The hottest restaurants in London aren’t just the ones with open kitchens… equipped with fiery grills… and hermetically sealed windows.
They’re the spots that – thanks to an ineffable combination of factors that might include atmosphere, value for money and straight-up deliciousness – punters flock to in their droves. They might be long-anticipated openings from big name chefs; follow-ups from teams who have already proved their mettle; or under-the-radar independent spots that nevertheless hold their own against the big dogs. But they’re all good, and all worth spending your hard-earned pennies on.
Here’s what we consider to be London’s hottest restaurants right now, including a gorgeous Mediterranean spot in an old timber yard; a pair of long-awaited Thai restaurants; a Notting Hill Italian that’s hotter than the sun; and a suave Chelsea date spot…
1) Dove | Notting Hill
Alexander Baxter
As chefs go, Jackson Boxer is one of London’s heavyweights. And not just because of the name – but because he keeps knocking it out the park with places like Henri, Brunswick House, and Below Stone Nest. And now, he’s closed down his (highly popular) seafood spot Orasay to re-invent the place as Dove, serving things that he “wants to cook and eat right now”. Spoiler: you’ll want to eat them, too.
Details: 31 Kensington Park Road, W11 2EU | Book a table at Dove
2) Canteen | Notting Hill
When The Pelican team ambushes Notting Hill with a new restaurant (and very little pre-opening spiel), you can bet the word’s going to spread like wildfire. Canteen might just be London’s hottest restaurant right now – and we’re happy to report that it genuinely delivers. It’s a departure from the team’s usual MO, swapping out the rustic restoration of historic pubs in favour of a buzzy, midcentury-styled space serving a regularly changing Italian menu. It’s currently open for lunch only, but dinner service is set to launch soon, giving you a slightly increased chance of getting a table…
Details: 310 Portobello Road, W10 5TA | No bookings, just turn up
3) The Barbary Notting Hill | Notting Hill
The Barbary, a restaurant that was made famous by the fact that it has only bar seating, and only delicious food, has opened up in West London – and decided to do away with one of those two prerequisites. We’ll let you infer which one for yourself when we tell you that you’ll be able to lean back and enjoy a stunning Mediterranean-style meal in a pretty huge space…
Details: 112 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, W2 5RU | Book a table at The Barbary Notting Hill
4) Wildflowers | Pimlico
Wildflowers: another top pick. It’s the solo debut for Aaron Potter, former head chef at Trinity and Elystan Street (and described by his old boss Phil ‘Michelin Star collector’ Howard as a “truly great craftsman”). Teaming up with interior designer Laura Hart, he’s created a beautiful, deeply romantic Mediterranean restaurant, where you can share a plate of gnocchi fritti and a little ex-dairy ribeye with smoked bone marrow rice surrounded by candlelight, vintage furnishings and flowers.
Details: Newson’s Yard, 57 Pimlico Road, Chelsea, SW1W 8NE | Book Wildflowers
5) Fantômas | Chelsea
A brooding, low-lit Chelsea date spot whose varied menu defies any narrower a definition than ‘really, really delicious’. That’s thanks to the man helming the kitchen, Chris Denney, whose earlier restaurants 108 Garage and Fiend catapulted him to critical acclaim. Dine on tenderly roasted squab pigeon and deeply flavourful baked celeriac with truffle; sip exquisite concoctions by Mike Robinson; explore a venturesome wine list; and bask in one of the most glamorous new openings in the city.
Details: 300 King’s Road, London, SW3 5UH | Make a booking at Fantômas
6) Fonda | Mayfair
KOL is pretty cool, but you might just be fonder of Fonda. It’s the sophomore follow-up to Santiago Lastra’s blisteringly inventive, Michelin-starred hype-magnet, taking up a stylish two storeys on Mayfair’s Heddon Street. It still channels all the creativity of its predecessor, but with a tone that’s more casual and refreshingly accessible. And that menu is packed with mouthwatering Mexican dishes like the costra (a slab of aged ribeye blanketed in grilled cheese) and slow-cooked short rib with mole poblano…
Details: 12 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BZ | Make a reservation at Fonda
7) AngloThai | Marylebone
AngloThai is one of those popups that seems to sell out completely every single time they put on a residency, no matter how long for, and who seem to attract the kind of rave reviews that other eateries can only dream of. And now, if you can believe it, someone’s had the utterly insane idea of giving them their own restaurant…
Details: 22-24 Seymour Place, London W1H 7NL | Make a booking at AngloThai
8) Three Darlings | Chelsea
Jason Atherton is best known for his elegant, Michelin star winning fine dining – but his latest project is a humble neighbourhood restaurant. Only this is still a Jason Atherton neighbourhood restaurant, so while the service is warm and familiar; the decor is luxuriously cosy and intimate; and the portions are generous and comforting… the quality of the food is still absolutely incredible. Tuck into outrageous comfort food dishes like the ember-baked potatoes topped with melted Lincolnshire poacher; share hefty cuts of aged meat; enjoy fresh fish scorched over glowing coals… and make sure you order bread in at least one form.
