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Suara Restaurant Index · October 2026
How London restaurants use Instagram
Data from 188 public restaurant and cafe accounts in London, collected October 2026.
Short answer
In our sample of 188 London restaurant accounts, the median account posts 4.9 times a month and gets 6.2 likes per post for every 1,000 followers. Likes per 1,000 followers are about the same as the median across all 10 cities (5.2, 1,187 accounts), and posting frequency is about the same as the median (5.3 a month).
188
Accounts in sample
All 10 cities: 1,187
Posts used: 2,055
4.9
Median posts per month
All 10 cities: 5.3
n = 188 accounts
6.2
Median likes per post per 1,000 followers
All 10 cities: 5.2
n = 188 accounts
36%
Share of posts that are video
All 10 cities: 40%
n = 2,055 posts
30%
Share of posts that are carousels
All 10 cities: 27%
n = 2,055 posts
0
Median hashtags per post
All 10 cities: 1
n = 2,055 posts
Key findings
- The median London account in our sample gets 6.2 likes per post per 1,000 followers (90% interval 5.1 to 7.5), about the same as the 10-city median of 5.2.
- The median account posts 4.9 times a month (90% interval 4.3 to 5.7), about the same as the 10-city median of 5.3.
- Video makes up 36% of the 2,055 London posts we looked at (90% interval 33% to 39%), lower than the share across all 10 cities (40%). Carousels are 30% and single photos 34%.
- In our sample, smaller accounts get more likes per 1,000 followers: 10.1 for under 5k followers (74 accounts) against 3.7 for 20k to 100k (51 accounts).
- Across the full Index sample of 1,355 accounts, accounts that posted more got fewer likes per post per 1,000 followers: a median of 8.0 for under 4 posts a month (550 accounts) against 2.7 for 13 or more (269 accounts). This is a correlation, not proof that posting less causes more likes.
The data
1How many likes do London posts get?
Likes per post per 1,000 followers, one dot per account, 188 accounts
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: each account figure is the median of its posts that show a like count and are at least 7 days old. Log scale. 1 account with a median of 0 likes is drawn at the left edge.
Show as table
| Measure | London | All 10 cities |
|---|---|---|
| Median likes per 1,000 followers | 6.2 | 5.2 |
| 90% interval | 5.1 to 7.5 | 4.8 to 5.7 |
| Lowest account | 0.00 | |
| Highest account | 149.1 | |
| Accounts | 188 | 1,187 |
2Where does London sit among the 10 cities?
Median likes per post per 1,000 followers, and median posts per month, with 90% intervals. Accounts per city in brackets.
Likes per post per 1,000 followers
Posts per month
Likes per post per 1,000 followers
Posts per month
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: bars are 90% bootstrap intervals. Where an interval crosses the dashed line, we treat the city as about the same as the 10-city median.
Show as table
| City | Accounts | Likes per 1k | 90% interval | Posts per month | 90% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 122 | 10.6 | 7.8 to 12.9 | 4.1 | 3.3 to 5.0 |
| Toronto | 121 | 6.3 | 5.1 to 7.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 to 6.5 |
| London | 188 | 6.2 | 5.1 to 7.5 | 4.9 | 4.3 to 5.7 |
| Sydney | 148 | 6.1 | 5.2 to 7.5 | 5.3 | 3.3 to 6.5 |
| Jakarta | 92 | 5.9 | 4.7 to 8.8 | 7.4 | 6.4 to 10.3 |
| Melbourne | 112 | 5.5 | 4.1 to 7.4 | 5.5 | 3.8 to 7.1 |
| Singapore | 120 | 4.8 | 3.5 to 6.4 | 4.6 | 3.7 to 5.4 |
| Bangkok | 84 | 4.5 | 3.1 to 6.3 | 6.0 | 4.9 to 7.8 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 105 | 2.5 | 2.3 to 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.1 to 6.1 |
| Dubai | 95 | 1.6 | 1.2 to 2.0 | 8.0 | 5.1 to 9.9 |
| All 10 cities | 1,187 | 5.2 | 4.8 to 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.9 to 5.7 |
3What do London restaurants post?
Share of posts by format, 2,055 London posts and 12,882 posts across 10 cities
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: up to 12 recent non-pinned posts per account. Reels count as video.
Show as table
| Format | London | All 10 cities |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | 34% | 33% |
| Video | 36% | 40% |
| Carousel | 30% | 27% |
4How often do they post?
Share of accounts by posts per month, 188 London accounts
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: posts per month = (posts minus 1) divided by days between first and last post, times 30.
Show as table
| Posts per month | London accounts | London share | All 10 cities share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 | 52 | 28% | 24% |
| 2 to 4 | 26 | 14% | 17% |
| 4 to 8 | 44 | 23% | 23% |
| 8 to 12 | 20 | 11% | 13% |
| 12 or more | 46 | 24% | 23% |
5When do they post?
Share of posts by hour posted, local time, 2,055 London posts
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: when accounts post, not when posts perform best.
