London restaurants: all of the new openings you need to know about

This American import is the first London site for luxury hospitality group Scarpetta and serves up a menu that is Italy via New York – think a croissant sandwich filled with scrambled eggs, prosciutto and cheddar cheese at breakfast, or a duck and foie gras ravioli come dinnertime. Post-meal, you can take a trip to the downstairs bar (called Nolita Social), where you’ll find a fun soundtrack of 70s soul music alongside cocktails and light bites.   

The third restaurant from Raymond de Fazio (who is the man behind Café Med in St John’s Wood and Kensington’s Med Kitchen), Cent Anni is the latest Italian restaurant to open in swish Wimbledon Village. Serving up classic Italian dishes using authentic ingredients from both Italy and the UK, it's a must-try for any pasta lovers, with dishes including the likes of a rigatoni chorizo Bolognese or beetroot ravioli with burnt butter and crispy sage.

This casual noodle joint is found near the Tower of London and is the brainchild of Saiphin Moore, who founded the Rosa’s Thai Café group, that now operates several sites across London (and a few outside the capital too). At Hoh Sek, you can expect to find a concise menu of hot and cold noodle varieties, such as roast pork, duck or mixed seafood, alongside rice dishes and a mix of teas, beers and softs.

Tayer + Elementary comes courtesy of Alex Kratena and Monica Berg, who made big names for themselves at Artesian at The Langham and Himkok in Oslo respectively. Here at Tayer + Elementary, they have created two distinct spaces, one that's pretty casual and another that is farm more experimental. The pair have scoured the globe for ingredients that they’ve turned into custom-made spirits and mixers in place of household names and it works a treat.

Quique Dacosta is a bonafide star in his native Valencia, but he’s been virtually unknown in London until now. With Arros QD, he hopes to make Londoners fall in love with paella, presenting the staple Spanish dish with luxe and contemporary twists. That means you can expect to enjoy paella topped with the likes of pigeon breast, alongside smaller sharing dishes such as pulled pork burgers and glossy black ‘stones’ that are filled with cheese.

Acclaimed chef Anthony Demetre has moved his much-loved Wild Honey restaurant from Mayfair over to St James, where it now resides at the Sofitel hotel. In a setting which never quite manages to escape its hotel feel (think a brown leather and blue-grey colour scheme), diners can enjoy dishes such as gnocchi with wild garlic leaves, parmesan and Moroccan lemon, or perhaps crisp pig's head with endive and pickles and a blob of nduja mayonnaise.

Open seven days a week, this new wine bar, deli and restaurant concept from Caprice Holdings serves a range of breakfast and lunch dishes to eat-in or takeaway. Stop by here in the morning to enjoy egg and soldiers, bagels with cream cheese and salmon or a veggie rarebit made with mushrooms and truffle. Later in the day, indulge in freshly-baked pastries and cakes, alongside the less conventional likes of sushi rolls and poke bowls.  

Already boasting a handful of successful locations around the capital, cut-price steak joint Flat Iron’s latest site can be found on Commercial Street in Shoreditch. Alongside the signature £10 steak with salad, you can expect sides such as dripping chips, roasted aubergine or creamed spinach, while regularly changing specials are written up on a blackboard. To pair with your steak, there’s a concise selection of red and white wines, available by the glass or carafe.

This French bistro is found inside a 19th century townhouse, serving a menu that leans towards dishes often seen in Southern France. Sharing is encouraged here, with large mains including slow-cooked shoulder of lamb or wild seabass in a salt crust. Regular sized mains are available too, while the fairly priced wine list features several options available by the glass. On sunnier days, Les Platanes street-side terrace is a good spot for Mayfair people watching.

This Swiss restaurant serves a mixture of classic and contemporary dishes in a minimalist space that features industrial-style lighting and exposed brick. You can expect to find typical dishes such as fondue for two, alongside the less obvious likes of pork belly and Scottish trout, cooked by diners thanks to charbonnade grills that have been built into the table tops. Be sure to stop by the bar too, which is home to a dozen Rieslings.

