{"id":1086,"date":"2025-04-17T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/?p=1086"},"modified":"2025-04-20T08:06:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T08:06:51","slug":"bad-news-for-30-something-grandmas-restaurants-want-you-to-eat-after-9pm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/17\/bad-news-for-30-something-grandmas-restaurants-want-you-to-eat-after-9pm\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad news for 30-something grandmas \u2014 restaurants want you to eat after 9pm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Restaurants want to stay open late… (Picture: METRO \/ Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve always been quite particular about dinner time. You won\u2019t catch me eating before 5pm, but if food<\/a> isn\u2019t on the table by 8pm, I\u2019ll start getting anxious.<\/p>\n

Europe<\/a>’s love for late night dining then, is baffling to me. While I\u2019m in my pyjamas, ready to curl up with a good book, diners in Spain<\/a> could be tucking into tapas as late as 11pm.<\/p>\n

If like me, you too are a bit of a 30-something grandma, and the very idea leaves you feeling fatigued (and bloated), you might want to brace yourself: London<\/a> is looking to get a little more European, with late-night dining on the rise.<\/p>\n

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Late dining is popular in European countries like Spain (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A whole host of late-night restaurants<\/a> have cropped up around central London over the last few months, including Noodle & Beer,<\/a> which launched its second location in March. The new Chinatown<\/a> hotspot is open until 4am from Thursday to Saturday, with last orders at 3:30am. <\/p>\n

Founder Xiaoxiao Wang is firmly of the opinion that ‘the later everything can stay open, the better’ and says extended opening hours have meant Noodle & Beer has been able to attract a ‘whole new pool of customers’, who are ‘a younger, European and international crowd’.<\/p>\n

27 Old Compton Street, a quick service pasta restaurant, also set up shop in Soho last month, dishing up the likes of cacio e pepi and black crab tortelloni until midnight on Mondays, Tuesdays Wednesdays and Sundays, and until 1am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. <\/p>\n

Nima Safaei, the owner and executive chef, told Metro<\/strong> that \u2018late night hunger is very much alive\u2019 and the trend is being fueled by hybrid office workers on weekdays, who want to make the most of their time in the city.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DH0bGfjoJbE\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

He explained: \u2018From Tuesday to Thursday between 11pm and midnight, we see a steady stream of office workers, many of whom are only in town a few days a week now. But into the weekend, Soho changes with the streets filling up with people looking to make the most of their night.’<\/p>\n

Eran Tibi, the founder and executive chef of Kapara (James Court, Soho) and Bala Baya (Southbank) is also keen to jump on the trend.<\/p>\n

‘We have seen that there is a genuine market for customers that want to eat and drink later, particularly as we come into long summer days, and we feel the importance of attracting these customers,’ he told Metro<\/strong>. ‘We’re currently exploring a drinks and food package for after 9pm until 1am.’<\/p>\n

Restaurants are attempting to entice customers to be ‘night owls’ with discounts and deals.<\/a><\/p>\n

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