LDNGuide
London’s New Restaurant Openings
photo credit: Steven Joyce
If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in London, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven't visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.
May 2024
Another week, another new restaurant that Endo Kazutoshi has a hand in opening. Kioku by Endo is a 55-seat dining room at the fancy Whitehall hotel, Raffles London at The OWO. It’s on the rooftop, with sweeping views of London and a big outside terrace. The menu will be Japanese, with dishes also inspired by Endo’s travels in Spain.
Café Britaly—yes, that’s Britain and Italy’s couple name—is a new Peckham spot that’s all about mixing the English with the Italian. We’re talking an Italian twist on a full English breakfast, fish finger sandwiches, and daily specials like chicken milanese.
This vegan mini-chain has restaurants dotted across London, and now they’ve opened their latest location in Victoria. So if you’re into things like mango-glazed corn ribs, shiitake dan dan noodles, and a spacious terrace, then we have a feeling you’ll like this spot.
Like our commitment to face-framing layers, All’Onda has found something they like, and the restaurant is sticking to it. In this case, risotto. There’ll be at least five risotti on the menu at this Fitzrovia spot—including an artichoke and sweetbread variation, lobster bisque, and a Milanese. But those with an aversion to grains will still have options. There are also Italian plates like roasted pigeon and glazed aubergines.
April 2024
Two wine importers and an ex-Levan chef open a spot on the edge of Smithfield Market—what sounds like the beginnings of a niche food joke looks to be a very serious modern European wine bar and restaurant. The Grade-II listed building has been decked out with chic antiques and vintage-looking artworks. There’ll be a £29 set lunch that involves mussles, sausage and chickpeas, and a warm chocolate mousse; a feasting menu; and a dinner menu with dishes like braised cuttlefish, duck terrine, and Dorset crab.
Michelin-star restaurant Wild Honey St James is getting a sibling. The new spot—Bistrot At Wild Honey—will open inside the Sofitel London St James hotel and serve French dishes. There’ll be classics like terrine, steak frites, and paris-brest, as well as crowd-pleasing burgers. And if the first pictures are anything to go by, red leather is going to feature heavily in the flirty dining room.
The team behind Fallow—one of our favourite breakfast spots—is opening a new restaurant in Canary Wharf. Roe will have a meaty, creative British menu featuring underused cuts and British produce. Think venison shiitake skewers, a snail vindaloo flatbread, and cuttlefish fried brioche.
We’re hoping that July can cure us of our year-round SAD symptoms. The Alsatian Charlotte Street spot is a bakery by day—with coffee, bread, and viennoiserie—and a wine bar by night. Expect seasonal small plates like herb dumplings, and a deep-fried munster cheese dish. Holly Hayes, previously of 40 Maltby Street is in the kitchen, and the wine list has been created by Honey Spencer of Sune.
El Pastor are opening their fourth spot in Battersea Power Station. The Mexican restaurant will feature similar dishes to the others—tacos, tostadas, margaritas—plus a new weekend brunch menu.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Yard Sale Pizza Tufnell Park
Yard Sale does some of the best pizza in London, and their city-wide domination shows no signs of slowing down. The latest spot is in Tufnell Park, bringing them to a total of 12 pizzerias.
Caldesi is a new Italian restaurant in Belsize Village from celebrity chef Giancarlo Caldesi. There’ll be family-style sharing plates, pizzas topped with truffle, lobster fettuccine, and charcoal-grilled meats.
After the March arrival of Agora, Oma is now opening above its sister spot in Borough Market. If downstairs is all about being at one with the chaos of the market, upstairs is slightly more formal and serene. It’s where to go for chic, white-washed interiors and Greek dishes like brown crab borek.
We checked out Oma and added it to the Hit List.
From the same group behind Claridge’s and The Berkeley, The Emory is a new hotel in Knightsbridge and ABC Kitchens is its new restaurant. Expect global dishes—pretzel-crusted calamari, chipotle chicken tacos, ricotta ravioli—in a dining room that has sweeping views of Hyde Park and is decorated with Damien Hirsts.
20 Berkeley Street is doing a Taylor Swift and entering a whole new era. After launching as a British brasserie nine months ago, it’s now relaunching as Nijū, a Japanese grill and sushi bar. Endo Kazutoshi—of Endo At The Rotunda—is the culinary director and you can expect katei ryouri dishes—Japanese home-cooked food—like wagyu sukiyaki and chicken katsu, as well as nigiri and sashimi. The Nipperkin bar will remain downstairs.
BAM Karaoke Box is less dingy basement where you go to croon along to Bruce Springsteen, and more lavish wannabe pop star palace in Victoria. There are 22 private rooms, a plush bar area, terrace, and a French-inspired menu including mini croque monsieurs and merguez sausage hot dogs.
