London is having its moment, again. Or, you can say that London is always the destination of the moment. At this stage in your London relationship, your visits are less a luxury and more a necessity, like breathing air itself. London is one of those cities where you have your usual circuit, on top of which you continue to add on a new restaurant, hotel, and private club with each visit. Like a new fish-and-chips spot, where the fish is stuffed with lobster by a 3-Michelin-star chef. And don’t forget the new Six Senses in West London, which puts you right beside Notting Hill territory. So, when London calls, it’s a good idea to answer.
What’s New With Classic London
London was built on tradition. Year after year, there are places and things in London you can simply count on. Yes, that includes typically gloomy weather, which frankly hasn’t changed. Nevertheless, from disappearing red telephone boxes to red double-decker buses, even the classics get refreshed. It’s the balance between old and new, established and evolving that makes London hum.
Luxury Hotels
The Chancery Rosewood
If you know Grosvenor Square, you know the imposing Eero Saarinen-designed building topped by a massive gilt eagle. Formerly home to the U.S. Embassy, the mid-century interiors were gutted to create an all-suites hotel of 144 units, two penthouses, six houses, a pool, a spa, a wellness clinic, and eight restaurants and bars. The Chancery Rosewood opened in the heart of Mayfair in late 2025.
Six Senses
Hyde Park is your stomping ground, so you’ve known Whiteleys in Bayswater as a shopping emporium. Now, reimagined as a luxury hotel and residences by architect Sir Norman Foster, we have the U.K.’s first Six Senses in the century-old landmark. And, if sleep-eat-spa is your wellness rhythm, you’ve found your restorative place at the new Six Senses London.
Food Scene
Corenucopia
Be British. Grab fish-and-chips wrapped in newspaper to hold fatty fried cod with malt vinegar drizzled on top. The problem is, chippies across the U.K. are closing due to soaring costs. The solution? Go upmarket with fine dining fish-and-chips that break every boundary of what the British classic should be. Come to Corenucopia by Clare Smyth, an elegant new bistro in Chelsea. Dover sole with lobster mousse, mushy peas, and triple cooked chips is £54 ($72).
Simpson’s in the Strand
You wouldn’t want to polish the silver at Simpson’s in the Strand. There’s just too much of it. The famous roast beef and gravy trolleys are gleaming again after a Covid pause. This “grande dame” is a slice of Edwardian London history. Adjacent to The Savoy, the 200-year-old dining establishment reopened in March 2026.
Chiltern Firehouse
The sad irony was lost on no one when the ultra-popular Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone succumbed to a disastrous fire last year. While details are few from the sister of Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont, April 2027 looks like the targeted reopening date.
Private Clubs
The Arts Club
It’s as if the perfect location dropped in from heaven above. Just across Piccadilly from The Ritz London (where you want to be for Champagne tea) and The Wolseley (where “breakfast is everything”) The Arts Club in Mayfair endures. Stay overnight: the top two floors have luxury guest rooms and suites. Members now enjoy a reciprocal with Manhattan’s Core Club™ at 711 Fifth Avenue.
40 Duke
On the fourth floor of Selfridge’s, 40 Duke will open in spring 2026. The idea is shop ‘til you drop, then drink, dine, and socialize in a swanky spot under a retractable roof. By invitation only, your personal shopper might get you in.
Tramp Health
The 57-year-old private members’ club on Jermyn Street in St James’s has reopened following a lavish retrofit by new owner, Luca Maggiora. His wellness center expansion focused on “healthy hedonism” is tucked into a corner of Grosvenor Square in the former U.S. Embassy, home to The Chancery Rosewood hotel.
The Leconfield
Nobody would blame you for not having this on your 2026 bingo card. The lifetime founding membership is £500,000 for a (not-yet-open) club backed by Liz Truss, the short-lived prime minister. In Mayfair’s Curzon Street, The Leconfield is reportedly still dealing with paperwork.
London’s New ‘Cool Britannia’
Since the Docklands began its transformation into Canary Wharf 35 years ago, it’s been all about changes throughout industrial East London. First came the city bankers, then the artists and creatives, followed by tech startups in “Silicon Roundabout.” Then, came the London 2012 Summer Olympics, converting scrapyards, brownfields, and canals into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park bordered by Stratford, Leyton and Hackney. And, Cool Britannia is spreading eastward still.
East London: Community, Culture, and Cuisine
In Stratford, East Bank Development is the U.K.’s newest educational and cultural quarter, encompassing the BBC Music Studios, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL, Sadler’s Wells, and the V&A. The rooftop Bread Street Kitchen, Bar & Rooftop Stratford is the latest from Chef Gordon Ramsey.
V&A East and Jikoni
All eyes look east this spring when the V&A East opens in Stratford. It’s a new sister for South Kensington’s Victoria & Albert Museum and V&A East Storehouse, a permanent home for David Bowie’s archive. More artifacts come out of vast V&A warehouses to be seen for the first time, alongside rotating exhibits of contemporary artists.
As a reflection of East London’s diversity shaped by global food influences, Jikoni is moving in. The ‘No Borders Kitchen’ immigrant cuisine concept from husband-and-wife Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany has been making waves in Marylebone since 2017.
Sadler’s Wells East
Built in Italian red brick to house a 550-seat wraparound theater and dance studios, Sadler’s Well East is the Stratford outpost of the famous Islington-based dance performance company. It’s a showcase for international dance works, public performances, plus a new hip-hop academy.
Soho Theatre Walthamstow
The biggies played here at the former Granada Victorian music hall: The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, The Who, The Ronettes, Chuck Berry, Duke Ellington, and the Rolling Stones. Now, the venue is back. Beautifully renovated as Soho Theatre Walthamstow, new dramatic spaces are buzzing with the energy of the original venue in Dean Street, Soho.
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Six Senses London
The Chancery Rosewood
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FAQs
Q: What is the biggest change coming to East London in 2026?
A: The opening of V&A East on April 18, 2026 is the most significant development in East London, coming on the heels of the new V&A East Storehouse.
Q: Are there any new developments in Central London?
A: Tate Britain, in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society, is creating Clore Garden, a leafy green Mediterranean space along the Thames. Opening in 2027, the new sculpture garden will have a classroom for outdoor learning.
Q: What else is new in West London?
In West Kensington, the former Olympia exhibition center Olympia is being repurposed as British Airways Theatre. Opening in late 2027, there will be two hotels, 30 eateries, a 1,575-seat theatre plus a 3,800-seat live entertainment venue in partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and The Shubert Organization.
