It's that time of year again, where some of London's top restaurants join forces to offer events, special menus and more across the capital for 18 days of fun from 3-21 October. Tickets are still available to most of the events and there are plenty of festival menu deals on offer throughout town too. We've trawled through this year's list of events and picked out the best to go to.
Japanese Journey/ Tapas Tour / Chicetti Trail
These are the London Restaurant Festival's version of a pub crawl - with each focusing on a particular cuisine and picking out some of the top purveyors across town. You'll have to make a visit to all of these restaurants in one day and at each of them you'll get a dish and a drink.
For the Japanese Journey (£60) there's sushi and much more, including Inamo Soho, Inamo Regents Street, Tonkotsu, Shoryu, Bincho Soho and the Kurobuta pop-up on the Kings Road (from the upcoming Japanese pub). Or if you're into Italian chichetti, you can take in The Chichetti Trail (£50) Massimo, Polpo Covent Garden, Theo Randall at The InterContinental, Mele e Pere, In Parma and San Carlo Cicchetti - while traditional tapas fans can go on the Tapas Tour (£50) Fernandez & Wells, Copita and Barrica, El Pirata, El Pirata Detapas and the newly Michelined Ametsa with Arzak Instruction.
Gourmet Odyssey
If all that walking around town is too much for you (even if it does help work off the food) then the Gourmet Odyssey is back to cart you across town on an old Routemaster bus (or around the Shard - but alas, that's sold out).
There are two trips. The "Discovery" (£125) takes in a champagne reception at Chop Shop, then follows up with courses at Social Eating House, Picture and Gymkhana. The "Masters" trip (£125) starts with its champagne reception and first course at Benares, before heading to Boulestin and Wild Honey.
Graze
If you'd like more of a leisurely trip across town during the course of the Festival, then Graze is the thing for you. It covers three areas across town - City, West End and... "Up North". The Graze passports are £15 or £25 for two and will get you a free drink if you buy any of the special graze dishes at the 12 restaurants participating in each area.
- The City includes: Baranis, Bird of Smithfield, Cellar Gascon, Chiswell Street Bar, Coco Momo, Giant Robot, Grill on the Market, Redhook, The Chancery, The Well, White Swan Pub
- West End features: Central & Co, Christopher's Grill, Cinnamon Soho, Clockjack Oven, Coco Momo, Cotidie, Dishoom Covent Garden, Drakes Tabanco, See Sushi, The Northall, The Providores
- Up North includes: Dishoom Shoreditch, Floripa, Karpo, Naamyaa Cafe, Ribeira, Rotary, Rotunda, The Fellow, The Meat People, The Potato Merchant, Tramshed, XOXO
Eat Film
Definitely for the more sedate among you - this takes place in Bafta 195 Piccadilly where you'll watch one of Jonathan Ross's favourite films, Spirited Away, followed by a dinner inspired by the film and hosted by Ross himself (£75).
Festival menus
And finally - throughout town there are the Festival Menus, where restaurants across town have put on special menus to showcase their restaurants - starting from as little as £10 a head (but going to well over £40 too).
There are loads of restaurants taking part in the event - check out the London Restaurant Festival website for more details on these and on all of the events above.
