Good things come to those who wait.
But for those who prefer to know what’s coming now, here you’ll find – in handy chronological order – a running tally of the most exciting restaurants slated to open in London in the next few months.
The upcoming highlights include a sister site for a much-loved Syrian restaurant at Somerset House; award-winning Neapolitan pizza in Shoreditch a new late night bar inspired by ’80s New York Mutant Disco; the welcome revival of a 200 year-old institution; and a restaurant with its own on-site farm. Indoors. Growing 200+ crops.
Behold, all the top London restaurants opening in the next few months:
The Lavery | Kensington
The Lavery is a chic new opening, promising to combine Mediterranean seasonality with British culinary influences and high-quality Scottish produce. And it doesn’t stop there. Heading up the kitchen is Yohei Furuhashi, previously of Toklas, whose CV includes stints at the River Café and Petersham Nurseries. Alcides Gauto, another Toklas alum, is front of house – Gauto also being a familiar face to regulars at the beloved Rochelle Canteen, a restaurant which happens to have been launched way-back-when by The Lavery’s consulting creative director, Martin. What we’re saying is – you’re in safe hands.
Opening: 25th March
081 Pizzeria | Shoreditch
081 Pizzeria was founded back in 2021 by Naples-born Andrea Asciuti, a co-founder of the beloved Streatham pizzeria, Bravi Ragazzi. After a two-year run of successful pop ups around South London, Andrea opened a permanent site in Peckham and now, he’s opening a second, larger site in Shoreditch. It seems that, much like his crusts, he’s on the rise.
Opening: Early April
PERK: Nudge Members (+1) are getting in for three exclusive preview nights with 50% off food at the new 081 Pizzeria in Shoreditch on 31st March, 1st & 2nd April.
The Kerfield Arms | Camberwell
When news landed that the team behind The Baring are opening another pub, this time in South London, the people of Camberwell got in a right kerf-uffle. This second opening will take over The Crooked Well just off Camberwell Church St and the dynamic duo of Adam Symonds and chef Rob Tecwyn (Moro, Morito) are at the helm alongside The Baring chef, Jay Styler.
Opening: Early April 2025
Corner Corner | Canada Water
Corner Corner is not going to be a small, retiring spot as its name might suggest. It’s going to span 55,000 sq ft and house a vertical farm, growing 200+ types of crops. The site will also include a modern jazz club, live events and all sorts of street food vendors overseen by the team at KERB. Now if that doesn’t cover you from all angles, we’re not sure what will.
Opening: April 2025
The Pocket | Islington
The Southampton Arms up in Gospel Oak is about to get a sibling, The Pocket. It’s going to have the same ethos of militant independence, and a devotion to finding interesting and delicious new beers & ciders to run through the taps, a piano for live music nights and a hot-pie counter to balance out copious pint slinging.
Opening: April 2025
Crunch | Soho
Crunch does not do sandwiches by halves. After a successful stint in Spitalfields Market, the sandwich revolution has gathered pace and is readying to open a new site in Soho. On the menu, expect to find freshly baked “brioche-inspired” bread, fully loaded with truffle beef patties, Red Leicester cheese, crispy onion marmalade and black truffle mayonnaise, as well as a new version of their steak sandwich and even a sweet sarnie, in the form of deep-fried French toast, soaked in custard, covered with apple and mini chocolate chunks with a side of Dulce de Leche.
Opening: April 2025
Bubala King’s Cross | King’s Cross
Bubala, everyone’s favourite so-good-you-probably-wouldn’t-realise-it-was-vegetarian-unless-someone-pointed-it-out restaurant is opening a third site. It’s hitting King’s Cross in April, in a striking two-floor space with an expansive outdoor terrace. And what started as a pop up in tiny kitchens across the city will now have a six-meter high entrance…
Opening: April 2025
Osteria Angelina | The City
Angelina’s unique fusion of Japanese and Italian culinary influences makes it easily one of the best restaurants in Dalston. And now it’s about to become one of the best restaurants in the City, too, when it opens a sophomore spot in the form of Osteria Angelina. Set in a former warehouse, it’ll be a more casual spot swapping tasting menus for fresh pasta dishes given a Japanese twist, alongside whole meat & fish BBQ’d binchotan-style, and a trolley serving up Italian stews table side.
Opening: May 2025
Marjories | Soho
If you thought London had reached peak wine bar, think again. Marjories is from the minds of new hospitality duo Michael Searle and Josh Anderson, alongside head chef and business partner Giacomo Peretti (ex-Le Gavroche, Temper & Firebird). The French-leaning restaurant and ‘bar à vins’ will be opening its doors on Foubert’s Place, in Soho.
Opening: May 2025
The Black Cow at The Stage | Shoreditch
The Black Cow is making its debut on The Stage, a new Shoreditch development on the site of one of Shakespeare’s old theatres. And it’s set to be a reprise of the popular Camden restaurant, specialising in dry-aged steaks with Middle Eastern influences and signature cocktails, with a huge, spotlit open kitchen – so you can really soak up the theatre of it all.
