London is arguably (definitely) the best restaurant city in the world right now, but with so many new openings each week, keeping up to date 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 restaurant openings 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: 12 December
1. Lino
Wright & Bell (who are behind The Kitty Hawk) teamed up with Richard Falk (formerly of The Dairy) to open all-day bar and restaurant LINO in an old carpet and linoleum warehouse (hence the name) near Smithfield market. Retro cocktails like the Snowball are on offer at the clover-shaped bar, with the likes of charcuterie and bread baking being taken in-house in the kitchen, as well as there being a strong focus on low-waste practices.
The menu features dishes include sauerkraut and cheddar croquettes, belted Galloway wing rib of beef with oxtail and potato tart and croissant ice-cream with brown butter, blood orange and coffee, made using leftover pastries from breakfast. YUM.
Opened 22nd November 2018
90 Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BN
linolondon.co.uk
2. Kutir
Rohit Ghai, who previously worked at Gymkhana and won a Michelin star at Jamavar, has just opened his own place, Kutir. Located in Chelsea, the restaurant takes inspiration from the royal hunting traditions of the Indian countryside, so you can expect to feast on seasonal ingredients like game and seafood.
The a la carte menu features dishes like truffle and mushroom khichadi, lobster bonda and rasam, 24-hour slow-cooked rogan josh, and tandoori stone bass with crispy squid, and there’s also a £60 six course tasting menu on offer too. Given Rohit’s history of cooking in some of the best Indian restaurants in town, Kutir could be a late contender for one of the best openings of the year.
Opened November 2018
10 Lincoln St, London, SW3 2TS
kutir.co.uk
3. Market Halls Victoria
Having opened up its first location in Fulham earlier this year, Market Halls next project, in Victoria is now open – and the line up is looking pretty awesome. There’s bunshop, Super Tacos, Koya, Monty’s Deli, Baozi, Roti King, and loads more. Taking over the old Victoria Street Arcade, Market Halls Victoria is huge, set across three floors and with seating for 400 people. If you live, work, or commute via Victoria, this is very good news indeed. Check out our full run down of the line up for more deets.
Opened November 2018
191 Victoria Street, Victoria London, SW1E 5NE
www.markethalls.co.uk
4. Coal Drops Yard
New King’s Cross development Coal Drops Yard, a former Victorian coal store with a series of warehouses built to handle the eight million tonnes of coal delivered to London each year, is set to be quite the foodie destination. There’s a pretty incredible line up including Barrafina, Hicce, Coal Office (from the Palomar team), Anthony Demetre’s Vermuteria, and much more. Check out our full run down of where to eat at Coal Drops Yard for more deets.
Opened October 2018
Stable Street, London N1C 4AB
coaldropsyard.com
5. Two Lights
American chef Chase Lovecky (formerly head chef at The Clove Club) is heading up the kitchen at Two Lights in Shoreditch – the name comes from the State Park in Maine, where Lovecky is from. There’s a modern US influence to the place, with dishes including Hereford beef tartare and togarashi, lemon sole with charred tomatoes and seaweed, and grilled mackerel with cherries, and black olives. Two Lights is billed as a neighbourhood joint but with a chef of Lovecky’s pedigree in charge, it’s not going to be your average local.
Opened October 2018
28-30 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8DA
twolights.restaurant
6. Kym’s
Victoria’s Chinese restaurant A.Wong is one of the best in London and was finally awarded a Michelin star last year. Andrew’s new place, Kym’s, at Bloomberg Arcade is undoudtedly one of London’s hottest news openings. Kym’s, the name of his parents’ restaurant before it become A.Wong, is described as ‘modern premium casual Chinese restaurant’ with a reinterpretation of classic Chinese dishes, including Yunnanese lemongrass salad; crispy duck, pancakes and plum sauce; slow poached soy chicken with ginger relish and rice; and ‘Chinatown’ pineapple bun with custard. And with space for 120 diners over two floors and a 5-metre cherry blossom tree rising through the staircase, Kym’s looks pretty special too.
Opened October 2018
Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR
kymsrestaurant.com
7. Caractère
A new opening from London’s restaurant royalty, the Roux family, was always going to be a big one and Caractère from husband and wife team, Emily Roux and Diego Ferrari, is going down a storm already. In reference to the restaurant’s name, the menu is divvied up into six character traits – curious (small plates/starters), subtle (veg-focused small plates), delicate (fish mains), robust (meat mains), strong (cheese) and greedy (dessert) – with dishes including seared mackerel with confit beetroot, black cardamom and parsley; seared oxtail ravioli with beef consomme and bone marrow; and whole roasted figs in the leaf with gateau basque and double cream. You can go a la carte and choose dishes at random but they also have a tasting option that hits all six sections for £78.
Opened October 2018
209 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1EA
caractererestaurant.com
8.Pachamama East
The Pachamama team has just opened a sister site to the Marylebone restaurant in Shoreditch. Pachamama East, like the original and the offshoot Chicama in Chelsea, is still largely Peruvian in style but sets itself apart by featuring Asian flavours across the menu too. Split into soil, land and sea sections, you can expect dishes like grilled hispi cabbage and smoked aubergine, whole jiang-glazed chicken, hand-pulled lobster noodles, and Sichuan fried chicken as well as a variety of ceviches. The cocktail list has a similar fusion, mixing pisco with Asian ingredients as well as featuring bubble tea concoctions too.
Opened November 2018
73 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HR
pachamamalondon.com
