London is arguably (definitely) the best restaurant city in the world right now, but 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: 30th May 2023
1. Bossa
After working for the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens in London in the early 2000s until he moved back to his native Brazil in 2006, Alberto Landgraf is back in the capital. Bossa is Landgraf’s first international restaurant; he won stars with both Epice in São Paulo and Oteque in Rio de Janeiro (which also hit 47 on the World’s 50 Best list). Open in Marylebone, the 60-cover Bossa will feature an open-plan kitchen with a counter, banquette and bar seating and a ten-seater private dining room. The menu will be a “vivid and contemporary” exploration of Brazilian food, which translates to dishes like skewered duck hearts with farofa; heart of palm on the barbecue; roast scallops with leeks, toasted buckwheat & tucupi sauce; tonka panna cotta with cupuaçu jam & cacao nibs; and acai sorbet with sugar cane bran & spaced chocolate. And Landgraf isn’t the only lauded person involved in Bossa as the Lais Aoki, recently named as Brazil’s best sommelier by Prazeres da Mesa magazine, is curating the wine list.
Opened May 2023
3 Vere St, London W1G 0DG
@bossa_uk
2. Lilienblum
Following the success of his Miznon sites in Soho and Notting Hill, chef Eyal Shani has branched out with a different concept centred around family-style sharing plates. The new spot, Lilienblum (named after one of Shani’s first restaurants in Tel Aviv), has a menu of Israeli dishes divided by ingredients rather than by courses. You’ll recognise Shani’s signature menu-writing style, with dishes like ‘Green asparagus perfectly arranged in a paper envelope’, ‘A slice of cabbage cake that melts into itself’, ‘Seafood pan roasted in tomato ovaries and Pearls from the ground swirled with farro and clams’ and ‘Ribeye steak, the way GOD intended’. The wine list showcases underappreciated Israeli wines alongside classic European producers and an extensive selection from the Burgundy region. As for cocktails, expect playful twists on familiar favourites, such as the Kittini (a tequila and grapefruit martini), as well as more traditional options.
Opened May 2023
80 City Rd, London EC1Y 2BJ
@lilienblumlondon
3. Blacklock Canary Wharf
The chophouse group has opened its fifth and biggest site in a warehouse underneath the railway tracks in Canary Wharf’s North Dock. It’s certainly looks the part, with a 10-metre bar, reclaimed panelling from HMS Ark Royal (which was docked at the wharf) and vintage cocktail trolleys inside. Cornwall-based Philip Warren Butchers, who have been supplying Blacklock with sustainable and regeneratively farmed meat since day one, is providing the goods for the new restaurant, which is serving up all the faves you’ve come to know and love, like the Cull Yaw crumpet, the All In chop platter, the Sunday roast, and the tableside white chocolate cheesecake. There are also some brand new dishes on offer, including the first-ever Blacklock Bar Food menu and treats like pig’s head nuggets and lamb scratchings, to make full use of the group’s largest seated bar yet.
Opened May 2023
5 Frobisher Passage, London, E14 4PA
theblacklock.com
4. Lasdun
The team behind The Marksman in Hackney (in partnership with KERB, who’s curating the food and drink offering at the theatre) have opened Lasdun (named after the architect Denys Lasdun) at the National Theatre. In-keeping with the building’s brutalist heritage, it’s serving up classic brasserie dishes made using the best seasonal, locally-sourced British ingredients. Seafood features prominently, with a marble oyster bar and fridge filled with London-cured smoked salmon and smoked eel on display, with baked whole fish on the menu, alongside grilled chops and classic sides. Marksman fans will be pleased to hear that the pub’s signature seasonal pies, buns and a take on the brown butter & honey tart are also on offer at Lasdun. As well as pre-theatre and post-theatre menus, the 90-cover restaurant is running a full a la carte service in the evenings and at lunch to line up with matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays. And if you can’t stop for a full meal, the bar is serving up cocktails, shellfish, and small plates for a quick pre-/post-show bite.
