Summer’s tasty top twenty

1. Mmmmmmm.......Doughnuts

By the summer’s end there’ll be dozens of imitators of St John Bakery’s delicious doughnuts. At its Maltby Street market stall every Saturday the custard-and-fruit-filled (currently rhubarb) doughnuts generate huge queues and sell out early. If you’re lucky you might be able to pick one up on a weekday at Whole Foods, which gets a limited number each morning. Happily, the Latin trend means you’ll also find churros – deep-fried cinnamon doughnuts, usually served with chocolate sauce for dipping – on more menus than ever.

stjohnbakerycompany.com

2. Taco so good More Mexicans

La Bodega Negra may be the spiciest new Mexican in town, but there are others. Wahaca is opening two new venues, a two-year pop-up on the South Bank this month and a permanent site with a mezcal bar on Charlotte Street next. Also coming to town is La Esquina, a much-loved NYC cantina, though details are sketchy. Expect a brilliant rival to La Bodega when it makes the jump.

wahaca.co.uk; labodeganegra.com

3. What a whopper! Fatter burgers

The best burgers this summer are roughly shaped, often by hand (as at Honest Burgers in Brixton) and deeply marbled. Try MEATMarket, the new Covent Garden outpost from the MEATliquor team, or the Slider Bar at The Player in Soho, where the Lucky Chip truck has found a permanent home. Later in the summer, try both sliders and hot dogs at Dach & Sons; the same crew owns bars Purl and the Worship St Whistling Shop. Burger & Lobster is also opening another venue.

honestburgers.co.uk; themeatmarket. co.uk; @sliderbar; luckychipuk.com; dachandsons.com; burgerandlobster.com

4. Japanese, yes please Kyoto cooking

Yoshihiro Murata holds seven Michelin stars across three restaurants back in Japan. His new restaurant, Chrysan, opens in the City later this summer; it won’t be cheap but it should be a major addition to London’s food scene, offering everything from tasting menus to takeaway bento boxes.

5. Pig out Rare pork

José Pizarro and Eyre Brothers were the first to serve pluma Ibérica, a delicious dish made with pork cooked very rare (it’s safe). Now you can also try it at Donostia, a new Basque restaurant in W1.

donostia.co.uk

6. Let them eat cake! Intolerance treats

If you’re lactose- intolerant, vegan, or wheat- or dairy-free, head to Ms Cupcake in Brixton for some of her incredibly naughty vegan patisserie. Alternatively, Cat and the Cream, stocked at Whole Foods, goes one further, making gluten-free, vegan cakes that are impossible to resist (using canola oil instead of egg, chickpea or corn flours, and almond milk for cream).

mscupcake.co.uk; catandthecream.com

7. Hops on Beer cocktails

Cocktails made with beer are long and refreshing. Try a Giddy Up at the bar under Dabbous, a Billy Dawson punch, left, at the Booking Office Bar at St Pancras, Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew at Hawksmoor Spitalfields, or a Michelada at Casa Morita in Brixton Market.

dabbous.co.uk; bookingofficerestaurant,com; thehawksmoor.com; casamorita.com

8. Pieces of paradise Mauritian food

A Mauritian street food van is the latest addition to the Eat.St collective. Try the delicious chickpea bread and aromatic curries.

mauritianstreetfood.co.uk

9. The Hillbillies are here Southern-style food

Deep South cooking has reached us thanks to food trucks such as Anna Mae’s, set up after the owners took a trip across Texas and were inspired to bring barbecues, fried chicken and smokers back home. Pitt Cue’s famous Deep South ribs and wings are brilliant, but beat the queues by heading to lesser-known spots such as Duke’s Brew & Que in De Beauvoir Town or the Rib Man van, often at Brick Lane or King’s Cross.

anna-maes.co.uk; pittcue.co.uk; dukesjoint.com; bigeasy.co.uk

10. Not So sweet Bitter cocktails

It’s all about dark, bitter or savoury cocktails these days – using ingredients such as Kamm & Sons (ginseng liqueur), Becherovka (herbal liqueur), Campari, Aperol (bitter rhubarb liqueur), Kümmel (made with caraway and cumin), absinthe and even tobacco-infused liqueur. Try the excellent new House of Tippler in East Dulwich, Barts in Chelsea, and Nightjar, where they hand-smoke their booze. If you can wangle your way into Little House, Soho House’s latest club, order a scorched pisco sour with smoked absinthe spritzed over the top.