Show as table
| Hour | London | All 10 cities |
|---|---|---|
| 12am to 1am | 0% | 1% |
| 1am to 2am | 0% | 0% |
| 2am to 3am | 0% | 0% |
| 3am to 4am | 0% | 0% |
| 4am to 5am | 0% | 0% |
| 5am to 6am | 0% | 0% |
| 6am to 7am | 0% | 1% |
| 7am to 8am | 2% | 2% |
| 8am to 9am | 4% | 3% |
| 9am to 10am | 6% | 5% |
| 10am to 11am | 7% | 8% |
| 11am to 12pm | 8% | 8% |
| 12pm to 1pm | 11% | 9% |
| 1pm to 2pm | 7% | 7% |
| 2pm to 3pm | 6% | 6% |
| 3pm to 4pm | 7% | 7% |
| 4pm to 5pm | 9% | 8% |
| 5pm to 6pm | 11% | 10% |
| 6pm to 7pm | 9% | 9% |
| 7pm to 8pm | 5% | 6% |
| 8pm to 9pm | 3% | 5% |
| 9pm to 10pm | 2% | 3% |
| 10pm to 11pm | 1% | 2% |
| 11pm to 12am | 1% | 1% |
6Does account size change likes per follower?
Median likes per post per 1,000 followers by follower band. n = London accounts / all 10 cities accounts.
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: bands with fewer than 20 accounts are not shown.
Show as table
| Followers | London accounts | London median | All 10 cities accounts | All 10 cities median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5k | 74 | 10.1 | 484 | 10.5 |
| 5k to 20k | 52 | 5.7 | 449 | 3.9 |
| 20k to 100k | 51 | 3.7 | 224 | 2.2 |
| 100k+ | 11 | not shown | 30 | 1.1 |
7How long are their captions?
Median caption length and hashtags per post, pooled across posts
| Measure | London | All 10 cities |
|---|---|---|
| Median caption length (characters) | 243 | 252 |
| Median hashtags per post | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 2,055 | 12,882 |
Source: Suara Restaurant Index, 188 London accounts and 1,187 accounts across 10 cities, posts collected October 2026.
Note: caption length counts characters, including emoji and hashtags.
What this means for a London restaurant
- Use 6.2 likes per post per 1,000 followers as a reference point, not a target. To compare, take the median likes on your posts that are at least a week old, divide by your followers and multiply by 1,000. See finding
- Posting more often is not a guaranteed way to more likes per post. Across the full sample, accounts that posted more got fewer likes per 1,000 followers. If you post often, it may be worth watching likes per post as well as volume. See finding
- Video was 36% of posts in our London sample. If your feed is mostly one format, trying a mix and comparing your own numbers over a few weeks is a cheap test. See finding
Want your own numbers? See how your account compares Free, and the data on this page stays open.
Methodology
In short: 188 public London restaurant, cafe, bar and bakery accounts, up to 12 recent posts each, collected October 2026. All figures are medians across accounts, with 90% bootstrap intervals, checked by an independent second recount.
Full method
Sample: 188 public Instagram accounts of restaurants, cafes, bars and bakeries in London, found from OpenStreetMap listings, the venues' own websites and web search in October 2026. Accounts were included if they had 200 or more followers, 4 or more recent posts and at least one post in the 60 days before 14 October 2026. Excluded: hotels, directories, reviewers, creators, personal accounts, venues in the wrong city and closed venues. For each account we used its most recent posts that are not pinned and carry a timestamp, up to 12. Reference time: 14 October 2026, 06:00 UTC. Posts per month = (posts minus 1) divided by the days between the first and last post, times 30. Likes per 1,000 followers = the median likes of the account's posts that show a like count and are at least 7 days old, divided by its followers, times 1,000. The city figure is the median across accounts. Post format and caption figures are pooled across all posts used. Post hours are converted to London local time (Europe/London). Uncertainty: 90% bootstrap intervals (4,000 resamples of accounts). We call London higher or lower than the 10-city figure only when its interval does not include that figure. Groups under 20 accounts are not shown. All figures were checked by an independent second recount. The 10-city comparison pools 1,187 accounts in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, Toronto, London and Dubai.
Limitations
This is a snapshot of 188 accounts in one month, not a census of London restaurants. Accounts were found by search, so well-known venues are likely over-represented. We measure likes only: no comments, saves, shares, reach or sales. Likes are public counts and can include paid or bought engagement. Differences between cities smaller than the uncertainty bars may be chance. Nothing here shows that one format or posting time causes more likes.
How to cite
Suara (2026). Restaurant Index: London, October 2026. trysuara.com/index/london. Data licensed CC BY 4.0.
Download all London data (CSV) · README. One row per account, no usernames. Media enquiries: rez@trysuara.com.
Questions
What is a good engagement rate for a London restaurant on Instagram?
We measure likes per post per 1,000 followers rather than engagement rate. In our sample of 188 London restaurant accounts, the median was 6.2 (90% interval 5.1 to 7.5), against 5.2 across all 10 cities. Smaller accounts usually score higher on this measure, so compare with accounts of a similar size.
How often do London restaurants post on Instagram?
In our sample of 188 accounts, the median account posted 4.9 times a month, against 5.3 across all 10 cities. 28% posted under 2 times a month and 24% posted 12 or more times.
What do London restaurants post most on Instagram?
Of the 2,055 posts we looked at, 36% were video, 30% carousels and 34% single photos. The median caption was 243 characters with 0 hashtags.
How was this measured?
We collected public Instagram data for 188 London restaurant, cafe, bar and bakery accounts in October 2026, using up to 12 recent non-pinned posts per account. Likes per 1,000 followers is the median likes on posts at least 7 days old divided by followers, times 1,000. City figures are medians across accounts with 90% bootstrap intervals.
How do I compare my account?
Take your last 12 posts that are at least a week old, find the median likes, divide by your follower count and multiply by 1,000. Compare that with 6.2 for London, and with the figure for your follower band in the chart above.
Other cities
Median likes per post per 1,000 followers in each city sample.
All cities in the Restaurant Index
Run a restaurant in London? See how your account compares