Details: 241b Pavilion Road, Chelsea, SW1X 0BP | Book a table at Three Darlings
9) SOMA | Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf’s cocktail scene has finally got the shake-up it needs. Here, at last, is a grown-up, date-worthy space – a futuristic bunker tucked under the tracks of the DLR, where the mood is set by two glowing geometric alcoves overhead. The drinks, of course, are just as forward-looking: as with the original SOMA in Soho, they take ingredients rarely seen in cocktails from the kitchens of Kricket next door, and pour them into whip-smart concoctions like the Apricot, which blends in cognac, fenugreek bitters and a white chocolate fat-washed bourbon…
Details: 6 Frobisher Passage, E14 5HA | Make a booking at SOMA
10) Goodbye Horses | Canonbury
It’ll be a long time before London says goodbye to this pack-leading wine bar that’s just opened in between Islington and Dalston. The place itself is a gorgeously understated whitewashed shell that nevertheless oozes atmosphere thanks to copious amounts of candlelight, a crackly vinyl soundtrack, and a colourful hand-painted banner crowning the countertop.
Being a wine bar, there’s plenty of great, low-intervention hooch to explore (with plenty available by the glass), but Goodbye Horses is really a full-time restaurant too. In the kitchen is former Papi chef Jack Coggins, whose menu is a tastebud-baiting line-up of dishes that turn the flavour dial up to 11: rich oxtail ragout, sardines on toasted shokupan, and one hell of a cheese toastie…
Details: 21 Halliford St, Islington, N1 3HB | Book a table at Goodbye Horses
11) Sael | St James’s
Sael may be one of several openings the accolade-laden chef Jason Atherton has in the pipeline, but it’s definitely carved a niche for itself. Tucked away in St James’s Market, it’s a striking, double-height brasserie that sets out to champion ‘the best of British’, from the produce, to the wine (served by the pint), to the Britpop soundtrack. So if politics, Brexit, and all the rest ever get you down – come here and be reminded that, as the home of 100 layer snail & ox-cheek lasagna, ol’ Blighty can be alright.
Details: 1 St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4AH | Make a booking at Sael
12) The Hero | Maida Vale
Possibly making its first ever appearance on the London restaurant heat map, Maida Vale has just landed a doozy. The Hero is the second London pub from the all-conquering team behind The Pelican, and bears familiar hallmarks of stripped-back plaster walls, lovingly restored period features, and a modern, grown-up take on trad pub dining. You can hang out downstairs for a pint and probably the best pork pie you’ve ever consumed, but nab a crisply-clothed table upstairs in The Grill Room for an elegant supper of beef tartare served on a hash brown, a stiff-crusted Jerusalem artichoke pie, or hefty bone-in sirloin to share.
Details: 55 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 2JD | Book a table at The Grill Room
13) Plates | Shoreditch
Safia Shakarchi
It almost feels cruel telling you about this one, because every time new bookings have been released for Kirk and Keeley Haworth’s first bricks-and-mortar restaurant, the website’s crashed and tables have been immediately booked out. However…it’ll definitely be worth a visit in, er, February 2025, because the hype is fully justified. Chef Kirk developed his plant-powered cuisine to manage his Lyme disease symptoms back in 2016, and since then he’s been crowned Champion of Champions on Great British Menu, won Menu of the Year award at last year’s Cateys, and grown a cult following from his fine dining pop-up with sister Keeley. It’s the only place you can find vegan fine dining of this calibre in London, and it’s all delivered in the kind of dining room you’d expect to find in a boutique gastropub in Somerset.
Psst… if you can’t wait, it’s worth knowing that they have a few terrace tables each night that are walk-in only.
