Read all about the capital's most anticipated hot new restaurant openings.
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Oct
London Stock - W1S
  London
Opening 31 Oct 2023
Opening October 2023 in Sackville Street, Mayfair, the second branch of an original in Wandsworth Town launched by a young team with ambitions to 'redefine traditional fine dining'. The eight-course tasting menu is served from an open, zero-waste kitchen.
Lyla - EH7
Fish & seafood
  Leith
Opening 31 Oct 2023
Chef Stuart Ralston of highly rated Aizle opens his new seafood restaurant in October 2023 in the stylish Royal Terrace premises of the late Paul Kitching’s 21212. The 10-course set menu, for just 28 guests per sitting, is billed as 'an ode to produce from the Scottish Isles'.
The Cocochine - W1J
British, Modern
  London
Opening 31 Oct 2023
Tim Jefferies, who runs the photography gallery Hamiltons, and his business partner, Sri Lankan born Larry Jayasekara - head chef at Pétrus until 2018 - are opening this high-end, four-floor spot in Mayfair in October 2023.
Yuca - W1S
Fusion
  London
Opening 31 Oct 2023
Still no firm date when the duo behind Mayfair's Brazilian-Japanese fusion spot Mano, Alexis Colletta and Romain Fargette, are opening another fusion restaurant in the neighbourhood, first announced in early 2022. This one will be Japanese-Mexican, sited where Mews of Mayfair (RIP) was, and will feature a 300-cover restaurant and a club in the basement.
Nov
Pearly Queen - E1
  London
Opening 11 Nov 2023
This Shoreditch oyster bar and restaurant is the latest offering from chef Tom Brown, whose Cornerstone in Hackney is the highest-rated seafood restaurant in the 2024 Harden's London guide. The crustacea and 'sea-cuterie' are washed down with coastal-inspired cocktails from Max Venning of Dalston bar Three Sheets.
Cibo - M2
Italian
  Manchester
Opening 30 Nov 2023
On the site that - for 14 years - was Rio Ferdinand's Rosso, RIP. There are Cibo branches in Hale and Wilmslow, plus sister restaurant Sasso in Disley, but this will be the first city centre opening.
Los Mochis - EC2M
Fusion
  London
Opening 30 Nov 2023
Open in autumn 2023, a glossy-looking rooftop venue in British Land's first net Zero development in the city. It is to serve the same Japan-meets-Mexico menu as the original off Notting Hill Gate, but the main emphasis will be on the selection of tequilas and mezcals.
Dec
Gilgamesh - WC2H
  London
Opening 04 Dec 2023
Mowgli - BS1
Indian
  Bristol
Opening 04 Dec 2023
Originally due to open in 2022, now planned for December 2023 in the former PizzaExpress, a Grade 1 listed building.
Four - BN1
British, Modern
  Brighton
Opening 31 Dec 2023
Chef Aaron Dalton is launching a tasting-menu restaurant called Four inside his home in 2023, in the hope that he can make it work on a permanent basis. A former head chef at London's Smoking Goat who has also worked at Chez Bruce and Simon Rogan's Fera, Aaron was planning before the pandemic to open a restaurant featuring wood-fired cooking with his wife Sally. But their backers pulled out and Sally, a paediatric nurse, died from a rare and aggressive cancer in late 2022. This purpose-built space in his home means he can be near his children and still cook. In the mean time, he's appearing at pop-ups around the area - follow his socials for more details.
Lino Queen's Park - NW6
British, Modern
  London
Opening 31 Dec 2023
Though well-received, the original Lino near St Barts never properly got off the ground before Covid struck and closed during the pandemic. This (now) early 2023 (was September 2022) newcomer adds to the expanding Queen’s Park scene, a two-floor site plus outside dining too.
Long Chim - W1D
Thai
  London
Opening 31 Dec 2023
We don't know exactly when, but it's exciting news that renowned Thai chef David Thompson (of Nahm at The Halkin, 2001-2010, RIP) is returning to London with his Long Chim brand (open in Sydney, Perth and Dubai but recently closed in Melbourne and Korea). More news as we hear it...
Row at 5 - W1S
  London
Opening 31 Dec 2023
Open 2023, Jason Atherton's new flagship restaurant on Mayfair's Savile Row occupies the ground floor and basement of a new building. Expect extravagant multi-course menus in the chef's first new London venue for four years – bringing his total in the capital to six.
Seven North - EC2M
Mediterranean
  London
Opening 31 Dec 2023
Originally slated to open in autumn 2023, the new Sircle Hotel in Devonshire Square, near Liverpool Street station, features a restaurant from Israeli chef Eyal Shani, who is making his presence felt in the capital with two branches of Miznon and Tel Aviv-style Lilienblum near Old Street. Seven North, already up and running in Vienna, combines pan-Mediterranean and German culinary influences.