After delivering breakfast baps to the egg and sausage-obsessed residents of east London, Bangers are opening a permanent location in Shoreditch. They’ll still deliver, but you can now pop in too. There are the same fillings—smashed sausage patties, eggs, cheese, a choice of homemade sauces—served on Spence Bakery brioche buns and English muffins. The sides sound good too: hash browns and cheesy baked beans, plus bottles of virgin marys.
With the amount of Lina Stores around, Londoners can now live on pasta and negronis alone. The Italian chain's latest spot is in South Kensington and has the same formula of pastel green interiors, truffled scrambled eggs for breakfast, and handmade pastas for lunch and dinner.
Los Mochis’ new spot is making us forget about the rain—for now. There’s a huge, summery rooftop terrace, a gold bar dripping with foliage, and tuna poke tostaditos on the menu. The Mexican-Japanese restaurant already has a Notting Hill location and an omakase counter, Juno, but this outpost looks to be their most glamorous yet.
Flat Iron’s London takeover shows no signs of slowing down. This Hammersmith spot will be the steak chain's 13th location. Much like the others, there’ll be signature Flat Iron steaks on the menu as well as blackboard specials, sides, and cocktails. The interiors take inspiration from Hammersmith’s blacksmith history, so expect lots of exposed ironwork, forged brackets, and moody tones.
Hotel restaurants get a bad rep, but we were fans of this chef's last spot—Aqua Kyoto—so have high hopes for Uba, which will be taking over the kitchen at Hart Shoreditch Hotel. The pan-Asian menu is separated into sashimi, sushi, robata, and teppanyaki dishes, plus dim sum, ramen, hirata buns, and tacos. There’s also matcha tiramisu for dessert.
These two siblings would cost a lot on the Monopoly board—Carmel now has a Fitzrovia spot to go with its original Queen’s Park location. The eastern Mediterranean restaurant will be open from brunch through to dinner. And if their sister spot is anything to go by, you can expect more rose syrup french toast, live-fire and wood-roasted dishes, like lamb shank shawarma and miso harissa slow-roasted chicken.
We recently checked out Carmel. Read our first thoughts here.
March 2024
Based inside a classic car showroom, this pizza spot in East Finchley is offering a less traditional pizza and wine experience. At 67sourdough, there are 1980s Porsches and old-school Jaguars on display while you bite into slices of marinara-heavy pizza.
Agora is one half of a new pair of Greek restaurants in Borough Market. It sits below its sister spot, Oma (which opens mid-April), and is the more relaxed one. The restaurant is inspired by markets in Athens and has a huge two-metre souvla rotisserie and wood-burning ovens. It’s walk-in only and those lucky to nab a table can expect garlic flatbreads, spit-roasted chicken, pork belly with cannellini beans, and lamb skewers.
We checked out Agora and added it to the Hit List.
Even though spring has officially sprung, Liu Xiaomian understands that Londoners need numbing spice and soothing dishes all year round. The chongqing noodle spot has opened a new location in Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court. The menu is full of numbing pork wontons, spicy pig fat noodles, and braised beef chongqing.
We’re big fans of the original Best Broasted in Willesden Green, so much so it made our list of the best fried chicken in London. Now Ealing locals can get their hands on this excellent Syrian spot’s chicken too. The menu is much the same as the OG location, with the signature broasted chicken and ridged chips taking centre stage.
Darling’s can clearly see into our soul—firstly, because ‘darlings’ is how we refer to the pasta in our cupboard, and secondly because pasta and wine is the way to our heart. This new Italian spot in Hackney Wick is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for dinner and lunch on Fridays and Saturdays. Expect fresh pasta, pasta-making classes, and the kind of interiors that’ll make you stare hatefully at your IKEA table.
We recently checked out Darling's Eatery and Studio. Read our first thoughts here.
If you like your sandwiches to double as dinner, you’ll be interested in Gerry’s Subs, a new Exmouth Market spot from the founder of BBQ restaurant Bodean’s. These loaded hoagies are stuffed with buffalo chicken, pulled pork, and BBQ brisket. But we’re most excited about the Philly cheesesteak that comes with a house gravy dip. That, and the poutine sides.
Hot chocolate and churros is the offering from Mexican churreria, Aguamiel. The Covent Garden spot serves a comforting combination of cinnamon-dusted churros with spiced hot chocolates. You can choose between dulce de leche, chocolate, and condensed milk dips, and there'll be churro ice cream sandwiches too.
From the people behind Bar Crispin and Bistro Freddie, this modern European spot in Clapham Common has a focus on seasonal produce and is serving things like Welsh rarebit and slip sole with creamed spinach. It’s inside minimalist gallery space Studio Voltaire so expect a cool, artsy dining room.
We recently checked out Crispin at Studio Voltaire. Read our first thoughts here.
The south of France has come to Regent Street in the form of Mimosa, inside The Langham hotel. It’s the first outpost outside of Paris, and the menu is a mix of things like caviar eggs, côte de boeuf Angus, and gratinated taglioni with béchamel.
