For many, January is the most miserable month of the year. It’s cold, it’s dark and Christmas is to be forgotten for another year – which, to our mind, is all the more reason to fill your diary with things to look forward to. Taking part in Dry January or Veganuary? The good news, for better or worse, is that so ingrained have these January traditions become, that the capital is bursting with events, launches and pop-ups that even the most abstemious can take part in without breaking their New Year’s resolutions. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in London in January 2026.

The new opening: Claridge’s Bakery

Images: Lateef Photography

Five-star Mayfair hotel Claridge’s has teamed up with internationally acclaimed chef and baker, Richard Hart, to launch Claridge’s Bakery on 21 January 2026. Serving a British-focused menu of beloved classics including bloomers and granary loaves, Jammy Dodger and custard tarts, Belgian buns, and iced fingers, as well as Hart’s renowned sourdough bread, the bakery will sell delicious treats straight from the oven for London locals and visitors to enjoy. Don’t miss savoury bites such as Marmite cheese straws, Hampshire pork Scotch eggs and the ultimate Claridge’s sausage roll. Plus, takeaway goods will also be available at lunchtime, including a selection of freshly-made sandwiches, hot specials and quiches. 

Claridge’s Bakery will open on 21 January 2026 at Brook Street, W1K 4HR, visit claridges.co.uk

The bar: Cato

Cato will open in Covent Garden this January, bringing New York City soul, British produce and a boundary-pushing cocktail list to Seven Dials. Inspired by Cato Alexander, widely regarded as the world’s first celebrity bartender, Cato features three distinct spaces: the ground floor will be home to the House of Julep, centred around the epoynmous cocktail Cato Alexander made famous in the 1800s; the basement will offer a more intimate setting built around its 14-strong cocktail menu, Colour Has Flavour; and the study will complete the offering with a communal table hosting masterclasses, pop-ups and experimental serves.

Signature cocktails include Brown, blending Scotch whiskies with medlar and mushroom spirit, brown vermouth, fermented wild mushrooms and smoked Cornish tea; Green made with pod pea vodka, Norfolk shiso, South Devon jalapeño liqueur, and gooseberry brine; and Yellow – also available as a non-alcoholic serve – featuring chamomile spirit, sweet clover, yellow jun and dried meadowsweet. Pair with small plates of elevated American classics including fried oysters, burgers and toasties.

Cato will open on 30 January 2026 at 17 Mercer Street, WC2H 9QJ, visit catobar.co.uk

The menus: Acme Curry House and The Cinnamon Club’s retro menu

Acme Curry House

The first two months of the year will see Acme Fire Cult reimagined as a curry house, the second in a new series of reconceptualisations at the Dalston live-fire restaurant. The new menu pays homage to chef Andrew Clarke’s abundant travels around India, which have seen him journey from Mumbai to Kerala and Goa sampling the finest regional dishes. Expect an array of ethically sourced British meats, fresh fish sourced daily from the south coast, and flatbreads including a naan with Acme’s signature Marmite butter and pecorino. Highlights include pig’s head vindaloo, inspired by Portuguese-Goan curries; whole mackerel recheado served with a winter tomato salad; venison and pork seekh kebabs; and lamb chop railway curry – a nostalgic nod to Anglo-Indian railway cooking. 

To celebrate 25 years of modern Indian fine dining, The Cinnamon Club is returning to where it all began for a special menu available from 12-24 January 2026. Showcasing some of the dishes that put executive chef Vivek Singh’s first restaurant on the map, with prices rolled back to 2001, the Retro Menu includes classics like seared calf’s liver with masala mash and spiced onion chutney, and sandalwood tandoori chicken (both £6) and larger plates of vindaloo pork chop with pilau rice and pan seared breast of Gressingham duck with sesame tamarind sauce for £16. Run, don’t walk. 

Acme Curry House will be open until the end of February 2026 at Acme Fire Cult, Abbot Street, E8 3DP, visit acmefirecult.com; The Cinnamon Club’s Retro Menu will be available from 12-24 January 2026 at The Old Westminster Library, Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU, visit cinnamonclub.com

The festival: Beauty Triangle

The Beauty Triangle Festival returns this month with its biggest, most immersive programme yet – bringing together the UK’s leading voices in aesthetics, integrative health, mental wellbeing and future-forward beauty innovation. Taking place on 24 January 2026 at 180 Studios, the one-day event invites guests to explore a world of expert-led education, hands-on treatments, restorative workshops and next-generation technologies – plus, all attendees will also take away a goody bag worth £200.