Jan
Albert's Schloss - W1
German
  London
Opening 01 Jan 2024
On the former West End site of the Rainforest Café (RIP), this boozy Mancunian import – a ‘bier palace’ and ‘cook haus’ providing ‘recreation, indulgence, pleasure, and debauchery” – is to follow up on its spin-offs in Liverpool and Brum with this London debut in early 2024, on the site of Rainforest Café (RIP).
Josephine - SW10
  London
Opening 31 Jan 2024
Opening January 2024 in Chelsea's Fulham Road, chef Claude Bosi (of Bibendum) and his wife Lucy's tribute to the 'bouchons' of his native Lyons is named in memory of his grandmother. Expect hearty traditional cuisine with plenty of meat, offal, onions and butter, specialities including quenelles, and wines from Beaujolais and the Rhône.
Psycho Sandbar - LS1
  Leeds city centre
Opening 31 Jan 2024
Radical chef O'Hare is retiring his theatical The Man Behind the Curtain at the end of the year, and relaunching the venue after a short break in 2024 under a new guise, taking inspiration from surf culture. The move is partly in response to the financial crisis, so we can expect less labour intensive – and less costly – dishes, with a focus on seafood.
Treehouse Hotel - M3
  Manchester
Opening 31 Jan 2024
The UK's second Treehouse hotel will now open in Manchester in early 2024, with a ground-floor restaurant by Mary-Ellen McTague and a 14th-floor destination restaurant and bar from Sam Grainger.
Feb
Bellazul - W1U
  London
Opening 01 Feb 2024
Opening on February 1, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant on Blandford Street, Marylebone, from for Cecconi's chef Simone Serafini. Find flavours of Marocco and Greece as well as Italy, and head upstairs to Bar Azul for cocktails and lighter bites.
Brasseria - SW3
  London
Opening 01 Feb 2024
The Fraquelli brothers will be opening a third Brasseria early next year, adding to the sites in Marylebone and Notting Hill. The latest, in Brompton, will take over the former La Brasserie, which operated there for 30 years, and will ‘combine Italian flavour and style with New York service and a Parisian grand brasserie atmosphere.’
Singapulah - W1D
  London
Opening 15 Feb 2024
Opening in February in Shaftesbury Avenue, a showcase restaurant for specialist ingredients from Singapore, which are also available to buy retail. Restaurateur Ellen Chew, who also runs Chinatown's Rasa Sayang, started out selling hawker-style street food in Singapore, so expect authentic Straits cuisine.
Franklin & Baines - SW4
  London
Opening 27 Feb 2024
Opening March 2024 in Clapham High Street, an Anglo-American steakhouse with rooftop dining. Expect a US-leaning menu featuring grass-fed, dry-aged British steaks along with drinks from both sides of the pond, with bottomless lunches and late-night DJ sets providing a party atmosphere at weekends.
Alfi - E1
  London
Opening 29 Feb 2024
This new 'pub' in Spitalfields Market has no fewer than 10 wines on tap (and just a couple of beers), with a focus on organic and biodynamic European vintages, including orange and pet nat. Its restaurant is scheduled to follow in February, with dishes cooked on a lava stone robata grill.
Bar Bruno - E9
  London
Opening 29 Feb 2024
Opening in January in Hackney's Victoria Park Village, the latest venture from Swiss-born wine specialist Michael Sager (of Sager + Wilde) promises a "very personal" selection of natural wines, accompanied by Swiss-style stuffed pretzels and other light nibbles. It doubles as a bottle shop by day.
Francatelli - SW1A
  London
Opening 29 Feb 2024
Ho Lee Fook - W1T
Chinese
  London
Opening 29 Feb 2024
From Black Sheep group, owned by Hong Kong restaurateur Syed Asim Hussain; guest-cheffed at Carousel 27 July–5 August 2023 before looking for a permanent home - more info as we know it.
Mimosa at The Langham - W1B
  London
Opening 29 Feb 2024
Opening in March at the landmark Langham hotel on Portland Place (where it replaces Roux at the Landau), the London outpost of a Paris restaurant inspired by the cuisine and atmosphere of the French Riviera. It even has a 'Mimosa Bar', presenting the French version of devilled eggs as the basis for tapas-style bites.
RAI - WC1B
  London
Opening 29 Feb 2024
Reopening in February at a new address in Bayley Street, Bloomsbury, this highly rated sushi and omakase specialist (from the team behind Islington's Hot Stone) had a brief run in Fitzrovia before closing down last year. With just 10 seats at tables and another eight at a sushi counter, it is a tiny space but is big in culinary ambition.
Mar
Roe - E14
  London
Opening 01 Mar 2024
Opening in spring in Canary Wharf (next door to the floating Hawksmoor in Wood Wharf), a new ultra-sustainable restaurant from the team behind Fallow in St James's. Expect nose-to-tail eating, including a mixed grill of venison (it is named after a native breed of deer) along with vegetables grown on-site using an 'aeroponic' green wall.
