The London agenda for January, from leading art to creative dinners

Forget the January blues – there is no sign of hibernation in London, where new restaurants and compelling exhibitions provide ample reason to leave the house this January.

Book a seat at The Standard’s collaborative dinner series with Mexico City’s Masala y Maíz (in town for two nights only), and make a date at the Tate for a landmark retrospective of photographer and surrealist muse Lee Miller. Plan ahead for the opening of Lucian Freud, Drawing into Painting at the National Portrait Gallery, and the anticipated return of Jeremy King at Simpsons in the Strand.

Culinary happenings

La Mesa at The Standard, Kings Cross

Why we rate it: Mexico City favourite Masala y Maíz pops up at The Standard’s vibing 10th floor restaurant
When: 16 and 17 January 2026
Address: 10 Argyle Street, London WC1H 8EG

Decimo at The Standard continues its unique dinner series, Mesa, with Michelin-starred Mexico City collective Masala y Maíz. For two nights only, Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval will serve their revered blend of Mexican, Indian and East African cuisine, which draws on family recipes from their respective culinary heritages. You can expect a mix of samosas, quesadillas and masala-grilled dishes, all served against London skyline views. A live DJ will spin tracks, while a spiced tequila cocktail sets the evening off just right.

DakaDaka, Mayfair

Why we rate it: Open-fire cooking and natural wine, celebrating Georgian culinary heritage
When: 17 January 2026
Address: Heddon Street, Mayfair, London W1B

DakaDaka is a new opening on Mayfair’s Heddon Street, bringing the bold flavours and culinary traditions of Georgia to central London. Centred on an open-fire grill, guests can order smoky, fire-charred kebabs and wood-fired Khachapuri, filled with beetroot and locally sourced Ogleshield cheese. A 100-strong wine list showcases Georgian natural wines, alongside Georgian beers and cocktails laced with ChaCha, the country’s pomace brandy. Look out for Georgian-made qvevri amphora, the distinct earthenware vessels used for fermenting, aging, and storing wine.

Claridge’s Bakery, Mayfair

Why we rate it: London’s poshest sausage rolls and faultless classic bakes
Address: Brooks Mews, Mayfair, London W1
When: Opening 21 January

Claridge’s tapped world-renowned baker Richard Hart, founder of Tartine in San Francisco and Hart Bagery in Copenhagen, to launch its first bakery on Brooks Mews. It joins the hotel’s ArtSpace Cafe, which opened in 2025, and focuses on British bakes such as Bakewell Tarts and iced fingers, alongside French viennoiserie. Guests can also order savoury Marmite cheese straws, Hampshire pork scotch eggs and posh sausage rolls, or pick up Hart’s renowned sourdough loaves to take home. As expected, the bakery is suitably high-end, with polished marble tabletops and gilded fixtures.

Tiella Trattoria, Hackney

Why we rate it: Seasonal Italian dishes in a homely space
When: 21 January 2026
Address: 109 Columbia Road, London E2 7RL

Italian-born chef Dara Klein has found a permanent home for her travelling residency, Tiella Trattoria. Occupying a cosy corner on Columbia Road in Hackney, it promises to be a warm, intimate tribute to the family trattoria where she grew up. Look forward to seasonal dishes such as spaghetti ai frutti di mare, while a large central bar encourages lingering and spontaneous drinks.

Acme Curry House, Hackney

Why we rate it: A curry menu from Hackney’s leading live-fire restaurant
When: Until end of February
Address: Abbot Street, London E8 3DP

Acme Fire Cult in Hackney is hotting up January with a fiery new curry menu. Staying true to Acme’s open-fire ethos, dishes are flame-cooked on a theatrical open grill, bringing smoke and intensity to classic South Asian flavours. Highlights include pig’s head vindaloo, inspired by Portuguese–Goan curries rather than the sweeter British style; whole mackerel recheado, stuffed with a punchy Goan red masala, and venison and pork seekh kebabs, grilled over the hearth with lemon-guanjillo butter. Flatbreads and beers from 40FT Brewery round out the offering.

