August 2022. The second heatwave of the year is upon London, like a blanket of molten cheese on toast.

British weather is something people love to talk about, predict, and hate in equal measure, but London dining — particularly with new outdoor spaces occasioned by COVID-19 planning laws — is beginning to think that emulating European predilections for eating outside even when it’s not absolutely perfect is something worth trying out.

Woozily warm terraces to while away hours over blushing pet-nats and drinking snacks; slurping cold noodles in a hot room; tearing into silver trays of jerk chicken, rice, and peas on a sun-baked park; smelling a barbecue at 1000 yards or more; melting into the city’s embarrassment of ice cream riches. Londoners need not retreat: The sun brings out some of the best dining the city has to offer. Get the sunscreen, and get outside.