Anna Kibbey

With more and more London restaurants announcing ‘mixed group only’ policies (even Bunga Bunga’s got one now, would you believe), organising the all-important carb-loading part of a stag party has become quite the challenge. But don’t worry: help is at hand. Whether yours is a beer-fuelled brouhaha or suave steak supper, we’ve got the perfect stag do restaurant for you and your band of best mates. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to having the best stag do in London

L-plates and willy straws may not be welcome everywhere, but even as ‘mixed groups only’ policies become all the more common in London, it’s still possible to find decent restaurants for a hen do. Whether the bride-to-be is a party princess or sophisticated foodie, we’ve got a restaurant in London for your hen party covered. Just remember to check the fancy-dress policy before turning up with too many pink accessories. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to having the best hen party in London

Did you know that 14th century nobility in London thought it healthier to consume meat disguised as fruit? You can still find ‘meat fruit’ on the menu at Heston Blumenthal’s concept restaurant Dinner. We’ve picked out ten of the best historic dishes as well as the best restaurants to sample them. Don’t worry, you won’t need to carbon date these meals, they’re all pickled, prepared and cooked to order in this century. History just got a whole lot tastier.

In a city of 17,000 restaurants, there’s serious competition when it comes to standing out in the kitchen. Forget your Michelin Star restaurants and celebrity chef joints, these chefs in up-and-coming kitchens are the ones to watch. Read on for our pick of rising stars on the London restaurant scene; it's London's hottest chefs.

Please note, Calcutta Street has now closed. Time Out Food editors, February 2019.  Old-school curry houses might be closing faster than you can say ‘chicken tikka masala’, but there’s no need to get misty-eyed over their departure. A new wave of Indian restaurants (see Dishoom, Gunpowder, Kricket) is now turning out full-throttle cooking that’s much more faithful to tradition than your average local cuzza. Though Fitzrovia newcomer Calcutta Street is riding this wave – after all, it came into being via a blog and pop-up – it beats with the heart of Calcutta-born owner Shrim Chakraborty’s Bengali home. Chirpy, knowledgeable young staff and a Calcutta-inspired soundtrack blend with the soulful nostalgia of the place. Tables in the small ground floor dining room are packed tightly, so you can happily splatter your neighbours with sauce as you grapple with crab curry beneath a ceiling adorned with haath pakha (bamboo fans). Skip the street food snacks: beguni aubergine fritters were lacking and the tamarind and mint water supplied to fill the crisp shells of our phuchka was served fridge cold. Instead, cover your tiny table with hearty, spice-fuelled mains, for it’s in home-style dishes that Calcutta Street really delivers. Bengali cooks are famously resourceful, so an ordinary-looking bowl of root veg becomes a fine, fragrant panch mishali tarkari with the addition of coconut, fresh tomato and panch phoran (Bengal’s traditional five-spice mix). The prawn malai kari, with its tr