So it's confirmed - we're going to be allowed to eat and drink inside in restaurants and bars again. Today Boris Johnson announced that the planned reopening for 17 May is still on. "The data now supports moving to step 3 in England from next Monday 17 May," he said, which means that many restaurants, pubs and bars without outside space will finally be able to reopen again after being closed for the past five months. 

The new reopening does come with its

Restaurants are open again outside (and from 17 May inside). Can't keep up with all the changes and restrictions? We're here to help. On this page, you'll find the latest rules and regulations about eating and drinking in London, and we'll update it as soon as things change. Which they most certainly will.

So, Boris has made his statement and we finally have a much better idea of when restaurants will open. 

There are to be four stages of reopening in general (although, somewhat confusingly, two dates within stage 1) with restaurants and bars starting in stage two.

Here's how that's looking:

• 8 March: Schools reopen, people allowed to meet in pairs

Here we go again. As of today, we're all in another national lockdown - and that means the rules are changing. Without beating around the bush - here's what you need to know:

• There's a stay at home order in place - which means only going out for "basic necessities" (which includes food), exercise or certain other exceptions.
• Restaurants can still deliver food and are open for

As has been threatened for a number of days now, London is confirmed as being raised to Tier 3 restrictions from midnight on Wednesday morning on 16 December.

Put simply, it means that all restaurants, bars and pubs have to shut - and are back to only deliveries and takeaways. Essentially it's the same as Lockdown 2.0.

Obviously, this is a terrible blow for the hospitality industry in London,

So after much nail-biting - we have confirmation, London will be in tier two from Wednesday 2 December. 

So what does that mean? Well, it's this:

• The rule of six remains - so bookings of up to six people only
  ...unless you're eating with your household or bubble
• All pubs and bars will have to serve a "substantial meal" with any bookings
• Table

23/11/20 - updated with more information

Just over two weeks into the lockdown, we're all already wiling it to end - but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The government has revealed that a new-style three-tiered system will be put in place at the end of the lockdown on 2 December.

In his video statement to the

As had been heavily rumoured and "leaked" earlier on Saturday, a new national lockdown is on the way. 

The lockdown will start on Thursday 5 November and is expected to last until 2 December. 

This means that all hospitality - pubs, restaurants, bars and more - will have to close across the country (alongside non-essential retail). As during the last lockdown, takeaway and delivery

Updated 19/10/20

Another day, another shifting of the eating and drinking landscape for the pandemic age. This week, the government has just revealed three new tier levels that will cover England - and as such may have an impact on the capital's eating and drinking habits. And from today (15 October) the news is that this weekend, London will go up

We've already heard that pubs and restaurants have to close at 10pm every night from Thursday, and that table service was becoming mandatory. But there's another rule that's coming in too which was announced in the House of Commons debate today.

This time it's all about masks - namely that both diners and staff must wear masks

As London restaurants start to reopen following lockdown, many are also offering delivery to those who aren't ready to dine out just yet. Here's our guide to who's doing delivery and collection services. 

In parliament today, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced  a series of schemes to support the beleaguered hospitality industry. They are:

• A VAT cut. That comes down from 20% to 5% on food, accommodation and attractions - it takes effect from next Wednesday, 15 July.
• A £1000 bonus, payable in January 2021, for every staff member kept on once the furlough period ends in

The rules around the relaxing of the lockdown have been somewhat vague, as anyone who's been to Barnard Castle knows. Until yesterday, while restaurants were open for delivery, we knew that they wouldn't be opening up for diners until 4 July at the earliest. There was also no solid information about pub openings. Yesterday, that changed thanks to Boris Johnson's appearance at

Like pretty much the whole country, those working in the London hospitality industry tuned into the Prime Minister's broadcast tonight, to see if there was a sign of when restaurants and bars might be open.

And it does look as though there's a light, however flickery and faint, at the end of the tunnel. Outlining the new Covid alert system, Boris explained that if deaths and

If you're looking for news stories to take your mind off the awfulness of the current coronovirus crisis, you've come to the right place. Here's what the food world are doing to make things just a little bit better.