Picture us shredding up the paper, because we’re about to break some news.
For here you’ll find – in handy chronological order – a running tally of the most exciting restaurants slated to open in London over the next few months (plus, a couple of Nudge Member-exclusive soft launches thrown in for good measure).
After all, a lot of new restaurants open in the capital each month. But the upcoming highlights include a brand new nose-to-tail place from a couple of zero-waste pioneers; the revival of an iconic dining institution, led by one of the greatest restaurateurs of our time; the chance to taste Alsatian food; inventive fusion of Italian and British recipes in a gloriously retro cafe; and a rooftop restaurant from a third generation sushi master…
Behold, all the top London restaurants opening soon:
July | Fitzrovia
© Safia Shakarchi
Coming this spring: July.
Which, as we all assumed when we read that, is the name of an Alsatian-style restaurant & wine bar coming to Charlotte Street this April-ish. And, once again for clarity, when we say ‘Alsatian-style’, we’re referring to the wine-rich region on the Franco-German border, and (fortunately? Unfortunately?) not the dog…
Opening: 25th April
Soft launch? Nudge Members’ soft launch now fully booked. Find out more here.
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El Pastor | Battersea
Battersea Power Station‘s continuing to amp up its restaurant scene – because El Pastor’s joining the fold later this month. It’ll be the fourth in the family of tequila-soaked taquerias from the Hart brothers, and you’ll find it perched overlooking the iconic building with a spacious, year-round riverside terrace. As always, they’ll be making all their tortillas in-house using heirloom Mexican corn, before serving them up with signature fillings like soft-shelled crab and caramelised pineapple pork ‘al pastor’…
Opening: 26th April
Soft launch? Nudge Members’ soft launch now fully booked. Find out more here.
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Cloth | Farringdon
As you’ll soon realise when discussing this new restaurant, ‘Cloth’ is one of those words that you can only say a few times aloud before it starts sounding really weird. But rest assured this new spot will be one to watch: founded by a couple of wine importer friends, the chef at the helm, Tom Hurst, has a CV that reads like one of London’s best restaurant lists: Brawn, The Marksman, Levan, you name it. And the Modern British menu he’s planning here sounds very good indeed…
Opening: 29th April
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The Brush Grand Café | Old Street
© Charlie McKay
There are hidden restaurants, there are normal restaurants, and then there are restaurants housed inside vast cylindrical skyscrapers that announce themselves with giant bronze sculptures embodying both their name & ethos outside the entrance. The Brush Grand Café is one of the latter…
Opening: 8th May
Soft launch? Nudge Members are getting three exclusive preview dinners on 1st-3rd May, with 50% off the food bill. You can find out more here.
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Café Britaly | Peckham
Italy brought the world Fellini, aperitivi, and plumbing way ahead of its time. Britain brought the caff. And together they make an excellent mash-up for a retro diner in Peckham, serving a hotch-potch of British and Italian influences like fried egg carbonara and zuppa inglese trifle, with a Bocca Di Lupo chef at the helm…
Opening: 8th May
Soft launch? Nudge Members are getting exclusive preview nights from 1st – 5th May, with 50% off the food bill. Find out more here.
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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, so it’s safe to say the place is in safe hands. As for whether it’ll tempt back the same A-list clientele? Revamped interiors, seafood towers, and a table-side martini trolley will probably do the trick…
Opening: 9th May
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The Counter Soho | Soho
Ola O. Smit
Kemal Demirasal is taking his restaurant Counter up to two.
Because after the glowing praise he garnered for his debut diner – a truly superb little Turkish place in Notting Hill – he’s branching out into Central London this May for the followup, The Counter Soho, with a listening bar slung underneath…
Opening: Early May
Soft launch? Nudge Members are getting a trio of exclusive previews on 9th-11th May, with 50% off the food bill. Find out more here.
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Wildflowers | Pimlico
It’s not often you find wildflowers springing up in Pimlico, and this is one to get excited about. It’s the solo debut for Aaron Potter, former head chef at Elystan Street (and described by his old boss Phil ‘Michelin Star collector’ Howard as a “truly great craftsman”). He’ll be settling in to a revamped timber yard tucked between Sloane Square and Victoria, serving up a menu of Mediterranean food across two floors and a terrace. And if you fancy a preview, you can catch him cooking at Naughty Piglets in Brixton from 30th April…
Opening: May
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The Park | Bayswater
A brief introduction (though it’s hardly needed) to Jeremy King: one half of the legendary hospitality duo Corbin & King, who in their time have run such beloved London spots as The Wolseley, Brasserie Zédel and The Delaunay. In 2022 the pair were bought out of their own company by majority stakeholders in a dramatic turn of events, but King’s bouncing back: he’s kicking off 2024 with not one but three major openings. Following the launch of the already wildly popular Arlington will be The Park, a relaxed, modern mash-up of American and European restaurant styles, overlooking Kensington Gardens.