This new Mediterranean spot in Marylebone, from the team behind Burger & Lobster, is all about live fire cooking and high-quality ingredients. On the menu you’ll find things like limousin veal sweetbread and a whole Cornish turbot, as well as a carefully selected wine list.
We checked out Lita and added it to the Hit List.
Neapolitan-style pizzas, Italian wine, and an art exhibition going on in the background, is what you’ll find at this new pizzeria in Hackney Wick. Think burrata-topped pizza with tiramisu to finish.
There are hour-long queues at this popular all-day cafe’s original Covent Garden location, and this second spot in Marylebone has the same menu of decadent brunch and lunch dishes like truffle scrambled eggs and red velvet pancakes.
From the team behind Spaghetti House—every unassuming tourist’s go-to pasta spot in the city—comes this new Italian restaurant in Earl’s Court. The menu is straightforward with things like cacio e pepe and margherita pizza.
From the same people behind The Wolseley and Brasserie Zédel, Arlington is a modern European spot in St. James’s with a history of feeding famous faces in its previous life as Le Caprice. This sceney spot, with its rattan chairs and artsy black-and-white portraits dotted around, will serve things like blueberry cheesecake waffles for brunch, and equally tempting shepherd’s pie for dinner.
We recently checked out Arlington. Read our first thoughts here.
This Mayfair spot specialises on what it says on the shiny gold tin—caviar. But as well as that, you’ll find other fish dishes, like smoked salmon platters and poached hake. Just be prepared for a lot of gold detailing and ocean-blue floors.
We know a thing or two about Guinness, and the pints at this Irish pub in Shoreditch could very well make it on the list. You’ll find some fun Irish takes on classic cocktails like Barry’s Pornstar—a mashup between the classic pornstar martini and an East 8 Hold Up—as well as a food menu that changes depending on which chef is in the kitchen. Currently BocaChica are bringing Dominican flavours with pulled beef palmeritas and papitas fritas.
The team behind La Mia Mamma—potentially London’s most famous mammas—have opened a seafood aperitivo bar in Notting Hill. On the agenda are things like panini di mare, fish sharing boards, and Italian champagne.
Arguably the most exciting Hollywood export to have hit London in recent years. Trejo’s Tacos—that’s Danny Trejo of Machete, Heat, and Breaking Bad fame—is finally opening in Notting Hill. The much-anticipated Mexican restaurant has a huge menu that includes chilaquiles, steak asada tacos, carnitas bowls, churros, and cocktails from its “illicit underground speakeasy”.
We recently checked out Trejo’s Tacos. Read our first thoughts here.
We ranked the best smashburgers in London—and Bun & Sum was our champion. Put it this way, Ronald McDonald would approve of these LA-style burgers. The pickles are thick and ridged, the cheese is perfectly melted, the patty is thin, and the all-important sauce is creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet. And now you can get them from Hackney as well as Mile End.
We recently checked out Bun & Sum Hackney. Read our first thoughts here.
Veg & Tings serves comforting-sounding vegetarian Caribbean food like Trinadadian doubles, curried mango with stewed vegetables, and corn soup. It’s from the same people as Fish, Wings & Tings, a cheerful Caribbean spot next door with a great patio for hanging out with your mates when the sun shines. Expect the same outdoor seating setup at the new spot, as well as a regular crowd of Brixton locals.
We recently checked out Veg & Tings. Read our first thoughts here.
Like our commitment to high-waisted jeans, the people behind Cinnamon Club and Cinnamon Kitchen have found something that works, and they’re sticking to it. Their newest restaurant, Cinnamon Bazaar in Richmond, has a similar pan-Indian menu and takes inspiration from street food dishes. As well as chaat, expect takes on full English breakfasts, a lamb rogan josh shepherd’s pie, and a “naughty dreamy paneer” on the all-day menu.
Mexican restaurant Azteca is hopping over the river and giving its original Chelsea spot a Battersea sibling, Azteca Öme. The new south London restaurant will be a little different, with an added Japanese influence in some of the dishes—like the miso cod and maitake mushroom tacos. There’ll also be a late night bar and a small terrace for rare sunny days.
Everything about Josephine Bouchon sounds charming. It’s run by a husband and wife team, Claude and Lucy Bosi. It’s named after Claude’s grandmother. And it’s perched on a picturesque corner of Fulham Road in Chelsea. Inside it looks like the setting of a French bistro romance, with linen curtains embroidered with the name of the restaurant, white tablecloths, and classic dishes—tartare, soufflés, rabbit, choux pastry—delivered to tables by waiters in crisp white shirts.
We checked out Josephine Bouchon and added it to the Hit List.
There’s something reminiscent of an ominous movie poster about Yum Bug’s announcement that “this time, the bugs are back for good”. What started as a Shoreditch pop-up championing the use of insects in cooking has now become a permanent restaurant in Finsbury Park. The menu includes burrata with golden beetroot cricket and peanut XO sauce, as well as pulled cricket taco, with mole and rhubarb hot sauce.
