Celebrating Palentine’s / Galentine’s Day in London

Treating you to locations across London including Waterloo and Shoreditch, Tonight Josephine is a haven of cocktails, neon pink and groovy dance tunes. With its extensive list of signature cocktails and off-piste drinks menus, including a Starburst Boogie (which may or may not send the lightweight home on a stretcher) and Hot AF, to start your night off feeling sassy and flawless! Putting it simply, Tonight Josephine is just waiting for you and your girls to get this party started. And if you prefer starting earlier, book for a boozy brunch and enjoy the delicious choice of food to pair with the cocktails. From burgers to crispy red prawns, Tonight Josephine doubles up as the perfect spot to brunch this Galentine’s.

A highly accredited Italian-inspired restaurant based in Peckham, Artusi strives to create a neighbourhood atmosphere. With weekly menu changes to ensure the best produce and ingredients are sourced, this spot’s a must-visit for you. But why on Palentine’s? It’s rare that a restaurant will fit large groups of friends without special hire or function rooms – Artusi seats groups of up to 18 people within the restaurant and prepares special menus for the guests of these larger parties. In fact, something as delicious as a shin of veal or suckling pig can be requested for you and your mates to dine and wine with a dish to remember for years to come. And for the avid pasta lovers, Artusi crafts and serves pasta made by the chefs that day. So for the reunion that has been pencilled in since three years ago, make Artusi the place where you and your pals reminisce over the glory days.

Keen for the restaurant to match the wild and quirky style of you and your mates? Rock and Rose in Richmond has never failed us. With animal statues, Insta-worthy cocktails and wacky waiters to make your experience unforgettable, this restaurant is certainly one for those who want to go all out. What makes those few selfies with mates on Palentine’s even better are the breathtaking dishes and gaudy wallpapers that make the perfect backdrop to your memory. Located in Richmond, Rock and Rose promises a dining experience and a half. The modern European style dishes mixed with Asian fusion mean you’ll all be spoilt for choice. From Smoked Tofu to the Malaysian Beef Massaman, and Lamb Shawarma, there’s plenty to go round at this wildly entertaining restaurant. 

What screams Galentine’s more than an Alice in Wonderland-style afternoon tea with the Mad Hatter? Located inside the Sanderson London Hotel is the Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea that lets you and the girls relive one of your favourite classics. With designs inspired by Wonderland, this is an opportunity to venture away from the norm with your besties. Afternoon tea is served daily from 12pm until 4pm, with two menus to suit a variety of dietary requirements. And our favourite addition to this dining experience has to be the creative names of dishes and drinks on these menus. From a Caterpillar Swirl to the White Queen Minion’s Macaroon, this afternoon tea menu may quite literally send you and the girls down a rabbit hole (we couldn’t resist it!). 

For a lads day out, head to a classically English pub with a slight twist. With a DJ on the decks most nights with tunes of all genres, this is the perfect opportunity to have a blast with your mates and bust out your best dad moves. Based in Camberwell, The Kennington has everything you would want for a boozy celebration of friendship. In addition, this spot serves all your favourite traditional pub classics, including chicken goujons, cod and pea fish cake and (our personal favourites), a selection of homemade burgers – this menu is the key to anyone’s heart. 

Unity Diner holds a special place in our hearts. Not only is it London’s biggest vegan restaurant and cocktail bar, it has an especially meaningful origin story that is apt for Palentine’s. Unity Diner was formed in 2018 by a group of close friends with a mission to make sustainable eating easier and more accessible to a wide customer base. Not only this, but they don’t exclude pets either. Unity Diner is a dog-friendly restaurant and has vegan treats on hand for your precious pups. For those groups of friends that struggle to find a place suiting everyone’s requirements, Unity Diner has created a friendly atmosphere and delicious vegan food to be enjoyed by you, your friends, and all the dogs.

If none of these have tickled your fancy, we’ve picked a wild card we think you’ll love this 14th February. Formerly the advertising world’s most famous drinking establishment, this restaurant has been renovated to serve mouthwateringly good food with an equally delicious wine to match. In the mood for a chilled out night surrounded by your closest friends? The atmosphere of The Pregnant Man delivers just this. Warm, dim lighting with oak furnishings makes this spot the perfect pick for all your deep and meaningful conversations. The menu serves a variety of dishes ranging from an experimental pizza selection to a superfood salad, so the whole group is sated. 

The best way to eat tacos is to throw caution to the wind and just accept that you’re probably going to get a bit messy. Admittedly, it’s not the best cuisine for a romantic date, but it makes the perfect setting for a lively catch up with friends over some sharing plates and a steady stream of margaritas. Breddos Tacos in Clerkenwell even features a big table in the centre of the room, ready and waiting for such groups. The menu includes a decent variety of fillings too, from the classic battered fish, fried chicken and braised beef to creative vegetarian options like baja mushroom and smoked aubergine.

We doubt you’ll find many schmoozing couples in Boom Battle Bar, making it just the place for a blow out with your pals. The venue is home to multiple activities, from shuffleboard and axe throwing to beer or prosecco pong and karaoke… The menu features a tempting array of comfort food that’s perfect for sharing, including piles of wings, indulgent loaded tater tots, chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. You can even splash out on cocktail trees that hold six drinks and paddles of shots for six or eight. This place was pretty much built for nights like these!

Tucked down an unassuming alley off Hackney Road, the Sebright Arms is a rough and ready pub and live music venue with cult status in the city. Through the week, you can take part in pool competitions, quizzes and karaoke, or perhaps there’ll even be an artist on stage that’ll transport you to the wild nights of your youth! There’s an interesting menu that offers naan wraps with chicken tenders, halloumi or crispy sweet chilli tofu as well as the classic pub grub crowd-pleasers such as a stacked cheeseburger and baskets of onion rings. You never know who you might lock eyes with in the crowd…