It’s been a mad year in food and drink. Who knew a strawberry sandwich would cause such drama, or that Pizza Express would suddenly become relevant again?
Over the course of 2025, we saw the Guinness phenomenon rumble on, witnessed the Lionesses party in Soho after winning yet another trophy, and revelled in London’s many affordable restaurants. Dining out doesn’t have to be too expensive after all.
It wasn’t all joyful. Rachel Reeves made herself incredibly unpopular with publicans. But there’s much to be optimistic about in 2026. And one thing’s for certain — it will probably be another crazy year.
For better or worse, in a repeat of last year, Guinness once again dominated a lot of food and drink discourse. The stout’s remarkable resurgence shows no sign of slowing down. Might the new £73m Guinness Storehouse might drive this onwards through 2026? Time will tell. This year, though, the main story seemed to be drinkers finding alternative ways to sip their pints. Turbo Guinness made a splash, but the real interest was in fact outrage, over the so-called 60/40 Guinness (not that it’s anything new).
Is Rachel Reeves killing pubs?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been offered ‘very little Christmas cheer’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
PA Wire
The chancellor’s budget was slammed for all sorts of reasons — but what had Standard readers up in arms was news that the rising duty on alcohol threatened to close yet more pubs. “The Chancellor has made the damaging choice to hike alcohol duties, including on draught beer and cider,” said the Campaign for Real Ale chairman Ash Corbett-Collins. “This extra hike in taxes on drinking in the pub can only risk more pubs and breweries being lost to the communities they serve.” Reeves’s budget was a dark day for drinkers.
Pizza Express concluded a £335 million refinancing in July (PA)
PA Archive
Pizza Express: battered, beleaguered, but still cracking on. To celebrate it 60th birthday, the much-loved chain celebrated with 1965 prices. The throwback meant a margherita cost 33 pence, the American 45p, the La Reine 49p, and arguably the best of the lot, the American Hot, was just 50p. The kicker? You’ll have to read the story to find out.
Strawberries… in a sandwich?
M&S Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich
M&S/PA Wire
The upmarket retailer M&S released a new strawberries and cream sando in the summer, just in time to cash in on Wimbledon fever. It went for £2.80 and was largely inspired by the sandos found in convenience stores across Japan, a food style that’s becoming increasingly popular in modern Britain. The whole thing caused quite a stir.
Gen Z, Millennial, Beta?
Lucy Young
Some time after the pandemic, what you might call the Schoonerati arrived (think the glitterati, if they thought talking about the head on a pint was sexy), descending on the capital with a simple goal: to turn the pub into content. From there grew an internet subculture that gave us viral hate-hits like pints, chit chat and good people, and London Pub Culture. Pointless, mindless tedium? Or just a bit of fun? You decide.
Chloe Kelly – England’s Women football team celebrate at in Soho after winning the Euro 2025 on Sunday.
Raw Image Ltd/GoffPhotos.com
Fresh from their triumph over Spain to win the Euros for a second, consecutive time, yesterday the Lionesses were in Downing Street — presumably with somewhat sore heads, given the 4am karaoke session — to meet with then-deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, and the minister for sport, Stephanie Peacock. The after party, though, was different. A few hours on and the team were spotted alighting from cabs into the Soho dark, and into Little Italy. If you don’t know much about Little Italy, you’re not alone — but here’s everything you need to know.
Ronnie Scott’s takes over Soho
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On August 2, the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club hosted an al fresco street party, a free event for all comers for the first time since 2019. It was a roaring success, with thousands flocking to the club’s home turf on Frith Street to celebrate its 60th anniversary. It was one of the standout Soho events of the year. Long live Ronnie Scott’s.
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Whenever he opens a new place, as he did twice last year, the restaurateur Jeremy King reminds his staff that no restaurant worth its salt leaves its customers feeling swindled. The choice to spend a lot or a little, he says, is theirs; bills can be £40 or £400, depending on the mood and the means. We suspect that will be the case at his latest venture, Simpson’s, which will relaunch in February. For now, we’ll leave you with a collection of excellent options to enjoy over the holidays.
A beloved tourist institution… under the knife
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Le Relais de Venise in Marylebone is a contender for London’s most popular restaurant. Queues run into its courtyard, unfurling like a clock spring. There’s even a pair of security guards, which is impressive for a place without karaoke or celebs. Its appeal is simple and world-famous: a walnut salad, followed by slices of ribeye steak and frites for £33, and wine from a fiver a glass. But is it any good? Er… no, in a word. David Ellis’s takdown was also his most read review of the year.
Elliott Collins/Unsplash
The pub industry is a dog-eat-dog world, and Brewdog looks to be having a tough time of it. The “punk” brewer, once valued at as much as £2 billion, closed 10 sites across the UK earlier this year. Fortunately, London isn’t short of proper boozers.