New York City Vibes Are Taking Over London Restaurants
In the UK, diners are digging into burgers and USDA steaks and washing them down with martinis.
A steak to share at One Club Row, a London restaurant that prides itself on its New York inspiration.
Photographer: Justin De Souza/One Club RowIt’s high tourist season in New York right now, but things are quieter than usual. The city is set to see visitors drop 17% from 2024, a loss of 2.5 million people, which many attribute to the Trump administration’s tariff war and aggressive immigration policies. Local tour operators report 75% fewer bookings this year.
But if the Big Apple is dimming as a destination, its brand is more powerful than ever in London, where the New York influence is pervading the food and drink scene on multiple fronts. There’s the deluge of scone-size, dough-forward chocolate chip cookies, based on NYC’s famed Levain ones, at stores like Sable and Crumbs & Doilies. The city’s iconic plump and chewy bagels are well represented at the multiple It’s Bagels locations. And New York-style thin-crusted pizza can be found across London, at Alley Cats and Dough Hands to name a few spots. (As a native New Yorker, I can attest to the relative authenticity of all of the above.)