by Each WhatsApp group chat comes with its own set of characters. There is “the silent party”, who responds to none of the messages yet somehow attends every meeting, “the meme-slinger”, who adds a few weekly jokes to the conversation, and “the absent person”. , which has not been seen in a while. year and he may still not be in the country.
Then there is “the organizer”. He is the one who polls to confirm dates, discusses budgets and locations and, most importantly, calls the restaurant for a table.
These are Britain’s unsung heroes: the restaurant reservations that stay organized enough to be the glue of the group. These are the ones that can tie an evening together with a bar or two, happy hour and a table that will please the motley crew.
The same can be said about couples; there is the one who always wants to go out, and the one who has to do so. And, always, the desired table will be impossible to land; maybe there has been a major revision in the paper, or TikTok has done its thing. But even the “fully booked” places tend to have a small room, if you know how. Here is a list of hacks and cheat codes to help you get your board game.
The basics
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In general, to get the hardest to book tables in town, it’s a case of the fastest finger first. Most restaurants can be booked online these days so it is vital to see how long the restaurant is taking reservations (usually six weeks to three months in advance) and working backwards from there.
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If tables are released for a particular hotspot at, say, 11.00am on the third Friday of every month, try: book that office meeting room, and get the laptop (and your phone) ready at 10.50am and follow you are hitting refresh. . Glastonbury rules.
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Sign up for restaurant newsletters, follow the right social media accounts and turn on notifications for reservations. It might add to the range of daily emails, but if you want a table that nab, accept the sacrifice.
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A general effort in restaurants shows interest and ultimately, restaurants want interested diners. Being regular doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. So, to help with any future restaurant reservation efforts, go for a solo lunch one day, be nice, introduce yourself, remember the names of the people serving you, be kind, and say hello to the maître d’ . Then do that again, and again, and it will make sense. Soon the restaurant will be happy to see your custom again, and suddenly it will be a lot easier to score that table.
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Most of the punters are booking tables of two, so if they are stuck, opt for a larger reservation of four or six. There are usually fewer of these large tables in the restaurant, but the difference in demand for four, compared to two, is huge. Two crops will always sell first, so regenerate the double date.
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Painfully obvious, just call the restaurant. Usually, places have tables that don’t show online, as well as cancellations that don’t load on the website right away.
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There are often early and late seats available at the hot tables in town, known as “shoulder times”. Accept them; A 9pm reservation is a pleasure, and the table is yours for the rest of the night.
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Restaurants are still getting a lot of cancellations, and you’d be surprised what happens. Call around two or three of your favorite restaurants a day or two in advance (or even on the day) and see if they have any free tables. At the time of writing, two of London’s most popular three-Michelin-starred restaurants, Core by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury, have prime tables (between 7pm and 8.30pm) for the coming weekend, apparently due. with cancellations (these hotspots are usually full at least two months in advance).
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If you want to return, book that restaurant again as soon as possible. No, earlier. Do it before the bill arrives. If the red wine and fine food haven’t fogged the brain too much, discreetly go up to the maître d’ and inquire when you might return. Made in person, tables seem to appear from nowhere.
The Devonshire
I have no doubt that the Devonshire is one of the most popular bookings in London and Kate Middleton is rarely booked these days. Restaurant bookings go live for the Devonshire at 10.30am every Thursday for tables within the next three weeks; set an alarm. If you want to dine here, go up to the pub first, order a Guinness and eat the bar snacks, then repeat that a few times. It will take a long time to become a “regular” here but the staff is good to those who see them often. Also, even the Devonshire gets cancellations, so a chance to walk in (first thing at lunch and after 8.30pm has worked for us in the past). Landlord Oisín Rogers is also worth following on Instagram (@mcmoop), as he’s known to announce an ad-hoc cancellation or two on his stories.
17 Denman Street, W1D 7HW, devonshiresoho.co.uk
Mountain
Tomos Parry’s book-heavy follow-up to Brat is so short on bookings. Mountain in Soho was one of the biggest openings last year, followed by Michelin accreditation, making an 8pm booking less likely. The solution? Reservations are accepted 60 days in advance, but if you need to score two tops before then, the comfortable enough food counter is reserved for walk-ins. Tables for four are generally much better available than tables for two, but put your name on the waiting list on a few select days as well and call the restaurant again a few days before.
16-18 Bick Street, W1F 9RD, mountainbeakstreet.com
The Arlington
The Arlington is a reborn gem of a restaurant. It’s very hard to get tables here, but King is the ultimate maître d’, so it’s in his blood to serve the maximum numbers and get the right mix of people eating inside the restaurant. To that end, pop into the restaurant and introduce yourself, and maybe sit at the counter for a quick drink. It’s not a huge restaurant and you’ll soon start to recognize general manager Anke Agtha and bar manager Vitek Melichar. Say hello to these people. This is not about curry favor, but about showing you care, which is very much about restaurants. Generally, booking a table for four online will give you a prime time slot much earlier than a table for two.
20 Arlington Street, SW1A 1RG, arlington.london
Col
This Michelin-starred modern Mexican is a tough spot to land a seat. The secret here is to sign up for the priority booking mailing list. This special little newsletter gives its subscribers access to new table allocations 24 hours in advance. This means that even though Joe Bloggs is stuck getting a 10pm Friday night booking eight weeks from now, you’ve got that prime time table for date night.
9 Seymour Street, W1H 7BA, kolrestaurant.com
The Dover
Dover is undoubtedly one of the hardest restaurants to book in London. Even so-called shoulder tables, it is almost impossible to find them. The way to spot that nab? The books open three weeks in advance online so be the fastest finger first, or book for the newly launched Sunday Lunch Club. At £85 each for “all you can eat”, these monthly events are fantastic value for money. The tables run from noon to 4pm on one Sunday each month, proof that one of the sexiest spots around isn’t just for dinner. If an evening meal is required, walking in earlier in the week isn’t a bad bet. The Dover has a large bar at the front of the restaurant with a large counter and several proper tables. The bar snack menu also includes the famous mini hot sticks, the lobster roll, and the crispy potato with caviar, so you’ll be well fed.
33 Dover Street, W1S 4NF, thedoverrestaurant.com
Kurisu Omakase
Brixton’s eight-seater sushi counter remains the preserve of the town’s cognoscenti and getting a seat at this popular little spot is quite the feat. The “season” (bookings for the next three months) on the Resy booking platform falls four times a year, and it’s a feeding frenzy. While you can do your damnedest to grab a counter on drop day, your best bet is to regularly check Resy for cancellations and follow the restaurant directly on Instagram. Sushi master Chris Restrepo often posts a story message about a last minute event. These are often single seats and may not work for everyone, but booking a booking is not as impossible as it first seems.
58D Atlantic Road, SW9 8PY, @kurisuomakase
Scotts
One of London’s oldest restaurants, the original Scott’s opened in 1851 in Covent Garden before relocating to its Mayfair digs in 1967. It’s fair to say it’s been a hot spot ever since, but it’s had a powerhouse revival -lunch there while the tabloids are looking at the. the likes of Kate Moss, Kate Beckinsale and Rod Stewart dining there. It’s not easy to make a reservation to rub shoulders with the great and the good, so the best bet here is to go to the bar counter. It is a cozy and comfortable bar counter with the full à la carte menu available. This can be reserved, and they have some walk-in spots as well. As far as standard reservations go, usually a month or so in advance is required but again, meeting the maître d’ is great.
20 Mount Street, W1K 2HE, scotts_mayfair.capricebookings.com
