There are some who claim London is at its best in October - not too hot, not too cold, arts and culture really start to kick into gear with the London Film Festival and Frieze. Of course, they are wrong – nothing defeats a London summer – but the month does have its plusses, chief among them the increase in restaurant openings and events.
We've rounded up all the goings-on this month in the capital, from a celebration of Georgian wine month and a Michelin-starred wine event to the London Restaurant Festival.
Firangi at Top Cuvée
Ruhi Parmar Amin and Simar Deol
Duo Ruhi Parmar Amin and Simar Deol will be bringing Firangi to Top Cuvée in Highbury for a three-month residency, their longest residency to date. A sharing menu of nine distinctive dishes will frame their bistro-style Indian cooking within the London wine bar, paired with a selection of natural and biodynamic wines from independent winemakers.
Originally meeting in Berlin, the pair have travelled around India together, seeking out the street foods, micro-communities and family customs found in Bombay, Goa and Delhi that guide the menu. The residency will act as a showcase of their learnings thus far, before Amin and Deol continue their exploration of India, planning a return trip in early 2027 to cover regions in the North East and South.
Three-month residency; topcuvee.co.uk
Mambow x Dusty Knuckle
Mambow
On Thursday 8th October, Abby Lee, head chef and founder of Mambow, the modern Malaysian restaurant in Clapton, will be joining The Dusty Knuckle's bakery in Dalston for a special evening of home-style Nyonya cooking.
Expect a feast of Chinese-Malay dishes, including an exclusive assam pedas oxtail curry puff made with The Dusty Knuckle's own dough, alongside udang masak lemak, Nyonya prawn, pineapple and coconut curry, babi chin, braised pork belly with fermented soybean and soy caramel, okra sambal belacan, torch ginger flower, turmeric rice, dark roasted coconut, and for dessert, kuih dadar and kopi ice cream.
8 October; thedustyknuckle.com
Langan’s Brasserie anniversary menu
Langan's Brasserie
Set to be Langan’s biggest celebration of the year, the iconic Mayfair restaurant will mark its 50th anniversary with a one-day-only celebration on Tuesday 20th October, bringing together food, music, cocktails and five decades of Langan’s history.
Selected food and drinks will be available at their original 1976 prices, with starters from £1 and mains from £4.50. The specially curated menu revisits dishes synonymous with the era, with starters including avocado vinaigrette and Parma Ham and melon, followed by classics such as Dover sole, shepherd’s pie, and lobster thermidor. To finish, guests can choose from nostalgic desserts including rum baba, bread and butter pudding, and Lemon Meringue Pie.
20 October; langans-brasserie.com
Eurotripping at Luna
Steak frites at Luna
Eurosummer might be over, but Luna, the wine bar, bistro and bottle shop, is keeping the good times rolling with Eurotripping (goodbye summer), a monthly Sunday kitchen-and-bar takeover series celebrating the best of Europe’s epicurean traditions. Kicking off October with a Paris focus, the next instalment brings together everyone’s favourite combination of steak frites and profiteroles, for £35pp on Sunday 4th October.
The accompanying wine list will spotlight exciting biodynamic producers from the Burgundy region of east-central France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône. Let me know if this could work for your upcoming October event round-ups.
4 October; lunawinebar.co.uk
Georgian wine month at Peckham Cellars
Georgian wine at Peckham Cellars
Georgia produces some of the best wine in the world, but it still remains something of an undiscovered gem amongst the general population. Aiming to raise its profile, October has been designated as ‘Georgian wine month’, and Peckham Cellars, the restaurant and wine bar led by husband-and-wife duo Helen Hall and Luke West-Whylie, is marking the occasion with a special guided Georgian wine tasting in collaboration with Sage + Wine.
Taking place on 12 October, the tasting will see ‘new wave’ and ‘old school’ Georgian winemaking go head to head, with wines from famous Georgian winery Pheasant’s Tears sitting alongside modern Georgian producers. The celebration will continue throughout October, with Peckham Cellars spotlighting a range of different local wines by the glass on their wine list.
12 October; peckhamcellars.com
Wine dinner at Labombe
Labombe interior
Want to elevate your month with a standout dining experience? As part of its ongoing series created by master sommelier Isa Bal, Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant Labombe by Trivet will be hosting an intimate wine dinner with Virginia Willcock, chief winemaker of Vasse Felix and 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year, on Saturday 10 October.
Beginning at 6pm, the evening will showcase a selection of Vasse Felix wines, introduced by Virginia, who has been making wine in Margaret River for more than 20 years. Each wine will be paired with a sharing-style menu from the grill, inspired by the Australian love of the barbie and featuring prawns, various cuts of beef, and chicken salt fries.
10 October; opentable.co.uk
London Restaurant Festival
Brunch at participating restaurant Kudu
This city-wide celebration of the London restaurant scene has been going strong for 17 years, inspiring people to explore as many of the capital’s many restaurants as possible twice a year – once in June, and again in October.
With a host of top participating restaurants, events, talks and insights into the city’s culinary world, there’s no better time to discover just how dense, diverse and just plain excellent London’s restaurant scene really is.
All October; londonrestaurantfestival.com
