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Marina O’Loughlin

FT Weekend Magazine Columnist

Marina O'Loughlin was a restaurant critic for the Guardian and The Sunday Times (as successor to AA Gill) for nearly two decades, winning numerous awards, including The Press Awards’ Critic of the Year. She has also written about restaurants and travel for BBC Good Food and Noble Rot magazine. She writes a monthly column, Critic Unchained, for the FT Weekend Magazine.

Follow Marina on Instagram and BlueSky​

  • Saturday, 5 July, 2025
    FT MagazineRestaurants
    How I learnt to stop worrying and love uncool restaurants 

    You say small plates, I say pornstar martini 

    Whimsical abstract drawing featuring colourful line art objects, including stylised flowers, cones, and a face
  • Saturday, 7 June, 2025
    FT MagazineFood & Drink
    The life-changing magic of non-‘foodie’ cities

    Copenhagen, who? The best restaurant cities are the ones built for locals

    A whimsical illustration of a dining table where a plate and utensils are decorated with colorful passport stamps from various global cities
  • Saturday, 10 May, 2025
    FT Magazine
    Gourmet buffet cars, no designated driver — the joys of adult Interrail

    From London to Sicily, via every decent station restaurant in Europe

  • Saturday, 26 April, 2025
    Travel
    ‘Like a jolt of adrenaline’: why Antwerp should top the list for a gastronomic weekend

    From Michelin stars to funky backstreet bistros, the Belgian port city is ideal for an epicurean escape, says Marina O’Loughlin

    Three photos, from left: three men being served by a waiter in a restaurant. On a table in the background is a stuffed hare on its hind legs and a red neon sign on the wall saying ‘Bitterpeeën’ ; in the middle a hand ladling sauce over a piece of meat and salad; right, two men and a woman being served at a restaurant table by a waitress
  • Saturday, 12 April, 2025
    FT MagazineRestaurants
    How Reddit became my go-to travel guide

    I’ve discovered hidden treasures I’d never have found otherwise

  • Friday, 21 March, 2025
    FT SeriesSpring food & drink special: the experts are here
    Rules for restaurant dining: the FT experts’ annotated guide

    Jay Rayner, Marina O’Loughlin, Tim Hayward and Jancis Robinson have strong opinions. But can they handle feedback from 19 food-world stars?

    A stylized illustration of four people wearing suits and glasses, set against a green background
  • Friday, 21 March, 2025
    FT SeriesSpring food & drink special: the experts are here
    How the UK beat the US at restaurant tipping — Marina O’Loughlin’s new column

    Service charge isn’t sexy, but it works

    A nine-panel comic-style illustration showing hands folding a green dollar bill into an origami heart. The final panel depicts the heart-shaped bill being placed into a tip jar labeled “TIP”
  • Saturday, 24 August, 2024
    FT Magazine
    Table seating is for tourists

    If you want to feel part of the restaurant action, eat at the bar

    A drawing of various types of bar stools in the foreground with glasses, bottles, lamps and vases of flowers in the background
  • Saturday, 17 August, 2024
    FT Magazine
    Is anyone still ordering room service? 

    Home of the club sandwich, land of the culinarily incurious

  • Saturday, 10 August, 2024
    FT MagazineFood & Drink
    Is plane food good? Of course not. It’s great

    On the ground, I’m an unapologetic food snob. Airborne, my appetite flies free

  • Saturday, 3 August, 2024
    FT Magazine
    Marina O’Loughlin: At last, I can eat in places I actually like

    After years of reviewing, a restaurant critic discovers the joy of being a regular 

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