W1 London news: Oxford Street goes traffic-free, Lost heads for the old London College of Fashion, Oorja opens in Marylebone (24 October 2026)
On Monday 0.9km of the street closes to traffic as the first stage of making it permanently pedestrianised. This week also brought a new home for the no-phones club Lost, a second Oorja on Thayer Street, a World's 50 Best placing for Marylebone's Kol and a Mariah Carey Christmas bar for Mayfair.
Oxford Street closes to traffic between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street from Monday 26 October
Nearly 1km of Oxford Street becomes traffic-free from 26 October. The 0.9km stretch runs from Orchard Street, by Selfridges, to Great Portland Street and includes the Oxford Circus junction with Regent Street. Time Out describes it as a live testing phase, known as the transition scheme, with further testing and review through spring 2027 before work on a permanent scheme starts later that year.
Vehicles can still cross at Duke Street (northbound only), Davies Street, Stratford Place, Vere Street, New Bond Street (southbound only), and Holles Street and Harewood Place (northbound only). Emergency vehicles keep access, as do street cleaning and refuse collection at set times. Temporary seating, planters, raised carriageway areas and security bollards have gone in, and TfL hopes to add more than 50 trees and 100 seats along the section by the end of spring 2027.
Bus routes 7, 94, 98, 139 and 390 and night routes N7, N98, N113, N137 and N207 are diverted. Cycling is banned on the closed section; bikes are sent along Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place or Margaret Street.
Source: Time Out London, 19 October 2026.
Lost, the no-phones club, has secured the former London College of Fashion building on Oxford Street
Lost, the nightclub that ran in the former Odeon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue until it closed almost five months ago, says it has secured the former London College of Fashion building, "an entire block on Oxford Street", according to an Instagram post reported by Time Out on 23 October.
The club says it needs support to secure a premises licence for what it calls a space for "new forms of nightlife, culture and art". It had earlier talked of returning in November with a "24-hour district", but its latest post gives no opening date. Lost opened in March 2025 and became known for its no-phones policy, secret line-ups and multi-room mix of film, live bands and DJs.
Source: Time Out London, 23 October 2026.
Oorja opened its second restaurant at 13-14 Thayer Street, Marylebone, on 20 October
Gobind Chona, who is behind Gura Gura, opened Oorja on Shaftesbury Avenue early last year. The second branch, at 13-14 Thayer Street, W1U 3JR, takes the site that was once Xier and more recently Santo Remedio. It opened on 20 October with a soft launch offering 50% off food until 30 October.
The menu matches the Covent Garden original, including a Tiffin lunch set menu, Delhi street-market small plates, biryani, curries and tandoor dishes. Signatures include a bone-in lamb leg railway curry, a mango shrimp curry with Goan chilli and coconut vinegar, and smoked black dahl.
Sources: Hot Dinners, 19 October 2026, Oorja (address).
Marylebone's Kol slips to 70 on the World's 50 Best 51-100 list, with the main list due on 4 November
Kol, at 9 Seymour Street, W1H 7BA, is one of two London restaurants on the 51-100 section of the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, published on 21 October. It placed 70th, down from 49th last year, when it was on the main list. The other London name is The Ledbury at 83, back on the extended list for the first time since 2019.
Euronews reports that the extended list covers 36 cities on six continents, voted on by more than 1,100 chefs, food writers and other specialists. The top 50 is revealed at a ceremony in Lima on 4 November.
Sources: Hot Dinners, 21 October 2026, Euronews, 21 October 2026, Kol (address).
Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar is coming to Mayfair from 19 November, and Tabitha's pops up at 1 Hotel Mayfair this weekend
Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar, which has run as a series of pop-ups in the US, opens its first London edition in Mayfair from 19 November, timed to the singer's O2 shows. The address and run length have not been announced. Cocktails use her Black Irish Cream liqueur, including the Make My Wish Come True, MC Toasted Tini and Imperfect Angel; weekend brunch bookings and merchandise are expected. Pre-sale sign-ups are open.
Before that, Manchester coffee shop Tabitha's, known for iced matchas and coffees, runs a three-day pop-up at 1 Hotel Mayfair, 3 Berkeley Street, W1J 8DL, from 23 to 25 October, with a run club on the Sunday.
Sources: Hot Dinners, 20 October 2026, Hot Dinners, 14 October 2026.
What this means for W1 visitors, residents and businesses
From Monday, plan journeys around a closed Oxford Street: buses 7, 94, 98, 139 and 390 are diverted, cyclists should use Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place or Margaret Street, and the only vehicle crossings are at the side streets listed above. Businesses on the stretch should check delivery access, since only emergency, cleaning and refuse vehicles keep access at set times.
For eating out, Oorja's 50% off food at Thayer Street runs until 30 October, Tabitha's is at 1 Hotel Mayfair only until Sunday 25 October, and anyone hoping for Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar should sign up for the pre-sale now, ahead of the 19 November opening.