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So, it’s Father’s Day this Sunday (June 20). If this is the first you’ve heard of it, don’t beat yourself up. Lockdown rendered time meaningless, when we say ‘see you soon!’, it usually means months, not weeks. But now that you know it’s coming up, you can do something about it.
According to the Father’s Day gift guides that proliferate in magazine pages and targeted Facebook ads around this time of year, dads are simple beings whose only desires can be summed up with beer subscriptions, Patagonia duffel bags and assorted steak seasonings. But dads are people too, and they want the thing we all want: free stuff.
If you’re fortunate enough to live within easy travelling distance of your parent, you can take advantage of all the London bars and restaurants that are dishing out free drinks to dads for Father’s Day. As with a lot of these kinds of offers, unless you happen to follow dozens of London restaurants on social media, they can be tricky to find, so we’ve gathered a bunch of them below. Nothing takes the edge off an eye-wateringly high food bill like that first sip of a free pint.
The Farrier
Brand new pub The Farrier recently opened in Camden Market with three Michelin star-trained chef Ash Finch manning the kitchen. It has some fairly swish looking Sunday roasts, and all dads booked in for one will receive a free pint of Guinness as well as a lamb scotch egg this Father’s Day. Camden Stables Market, NW1 8BF. Make a reservation here.
Homeslice
Purveyor of giant 20-inch wood fire pizzas, Homeslice will be teaming up with Camden Town Brewery to offer a free pint to all dads eating at its Marylebone restaurant. Though dads might struggle to drink it once they’ve eaten their weight in ’nduja. Homeslice Marylebone. Book your reservation here.
Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill
One for dads with expensive taste. Irish chef Richard Corrigan’s highly polished Mayfair seafood restaurant will be giving out free glasses of champagne to all dads dining in the restaurant this Sunday. That ought make up for the £28 fish pie. 11-15 Swallow St, W1B 4DG. Make a reservation here.
Kudu
Peckham restaurant Kudu specialises in South African-inspired small plates. If you dine in as a family on Father’s Day, your dad will be given a free signature Smoky Kudu cocktail which contains South-African whisky, sonoma rye, vermouth blend and... smoke. And if there’s two things dads love, it’s whisky and smoke. The gift guides said so. 119 Queen’s Road, SE15 2EZ. Make a reservation here.
Need more ideas? Here are eight non-naff ways to spend Father’s Day this Sunday.