On the main stage, a brilliant speaker lineup promises in-depth, accessible conversations on weight-loss medications, brain health, neuroplasticity and cognitive longevity, and fertility, female health and hormone awareness with esteemed experts including Ruby Hammer, Dr Jenna Macciochi, Dr Ashwin Soni, Poppy Delbridge and more. Elsewhere, enjoy complimentary treatments such as LED facials from The Light Salon, and mitochondria-regulating Erchonia laser therapies, as well as Pilates, breathwork and sound healing sessions. New for 2026, the Beauty Triangle Boutique invites guests to meet the creators behind cutting-edge skincare, body care and supplement brands including Sarah Chapman, MZ Skin, Nuchido, Joonbyrd, and more. Definitely make the most of that exclusive festival discount.

The Beauty Triangle Festival is priced from £70 per person and takes place on 24 January 2026 at 180 Strand, Surrey Street, Temple, WC2R 1ER, visit thebeautytriangle.com

The workshops: Passementerie tassel making at Ham Yard Hotel, and sound bath and breathwork at Art’otel Battersea

Elizabeth Ashdown

On 17 January, Elizabeth Ashdown – one of the UK’s few remaining passementerie makers – will spend a day at Ham Yard Hotel teaching the elegant and ‘endangered’ craft of tassel-making. Guests will design their own tassel with authentic materials and traditional tools, resulting in a personal piece to take home, while also enjoying coffee and cake on arrival and a seasonal lunch served in Ham Yard Restaurant.

Every Wednesday throughout January, Art’otel Battersea will host a sound bath and breathwork class to help Londoners melt away the city rush. This 50-minute session combines the grounding practice of conscious breathing with the soothing vibrations of sound, before guests are invited to enjoy a hot drink and snack at Tozi Counter.

Passementerie tassel making is priced at £110 per person and take places on 17 January 2026 at Ham Yard Hotel, 1 Ham Yard, W1D 7DT, visit firmdalehotels.com; Art’otel Battersea’s sound bath and breathwork sessions are priced at £55 per person and take place every Wednesday at 1 Electric Boulevard, Nine Elms, SW11 8BJ, visit artotel.com

The restaurants: Lírica and Tortello

Lírica

Having opened 2 January 2026, The Cumberland Hotel is home to Lírica, a Spanish tapas restaurant where every dish celebrates rich culinary traditions and bold, fresh flavours. The name Lírica, meaning lyrical poetry, reflects the terracotta-hued restaurant’s ethos: food and drink in harmony, serving sun-drenched plates of Iberico ham croquetas and tortillas, as well as Spanish favourites such as gambas, gazpacho, patatas bravas, and pan con tomate. To complement the menu, Lírica's bar offers a limited-edition cocktail selection, including sangria, jose collins, and vanilla margaritas, as well as an exclusively Spanish wine list.

Tortello will open on 10 January 2026 as the newest restaurant at Royal Lancaster London: the site where scenes from The Italian Job were filmed. Its raison d'être is celebrating the art of handmade pasta, using silky flours from specialist Italian mills, rich golden-yolk eggs produced exclusively for the restaurant, and produce sourced from artisan farmers to create standout dishes including tortello di zucca – delica pumpkin tortelli matured especially for Tortello by a dedicated farmer in Veneto, served with brown butter, balsamic and toasted Piedmont hazelnuts – and seafood calamarata: langoustine tomato sauce with Scottish clams, Dorset mussels and king prawns, paired with calamarata pasta.

The interiors mirror the restaurant’s ethos of thoughtful craftsmanship, featuring a hand-painted vineyard mural created by a London artist, a walkway lined with olive trees and aromatic herbs, and a pistachio-green 1960s Fiat 500 offering a playful Italian welcome. Don’t miss the Hyde Park-facing terrace in the summer months. 

Lírica is open now at Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, W1H 7DL, visit thecumberland.com; Tortello opens on 10 January 2026 at Lancaster Terrace, W2 2TY, visit royallancaster.com

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