Found on the ground floor of luxury residences Embassy Gardens Towers, Darby’s is an oyster bar, bakery and grill with an Irish twist, thanks to the heritage of chef Robin Gill. The influence of the Emerald Isle can be seen via poitin-infused cocktails and pints of Guinness, while the menu caters for diners all day long – think a bacon sarnie on sourdough in the morning and pork with a caramelised apple glaze come the evening.

London's oldest hotel has appointed Adam Byatt as its new chef-director. The chef-proprietor of Michelin-starred Trinity restaurant in Clapham brings his passion for seasonal British ingredients and beautiful presentation to the wood-panelled dining room. 

Serial restaurateur Richard Caring has opened his second Ivy Asia site, following the launch of the concept in Manchester’s Spinningfields in late 2018.

Caring, whose Caprice Holdings group is responsible for the flashy, celeb-baiting likes of Sexy Fish and Annabel’s, plans to open the restaurant on the former site of Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa in St Paul’s.

Caprice Holdings has swooped on three former sites of Oliver’s, having also snapped up two now-closed Jamie’s Italian restaurants in Cardiff and Oxford. An Ivy Brasserie is planned for Oxford, while the group is still figuring out which of its brands will be the best fit for Cardiff.

The menus for the St Paul's site are similar to the current Ivy Asia in Manchester, comprising Asian-inspired dishes such as miso black cod, duck massaman curry, wagyu beef tataki and a selection of sushi and sashimi dishes. The restaurant also serves up a wide range of cocktails inspired by the continent.

Caring, who is reported to have a net worth of over £1 billion, has bucked current industry trends which have seen several mid-market chains collapse in recent times. Conversely, Caring’s The Ivy Collection now comprises of 32 locations around the UK and Ireland, with each restaurant christened as either a ‘Brasserie’, ‘Garden’, ‘Market Grill’ or ‘Café’. Of course, all of these off-shoots are nods to The Ivy’s legendary original site in Covent Garden.  

We’re willing to venture that there’s no other restaurant in London – or the UK, for that matter – where you can tuck into fried chicken feet, caviar and a glass of Champagne, with a side of serotonin. That’s because this new collaborative concept on the King’s Road, spearheaded by chef Adam Handling, is the first of its kind.

Demonstrating just how luxurious zero waste can be, this new collaboration between Handling, Cadogan (a family-run property investor), Quintessentially Foundation (who provide funding and build awareness for UK charities) and The Felix Project (a London-based charity which collects edible food waste and distributes it to vulnerable people) aims to turn ingredients that are usually discarded as waste into a delicious menu of snacks and small plates. And as if that wasn’t noble enough, a percentage of the profits will be donated to The Felix Project to support its many projects fighting food waste.

When we read about the emphasis on the four most-wasted ingredients – bread, milk, eggs and bananas – we did wonder what might be on the menu besides banana bread, but it turns out there’s plenty to be crafted from ‘waste’ if you’re as inventive as Handling. The menus include some daring dishes, such as crispy fried chicken feet with caviar, lobster shell soup, broccoli stalk Caesar salad, and overripe fruit jam, all of which go hand in hand with Champagne from the region’s top wine makers.

It’s not only the food that’s blazing a trail for sustainability either. The interiors at Ugly Butterfly have been created using upcycled and re-utilised materials throughout, and the site is set to become a hub for those working in the sustainable food and drink, fashion, technology and arts and crafts industry to meet, start conversations and raise awareness of sustainable living. Ugly Butterfly will open for walk-in diners from lunch time until the late evening from Wednesday to Sunday.

Replacing his Maze Mayfair after 14 years, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s latest venture is an Asian-inspired eating house. Lucky Cat takes its lead from the drinking dens of 1930s Tokyo, and serves sharing plates alongside dishes cooked on a robata grill. Expect to enjoy dishes such as miso black cod and a crispy tofu and avocado bao bun, while the dessert menu features a yuzu and passionfruit soufflé topped with crème fraiche and lemongrass sorbet.

