them — one of the highest places to dine in town. And en vogue thanks to an episode of Apple’s Slow Horses: MI5 spies made use of its rare 24-hour licence to hide out in the early hours. The New Year’s Eve dinner menu is more affordable than many others at £180, but no less lavish. A glass of Veuve Cliquot comes before a four-course menu that includes goat’s cheese vol-au-vents, langoustine ravioli, duck confit with foie gras and chocolate mousse cake.
Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay
London’s highest restaurant opened last year and soars above its skyline, a Gordon Ramsay-founded perch full of pan-Asian cuisine and funky cocktails. The views, there’s no doubt, are breathtaking, and that’s why you go. Those in search of a luxurious New Year’s Eve might consider one of a variety of options, all of which include Perrier-Jouet champagne and wine from Penfolds, not to mention various DJs and dance entertainment. To sit by the window will set you back £1,000 per person. The menu there includes snacks, small plates and sharing dishes. The cheapest option is a bar seat at £195 per head.
Aqua Shard
No longer London’s highest restaurant but still among the clouds is Aqua Shard, ever a hot ticket on New Year’s Eve. The vibe here is a big celebration, with a lot of glitz and glamour, live music and performances from dancers and magicians. The food? Not breathtaking — much the same as a lot of places on this list — but they do pull out all the stops on December 31. The late seating begins at 8.45pm and costs £475 per person, plus £70 if you want a wine pairing. The ticket includes three courses and a glass of champagne.
Well below the clouds, Barge East, the riverboat restaurant in Hackney, is offering a seven-course feasting menu on New Year’s Eve and the party promises to go on until 2am. A seven-course dinner kicks off proceedings, with oysters, sourdough bread with Marmite butter, trout rillette and onglet steak among the dishes, while drinks include craft beers, natural wines and cocktails (extra). At £95 per head, it’s an affordable party and there’s much fun to be had on a floating vessel.
River Lee, Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Lane, E9 5EN, bargeeast.com
Angler
Evolv’s still Michelin-starred flagship Angler is hosting its first ever New Year’s Eve dinner. Executive chef Craig Johnston will be putting on a show at the rooftop restaurant, rolling through his back catalogue. The chef will be doing hero dishes created while working for Marcus Wareing, when starting out at Angler, from his Royal Oak days, and from when he appeared on MasterChef. On arrival, guests will be welcomed with champagne and the option to elevate the celebration with a Dom Pérignon and Exmoor caviar experience. Prices from £250 per person.
Forgotten all about Hide? Easily done. It’s a pricey restaurant, and since the hype — and talk about the staircase — of the early days, now it’s mostly the preserve of the moneyed elite. But Hide remains, and for an event like New Year’s Eve, it makes sense. A special, reduced a la carte will be on offer on December 31, with the likes of soft-shell crab tempura with Thai basil and green peppercorns, dry-aged beef tartare, and sweetcorn gyoza on the menu. A welcome glass of champagne is optional, while the £195 price tag is decent for this part of town.
Pavyllon
The chef Yannick Alleno opened Pavylon at the Four Seasons in 2023. It’s classic high-end French, a place for lobster mousse, roasted monkfish tails and praline. The menu on New Year’s Eve is more interesting still — things begin with a king crab leg before scallop and black truffle ravioli, sea bass in brown butter and beef fillet rossini, the latter a rare dish today served hardly anywhere (Otto’s for anyone keen). Those who fancy haute French cuisine to ring in 2026 would do well here. £300 per head.
Amazonico is a party restaurant on any day, at any time of year. There’s sure to be a carnival atmosphere on New Year’s Eve, with DJ duo Grossomoddo providing the backdrop to what will be a convivial, probably ridiculous night. The food is hardly important here — we could call it “Latin America-inspired”. Whatever, diners may expect the likes of Brazilian cheese bread, guacamole, bavette with chimichurri, smoked lamb shoulder cooked on the barbecue. Tickets start at £595, with a sharing menu and a bottle of Ruinart included in the price.