Most London restaurants that take bookings ask for a card number when you reserve. Usually nothing is taken unless you fail to turn up or cancel inside a stated window, and the table is yours for a set time, often 90 minutes to two hours, counted from the time you booked rather than the time you arrive.
None of this is law. Each restaurant writes its own terms, and by clicking "confirm" you agree to them as part of a contract. The good news is that the terms are nearly always printed on the booking page and in the confirmation email, and once you know the four or five things to look for, they take a minute to read.
This page is the counterpart to our guide to London restaurants that do not take bookings, which covers queues and waiting lists. Here we deal with the places that do take reservations: what happens to your card, how the clock on your table works, and what to put in the note.
A typical London booking, in brief
- Card at booking
- Usually stored, sometimes held; a deposit or prepayment at the top end
- Cancellation window
- Commonly 24 or 48 hours before the booked time (our observation, November 2026)
- No-show fee
- Varies widely; read the figure on the booking page before you confirm
- Table time
- Often 90 minutes for two, two hours or more for larger tables
- Groups
- From about six or eight people: set menu, deposit, sometimes a service charge
- Cooling-off period
- None. The 14-day right to cancel does not apply to a meal on a fixed date
What the restaurant actually does with your card
"We need a card to secure the booking" can mean three quite different things, and the booking page usually tells you which one you are in.
- The card is stored. The booking system keeps the details and takes nothing. Money is only taken if the terms are broken, for example by a no-show. This is the most common arrangement in ordinary London restaurants.
- The card is held. The bank places a temporary block, a pre-authorisation, for a stated amount. Your available balance drops, but no payment has been made. The block is released after the meal or when it lapses.
- The card is charged. A deposit or the full price is taken at booking, and the restaurant treats the meal almost like a ticket. Tasting-menu restaurants often work this way; our guide to Michelin-starred restaurants covers that end of the market.
Holds have a legal frame in the United Kingdom. Under the Payment Services Regulations 2017, where the final amount is not known when you authorise a card payment, your bank may only block funds if you have agreed the exact amount, and it must release them without undue delay once the real amount is known. That rule binds UK payment providers; with a card issued abroad, how long a hold lasts depends on your own bank. Our guide to card payments in Britain covers the rest of the card picture.
A no-show fee is a contract term, not a fine
The charge you agree to when you book is part of the contract between you and the restaurant. Nobody is fining you; the restaurant is claiming what you agreed it could claim if you broke the booking. That is why the exact wording matters more than any general idea of what is fair.
There is also no cooling-off period. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a 14-day right to cancel many contracts made online, but they expressly exclude catering and leisure services "if the contract provides for a specific date or period of performance". A dinner at 19:30 on a Saturday is exactly that. The same exclusion applies to hotel rooms, which is why our page on flexible and non-refundable hotel rates starts from the same point.
Consumer law does still apply to the terms themselves. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says an unfair term is not binding on the consumer, and among its examples of terms that may be unfair is one requiring a consumer who fails to keep their side of a contract to pay "a disproportionately high sum in compensation". Only a court can decide that a given restaurant's fee is unfair; an argument at the door settles nothing.
The cancellation clock counts back from your booked time, not from midnight. A 48-hour window on a 19:30 Saturday booking closes at 19:30 on Thursday. If you are travelling, check which time zone the confirmation email shows, cancel through the link in that email so there is a record, and keep the cancellation message.
The 90-minute table, and why it runs from the booked time
Many London restaurants book each table more than once an evening. The booking page or confirmation will often say something like "we will need the table back after 90 minutes" or "tables are reserved for two hours". The clock starts at your booking time. Arrive twenty minutes late for a 90-minute slot and you have seventy minutes left, because the next party is already booked for the same table.
Lateness has another cost. Many booking terms say how long a table will be held for a late party, and fifteen minutes is a figure you will often see. If you are running late, telephone; a call five minutes before the booking is treated very differently from silence.
If you want a long, slow meal, say so when you book. Ask for the last slot of the evening, or ask directly whether the table has a time limit. Many restaurants will happily give a table with nobody after it to the people who ask.
Why 18:00 and 21:15 are nearly always free
A restaurant that turns its tables twice a night has two sittings. The popular hour, roughly 19:30 to 20:30, sells out first. The slots either side are what is left: an early table that must be back by about 19:30, and a late table that starts once the first wave has gone. That is why a booking site shows nothing at eight o'clock and plenty at 18:00 and 21:15.