The Arlington - SW1A
  London
Opening 01 Mar 2024
Veteran restaurateur Jeremy King has taken over the lease of the order Le Caprice, behind the Ritz in St James's – the restaurant where he made his name 40 years ago. Opening in spring 2024, it will be very much a re-creation of the original but for legal reasons under a new name – he has even re-hired the maître d’ Jesus Adorno to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The Garden Cobham - KT11
  Cobham
Opening 01 Mar 2024
Opening spring 2024, the kitchen return of chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, for almost 20 years Heston Blumenthal's no. 2 as head chef of the Fat Duck and launch chef at the Mandarin Oriental's Dinner by Heston. Expect kitchen perfection in the 35-seat restaurant, along with a bigger wine bar, cafe and bakery, with luxury accommodation following soon.
The Park - W2
British, Modern
  London
Opening 01 Mar 2024
Jeremy King is back! (with a vengeance?) at this big, bold newcomer in a landmark new development opposite Kensington Gardens and on the corner of Queensway. Apparently it will be “very much within the ‘Grand Cafés & Brasseries’ mould that [he] love[s] so much but it is however very much of the early 21st Century rather than 20th". Perhaps that means less of the Edwardian (Ivy, Wolseley, Delaunay) or Victorian (Sheekeys) style that has characterised his earlier openings.
Prelude - WC2E
  London
Opening 07 Mar 2024
Opening March 2024 in Covent Garden's The Yards development, a three-month pop-up that will morph into a permanent site for Oriole, from the Speakeasy cocktail bar group behind Bar Swift and Nightjar. The emphasis here is on food, with South American fusion cuisines to the fore, including Nikkei and Argentinian/Italian dishes.
TT - E2
  London
Opening 22 Mar 2024
A Braccetto - SW5
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Agora - SE1
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Taking over the former Rabot 1745 site at Borough Market in March, a Greek steetfood specialist with a 2-metre rotisserie cooking whole lamb and pig on the spit. Upstairs, opening in April, is the more laid-back Oma, with a raw bar. The team behind the pair have good pedigrees, including Manteca, Kiln and Sabor.
Cardinal - EH3
  West End
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Opening in March on the fringe of the New Town in Eyre Place, Canonmills, the first solo venture from chef Tomás Gormley, one of the duo behind Heron and Skua. It's an intimate venue serving ambitious 13-course tasting menus using prime Scottish ingredients.
Carmel - W1W
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Opening in March in Fitzrovia, the second branch of popular Queen's Park eastern Mediterranean-inspired venture. Founder Josh Katz's first big hit was Berber & Q. Look out for its signature huge filled flatbreads.
Chotto Matte - M2
Fusion
  Manchester
Opening 31 Mar 2024
There's a while to wait for Mancunian fans of the Japanese-Peruvian food - the St Micheal's development, where this rooftop terrace restaurant will open, isn't due to be finished until 2024.
Elements - G61
  Bearsden
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Opening spring 2024, the long-planned debut from experienced chef Gary Townsend, who has worked in heavyweight kitchens including L'Enclume in the Lake District and Edinburgh's Kitchin. Expect seasonal tasting menus showcasing prime Scottish ingredients.
Maya - M1
  Manchester City Centre
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Opening in March 2024 in a renovated historic warehouse which it shares with Leven lifestyle hotel on the corner of Canal and Chorlton Streets, this 3-storey venture offers a glossy ‘dinner plus’ experience, with late-night entertainment and DJs. Chef Gabe Lea has worked at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir and The French at the Midland Hotel.
Niju - W1J
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Oma - SE1
Greek
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
A new Greek-inspired restaurant from the Manteca team; opening Spring 2024.
SKOF - M4
  None of these
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Opening in spring 2024 in the city centre's NOMA district, great things are expected of this debut restaurant from Tom Barnes, former executive chef at L'Enclume in the Lake District. He retains close ties with Simon Rogan, his old boss, and will get regular deliveries of produce from L'Enclume's own regenerative farm.
Soul Mama - N1
Caribbean
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Now scheduled to open in early 2024, musician YolanDa Brown's Islington Square venue has been bankrolled by a £250,000 crowdfunding drive. It will showcase live jazz, soul, reggae and gospel music, with a menu inspired by recipes handed down through generations of mothers across the Caribbean, Africa and South America.
thirty7 - WC2E
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
Opening in late March In Bedford Street, Covent Garden, an all-day brasserie from the team behind The Oystermen and nearby Bedford Street Wines. Inspired by the brasseries of Paris and Manhattan, they're not all about seafood this time round and they're sourcing their meat from the West Country.
