Table at 5pm? Restaurants cash in on wave of early bird diners

Previously sitting down for dinner at 5pm usually meant one of three things. You were going to the theatre. You had a toddler. You were of an age where you had a free bus pass.

- Chloe Mac Donnell

But now we are becoming a nation of early birds; 5pm is the new 8pm and restaurants are adapting accordingly. Special early evening menus are on the rise.

At Skye Gyngell's Spring restaurant in Covent Garden, a special £30 "Scratch" menu - featuring dishes made using waste produce such as a moreish bread and butter pudding made from the day before's loaves - is served between 5.30pm and 6.15pm.

Over at Bulrush in Bristol, which opened in 2015 and has held a Michelin star since 2018, diners can enjoy a mini version of its signature tasting menu three days a week at 5.30pm. Instead of £90 for nine courses, you pay £65 for six.

Portland in London, which has held a Michelin star since 2015, offers four courses for £55 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Its standard post-6.30pm tasting menu will set you back £110 while a three-course meal from its à la carte costs £89.