Italian restaurants are being hailed for London beating Paris, Barcelona, Rome and New York in Time Out’s Best Cities for Food.
The UK capital came fourth behind Lima in first place, followed by Bangkok and Mexico City, with Barcelona in fifth place.
Time Out stated: “London is currently at peak chic thanks to a boom in lavish but playful Italian openings”.
Unveiling its rankings, it stressed that Italian cuisine is one of London’s “defining trends for 2026” while pub pizza and chef-led pub residencies were key to “reshaping London’s dining culture”.
Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business & Growth, stressed: “London is the greatest city in the world, and we are delighted that our incredible food offer has been recognised by Time Out, after they named us the best city for culture globally last month.
“From the finest restaurants and bars to an incredible array of food stalls and markets there is fantastic food from all around the world to enjoy here.”
Londoners put their city’s food scene as among the strongest on the planet, with 96% of them describing eating out in the city as ‘good’ or ‘amazing,’ according to the Time Out culinary survey, the highest rating among local residents.
But in a sign of how prices have soared in restaurants, just 42% of Londoners say that it is cheap to dine out.
While six out of ten say that upmarket restaurants are where the city’s food scene excels.
Time Out highlighted in its words several Italian restaurants and pizza pubs:
* Soho’s raucous Osteria Vibrato serving exceptionally creamy white risotto.
* London Fields’ Auguste does succulent Abruzzian skewers.
“In Chelsea, Martino’s is all about indulgent comfort, with standout meatballs.
* Bethnal Green’s Tiella feels like a hipster trattoria done right, complete with perfect passatelli in brodo and a giant portrait of Cher.
It suggests “something outrageously offally from fabulous” French restaurant Camille, a bistro in Borough Market where head chef Elliot Hashtroudi “does alchemical things with pig snouts, such as cassoulet”.
On pub pizza, it picked out residencies from Dough Hands, Short Road, Hot Saint and Little Earthquakes “turning the capital’s boozers into proper destination dining spots”.
The rankings are based on the views of more than 24,000 residents worldwide, combined with Time Out’s global network of editors and food experts.
Lima was crowned Time Out’s Best City for Food in 2026, being hailed for its “exciting new openings, bold uses of native Peruvian ingredients and modern revivals of traditional desserts”.
Bangkok came second with its “dynamic food scene, where a new wave of Thai fine dining, elevated takes on street food and buzzing new dining districts” are injecting “fresh energy” into its food culture.
Next was Mexico City which was praised for its “global flavours, inventive Mexican cooking and an obsession with tacos” which was said to make the city “one of the most exciting places to eat” on the planet.
New York came 15th, and neither Paris nor Rome made it into the top 20.
In a blow to the pride of Parisians, the French capital was also beaten by Marseille in 18th place.
Outside the top five, the running order was Ho Chi Minh City, Melbourne, Beijing, Athens, Lisbon, Cape Town, Osaka in Japan, Bengaluru in India, Naples, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen and Medellin in Colombia.
The full Best Cities for Food list can be found at https://www.timeout.com/uk/travel/worlds-best-cities-for-food-2026.
The report came just days after a French bistro, Bouchon Racine, above a pub in Clerkenwell was named the UK’s best restaurant at a top industry awards.
It pushed the grand two Michelin-starred The Ritz into second place at The National Restaurant Awards 2026.
