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: 12th February
1. EartH Kitchen
Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH) is the new name for what was previously known as Hackney Arts Centre in Dalston. Opened by the Village Underground team, who have been restoring the former Savoy Cinema building over the past couple of years (yes this is where Efes was). The restaurant, Earth Kitchen, finally opens today run by head chef Chris Gillard, formerly of St John. Expect simply prepared dishes like griddled mackerel with beetroot and horseradish, pork and duck rillettes with cornichons and toast, slow-roast lamb breast with pickled raisins, and steamed ginger pudding with marmalade butterscotch and vanilla ice cream. The EartH Kitchen cocktail bar, managed by another St John man Toni Castillo, will serve European wines and classic cocktails.
Opened: February 2019
11-17 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 8BH
earthackney.co.uk
2. SpiceBox
The UK’s first all-vegan curry house is here. After doing the pop-up and street food round, Grace Regan has set up a (permanent) shop on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, right opposite Yard Sale Pizza. All your favourite curry house classics are there, just without the meat. Mains include Chickn Tikka Massala, a creamy curry house classic with tandoori chickn pieces and crunchy green peppers; the SpiceBox classic Jackfruit Jalfrezi; and the Brinjal Bhaji, charred smoky aubergine and peas in a rich tomato gravy, and a selection of breads and rice, including a Three Grain Pilau – quinoa, bulgar wheat and pearl barley with tempered cumin seeds and onion – mango chutney and seasonal homemade pickles also on offer.
Opened: January 2019
58 Hoe St, London, E17 4PG
eatspicebox.co.uk
3. Ceres
After a string of events and supper clubs as Southbound, and a successful Kickstarter campaign, Camille Tardieu has just opened a permanent restaurant, Cérès, in Newington Green. This little corner of N16 is turning into quite the food hotspot with Jolene, Perilla and Primeur all also in the hood. Its fairly low-key interiors-wise with sleek modern tables, brightly coloured walls, and not much in the way of decoration. Both the wine list and the food menu is inspired by Southern Europe, with a mix of Italian and French mostly shining through, featuring dishes like tiny little mussels coated in breadcrumbs and toasted in their shells, cauliflower roasted in sweet date syrup, razor clams with spicy nduja and fresh pappardelle with a rich beef brisket ragu.
Opened January 2019
74 Green Lanes, London N16 9EJ
cereslondon.co.uk
4. Filth
Gizzi Erskine and Rosemary Ferguson’s plant-based fast food has finally arrived as Filth has opened on the old Dirty Burger site on Bethnal Green Road for a three month residency. The pair have been developing the concept for 18 months, working towards making nutritionally rich and environmentally friendly food that still tastes indulgent, including a pop-up at the Tate Modern. The Filth Burger, their signature item, is completely plant-based but tastes like a classic cheeseburger thanks to the black bean, black quinoa, soy mince and umami paste patty with beer cheese sauce, crispy onions, cucumber pickles, lettuce, confit garlic aioli and beetroot ketchup in a beetroot and black sesame bun. The menu also features the Seoul Burger, which is the same patty topped with kimchi, pear bulgogi sauce, gochujang aioli, crispy onions, pickles and lettuce in a carrot and turmeric bun, with sweet potato fries with seaweed miso dust and kale, broccoli and almond salad on the side. They’re even serving up thick vegan shakes made with Booja Booja ice cream.
Opened January 2019
13 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6LA
@filthfoods
5. Din Tai Fung
After a lot of rumours and a long wait the first Din Tai Fung is now open in London. In case you’re not already familiar with Din Tai Fung, it’s a multinational chain originally founded in Taiwan that specialises in dim sum, particularly Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings). It’s a bit of a foodie nerd favourite but when we’ve visited them in other cities, Shanghai and Hong Kong, we were always massively disappointed. How does the London branch compare then? Well, we’re glad to say we loved it. The Xiao Long Bao here are indeed incredible; the skins just the right thickness, the soup full of flavour and the filling fresh as you like.
In early 2019, there’ll be another one opening at Centre Point, which is where it was originally due to be opening first. Din Tai Fung is off to a strong start in London so don’t be surprised if there’s news of more openings to come next year.
Opened December 2018
5 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8PT
dintaifung-uk.com
6. 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
7. Mariage Frères
Parisian tea salon Mariage Frères has landed in London and it’s made quite the effort. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, the space has a tea museum, the longest tea wall in the world and serves 600 teas by the pot and to take away – we went all out with a builders (a posh one at that) but there is literally every single tea you could ever think of and more.
There are two trolleys filled with sweet treats to choose from and more on the menu too. The ‘rouge in love’ with red tea-candied strawberry that looks like the mario mushroom but tastes like HEAVEN and the 24 karat gold leaf covered dark chocolate mousse flavoured with black magic tea, salted caramel middle and redcurrant coulis were our favourites. It’s not cheap but it’s an experience and you’ve got to treat yourself every now and again right? A great place to take the rents or go with the girls.
38 King St, London WC2E 8JS
mariagefreres.com
