London Restaurant Festival to launch more than 100 special menus for Summer Edition

The capital’s food scene will be celebrated in all its gastronomic glory at the second Summer Edition of the London Restaurant Festival this June.

Throughout the month, more than 100 festival menus will appear at some of the city’s top restaurants, with over 50 exclusive foodie experiences also set to take place.

A series showcasing London’s newest Michelin Star holders — including modern European spot Wild Honey, Korean-inspired Sollip and Evelyn’s Table, which blends French and Japanese techniques — will run alongside a “London’s Legends” series, which will celebrate “icons” of the capital’s restaurant scene, such as The River Café, Otto’s and Rules.

Frog by Adam Handling and Wilton’s in St James’s will collaborate with Exmoor Caviar to explore the delicacy, while Claude Bosi’s Oyster Bar, SOLA and The Sea, The Sea will each host seafood-inspired dinners.

Special festival menus will land in restaurants such as Pachamama, Roast, Balthazar and Volta do Mar, while brewer Estrella Galicia will collaborate with Spanish restaurants Parrillan and Sabor for food-pairing events.

The festival is also leading a number of tours, with restaurant-hopping excursions as well as trips around some of London’s best parks that each culminate in a visit to a nearby restaurant.

Wine and cocktail masterclasses are in the offing, including a female-led event focusing on some of the finest wines from Portland, Oregon, hosted by chef Katy Millard and Ruth Hansom of the Princess of Shoreditch.

Tito’s Vodka will helm a boat trip down the Thames, fuelled by vodka martinis and oysters, before ending with a seafood feast at Wright Brothers, while Champagne Drappier will showcase their creations alongside food from the likes of Benares, Galvin at Windows and Hakkasan.

Some of London’s hotels are also getting in on the act, including the newly opened The Londoner, with weekend-long programmes of dining experiences.

The festival, which was co-founded by Simon Davis alongside the Evening Standard’s former restaurant critic Fay Maschler in 2009, said: “The first LRF Summer Edition last year proved so popular that we’ve decided to make it a regular fixture in London’s summer calendar. We’re thrilled with the line-up, and it just shows that London is back and bursting with talent.”

Festival director Chris Wright added: “As restaurants are now open and buzzing, there’s a collective feeling of renewal across the industry. We’ve taken this opportunity to support restaurants and chefs as much as possible by bringing a line-up of the best to our Summer Edition – we’re excited to launch our new events and experiences for all to enjoy.”

The London Restaurant Festival’s Summer Edition takes place from June 1-30. Tickets go on sale from Monday May 9, with presale access available for American Express Cardmembers from 11am on Wednesday 4 May. Head to londonrestaurantfestivalsummer.com for more information.