Both are worth taking. The early slot suits families and anyone going to a show, and many restaurants run a cheaper fixed-price menu during it; our guide to eating before a West End show explains how to time it. The late slot is the one to take for a long evening, because there is usually no one waiting for your table afterwards.
Booking for six, eight or more
The rules change for groups, and the threshold is usually printed on the booking page: above six people at many restaurants, above eight at others. Online booking often stops at that number and asks you to email or telephone instead. Expect some or all of these:
- A set menu, chosen in advance, so the kitchen can cook for a large table without holding up everyone else.
- A deposit per person, taken at booking and deducted from the bill.
- A service charge added to the bill. Check whether it is described as discretionary or compulsory; our guide to tipping in London explains the difference and where the money goes.
- One bill. Some restaurants will not split a large table's bill more than a few ways. Ask when you book, not when it arrives.
For a group at short notice, a pub with a dining room is often easier than a restaurant, because its tables can be booked while the bar stays open to everyone else; our guide to gastropubs has the detail. The same applies to the busiest meal of the British week, the Sunday roast, which in a popular pub sells out days ahead.
What to write in the booking note
Almost every booking form has a free-text box. It is read by whoever plans the room that day, and it is the cheapest way to avoid a problem on the night. Keep it short and specific.
- Wheelchair or limited mobility. Ask whether there is a step at the entrance, where the accessible toilet is (in old buildings it is often downstairs), and ask for a table near the door. Our guide to accessible London lists the other questions worth asking.
- Children. Say how many high chairs you need and whether you are bringing a pushchair, because space beside a table is limited in small rooms. Our page on eating out with children covers which places suit families.
- Allergies. Write them down, and then tell your server again when you sit down. The note warns the kitchen in advance, but the legal duty to tell you what is in a dish applies at the moment you order; our guide to allergens in British restaurants explains it.
- Occasions and seating. A birthday, a quiet corner, no table by the kitchen door. Restaurants cannot promise any of this, but they can only try if they know.
Give a mobile number that can receive a British text. Many booking systems send a reminder or a reconfirmation request by text the day before. If your phone does not receive it, you may not see a message asking you to confirm. Add your email address too, and look for the reminder in both.
Booking from abroad
Most London restaurants open their reservations a set period ahead, often a few weeks and occasionally a few months, and release cancellations constantly after that. If the date you want is full, check again in the final few days, when people who booked speculatively cancel.
Book through the restaurant's own booking page or the system it links to from its website, so that the terms you see are the restaurant's own. Write your name exactly as it is on the card. If the confirmation does not arrive within a few minutes, look in your spam folder before booking a second time, because two bookings can mean two no-show fees.
Once you have the confirmation, it is worth checking the restaurant on the Food Standards Agency register before you travel; our page on reading a food hygiene rating shows how in under a minute.
When a fee has been charged and you think it is wrong
Start with the restaurant, in writing, with your booking reference and your cancellation email if you have one. Many charges taken in error are simply refunded once someone looks. If that fails, the bank or card company that issued your card is the next step. We do not give legal advice beyond this; the point is to keep the paperwork, because a cancellation you cannot prove is hard to argue about.
If you want to bring your own bottle to a booked table, settle that when you book as well; our guide to corkage in London explains when it is allowed and what it costs.
Frequently asked questions
Why do London restaurants ask for card details when I book?
To protect themselves against no-shows. A small restaurant that loses a table for two on a Saturday night loses a meaningful share of the evening. In most cases the card is stored and nothing is charged unless you break the terms, but some restaurants place a temporary hold and some take a deposit, so read the booking page.
Can I cancel a restaurant booking within 14 days for free?
No. The 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations does not apply to catering or leisure services booked for a specific date. You can cancel for free only within whatever window the restaurant's own terms allow, which is often 24 or 48 hours before the booked time.
How long do I get at a table in a London restaurant?
It depends on the restaurant. Many state a time limit, commonly around 90 minutes for a table of two and two hours or more for larger groups, counted from the booked time. If the confirmation does not mention a limit, there may be none, but ask if a long meal matters to you.
What happens if I am late for a restaurant booking in London?
Many restaurants hold a table for about fifteen minutes and then may give it away; any time limit still runs from your booked time. Telephone as soon as you know you will be late. A call usually keeps the table, and silence is what restaurants treat as a no-show.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulation 28 (checked November 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 62: requirement for contract terms and notices to be fair (checked November 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2: consumer contract terms which may be regarded as unfair (checked November 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Payment Services Regulations 2017, regulation 78: payment transactions where the amount is not known in advance (checked November 2026)