2024, what a ride it was
Football didn’t come home (again) but we did get plenty of Olympic golds and plenty of Olympic memes – thank you pommel horse guy, thank you Raygun, thank you sharp shooters. Labour returned to power after 14 years away, Oasis reunited after 15, and, sadly, Trump came back too. It was a Brat summer, a Glicked winter, and an Eras Tour year, but what has made LOTI over the past twelve months? Let’s take a look.
1. The Best Value Set Menus in London
London’s restaurants, while very tempting, are not known for their wallet-friendliness. That’s why we look for loopholes where cheap eats can be found, and a good value set menu is actually not too hard to come by. Restaurants across the city (including some of our all-time favourites) have dedicated menus of two or more courses that’ll set you back a whole lot less than standard – but will blow you away just as much.
2. Tube Strikes in London
Like last year, trying to travel around the city in 2024 had its challenges. We had two sets of tube strikes called off in May and November, though not right at the last minute as we experienced in 2023. No further industrial action has been announced (yet) for the new year, so we hope it stays that way.
3. The Best New Restaurant Openings
Keeping up with the best new restaurants in London is a full time job and we’ve made sure that you’re always in the know so you can lead your mates and dates around the coolest new places around town by constantly updating our curated selection of the best new restaurant openings. This year we had high-end hotel restaurants to pub joints and everything in between. And you can get a jump start on the best new openings for 2025 with this lot.
4. Hafiz Mustafa 1864 Opens in London
Hafiz Mustafa, a confectionary shop that was founded in Istanbul in 1864, has become beloved across Turkey – it has several locations across Istanbul as well as in Antalya, Bodrum and one in Dubai. And now it’s got one in Knightsbridge that sells its traditional Turkish sweets, including baklava (made with a variety of different nuts), kadayıf, Turkish delight (flavoured with everything from pomegranate to rose to pistachio), halva, and milk desserts, all made with natural ingredients.
5. Where to Watch Euro 2024 in London
We had another summer of football thanks to Euro 2024, which ran in Germany from 14th June to 14th July, and you lot were eager to watch it. England didn’t lose on penalties like last time but they did lose the final to Spain. The wait for football to come home continues.
6. Mulberry Sample Sale
Mulberry, which was founded in 1971, has become known for its luxury leather goods that blend heritage and craft with playfulness and creativity. The brand hosts a killer sample sale, giving you the opportunity to snap up one of its iconic handbags for a much more wallet-friendly price.
7. Malabar Hill, Sri Lanka Review
Of all the hotels we visited in Sri Lanka on our trip in 2024, Malabar Hill might just be our favourite – and it looks like it was yours too. A relative newcomer (it sort-of opened during Covid but is only really spreading its wings now), Malabar Hill is one of those places that seems to have got everything spot on right off the bat – a stunning location, beautiful design, great facilities, and top notch food.
8. Is It Going to Snow in London?
We truly are a nation of weather obsessives because everyone wanted to know whether it was going to snow in London. We’ve had a few storms and a pretty pathetic sprinkling already this winter but who knows what the new year will bring?
9. Sandwich Sandwich Comes to London
After winning the hearts of sarnie-loving Bristolians – and the Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year award in 2023 – family-run sandwich joint Sandwich Sandwich made its first move into London in the summer with a site on Gresham Street. The opening was met with A LOT of fanfare (think 1000-person-long queues on its first day) and the sarnie spot has now been officially dubbed ‘TikTok viral’.
10. St. JOHN’s 1994 Prices
St. JOHN, the iconic London restaurant that pioneered nose-to-tail dining and counted the late Anthony Bourdain among its legion of fans, turned 30 this year. To celebrate, the original Smithfield site re-ran the restaurant’s earliest menus, with dishes priced the same as they were in 1994, and Londoners went crazy for it – those who actually managed to get a table that is.
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