Julie’s - W11
British, Modern
  London
Opening 31 Mar 2024
This Holland Park hotspot from the Seventies is making a comeback next year under a new owner – Tara MacBain, a former regular who lives nearby and trained at Le Cordon Bleu. Expect French brasserie-style cooking from an all-day menu featuring seafood towers – and, in a nod to its louche past – a Martini trolley to save on trips to the bar.
Apr
Amber\'s - HG1
  Harrogate
Opening 30 Apr 2024
Scheduled for an April opening in the Cedar Court, Harrogate’s oldest hotel (originally Queen’s Hotel, from 1687), a flagship fine dining restaurant promising a traditional British menu using the best of Yorkshire and UK produce. The £500,000 investment includes the Imaginarium private dining space, and takes its name from a distinguished former resident, the progressive thinker and scientist Lady Amber Fitzwilliam.
Effie - W2
  London
Opening 30 Apr 2024
Fonda - W1B
  London
Opening 30 Apr 2024
Opening in 2024 in Mayfair's foodie Heddon Street, chef Santiago Lastra's follow-up to big hit Kol. It is inspired by the regional cuisines of Mexico, where 'fonda' means a family-owned restaurant.
Gorse - CF11
  Canton
Opening 30 Apr 2024
July - W1T
  London
Opening 30 Apr 2024
Roe - E14
  London
Opening 30 Apr 2024
The Cardinal - EC3N
  City of London
Opening 30 Apr 2024
Zhima - G1
  Merchant City
Opening 30 Apr 2024
May
Ardfern - EH6
  Leith
Opening 31 May 2024
Opening in May 2024 in the former premises of Mistral, an all-day café, bar, restaurant and bottleshop from chef Roberta Hall-McCarron – next door to her more formal flagship, The Little Chartroom. Named after a village in Argyll and Bute, it allows Roberta and her husband Shaun to offer breakfast and brunch, as they did before the pandemic.
Nest Farmhouse - PE31
  Kings Lynn
Opening 31 May 2024
Opening in May 2024 in a converted cattle shed on 1,000-acre Docking Lodge Farm in north Norfolk, from the team behind London high-fliers St Bart's and Nest, who have operated summer pop-ups in nearby Burnham Overy for the past two years. Expect Scandi-style treatment of locally produced or foraged ingredients.
Noci - TW10
  London
Opening 31 May 2024
Notes - YO1
  York City Centre
Opening 31 May 2024
Opening May 2024 in the former site of Fish & Forest on Micklegate, a wine bar from F&F founder, chef Stephen Andrews, who is expanding F&F with a move to Grape Lane, where he’s taking over the premises of bar 1331 from his father.
Jul
Flat Iron - M27
  Swinton
Opening 31 Jul 2024
Opening summer 2024 in the former Blacks camping store in Deansgate, the home-coming branch of Manchester-raised Charlie Carroll's successful bargain-price steakhouse group. With 12 outlets in London plus Leeds and Cambridge, it has managed to maintain high standards through expansion. The free ice cream at the end of every meal is a winner.
Hotel Dalhousie - W11
  London
Opening 31 Jul 2024
Opening summer 2024 in Westbourne Grove off Notting Hill Gate, this retro-feel Indian named after a Raj-era hill station is the follow-up to Tandoor Chop House off Trafalgar Square. The culinary focus will be on North Indian tandoor cooking, with weekday breakfast morphing into thali feast brunches at the weekend.
Pearly Cow - BN1
  Brighton
Opening 31 Jul 2024
Sep
Cafe Francois - SE1
  London
Opening 30 Sep 2024
Opening autumn 2024 in Borough Market from the team behind Maison François in St James's, a 'modern French canteen' with influences from Montreal and California. Special features include chicken from the rotisserie chicken and a cabinet displaying pâtisserie from the in-house bakery.
Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard - WC2H
British, Modern
  London
Opening 30 Sep 2024
Opening autumn 2024, the Irish brewer's new £73million Covent Garden micro-brewery and 'culture hub' includes a rooftop bar and restaurant featuring open-fire cooking. It follows similar visitor centres in Dublin and Edinburgh.
Nela - W2
  London
Opening 30 Sep 2024
Oct
Louis - M3
  Manchester City Centre
Opening 31 Oct 2024
Nov
Hovarda - E14
  London
Opening 01 Nov 2024
Opening late 2024 in a floating pavilion at Wood Wharf in Canary Wharf, the second branch of an Aegean-inspired restaurant that opened in Soho in 2017. Expect Greek and Turkish-style dishes such as red prawn orzo and lamb kleftiko, maki-based cocktails and DJs in the evening.
Oct
Freyja - NE15
  Heddon-on-the-Wall
Opening 31 Oct 2025
Scheduled for a late 2025 opening, a modern Scandi-style restaurant to be built in the walled garden of Close House in the Tyne Valley, now part of a golf course. It's from the high-achieving owners of Hjem in Wall – Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and his Northumberland-born partner Ally Thompson – who will work their magic on produce from the garden and meat, game and fish from within a 30-mile radius.

