With Greek cuisine all the rage in London and cooking over fire here to stay, the arrival of two separate restaurants named after the Greek word for fire may be not be altogether surprising. This week saw the opening of Pyra in Queen’s Park, billed as a ‘love letter to the Mediterranean’ and featuring Greek […]
Chef David Taylor is to double his footprint at Hampton Manor luxury hotel near Birmingham with the opening next week of restaurant Kynd, following his success with Grace & Savour on the same Warwickshire estate. Grace & Savour opened three years ago, quickly establishing itself as a Midlands powerhouse and rising to number 30 on […]
Petersham Nurseries has closed its two Covent Garden offshoots, citing rising rents, the recent budget and Brexit for the decision. Its famous flagship cafe will remain open in the old plant nursery on the edge of Richmond Park. Facing an annual £1.2m bill for rent, rates and services at the Floral Court premises of The […]
The Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone may be closed for the rest of the year after a fire caused by wood falling from a pizza oven swept through the building on Valentine’s Day. More than 100 guests and staff were evacuated and 125 firefighters brought the blaze under control. No injuries were reported. The fire started […]
Gordon Ramsay (right in photo) has acquired the former site of Le Gavroche in Mayfair, with chef Matt Abé (left) shifting from his flagship, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, to take charge of the as-yet-unnamed new venture. Michel Roux closed Le Gravroche, in Upper Brook Street, just over a year ago, ending […]

Our weekly roundup of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 16th February 2025 London Standard Bar Valette, Hoxton David Ellis was underwhelmed by the new venture from Isaac McHale of nearby heavyweight The Clove Club, this one a self-styled “European restaurant” with mostly Spanish and some French dishes […]
Veteran Japanese restaurant Yoshino is to reopen following a three-year search for new premises after losing its long-term perch in an alleyway off Piccadilly Circus. It will move to St James’s, a few minutes walk away, taking over the premises until recently occupied by Al Duca in Duke of York Street. The family-run Italian restaurant […]

Italian-inspired supper club-turned-restaurant Forza Win is to close next week, with founders Bash Redford and Michael Lavery planning to expand their successful spinoff Forza Wine. The pair started out on a casual basis at the Truman Brewery in Whitechapel in 2012, before switching to a permanent base in a Peckham warehouse. That closed during the […]
A high-end Chinese restaurant featuring the cuisines of Canton and Hubei with a signature luxury set menu at £388 a head is launching this month in Fitzrovia. 3 Gorges has taken over the former Trattoria Mondello in Goodge Street, across the road from founder Li Zhang’s Sichuan-inspired restaurant Sanxia Renjia, which also has branches in […]
Ealing’s Santa Maria pizza is to take over the restaurant space at the Frontline Club near Paddington station this month as the brand gears up for a major expansion. Founders Pasquale Chionchio and Angelo Ambrosio opened their first pizzeria in 2010 and have expanded slowly since then, taking 15 years to reach five branches – but […]