Opened May 2023
National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX
@lasdunrestaurant
5. Carlotta
With Gloria in Shoreditch, Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia, Ave Mario in Covent Garden and Jacuzzi in Kensington in its collection, Big Mamma is known for creating some of the most OTT restaurants in London, but for its fifth, we’ve got something a little different. Carlotta in Marylebone is an intimate trattoria, although it’s still a Big Mamma joint so that means a ruby red terrace, a Venetian marble bar, a skylit dining room with a suede ceiling, and an 80s-style, midnight blue velvet drinking den. Naturally, the food isn’t understated either, with a menu of family-style Neapolitan and Sicilian classics with an Italian-American twist, including the likes of rosé veal tartare, shrimp cocktail, penne alla vodka with Cornish crab, T-bone Fiorentina steak, and a 1kg deshelled lobster with caviar. Whiskey sours and martinis on the cocktail list, giant chocolate cakes, and a blue velvet bar…..yeah this is gonna be all over the ‘gram.
Opened May 2023
77-78 Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 5JX
@bigmamma.uk
6. BAO Mary
First it brought us Taiwanese steamed buns and now the BAO group is taking on dumplings at its latest location, BAO Mary, just off of Oxford Street. The two-floor restaurant is a take on a Taiwanese dumpling house, with a menu of dumplings (obvs) and cold dishes that are perfect for diners in a hurry. You can expect dishes like soy braised lu wei assorted vegetables; street-food style Majiang noodles with sesame paste; ox tongue & chilli oil; boiled cull yaw dumpling with hong you red chilli oil; boiled prawn dumpling with scrambled egg & kelp broth; pan fried mushroom guo tie dumplings with black garlic dip; bone marrow with cured egg & mi gao rice; and, of course, a selection of bao. The interiors are classic BAO with a counter overlooking the chefs so you can watch the dumplings being cooked. If you’d rather people-watch with your dumplings, there’s an outside patio enabling you to do just that.
Opened May 2023
56 James St, London W1U 1HF
baolondon.com
7. The Campaner
Los Reyes del Mango, the group behind Barcelona’s Terraza Martinez and Frankie Gallo Cha Cha Cha, has opened its first international restaurant inside Chelsea Barracks. The Campaner has taken up residence inside a new building designed by architect Ben Pentreath, complete with a wraparound terrace, next to the Grade II-listed Garrison Chapel. The menu has a Spanish spirit but will also showcase the best produce from across the UK, from suppliers like Wright Bros, Natoora, Neal’s Yard and HG Walter, as well as herbs and veg from the kitchen garden. The Campaner nods to its sister site Terraza Martinez with large centrepiece rice dishes like Catalan ‘socarrat’ with prawns and its signature classic, the monkfish and lobster casserole, served in two parts. Other dishes on the menu will include oyster gratin with bearnaise sauce; roast leek with pickled tomatoes, goat cheese & hazelnut; and steak tartare served on bone marrow. The drinks list sounds just as good, with a selection of sherries, Spanish whites (plus some from France and England), Estrella Damm and Inedit beers, and pineapple mezcal margaritas all on there.
Opened May 2023
1 Garrison Cl, London SW1W 8BG
thecampaner.com
8. Midland Grand Dining Room
Marcus Wareing and The Gilbert Scott have checked out of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in King’s Cross and Patrick Powell has checked in with the Midland Grand Dining Room. Architect and designer Hugo Toro, who recently did the redesign of Booking Office 1869 in the hotel, has designed the restaurant and Gothic Bar, using mirrors, rattan and caning, wood columns, textured glass, a bespoke orange colour and a custom floor to reference the room’s original design back when it was a 19th century hotel. There’s a French accent to the food menu, nodding to the area’s position as a gateway to Paris, with dishes like crab & elderflower pain perdu; chicken liver parfait with truffle & madeira jelly; salad of English tomatoes, pesto rouge, pickled shallots & soft herbs; Welsh lamb with pommes anna, ratatouille & whipped aubergine; and Grand Marnier souffle. The Gothic Bar has serves centred around eau de vie, as well as a curated collection of absinthe with absinthe taps on the bar.
