The heat has come down, the humidity has rolled in: London is in the midst of a . are heaving; are beginning to feel crowded. And let’s not get into the beach situation outside of town.
Happily, London has the Thames to break up the city heat, and from canalside cult favourites to seafood with a view, the capital isn’t short of lining its waterways ( ). The list below — our favourites, but there are others out there — offers a chance to soak up the sun with a cooling river breeze, with a seat that gets you as close to the as possible. For more For our guide to the best beer gardens, A legend among restaurants, ’ influential Italian dining room is still an enviable spot to spend a warm day in west London, even after more than 30 years.
The main dining room is set back from the Thames, but distanced only by a leafy garden that in summer time is filled with tables of deep-pocketed diners, including a good showing of celebrities, feasting on nettle pasta with butter and chargrilled Cornish monkfish with anchovy and rosemary sauce. For a similar albeit somewhat more limited — and certainly cheaper — experience, try the new Brothers Fin and Lorcan Spiteri have hospitality in their blood — both mum (Melanie Arnold) and Dad (Jon Spiteri) are industry titans. But by now they have made a name for themselves in their own right, having taken over a barge on the Regent’s Canal and converted it into a 10-seat restaurant with space for 40 diners, at least half of whom are .