Opening Date to be Confirmed
Aktar Islam Rooftop Restaurant, Guildhall - NG1
  Nottingham
An as-yet-unnamed restaurant project; it will open in the city's Grade II listed former courtrooms, police and fire stations that are being transformed into a hotel by Ascena, which owns Birmingham's Opheem. Work was due to start in late 2020.
Al Dente - EC3R
  City of London
Pasta, freshly made on the premises and served with a dozen different sauces, is the promise at this City restaurant near Monument, with siblings in Fitzrovia and South Kensington.
Alkebulan Dining Hall - WC2N
Pan-African
  London
Coming in 2022 - date and address as yet unknown - an African dining hall, the first of its kind in the UK, from TGP International, the company behind 3 Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, in partnership with New York restaurateur Alexander Smalls. The concept was launched at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Babaji Pide - W8
Turkish
  London
The Soho original has closed, but owner Alan Yau announced his intention to revive the brand in west London (and Istanbul); no news since late 2019 on this development.
Bar Jaleo - W1D
Spanish
  London
An all-paella menu is planned for this pitstop from Victor Garvey (of Rambla), who seems incapable of opening just one restaurant at a time; he also opened Barullo in Aldgate in March 2019 (although that closed just a few months later). UPDATE: As at April 2021, there's still no news on when this is going to happen - and it may not be at this location when it does.
Barrafina - SE1
Spanish
  London
Cafe Britaly - SE15
  London
Opening in late spring 2024 in the former Supa Ya Ramen site on Rye Lane in Peckham, a 'Britalian' spot from a former Boca di Lupo duo, chef Alex Purdie and ops director Richard Crampton-Platt. The cooking – Italian-inspired using British ingredients – should be top notch: Alex was also part of the brigade at Bouchon Racine.
Café Patisserie Glacerie - EX8
Sandwiches, cakes, etc
  Exmouth
A new bakery from Micheal Caines, plus Mickey's Beach Bar nearby; no fixed opening date yet.
Casa do Frango - W1B
  London
The West End flagship of this small group serves charcoal-grilled dishes from the Algarve accompanied by Portuguese wine. Downstairs there's a speakeasy cocktail bar, the Green Room.
Chyna - E14
Chinese
  London
Announced in late 2019, Alan Yau’s ambitious Canary Wharf opening has yet to happen, with nothing heard of its development during the pandemic. On paper, it’s big and bold – occupying the ground floor of a large new Docklands development with 120 seats, and a large terrace overlooking the South Dock. Yau has said he wants it to be a ‘Chinese River Café’ with a series of tanks from which you can pick live seafood. In the same building, he was also planning Yau Grilling (see also).
Cycene - E2
Fusion
  London
Esti - E2
  London
This new Greek-Australian restaurant from Kostas Vais has nabbed a six-month residency in an old Victorian police station in Shoreditch which is now operated as TT Liquor, ahead of moving into permanent digs in autumn 2023.
Flat Iron Clink Street - SE1
Steaks & grills
  London
A second London Bridge branch for the growing steak chain; the other is on Tooley Street. No firm details on the opening date yet.
Gouqi - SW1Y
  London
The culinary genius behind the rise to global fame of the Hakkasan group, where he was executive chef for the best part of two decades, Tong Chee Hwee is opening his first solo restaurant on the site of the former Garfunkel's off Trafalgar Square. We can expect Chinese cuisine of superlative quality.
H.O.M.E. - W1S
International
  London
Pre-lockdown, Jason Atherton announced in an interview with Hot Dinners that he's opening another restaurant next to Pollen Street Social; the name is a working title, and it sounds as though it's going to be a small, globally inspired chef's table affair. No news on whether it's still in the pipeline post-lockdown.
Izakaya Nights - W11
Japanese
  London
After shopping hours, the Supermarket of Dreams in Holland Park Avenue morphs into an upscale Japanese restaurant, with guests seated at a long central table to sample plates served up by Juan Cardona, formerly of Endo at the Rotunda, and Jaime Finol, formerly of Sumi.
Jaego's House - W10
  London
The all-day restaurant at this new 'family club' is open to non-members and tailored to parents with young children, with kids' play areas and a menu of simple dishes that can be eaten one-handed while feeding toddlers (plus a full bar serving both alcohol and wellness shots).
Jolene Bakery - E2
Sandwiches, cakes, etc
  London
One of two new satellite bakeries from the Jolene / Big Jo team.
Karapincha - E14
  London
takeaways) is the first permanent spot from twin sisters Vasanthini and Dharshini Perumal, who are familiar faces on London's street-food market circuit. The day starts with ham-and-cheese-stuffed rotis for breakfast.
