London is arguably (definitely) the best restaurant city in the world right now, but in between getting locked down and being released, keeping up with the best new restaurants in London is a full time job. Which is why we’re here of course. Make sure you’re always in the know with our guide to the best new restaurants opening in London and you’ll be leading your mates and dates around the coolest new places around town in no time. Our guide is constantly updated with our curated selection of only the best new restaurant openings you need to know about, so you can always be sure that this little lot will be well worth checking out.
Updated: 2nd August 2021
1. Elliot’s
A decade after opening in Borough, natural wine bar, restaurant and cheese puff purveyor Elliot’s has returned to East London. The Hackney site (right next door to LOTI HQ, very dangerous indeed) opened briefly for takeaway during the winter lockdown but now it’s open properly for dine-in service, with cheese puffs, trout roe & potato flatbread, taleggio & sage brown butter pizza, and beef ragu & pancetta pizza – plus their signature Basque-style cheesecake and plenty of natty wines.
Opened July 2021
121-123 Mare Street, London, E8 3RH
elliots.london
2. Korean Dinner Party
The team behind Senor Ceviche have brought LA’s Koreatown to London with Korean Dinner Party. And it’s not just the Senor Ceviche crew behind the new spot as Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng of TATA Eatery (who’ve also smashed the food at Mr Ji) have helped develop the food menu, and as you’d expect from those two it sounds great. We’re talking dishes like bacon mochi with gochujang caramel; crispy kimchi pancake with onion & oyster mayo; cheesy corn dog; Korean fried chicken nuggets with garlic cream; pork al pastor with ssasmjang, chilli relish & wheat wrappers; kimchi fried rice with curry sauce & fried egg; and yoghurt soft serve ice cream.
Opened July 2021
Kingly Court, Carnaby St, London W1B 5PW
koreandinnerparty.com
3. Sunday in Brooklyn
Sunday in Brooklyn, one of our favourite spots in New York, has hopped across the pond to and opened up in a big spot in Notting Hill. Although the brunch menu gets a lot of attention in NY, we used to love going there for dinner and cocktails. You’ve got dishes like Clams Casino, littleneck clams with garlic bread crumb & smoky bacon; Whole Smoked Artichoke with saffron aioli; Skirt Steak with chimichurri, roasted carrots & arugula salad; and Chocolate S’mores. Don’t get us wrong though – the brunch menu is banging, and the London menu has several of their classics such as The Don Reuben Omelette with mole sauce, goat’s cheese & roasted mushrooms); Cauliflower Patty Melt with sambal, sauerkraut & Swiss cheese); and Biscuits and Gravy with poached eggs & sambal.
Opened July 2021
98 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RU
sundayinbk.co.uk
4. Sachi
Sachi is on the lower ground floor of five-storey Japanese/Nordic emporium Pantechnicon in Belgravia, with its 130 covers spread across central tables, hidden covered booths and an eight-seater sushi bar. Pantechnicon’s Exec Chef Chris Golding (ex-Nobu, Dinings and Zuma) and Sachi Head Chef Collin Hudson (ex-Dinings and Roka) have taken inspiration from regional Japanese cooking for their menu whilst making use of seasonal ingredients produced in the UK. The sushi selection includes tuna akami, trout, sea bream, and scallop nigiri; trout with wasabi & vendace roe; and shiitake, enoki, black garlic & mizuna, with the hot dish section featuring dumplings; tempura; tobanyaki; pork belly & barley miso with mustard leaf; trout with whey & miso; chicken with chili shio koji & baby peach; and seabass usuzukuri with lava salt & sea buckthorn.
Opened July 2021
19 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8LB
pantechnicon.com
5. The Pem
After opening The Blue Boar pub inside the Conrad London St James, Sally Abé has just done her second venture for the hotel. The Pem is named after the pet name for suffragette Emily Wilding Davison and Sally’s taking that inspo right through the team with women in the senior roles – Laetizia Keating (ex-Harwood Arms) as Head Chef and Emma Underwood (ex-Darby’s) as General Manager. The menu at The Pem reflects the style of cooking Sally has become known for – classic combos with a refined new spin – and includes dishes like poached native lobster with shellfish cream, heritage tomatoes & sweet olive; roasted John Dory with brassicas, lemon & sauce Choron; and black forest gateau with chocolate curls & English cherry ripple ice cream.
Opened July 2021
22-28 Broadway, London SW1H 0BH
thepemrestaurant.com
6. Apothecary
Japanese izakaya Apothecary has opened in Shoreditch, taking over the old Merchants Tavern site. The name is a nod to the building’s history as a Victorian apothecary shop but it’s an modern, East London take on a Tokyo tavern with lots of exposed brick, a wood burning stove, a robata kitchen counter, and handcrafted wooden screens throughout the 130-cover space. Drinks are the focus at izakayas and at Apothecary the list features local and Japanese beers, hot and cold sake, wine, and Asian-influenced cocktails like Whisky Highball (Toki Whisky, soda & Genmaicha tea) and the Sweet Pea (tequila, lemon, sweet pea, soda & absinthe). There are a range of small plates to snack on whislt you drink, including Japanese fried chicken hirata buns, wagyu beef robata skewers, miso glazed aubergine, yellowtail tiradito and spicy tuna sushi rolls.
Opened June 2021
36 Charlotte Rd, London EC2A 3PG
apothecaryeast.co.uk
7. Bodega Ritas
After moving on from King’s Cross, Bodega Rita’s is back in a new neighbourhood with the same old excellent sarnies. Rita’s doesn’t believe in overcomplicating things, so the menu features standout sandwiches like the Tony, filled with pesto, prosciutto, spiced salami ventricina, smoked cheese, pickled salad & cheese dust; the King Banh Mi, a vegan take on the Vietnamese staple with roasted oyster mushrooms, peanut butter, carrot & daikon pickle, coriander, mint, peanuts & pickled chilli; and the Second City, a hoagie roll stuffed with fennel roast pork belly & crackling, seasoned greens, high five spicy mayo, crispy shallots, parmesan pork dust & lemon oil. The Bodega Rita’s tacos have also made a comeback with carnitas and suadero – that’s slow roasted pork and beef shin – versions available at the new shop.
Opened June 2021
91 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6BH
@bodega.ritas
8. The Italian Greyhound
The team behind Italian spot Bernardi’s (brothers Marcello and Gabriel Bernardi and Barry Hirst) relaunched the Marylebone restaurant as The Italian Greyhound. This new iteration of their restaurant is inspired by neighbourhood bacaros, so it’s as much a place to drop in for a drink and some small plates as it will be for long lunches and dinners. The interiors have been redesigned and there’s now a large bar area to accommodate those casual drinkers, alongside a dining room and wraparound terrace. The new food menu, which includes dishes like Sicilian chickpea fritters with sage; yellow peach & proscuitto pizza; tagliatelle with slow-cooked pork ragu; and plaice with spinach, broad beans & bottarga.
Opened June 2021
262 Seymour St, London W1H 5BN
theitaliangreyhound.co.uk
