Ayllu Restaurant Brings Día de los Muertos to the Heart of Paddington

Halloween in London usually means cobwebs in cocktail bars and costumed chaos spilling onto the streets. This year however Ayllu Restaurant in Paddington is rewriting the script with a two-night celebration that pays tribute to Día de los Muertos. It is a chance to step away from the ordinary and lose yourself in a world of colour flavour and ritual.

On Friday 31 October and Saturday 1 November guests will step into a candlelit setting transformed with marigolds and vibrant displays. The atmosphere will carry the warmth of tradition and the energy of celebration. As with everything at Ayllu the experience begins on the plate. Three tasting menus set the tone. The Cuzco menu at forty nine pounds per person the Machu Picchu at sixty five and a vegetarian menu at thirty nine all designed for sharing. Each course draws on Ayllu’s signature Nikkei style where Peruvian and Japanese flavours are woven together in inventive harmony. Expect ceviches that sing with freshness sashimi as delicate as silk Peruvian barbecue that smoulders with fire and desserts that the chef keeps close to his chest until the very last moment.

The celebration is not just culinary theatre. Throughout the evening a live Spanish guitarist will provide the soundtrack shifting seamlessly from soulful to celebratory. A tarot card reader will invite guests to explore the unseen offering moments of reflection between bites and laughter. For those who want to step fully into the spirit of the festival a professional make up artist will be on hand creating striking calavera designs that echo the iconic sugar skulls of Día de los Muertos.

This is more than a dinner reservation. It is an invitation to honour tradition through music and art while exploring a fusion of flavours few restaurants in London can deliver with such confidence. Ayllu has always been a hidden gem in Paddington but with this two-night event it is set to become the city’s most intriguing destination for Halloween.

Those lucky enough to secure a table will discover that Día de los Muertos at Ayllu is less about trick or treat and more about transformation. It is a celebration of life connection and artistry where every detail from the food to the music to the brush of a make up artist’s hand comes together to create an unforgettable night in the capital.