Kuki - TR3
British, Modern
  Truro
Opening in 2021, although no date has been shared with us, the third restaurant in Jude Kereama's Kota Collective of restaurant using Cornish produce with an Asian twist; this one is in The Valley, a hamlet of holiday cottages near Truro.
Mercato Metropolitano Ilford - IG1
International
  Ilford
The next food hall from the Mercato team will open in a car park in Ilford; there will be 30 stalls and space 600 people on the ground floor, and a sustainable farm on the roof which will produce salad for the market using hydroponic technology. Originally scheduled to open in October 2020, we don't have a revised date yet.
Muriel's Kitchen - WC2
British, Modern
  London
FKA "Portrait" (now RIP) – this gallery restaurant with marvellous rooftop views of Nelson's Column and Westminster is no longer run by Peyton & Byrne and is being rebranded as Muriel's Kitchen. The new formula will follow that of the brand's original location in South Kensington. NB The gallery itself is under refurbishment until Spring 2023, so no opening date yet.
Nest - EC1V
  London
This high-flying Hackney spot (sibling to St Bart's near the Barbican) is moving to new, bigger premises next to Shoredtich Town Hall in October 2023. The focus on one key ingredient each month will continue; what's new is a downstairs bar, Nest Cellar, serving small plates including game-bird terrine and a British cheese board.
New England Colonial fish restaurant (name tbc) - W1S
Fish & seafood
  London
Due to land in Autumn 2021, a high-rolling fish and steak restaurant with three siblings in Dubai. It's as yet un-named but we know it will overlook a new, covered, retail colonnade space called Medici Courtyard, that will connect the square with New Bond Street.
Noble Palace - SW1H
Chinese
  London
New Chinese fine-dining restaurant near St James’s Park; opening end of May 2022 with a luxury menu representing all eight of China’s culinary regions. On the same site will be Mi Bar, where you'll be served a cocktail based on how you are feeling.
Notting Hill Corbin & King venture - name TBC - W11
  London
Chris Corbin & Jeremy King have revealed that a new restaurant will open in Notting Hill, in the former Royal Bank of Scotland building; opening date to be announced.
Pacific - W1F
Japanese
  London
We were told that Shaun Presland, previously executive chef with Australia's Rockpool group, would open in this former Foxlow Soho site in 2019, but it's now been announced that Bancone 2 is opening there - more details about this venture as we hear them...
Pizzeria da Michele - M2
Pizza
  Manchester
The former Deansgate branch of Zizzi is soon to be home to "the world's best pizza", as made famous by Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love.
Ready Burger - NW3
Burgers, etc
  London
Opening in July 2021; 100% plant-based fast food, already open in Crouch End.
Restaurant TBC at Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria - SW1A
  London
Due to open in 2023, the new hotel in Admiralty Arch will have unparalleled views from two restaurants, including one on the rooftop.
Richard Corrigan at Hawley Wharf - NW1
Irish
  London
We don't even have a name for the famed Irish chef's new restaurant, but he's been talking about it in the press, so it's definitely happening sometime in 2022; all we know at the moment is that it's in a new development in Camden Basin and will feature "bakery, smokery, craft beers" and has a large rooftop dining area.
Rioja - G3
Spanish
  Glasgow
Spanish chef Miguel Angel Major, previously of Michelin-starred Sucede in Valencia (and before that, a little-known spot called El Bulli), has been appointed head chef for the relaunch of this newly expanded Finneston tapas restaurant; he will blend Basque and Scottish flavours and ingredients in what their social media calls "an exceptional, unique restaurant concept". Opening in June 2021.
Rockfish - TQ8
Fish & seafood
  Salcombe
Due to open in Spring 2022 - subject to planning - a 100-seater seafood restaurant overlooking Batson Creek.
Sabor De Don Pablo - SW2
Spanish
  London
Pop-up entrepreneur Jimmy Garcia has announced plans for his first permanent restaurant, in premises he currently uses for storage by Tulse Hill station; it will be named after his grandfather and focus on tapas and paella. The original plan was to open in October 2019, but as at March 2020 we have no news to share.
Sam's Waterside - TW8
  London
Restaurateur Sam Harrison's smart neighbourhood restaurant and bar is designed to anchor the new Brentford Project, a mixed-used development beside the River Brent, when it opens in July 2023. It follows the success of Sam's Riverside at the reopened Riverside Studios by Hammersmith Bridge. There will also be a Sam's Larder opposite.
Soderberg - SE22
  London
Opening in early 2023, this East Dulwich branch of an Edinburgh-based Swedish cafe group (also with a branch in Soho) will offer a range of home-baked Scandi classics including open sandwiches and cardamom buns along with sourdough pizzas.
SOMA - W1D
Indian
  London
Due to open in September, a new concept from the team behind Kricket; named after the Hindi moon god, SOMA is a "take on a speakeasy", serving Indian-inspired cocktails and snacks right next door to Kricket Soho.
