Apparently chic has been pronounced dead by the internet, which is probably for the best because London has more interesting things to talk about.
September is when the city gets its personality back. Everyone returns from wherever they have been pretending not to check emails, reservations get competitive again, and suddenly the London calendar is full of new restaurant openings, chef collaborations, food festivals, mooncakes, shellfish menus and enough Negronis to make “new term energy” feel deeply unserious.
So no, we will not be calling any of this chic.
We will, however, be booking it.
JENKI Soho: Matcha Gets a New Address
3 September | Soho
JENKI opens its new Soho bar at 100 Berwick Street on 3 September and marks the occasion with complimentary matcha all day.
After a summer in which matcha appeared in drinks, desserts, burgers and probably several places it had no business being, the brand is finally giving the obsession a permanent Soho home.
Free matcha on opening day. No brainer.
The Ned London: Texas Has Entered the Chat
4 September to 4 October | City of London
Electric Bar & Diner at The Ned London is handing the smokers over to two of Austin’s biggest barbecue names for a month. The Ned’s official site confirms Electric Bar & Diner as its American diner in the City.
MICHELIN-starred pitmasters John Bates of InterStellar BBQ and Ali Clem of la Barbecue are bringing a £75pp sharing tray stacked with Peach Tea Glazed Pork Belly, Pulled Lamb Shoulder, Beef Short Rib, Pork Ribs and Chopped Cheese Sausage, plus Texas Toast, queso mac and cheese, beans and beetroot salad.
You can add la Barbecue’s USDA prime brisket for £50 for two, while dessert is InterStellar’s banana pudding with Jack Daniel’s caramel.
There is also a Jack Daniel’s cocktail menu with Pickle Backs, a corn and honey Old Fashioned riff and a banana Hard Shake.
Texas portions. London postcode. Zero restraint.
Heard x Aktar Islam: The London Burger Collaboration to Know
From 10 September | Soho & Borough
Jordan Bailey’s Heard is teaming up with Aktar Islam, the chef behind Birmingham’s two MICHELIN-starred Opheem, for a limited menu running until 11 October.
At the centre is The Pataka, alongside Chatpata Fries with chilli, green mango and mint chutney, plus a cardamom-spiced Shrikhand Lolly with Kesar and Alphonso mango.
Fine dining credentials. Burger format.
celebrASIA 2026: Malaysia Comes to Battersea Power Station
11 to 13 September | Battersea Power Station
celebrASIA 2026 returns to Battersea Power Station for three days of South East Asian street food, film, music, dance, comedy, crafts and family fun.
Malaysia has a particularly strong showing this year, with food from Syiok Lah, Eat Lah, Mandy Yin with Chick ’n’ Sours and Mambow’s Abby Lee, who returns with her Hainanese Chicken Sando.
There is also a Gin Malaya Masterclass and an Everyday Malaysian Cooking Class with chef Ranie Saidi at Borough Kitchen Battersea.
Hawker food, gin, cinema, crafts and zero airport security.
batterseapowerstation.co.uk/celebrasia
The Ninth London: Shellfish Gets the Tasting Menu Treatment
15 September to 10 October | Fitzrovia
The Ninth in Fitzrovia, Jun Tanaka’s MICHELIN-starred restaurant, closes its Single Ingredient Series with a shellfish tasting menu. The Charlotte Street restaurant is currently celebrating its tenth consecutive year holding a Michelin star.
The £98 menu includes caramelised scallops with Delica pumpkin risotto and brown butter, cuttlefish malloreddus with bottarga and lemon, and a cataplana of clams, squid, Huelva prawns and monkfish.
Wine pairing is another £70. September budgeting is going very well.
Bun House Chinatown: Mooncake Season Is Back
September | Chinatown
Bun House in Chinatown is marking Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes including Lava Custard, Mango Sago and Red Bean.
The Chinatown Mooncake Set comes with complimentary tea for £29, which feels like exactly the right amount of ceremony for something you will photograph before eating immediately.
Seasonal tradition. Excellent filling.
Noodle & Beer: Mid-Autumn Festival Meets Cocktail Hour
1 to 25 September | Chinatown & Spitalfields
Noodle & Beer’s Chinatown and Spitalfields restaurants are celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with three sweet mooncakes and, because this is London, three cocktails specifically designed to drink with them. Both London locations are confirmed on the restaurant’s official site.
There is Matcha Made in Heaven with rum, coconut milk, matcha and cacao for the matcha mooncake, Strawberry Velvet for the chocolate, and a yuzu-spiked Full Moon Whisky Sour alongside the custard.
For gifting, a limited-edition £75 set brings together four artisan mooncakes, including Chunky Red Bean, Taiwan Pineapple and Firewood Black Sesame, with a handcrafted Longquan Celadon cup and bamboo lantern stand.
ROKA London: Negroni Week, Japanese Edition
21 to 27 September | London
ROKA is partnering with Peddlers Gin and Karminia Vermouth for Negroni Week 2026, with a collaborative serve available across its London restaurants.
At the Charlotte Street Shochu Lounge, there is a dedicated menu of three Japanese-inspired Negronis, each £10.
One is sophisticated. Three is field research.
Rosina Wandsworth: A More Serious Negroni Situation
21 to 27 September | Wandsworth Common
Thorn Bar at Adam Byatt’s Rosina in Wandsworth Common is also getting involved in Negroni Week with five takes on the classic.
Expect a Cherry Sour Negroni, Amalfi Shaken Negroni and White Negroni, alongside snacks including gnocco fritto with Salame Rosa, fried Taleggio and smoked sardines on sourdough.
Fenchurch at Sky Garden: Champagne, Seafood, 37 Floors Up
23 September | City of London
Fenchurch at Sky Garden is hosting an intimate 16-seat Ruinart Champagne dinner for one night only.
The seafood-led menu is paired with Ruinart Champagnes, with dessert bringing together elderflower jelly, pickled fennel, white chocolate and strawberry sorbet alongside Ruinart Rosé.
Sixteen seats. Thirty-seven floors up. Zero interest in being low-key.
PAUL x Raymond Blanc: Your Sandwich Has Credentials Now
September | London
Raymond Blanc OBE is collaborating with PAUL Bakery on two new sandwiches landing this September.
Yes, sandwiches now have MICHELIN-adjacent provenance.
And honestly, why should tasting menus have all the fun?
September always arrives pretending to be about routines, resets and getting your life together. London has other ideas. New openings. Limited menus. Mooncakes. Negronis. Champagne at altitude.
Whatever word replaces chic, this is probably it.