Simpsons in the Strand

Why we rate it: The return of a London icon
When: Reopening late February 2026
Address: Simpsons in the Strand, 100 Strand, London WC2R 0EW

Jeremy King makes his anticipated return to Simpsons in the Strand, which is reopening this February in partnership with The Savoy. A major refit hopes to restore the expansive building to glory, with a fresh layout in The Grand Divan dining room and silver carving trolleys serving pies, roasts and game. It also looks set to be a prized address for business breakfasts, with a supreme Full English on offer.

Complementing the dining room is Romanos, an all-day brasserie; Simpson’s Bar; and late-night Nellie’s, which is open until 3am. The launch follows King’s other new ventures, The Park near Hyde Park and Arlington (formerly Le Caprice), cementing his feted return to London’s hospitality scene.

Exceptional exhibitions

Wes Anderson: The Archives at the Design Museum

Why we rate it: An expansive tribute to the American film director’s illustrious career
When: Until 26 July 2026
Address: Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG
Price: 19 GBP per person

Step into the dream-like world of Wes Anderson at the Design Museum in a landmark exhibition charting the American director’s legacy. Margot Tenenbaum’s Fendi mink coat, worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums, and stop motion puppets from The Fantastic Mr Fox will be on display, alongside bespoke Louis Vuitton suitcases (featured in The Darjeeling Limited) and a candy-pink model of the The Grand Budapest Hotel. In the age of AI, it is a welcome reminder of the importance and success of hands-on filmmaking, while celebrating Anderson’s innate and influential eye for colour and composition.

Peter Doig: House of Music at Serpentine

Why we rate it: A convergence of art and music
When: until 30 March 2026
Address: Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
Price: Free entry

Peter Doig’s exhibition at the Serpentine is as much about spatial composition and sound as it is the works on the walls. The gallery has been fashioned to loosely resemble a house, with a terracotta floor, chairs imported from Trinidad (where Doig had a long-time studio) and a gigantic sound system by hi-fi authority Laurence Passera, which blares out an eclectic mix of genres that inspire Doig’s work. The artwork itself features prowling lions, dreamlike landscapes and shadowy figures, all contributing to a unique and multisensory show from one of the world’s most acclaimed living painters.

Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency at Gagosian, London

Why we rate it: A seminal showcase of desire, intimacy and connection
When: 13 January – 21 March 2026
Address: Gagosian Gallery, 17-19 Davies Street, London W1K 3DE
Price: Free entry

Gagosian gallery in Mayfair is presenting a photographic exhibition of Nan Goldin’s seminal book, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, published in 1986. The acclaimed American photographer is known for her candid, unflinching portrayal of subcultures and her own circle of friends during the 1970s and 1980s. Widely regarded as Goldin’s magnum opus, it is the first time the entire body of work has been shown in the UK, exploring themes of gender, desire, addiction and human connection.

Lee Miller at Tate Britain

Why we rate it: A UK-first retrospective of multihyphenate Lee Miller’s rich artistic legacy
When: Until 26 April 2026
Address: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Price: 20 GBP per person

Tate Britain is currently showing the largest UK retrospective of Lee Miller, the American model-turned-surrealist muse and pioneering war photographer. Curated by her son, Antony Penrose, the exhibition documents Miller’s time in Paris during the 1930s, where she served as Man Ray’s apprentice and collaborator, and as a war correspondent for British Vogue. Her photography contrasts high fashion with wartime reality ( she famously photographed herself in Hitler’s bathtub), as well as harrowing coverage of concentration camps and frontline combat. The exhibition features previously unseen, smaller works for the first time, which provide an intimate glimpse into Miller’s extraordinary and multifaceted life.

Lucian Freud, Drawing Into Painting at National Portrait Gallery

Why we rate it: A rare focus on Freud’s works on paper
When: 12 February – 4 May 2026
Address: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
Price: 18 GBP per person

Lucian Freud’s figurative paintings need no introduction, but it is his lesser-known works on paper that take centre stage at the National Portrait Gallery this February. The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on his artistic practice, showcasing rarely-seen pencil, pen, ink and charcoal etchings. A carefully chosen group of paintings are on display, revealing the full arc of Freud’s creative process and his dialogue between paper and canvas.