Found in the basement of Red Dog Saloon in Hoxton Square, Louie’s specialises in Nashville fried chicken, which has a greater kick than the more popular southern fried chicken because it uses cayenne pepper in its batter. You can enjoy your helping of spicy chicken in a burger, in a bucket or atop a waffle drenched in butter and maple syrup, while tempting sides to complete your meal include fries, onion rings and mozzarella sticks.

There was a collective tinge of sadness when the original Meatliquor announced it would be shutting up shop in 2018. Luckily, it’s reopened just 500m down the road from where it used to be, serving the usual range of loaded burgers and belt-busting sides that helped make its name. You’ll struggle to leave this place on an empty stomach, thanks to decadent dishes including the signature Dead Hippy burger and deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese.

Situated in a corner unit overlooking Bethnal Green Gardens, this new all-day café/co-working space is about as east London as it’s possible to be. Founded by best friends David Burgess and Liam Tolan (both former musicians in separate indie bands), Fugitive Motel serves artisan coffee and freshly baked pastries by day, and craft beers, kombucha on tap, and sourdough pizza from noon until late. There's also shuffleboard if you need some respite from working.

Brixton might not be the most obvious choice for a restaurant inspired by sunny Tuscany, but that’s where casual Maremma has decided to set up shop. As is to be expected, the menu here is split into antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci: kick off with the likes of buffalo mozzarella primavera, before moving on to the more substantial likes of pappardelle with wild boar ragu and wood-baked guinea fowl with tenderstem broccoli and salsa verde.

Dreamt up by Salt Yard co-founder Simon Mullins and his wife Isabel Almeida Da Silva, Volta do Mar, which roughly translates as ‘return from the sea’, was inspired by the couple’s love of Portuguese cuisine.

Taking up residence in the beautiful double-fronted Georgian townhouse that used to house Strada Covent Garden, Volta do Mar has been designed to reflect the vibrant atmosphere of Portugal, with plenty of curiosities and artworks on display throughout the bright, wood-panelled dining room split across two floors.

Volta do Mar is under the direction of chef George Tannock (The Dorchester, The Fat Duck, Sexy Fish), who works closely with Simon and Isabel to serve up a frequently changing menu of classic sharing and large plates that celebrate the richness of Portuguese cuisine.

Diners can expect everything from classic staples, such as smoked ham hock feijoada, and Macanese arroz marisco served tableside from a traditional Portuguese cooking pot, to dishes inspired by ingredients symbolic of the country’s trading past, including chillies from Angola and Mozambique used to make the restaurant’s signature piri piri.

The restaurant’s wine list has been carefully assembled to showcase Portuguese wines, from the vineyards of the mainland to those of the volcanic Azores. Most are available by the glass or carafe, and for those who don’t fancy wine, port or Madeira, an exotic spirits list offers plenty of alternatives.

Volta do Mar also caters for diners seeking breakfast, a light lunch or pre-theatre meal thanks to its provision of fresh, hand-baked bread and pastries, and selection of charcuterie and cheese sourced exclusively from one of Portugal’s oldest and most respected family-run businesses.

Operating as a traditional Portuguese pastelaria as well as a restaurant means that commuters or those working or shopping nearby can drop in for a bola de berlim – a type of Portuguese doughnut – alongside a classic Portuguese espresso.

Found on Baker Street, this hotel restaurant is open all day and boasts an open kitchen, as well as a street-side terrace. Stop by in the early hours to enjoy breakfast dishes such as French toast drizzled with maple syrup or scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on sourdough toast, while later in the day you’ll find Wagyu rump steak and sea bream, which can be paired with sides of charred sweet potatoes and thick-cut chips.

Opened by two young chefs with a passion for pasta, this new Italian restaurant is all about keeping things simple. Located in Old Street, Pasta Nostra is a cool open-plan space in which low-key decor ensures the focus remains firmly on the fully-exposed kitchen. Here you can witness the creation of eight unique pasta dishes, such as pappardelle oxtail ragu, and orecchiette al pesto, plus small plates and desserts, that make up the short but confident menu.