Opened May 2023
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR
@midlandgrand
9. Maene
After getting off to an impressive start with his first restaurant, Townsend (despite having opened just a month before the first lockdown), Nick Gilkinson has moved on to his second, Maene in Spitalfields. The all-day spot, inside an old clothing factory, takes inspiration from the relaxed atmosphere of European bistro culture and serves up a menu of modern dishes made with seasonal British produce. That means dishes like Mersea oysters with pickled jalapeno & sorrel; allotment fritto misto & smoked chilli aioli; La Latteria Stracciatella with pickled squash & yesterday’s bread; Springfield farm chicken with rosemary, garlic, burnt lemon & green goddess sauce; and Yorkshire rhubarb with set Bermondsey honey cream & bronze fennel.
Opened April 2023
7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
@maene_restaurant
10. Noble Rot Mayfair
The third branch of the wine-focused restaurant has opened in Mayfair’s Shepherd Market, taking over the former site of French Brasserie Le Boudin Blanc. Founders Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew have settled into the mid-19th century pub on Trebeck Street, in keeping with their pattern of bringing new life to old buildings – the OG Lamb’s Conduit Street restaurant is based out of an 18th-century townhouse and Soho’s was formerly the haunt of many a politician throughout the 20th century. The menu has been put together by the site’s head chef Adam Wood (previously of Perilla and The Square) and executive chef Stephen Harris of The Sportsman, and it includes the likes of warm smoked eel, baked potato and Avruga caviar; sea bream and oyster tartare; and a whole roast duck with Chambertin sauce and potato and cep gratin to share for two. Plus, Mayfair houses NR’s most ambitious wine programme yet. Chin chin!
Opened April 2023
5 Trebeck Street, Shepherd Market, London W1J 7LT
noblerot.co.uk
11. Ploussard
They’ve nailed fried chicken with Other Side Fried and for their next act, Matt Harris and Tommy Kempton have opened a neighbourhood wine bar. Ploussard features a 34-cover dining room with dark wood booths and tones of light pink, burgundy and oat, plus a bar area at the front for counter dining, and is centred around seasonal sharing plates and low-intervention wines. Matt, who’s worked in the kitchens of The Parlour, One Leicester Street, and Lamberts, is cooking up a menu featuring dishes like smoked cod’s roe & squid ink cracker; lamb & anchovy crumpet; BBQ scallop, Jerusalem artichoke & back fat; gnocchi, winter girolles, comte & vin jaune cream; and Amalfi lemon tart & crème fraîche.
Opened April 2023
97 St Johns Road, London, SW11 1QY
ploussardlondon.co.uk
12. Story Cellar
Not long after we heard that Restaurant Story’s Tom Sellers was launching Dovetale inside the new 1 Hotel this May, it was announced that he had yet another opening planned for 2023. And here it is: Story Cellar, a continuation of his debut, is now open in Neal’s Yard with Stephen Naylor (sous chef of Restaurant Story for the past four years) acting as head chef. Story Cellar’s food offering centres around rotisserie chicken served with house salad and fries, but there are also a range of classic dishes that have been reimagined by Sellers, including snail bolognese on toast with parsley butter; mussels in ‘Story’ cider; preserved lemon & green olive pappardelle; dry aged pork chop & brandy pickled dates; brown sugar brulee; and trifle with preserved rhubarb & pistachio. Drinks wise, the fine wine programme is supported by a Coravin system, meaning that diners have the chance to try rare wines that would usually only be available by the bottle.
Opened April 2023
17 Neal’s Yard, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9DP
@story_cellar
