Five of London's leading chefs and bartenders reveal what lured them to the English capital and the reasons they fell in love with their adoptive home.
London has a long-held history of best-in-class hospitality. From cutting-edge restaurants at the forefront of contemporary culinary technique through to eccentric 19th century hotels that have served both coronated and cultural royalty, a myriad of establishments have become pathfinders that have attracted world-class talent into the city.
Ahead of the reveal of the third edition of The World's 50 Best Hotels in London on Thursday 30 October, 50 Best finds out what drew some of its most celebrated people to the city and why they stayed.
Nieves Barragan, chef-director, Sabor and Legado
From: Bilbao
Time in London: 27 years
What originally drew you to London?
I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a chef. So I thought I would move to London to try it out for one year but I ended up working at a two-Michelin star restaurant and it changed my life forever. It introduced me to people from around the world, new ingredients and techniques I had never seen before. That first year felt like one month.
What makes London so special?
London is one of the best gastronomic cities in the world. Within less than 100 metres, you can have some of the best Thai, Spanish or Korean food. There's nowhere quite like it in the whole world. There are also new places up and coming every year and it always keeps you on your toes to maintain the highest standards.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of moving to London to build their career?
You need to experience it at least once in your life. It can be a very busy and a very hard city but it's so special.
Agostino Perrone (AP) and Giorgio Bargiani (GB), director and assistant director of mixology, Connaught Bar (No.6 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2025)
From: Pisa (GB) and Lake Como (AP)
Time in London: 11 years (GB) and 22 years (AP)
What do you love most about London?
GB: London is extremely diverse. You can have a sandwich from a street food market and an unforgettable experience from a fine dining restaurant on the same street.
AP: I think what makes London's scene so fantastic is the common denominator of the essence of hospitality. Whether looking out for our regular guests or taking care of the tourists visiting the city, we all have the responsibility to offer them a new experience.
The experience of ordering a Connaught Bar martini forms a key part of its iconic status
How do you stand out in a city with so much world-class hospitality?
GB: The wheel has been invented already, so uniqueness has to come via personality. You need to deliver a consistent and high-quality product with genuine personality.
AP: There needs to be a strong focus on your vision and its surrounding culture. Don't rush it.
If you could bring one thing from Italy to London, what would it be?
GB: I was going to say the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but we don't need another old building, especially one that's badly built. But really the distance to the sea.
AP: Como and the lake. We're both very water-based.
Yvonne Chan, bartender, Kwãnt Mayfair (No.79 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2025)
From: Hong Kong
Time in London: 18 months
What inspired you to move to London?
The city has always been famous for its hospitality scene and in Hong Kong we always worked with a lot of people who came from the UK. After travelling here every year, I wanted to experience it from the other side for myself.
Chan joined the Kwãnt Mayfair team in early 2025
How do find success in such a hospitality-saturated city?
It's a very different city to Hong Kong, which is so compact and therefore easier to stand out. Whereas in London, I've found the best advice is to sit back. There are so many definitions of what a 'great' bar or restaurant is, so the best advice is to take a step back, relax and just focus on your own craft.
What advice would you give to someone following a similar path?
There will be a bit of hustle at the start but take your time. I came to London and started working immediately but I wish I had given myself a bit more time to become familiar with the essence of the city before getting stuck in.
Santiago Lastra, chef-founder, Kol (No.49 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025)
From: Mexico City
Time in London: 8 years
Why did you decide to open a restaurant in London?
I wanted to represent the quality of Mexican food and culture to the world and I thought London was the best place to do it. London is a platform for anything you do to have a voice and become a reference point across the whole world.
What makes London unique?
There are people from all over the world who are open-minded and love new experiences. That makes them the most exciting guests to cook for. London also doesn't forgive. People love quality and the moment you do something great, there's no coming back. This results in organic growth across all of the restaurants, bars and hotels to create something better.
If you could bring one thing from Mexico to London, what would it be?
Salsa bars. We need more places to dance to Latino music here.
Sotiris Konomi, head of spies, The Spy Bar at Raffles London at The OWO (No.13 in The World's 50 Best Hotels 2024)
From: Halkidiki
Time in London: 7 years
What makes London so special?
The amount of incredible hospitality professionals that have come to London from across the world. Each person is bringing their own culture so they are developing their own concepts around their own home countries and bringing an amazingly diverse offering to one city.
The Spy Bar is tucked away behind a secret door in Raffles London at The OWO
What advice would you give to someone thinking of joining London's hospitality scene?
Trust the process and be resilient. Commitment is very important - you have to commit yourself, your knowledge and skills to the place you are working. London can be very tough, but it's just as rewarding.
If you could bring one thing from Greece to London, what would it be?
The sunshine.
The list of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 will be revealed at a live awards ceremony in London on Thursday 30 October.