Stu Deeley restaurant, name tbc - B3
  Birmingham
No further news on when MasterChef: The Professionals 2019 winner Stu Deeley is opening his own Jewellery Quarter restaurant (in direct competition to his former employers at The Wilderness). More details - and a name - when we hear them, but he has already said he'll be serving the "Brummie fusion food" that won him the MasterChef crown.
Tapas Brindisa Richmond - TW9
Spanish
  London
Opening in October, the first suburban branch of Brindisa's tapas mini-chain; this site benefits from riverside views from the 60-cover terrace.
The 3rd - BS1
Spanish
  Bristol
Apparently not busy enough with running his new restaurant in London (Decimo), Peter Sanchez-Iglesias is also opening this spot (originally planned for March 2020) on the former site of his Pi Shop (tucked between his other two restaurants, Casamia and Paco Tapas); it will have an all-day café, restaurant (with a chef's table, naturally) and a bar.
The Bugis Singapore Restaurant - SW7
Pan-Asian
  London
This Cantonese, Malaysian and Singaporean specialist is re-opening in July 2023 after moving around the corner.
The OWO - SW1A
International
  London
A mega new hotel for London sees the Old War Office on Whitehall – in which Winston Churchill made many of the most important decisions of World War II – being taken over by Raffles, no less (their first venture in Europe) and the Hinduja Group, to open in late 2023 as a new 125 bedroom property. It will have nine new restaurants, of which we list the four most notable individually: Café Lapérouse, Endo Kazutoshi, Langosteria, Mauro Colagreco and Paper Moon (see also). Other options include Mauro’s Table and a fine high-ceilinged brasserie called ‘Saison’ – which fall under the Colagreco umbrella – as well as The Drawing Room (lounge and all-day dining) and Guards Bar.
The Plough at Shiplake - RG9
British, Modern
  Shiplake
The team in Henley have rescued this village pub (previously called The Plowden Arms) that dates back to 1774. It will reopen as an "informal all day dining affair open seven days a week".
The Queen's Arms - BS40
British, Modern
  Chew Magna
A second Chew Magna site from the Eggleton family, the team behind The Pony & Trap (now known as The Pony Chew Magna); this site is being refurbished to open with rooms.
The York Minister Refectory Restaurant - YO1
British, Modern
  York
Just a month after the tragic fire at his Star Inn at Harome, chef Andrew Pern received the good news that his application to convert the closed York Minster School into a restaurant, along with chef Bex Toppin and her partner Will Pearce, of Robinsons Cafe.
Tienda Roosteria - EC2A
Mexican
  London
Tienda Roosteria at Shoreditch's ultra-cool Curtain Hotel specialises in "tacos, tequilas and good times". Head there on Triple Taco Tuesdays to snag yourself three tacos and a beer for just £10.
Unimini - EC3M
Pan-Asian
  City of London
The owners of CheeMc in Elephant & Castle and Gogo Pocha in Waterloo are opening a bento box grab-and-go restaurant in the City.
Veda Baby - W1D
Vegetarian
  London
Trailed in early 2020 as "Ayurvedic grab-and-go" restaurant from Jasmine Helmsley, supported by The Pepper Collective. The website is still up, but there's been zero mention of it since… our growing impression is that it's “coming never".
Yafo - BS3
Middle Eastern
  Bristol
A vegan Middle Eastern spot, opening after lockdown, serving authentic Middle Eastern vegan fare.
Yann Couvreur - W1K
Sandwiches, cakes, etc
  London
They know their way around a bun those Parisians. So the news that social media sensation Yann (who did a short residency at Claridges in 2019) is set to open in Mayfair – complete with his Instagramable pet fox and ‘iconic’ buckwheat version of the Breton pastry cake, the kouign-amann – has tongues wagging. The store was originally to open in late 2019 / early 2020, but its already delayed arrival was pushed back further by the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on restaurants.
Yau Grilling - E14
Japanese
  London
Announced in late 2019, little has since been heard of this Alan Yau opening on the first floor of a big Canary Wharf development near the South Dock. It’s to be a 45-seater, open all day, and serving a Japanese-inspired menu from the, er, grill. On the ground floor, Yau also plans to open Chyna – see also.
Nammos - SW7
Mediterranean
  London
High-end Mediterranean seafood and beef top the menu at this chichi outfit from a group based in Mykonos, with offshoots in Cannes and Dubai. It's reservations-only, to minimise disturbance in tranquil 'Knightsbridge village'.
Flat Iron - W8
  London
This good-value steakhouse group is opening its 12th site in Kensington, serving its usual small menu headed by the signature flat iron steak, costing much the same as a posh burger.
Contigo - WC2N
Fusion
  London
Occupying the site of the former Strand Dining Rooms, this high-end Nikkei operation has a sushi counter and bar called Lima, a main open kitchen called Osaka, and an outdoor terrace with views across Trafalgar Square – so Nelson can look down on you from his column while you dine.