This Italian trattoria in Fitzrovia comes from the Big Mamma Group, who are also behind zany Gloria in Shoreditch. The space is adorned with thousands of twinkling lights, while 20,000 real spirit bottles line the walls. Encouraging group visits, the dining room features large tables that can seat up to 12 guests each, with diners able to indulge in metre-long pizzas and a decadent 1L sundae, which arrives topped with cookie chunks, churros, and brownies.

Billed as a more casual dining concept than its four siblings, Chucs Café Kensington is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a focus on first-rate coffee supplied by Difference Coffee Co. Come the evening, guests can choose from a large selection of wines alongside ciccheti or small plates, with dishes to try including burrata topped with flat peaches, chilli and mint or an eight-ounce ribeye served alongside truffle butter.

This new bar and restaurant comes from restaurateur Sam Harrison, while the menu has been designed by chef duo Harvey Trollope and Rowley Leigh. Expect a range of modern European dishes alongside seafood and oysters.

Designed with the local community in mind, the kitchen at this Hackney café is manned by both student and professional chefs, who serve up an all-day menu of seasonally inspired dishes. Open from breakfast, you can come here to enjoy freshly-baked pastries and artisanal coffees, while lunchtime sees fish finger sandwiches with tartare sauce on a buttered bun or halloumi with Portobello mushrooms and harissa mayonnaise. Craft cocktails are on hand to quench your thirst. 

This restaurant on the river is permanently moored on the canal by Paddington station, right next door to its sibling river cruise venue, London Shell Co. Seating around 40 diners, the barge majors in fresh fish, which is delivered each day from Cornish fishermen. Dishes to try include salt cod croquettes with lobster ketchup or beer-battered lobster with angel hair fries and curry sauce. To drink, pick from a range of more than 50 sparkling wines.

Found on the ground floor of upmarket hotel The Stratford, this relaxed brasserie doubles up as a remote working spot, and serves an all-day menu that champions seasonal British produce. While nestling in to the leather chairs (or soaking up some sun on the terrace), you can tuck into breakfast dishes such as wild mushrooms on toast or quinoa porridge, before moving on to the likes of red prawn linguine or chicken schnitzel come dinnertime.

This upmarket all-day brasserie from the team behind opulent fine-diner Park Chinois serves up a menu of tempting modern European fare from morning until night, including the likes of salmon and eggs at breakfast, followed by more substantial dishes at lunch and dinner, such as pan-fried monkfish or a lobster roll in a brioche bun. Expect chic art deco-style interiors and a hefty bill at the end (although prices aren’t too bad by Mayfair standards).

This four-floor site features a restaurant and late-night bar, as well as a garden room with a retractable roof. From the open kitchen, you’ll be served sharing dishes that have been prepared over open flames – think wood-roasted whole sea bream with capers or chargrilled skirt steak with salsa verde. To drink? Sip on an extensive selection of wines or opt for one of Gold’s cocktails, such as the Baklava Fizz: Don Julio, fig and Prosecco.

Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg and his brothers Donnie and Paul already operate a number of these burger joints in the US, but this is the first London location. Perfectly positioned for curious tourists, Wahlburgers is found in Covent Garden and the restaurant is filled with pictures of the famous brood. The menu meanwhile sees a junk food mix of stacked burgers, sandwiches and decadent ice cream floats. There’s a kids menu too, appropriately named ‘smahlburgs’.

Taking its inspiration from rustic Greek tavernas, no-bookings Suzi Tros boasts an upstairs dining room complete with a chef’s counter, and a downstairs cocktail bar serving drinks and smart nibbles. The food menu changes with the seasons, but on your visit you might come across dishes such as grilled and smoked aubergine, fried calamari and crayfish tartare. When it comes to the drinks, expect an all-Greek wine list and a range of Greek beers.