London after dark is a city of neighbourhoods. Mayfair does Michelin stars, private members' clubs and some of the best hotel bars in the world. Soho and Covent Garden do late dinners, cabaret and theatre. South Kensington is quieter, with museum lates, concerts and grown-up restaurants. This section of the London Guide takes each part of town in turn and picks out the things worth doing there if you are an adult with an evening to fill: where to eat, where to drink, where to dance and where to shop beforehand.
What each guide covers
Every article follows the same pattern. We start with restaurants, from historic dining rooms to the places everyone is talking about this year, then move on to cocktail bars and pubs, nightlife and late-night entertainment, and the private members' clubs that shape the social life of each area. We also cover the shopping that makes an afternoon worthwhile: lingerie boutiques, tailors, jewellers and the streets where the great fashion houses keep their London flagships. Each guide links to our London Hotel Guide for the same area, so you can see where to stay within walking distance.
Where to start
Mayfair is the most polished night out in London: two-Michelin-star dining at Gymkhana, martinis at the Connaught Bar, late nights at Annabel's and an afternoon on Bond Street or Savile Row. Read our guide to things to do in Mayfair.
Central London means Soho, Covent Garden, the Strand and Leicester Square, where most of London's theatres sit alongside its liveliest restaurants, cocktail bars, cabaret rooms and members' clubs. Read our guide to things to do in central London.
South Kensington is calmer, with concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, free Friday Lates at the V&A and some of west London's best restaurants, with Knightsbridge and Chelsea a short walk away. Read our guide to things to do in South Kensington.
More areas will follow, including Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Marylebone and Kensington.
A few practical tips
Book ahead for the better restaurants, especially from Thursday to Saturday. Dress codes are taken seriously in Mayfair: jackets at the members' clubs and no sportswear at the nightclubs. Private members' clubs admit members and their guests only, so if you are not a member, the hotel bars in our guides are the next best thing. Many venues close earlier on Sundays, and some do not open at all.
Company for the evening
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