Opening: April 2025
Mr Porter | Mayfair
‘Companion by day, hunter by night’, but also, primarily, a steak restaurant, Mr Porter is coming to Mayfair all the way from Amsterdam. The interiors are going to be gorgeously sleek and low-lit, with a circular bar for signature cocktails and intimate, curved booths for enjoying their famed steaks in every cut…
Opening: April 2025
Locatelli At The National Gallery | St James’s
Chef Giorgio Locatelli’s aptly named, Locatelli at The National Gallery is set to be the headline act when the newly refurbished Sainsbury Wing reopens on May 10th. Expect a sizeable spread, with space for 80 pasta-craving early Renaissance nerds, plus a coffee spot called Bar Giorgio, which will be sliding espresso & cream-stuffed maritozzi brioche buns across the counter. The main restaurant, will celebrate seasonal Italian fare, naturally.
Opening: May 2025
Parasol | Dalston
If your new year’s resolution is to go to more bars inspired by 1980s New York mutant disco, then you’re in luck – the cocktail connoisseurs behind bars like Discount Suit Company and The Sun Tavern are teaming up with Ruby’s founder Tom Gibson to open a late night drinking den in Dalston, featuring guest DJs and 2am closing times…
Opening: Spring 2025
Singburi | Shoreditch
This news story had us up and out of our seats. One of London’s best Thai restaurants, Singburi in Leytonstone is relocating to Shoreditch. The project is being helmed by the now-retired Mr & Mrs Kularbwong’s son Sirichai, along with Nick Molyviatis, formerly of Kiln and OMA, and Alexander Gkikas, co-founder of Catalyst Cafe. Consider this your personal reminder to set an alarm for when the bookings open.
Opening: Spring 2025
Big Mamma Group | The City
The Big Mamma Group strikes again, this time in The City. That’s right, the Franco-Italian culinary-industrial complex that produced Circolo Popolare, Jacuzzi, Gloria, is now about to land in an area where maximalism and excess are basically par for the course. We should point out that this news is, at the moment, pure conjecture but we have a pretty solid hunch the plans are set to go ahead.
Opening: Spring 2025
Dishoom’s Permit Room | Notting Hill
Having won the hearts and appetites of London diners, one black dhal at a time, Dishoom is now turning its hand to something a little different: a standalone cocktail bar. Permit Room is set to open in Notting Hill this Spring, and it’s following on from a trio that have already opened in Brighton, Cambridge & Oxford. Its all-day offering promises Dishoom classics served from 8am-11pm. Sounds like our idea of heaven.
Opening: Early May
Noisy Oyster | Shoreditch
Firebird is birthing something new: the team behind Soho’s open fire spot is opening a design-led bistro specialising in seafood and martinis. Wood and concrete will come together to shape an intimate 50-seater space, all orbiting a bar serving up signature mini martinis…
Opening: Spring 2025
Legado | Shoreditch
If like us, you love Spanish food and leisurely, wine-fuelled dinners, then you’ll be as excited to know Nieves Barragán Mohacho – head chef & founder of the Michelin Starred Sabor, and also the executive chef at Barrafina when it won its Star – has announced she’s opening a second site in Shoreditch this summer called Legado. Arriba!
Opening: Summer 2025
Aram | Somerset House
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is growing on its success with a new opening at Somerset House. Aram will be a cafe, deli, and restaurant, and it’s set to open this autumn in the building’s Thames-facing river terrace at the back of the space. Expect goods made from Syrian produce – the first of its kind to be imported since the civil war broke out more than a decade ago – including all manner of pastries, breads, dips, and salads.
Opening: Autumn 2025
Varrons | Location TBC
The team behind the upcoming Varrons are very much the Boyzlife of the London restaurant scene.
For this is a supergroup formed of Jack Williams (ex-Westerns Laundry), William Thompson (Jolene, Cadet) and Ben Clyde (Primeur), whose respective talents in the kitchen, behind the bar and in the wine cellar make them a pretty powerful trio…
Opening: Sometime in 2025 – catch them cooking at Cadet for now.
Langosteria | Westminster
Milan’s modestly glamorous seafood spot Langosteria is the next restaurant to join the line-up at The OWO, where it’ll be rubbing shoulders with fellow Milanese export Paper Moon. After shoring up in Paris and St. Moritz, this is their first UK restaurant – and while the menu’s still under wraps, we can attest that the food at the original is exceptionally good…
Opening: 2025
Simpson’s in the Strand | Strand
The word ‘institution’ gets flung around a lot these days – mainly by us – but Simpson’s genuinely is one. It’s been lavishing diners on the Strand since 1828, and throughout its time has been famous for cross-city chess matches and silver trolleys for table-side meat carving. The place had a pretty tough few years before finally shuttering for good during the pandemic – or so we thought. Because Simpson’s is set to reopen in 2024, and who better to revive it than Jeremy King…
Re-opening: 2025
Guinness at Old Brewers Yard | Covent Garden
Several delays and one serious Guinness shortage later, it looks like the long-awaited Guinness microbrewery might actually be opening its doors in Covent Garden this year. Of course, when we say ‘microbrewery’, we really mean ‘enormous £73m complex featuring an open-fire restaurant; a panoramic glass rooftop space; a dedicated centre for jobs training; a cultural hub for use by the local community; a merch store… and a brewery’.
Opening: Sometime in 2025
Lil’ Nashville | Chiswick
Apart from having unaffordable houses, Beyoncé and Chiswick seem to have very little in common. Well, all that’s about to change, because soon they’ll both be into country music thanks to the arrival of Lil’ Nashville early next year – a proper honky tonk bar with whisky, BBQ, and live music every night…
Opening: 2025
Want to read about somewhere that’s actually open, like, now? Check out our pick of London’s best new restaurants