AngloThai - SW1Y
Thai
  London
Benihana - WC2
Japanese, Teppan-yaki
  London
The glossy US-based teppanyaki chain is to add a third London branch on the Covent Garden site that was Fire & Stone (RIP) – its first new one in London in 20 years (to join those in Chelsea and Mayfair). Nowadays, the group is owned by Minor International who acquired a 75% stake in 2018.
Caviar Kaspia - W1J
Fish & seafood
  London
Back after almost 20 years, the famous Parisian caviar house announced it was opening on the former site of The Chess Club back in 2018; exact date yet to be announced.
Embr Kitchen - E2
Steaks & grills
  London
The "best of British produce with a Brazilian and Scandinavian twist" features high-welfare meat (with a focus on goat), seasonal ingredients, great sustainability credentials and charcoal grilling; no news (at Jan 2022) on an opening date - it's been a while...
Kanada-Ya - W5
Japanese
  London
A fifth UK branch for the ramen specialists; opening date as yet unknown.
Roast - W1W
British, Modern
  London
In a former BBC building, the Borough Market restaurant's more casual sibling, over two floors, will open with Paul Shearing (Bread Street Kitchen, Odette's) at the stoves. Still no news yet on an opening date at Jan 2022...
Theo's Italian Kitchen (Group) -
Italian
  GROUP
Chef Theo Randall already runs one Theo's Italian Kitchen in Zurich; three UK branches are to open (we are still waiting for dates to be confirmed over a year later) in Newcastle and London (Battersea and Aldgate). We'll (hopefully) expect the same authentic Italian fare that has kept Theo at the top of his game since his days as head chef at The River Cafe.
Vergine Maria - W5
Vegan
  London
From the Santa Maria team (and on the original site of the Ealing branch, which has shifted to Bond Street in W5), a vegan pizzeria which was scheduled to open in late 2021, but there's been no news for a while now...
Wool Yard - SE18
International
  London
We're told that the land for Wool Yard has been sold; a Street Feast has also now opened in Woolwich so whether the 'shipping-container-community-hub with food stalls' development, from Carl Turner (the man who brought us Pop Brixton) will actually happen now remains to be seen.
Yiu Fat Noodle - WC2H
Chinese
  London
From the team behind Pachamama, a crowdfunded Chinese restaurant, in the new Central Cross development at the eastern end of Chinatown. It was due to open in Summer 2019 but (as of Jan 2022) no opening date has been released.
Atticus - EC1V
American
  London
No news on when Iqbal Wahhab, founder of Westminster's classy Indian the Cinnamon Club and Borough Market's Roast, will open his Southern US venture in Angel serving chicken, ribs and barbecued meats; it's been in planning for well over a year. Named after Atticus Finch, the magnanimous father in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, the restaurant will be rolled-out as a chain if the concept proves successful. Much like its namesake, this restaurant has noble goals and will employee disadvantaged people and help rehabilitate ex-offenders through employment.
Custard - SE1
Indian
  London
The plan to open a bakery by day, wine bar by night project at One Tower Bridge, from the folks behind Gunpowder (and below the new branch of Gunpowder), is currently on hold while they locate kitchen facilities - the bakery was to share facilities with Gunpowder, but this is proving a problem.
Kingsway Hall Hotel - WC2
British, Modern
  London
Mamarosa - EC2
Italian
  London
After several years, there's still no news about when Barcelona's Mamarosa is due to land in Shoreditch... we'll keep you updated when we hear something.
Muriel's Kitchen - WC2
British, Traditional
  London
No news on the proposed sibling to South Ken's neighbourhood bistro.
Not Really Indian (NRI) - B1
Indian
  Birmingham
Since being announced in 2018, there's been no news about when chef-entrepreneur Atul Kocchar's first UK restaurant under the Not Really Indian (NRI) brand will open. (When it does, it will be serving cuisine developed by Indian cooks living abroad.) Kochhar pulled out of taking up space in Birmingham’s Mailbox development in 2018, but is apparently looking elsewhere; NRI was launched in Mumbai in 2016.
Shibui - W1
Japanese
  London
Former head chef at Hackney's “cramped-but-magical” Pidgin, Elizabeth Haigh, ran a pop-up at Carousel in 2017 (and Kaizen House pop-up at Mortimer House in 2019) and is looking for a permanent site for her Japanese-influenced cuisine, featuring refined barbecue dishes with inventive flavour pairings. More news as we know it...
The Peninsula London - SW1
  London
Luxury hotel owned and operated by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels; due to open in 2023.
Dining Room at Art'otel - SW8
  London
Amsterdam hotel group plans to open new hotel and rooftop dining space in London's iconic Battersea Power Station in late 2022 (originally it was promised for 2019). A second hotel in Hoxton is due to open in 2023.

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