Opening: May
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Kioku by Endo | Westminster
One to file under ‘almost a complete mystery’, all we know about this place is that it’ll be a rooftop restaurant crowning the new Raffles Hotel at The OWO. So why should you get excited about it? Well, aside from the rooftop aspect (which will give the place first-class views of Big Ben and other iconic landmarks), it’ll be headed up by one Endo Kazutoshi – a third-generation sushi master whose first London spot, Endo at the Rotunda, is a Michelin Starred omakase restaurant serving 20 courses to just ten guests at a time.
Opening: Spring 2024
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Kricket | Canary Wharf
Currently open in Soho, Brixton and White City, Kricket’s hopping over to East London for the first time. Their Canary Wharf restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner, serving their critically-acclaimed Anglo-Indian small plates seven days a week. But the real kicker? It’ll also act as an outpost for their ultra-suave cocktail bar SOMA, with a late-night license…
Opening: Summer 2024
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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: Summer 2024
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Plates | Shoreditch
It almost feels cruel telling you about this one, because when bookings went live for Kirk and Keeley Haworth’s first bricks-and-mortar restaurant, the website crashed and tables immediately booked out for the first three months. However… it’ll definitely be worth a visit in, er, winter, 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…
Opening: 3rd July
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Akira Back | Mayfair
Akira Back was born in South Korea, became a baseball player in Japan, then a pro-snowboarder in the US, and finally decided to put athletics away and settle for a Michelin Starred career running a portfolio of 24 acclaimed restaurants across the globe. And now, finally, he’s making his way to London, to open up the flagship restaurant in the all-new Mandarin oriental in Mayfair…
Opening: July
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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: By mid-2024
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Cornus | Victoria
The Medlar founders are gearing up to open a new restaurant this summer on the rooftop of a 19th century ice factory. As settings go, it doesn’t get much cooler than that. And we can only assume it was the very specific setting that the duo were holding out for, because it’s been a whole 13 years since Joe Mercer Nairne and David O’Connor opened their fine dining gem in Chelsea…
Opening: Summer 2024
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Hotel Dalhousie | Notting Hill
To be clear, the Hotel Dalhousie isn’t a hotel, and it isn’t located in the picturesque Northern Indian town of Dalhousie. It’s a restaurant in Notting Hill. Or at least, it will be when it opens this summer, with Tandoor Chop House chef Kundan Rawat turning out some delicious sounding dishes like spiced mutton chop kebabs and rose water lamb patties…
Opening: Summer 2024
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Fonda | Mayfair
If you liked KOL, there’s a chance you’ll be fonda this too. Uberchef Santiago Lastra has announced his second London restaurant, following on from his Michelin-starred, World’s 50 Best ranking, generally-fawned-over debut. Details are pretty scant at this stage, but he’s aiming to “elicit the flavours of Mexico in a modern way”, with a helping hand from the comal (a flat griddle used to make corn masa)…
Opening: 2024
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Dué | Somewhere In London
Jesús Durón – executive chef of what might be the best restaurant in Mexico City, Pujol – is set to open a restaurant in London this year. Ironically, Dué has no due date yet. And we don’t really know what he’s going to be cooking, or where it’ll be. But given that he’ll be teaming up with the co-founder of Hong Kong’s Michelin-starred Yardbird, it’s probably one worth keeping an eye out for…
Opening: 2024
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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 2024
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Burnt Ends | Knightsbridge
BBQ fans, this is your cue to get excited. Dave Pynt’s eatery has had a long and varied history: the Aussie chef launched the place as a pop-up at Climpson’s Arch back in 2012, before taking the concept over to Singapore, where it’s since earned a Michelin Star and a #24 spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list (and #65 in the world). Basically, it’s big deal BBQ – and he’s going to be opening a London outpost once more when he moves to Harrods, of all places, next year.
Opening: 2025
Want to read about somewhere that’s actually open, like, now? Check out our pick of London’s best new restaurants