Details: 320 Old St, Shoreditch, EC1V 9DR | Book a table at Plates
14) Ibai | Barbican
The team behind top-quality meat suppliers Txuleta (it’s pronounced ‘choo-leh-tah’) have joined forces with chef-of-the-moment Richard Foster (it’s pronounced ‘Richard Foster’) on a brand new restaurant. And they’ve really raised the steaks. The menu centres on the eponymous txuleton, the uniquely flavourful meat of Galician ex-dairy cows. Add in a cool, ex-factory setting, and a little open-fire alchemy from the former Chiltern Firehouse chef, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for one of London’s hottest new restaurants…
Details: 90 Bartholomew Close, London, EC1 7BN | Book a table at Ibai
15) AGORA | London Bridge
We can only assume that David Carter had an inkling of just how popular OMA was going to be… because he’s very considerately opened a second, more casual restaurant downstairs. AGORA’s specialist subject is skewers charred over a wood grill – but honestly, if you’re not in the market for a full meal, this is the ultimate place to drop in for a couple of unreal flatbreads, dips, and frozen margaritas. Best enjoyed at the dining counter behind the bifold windows, which open onto the bustle of Borough Market.
Details: 2-4 Bedale St, SE1 9AL | No bookings
16) Noodle Inn | Soho
This walk-in-only Soho noodle shop is an unfussy outfit that absolutely delivers on the ‘autumnal comfort food’ front. Grab a counter seat and you’ll see the chefs forming pliable, hand-pulled noodles before your eyes, before slathering them in gorgeously juicy beef rib and aromatic spices. Coupled with frankly unbelievable prices for Central London, it’s rapidly become one of London’s hottest new openings – so prepare to queue for an hour or so before getting your hands on the goods.
Details: 4-6 Old Compton St, Soho, Central London, W1D 4TA | Walk-in only
17) Miga | Hackney
Miga opened quietly, without fanfare or a PR team working through the night to drum up hype. So it speaks to the quality of the cooking here that this family-run Korean spot has gone stratospheric in the last few weeks. It’s a modest spot on a corner of Hackney, with a no-frills interior where the atmosphere is instead provided by a soundtrack of happy chatter and a steamy cloud of bone broth lingering in the air. That bone broth is a generations-old recipe that saw the family’s grandma become one of the top 3 chefs in Seoul, and her descendants are doing her very proud here…
Details: 3 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 4RP | Book a table at Miga
18) Tollington’s | Finsbury Park
Probably the hottest restaurant in London right now (but placed here at no. 9 because you’ll probably only get a booking come November). The reason for its wild success? The show-runners hail from The Plimsoll up the road, a humble boozer that’s been showered in acclaim for its wild and unexpected takes on pub grub (if you’ve not been there, name-dropping the pigeon bhuna will receive knowing nods from other foodies). Here, however, they’ve taken over an old chippie and sort of re-skinned it as a Spanish seafood bar: most of the decor is the same, you can still get banging chips, but it’s all a lot less ‘cod scraps and saveloy’ and much more ‘devilled crab fritters and pilpil hake’.
Details: 172 Tollington Park, Finsbury Park, London N4 3AJ | Make a booking at Tollington’s here, or try walking in
19) Julie’s | Notting Hill
They say the third time’s a charm… though of course it helps when the first and second times were a charm, too. Julie’s has been a bastion of Notting Hill’s restaurant scene for more than half a century, and it’s just been saved from closure for a third time. New owner Tara MacBain is both a local and a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, and she’s given the place the revival it deserves, with gorgeously revamped interiors, cosy basement booths, live pianists, table-side martini trolleys and The Pelican chef Owen Kenworthy in the kitchen…
Details: 135 Portland Road, Holland Park, W11 4LW | Book a table at Julie’s
20) Camille | London Bridge
The team behind Ducksoup and Little Duck – The Picklery have gotten all their ducks in a row for a new restaurant, facing right onto Borough Market. Former St John and 107 Wine Bar resident chef Elliot Hashtroudi plunders that market for all its best bounty, which he then rustles into fantastic French dishes with a nod to the nose-to-tail philosophy: trotter & parsley terrine; smoked eel devilled eggs and whole gurnard with snail butter feature alongside more familiar onglet steaks and onion tarts. But even if you’re not feeling adventurous, don’t miss the burnt milk tart – it really is something.
Details: 2-3 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AA | Book a table at Camille
Want to know what’s coming up? Well, luckily there’s a guide to London restaurants opening soon, too.