This is our monthly round-up of the restaurants causing the biggest stir in town - the hottest at this very moment from the much-awaited return of a restaurant supremo to a Singapore hit in Chinatown. (If you're looking for classics, see our all-time London's Best Restaurants guide).
New - Camille
Borough Market - 2-3 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AA
In a nutshell: French bistro from the Ducksoup team
After success both in London with Ducksoup and out of town with Osteria Emilia, Clare Lattin and Tom Hill's latest restaurant sees them pivot to a pretty traditional French bistro. With ex P Franco chef Elliot Hashtroudi as head chef, the very French menu is already finding its fans. In The Guardian, Grace Dent "got the sense that this is a truly great little restaurant" while Jimi Famurewa called is one of the year's "most intoxicating openings".
New - Bruno
Victoria Park - 211a Victoria Park Road, London E9 7JN
In a nutshell: Neighbourhood wine bar + pretzels
After his success with Sager + Wilde, Michael Sager has concentrated on his own neighbourhood for his latest opening, a small, cosy wine bar just off Victoria Park. Named after his father, the bar is stocked with many wines from his own private collection and those are backed up with a carby menu that's led by huge filled pretzels. This is exactly the kind of wine bar you want to appear in your own neighbourhood and will make you jealous of the Victoria Park locals.
New - The Shoap by Auld Hag
Islington - 406 St John Street, London EC1V 4ND
In a nutshell: Scottish deli
After years working as a market stall under the Auld Hag title, Gregg Boyd has gone permanent with this deli, cafe and bar in Angel, immediately proving that there was a pent-up need for "Scottish scran". Since opening, there have been queues out the door for their filled morning rolls, tattie scones, cakes and more. Get there as early as you can to make sure you grab some baked goods, but it's also a great place for a late afternooon/early evening drink in Angel.
New - Sourdough Sophia
Islington - 119 Essex Rd, London N1 2SN
In a nutshell: New Islington bakery
London's excitement over a new bakery sees no sign of lapsing any time soon and this second Sourdough Sophia is already a big hit in Islington. Mere days after opening, queues have been building and judging by a repeat mid-week visit, it's already one of Islington's most popular cafes. With excellent pastries, not to mention amazing cereal milk cookies, it's easy to see why this has quickly become a second success for Sophia.
Arlington
St James - 20 Arlington St, St. James's, London SW1A 1RJ
In a nutshell: Jeremy King revives Le Caprice
The first of Jeremy King's three new restaurants of 2024 is finally here and is a massive hit, even though star MD Jesus Adorno left before a month was up. So many A-list celebs have already been through the doors during its testing weeks that it's unquestionably the new place to be seen in right now. Essentially Le Caprice in all but name, it's been a hit with the old and new crowd. Of the former, Giles Coren says "the food is great. Just great." while Jimi Famurewa is a fan of the restaurants which lets you "party like it’s 1989."
Josephine Bouchon
Chelsea - 315 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QH
In a nutshell: Claude Bosi's Lyonnaise home
It's been a busy 12 months for Claude Bosi with this being the third restaurant he's opened in that time frame; one of them already has two Michelin stars. This restaurant, a team-up with Bosi's wife Lucy, feels like more of a neighbourhood affair and one that's closer to Bosi's heart, being a local bistro that harkens back to his family's roots. It's become a massive hit for both locals and those further afield. Very much an old-school affair, Jay Rayner calls it "a beautifully executed act of remembrance." Make sure to order the rum baba, served tableside.
Read our Josephine Bouchon Test Drive
Morchella
Clerkenwell - 84-86 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4Q
In a nutshell: Perilla does Mediterranean
After success with Perilla in Stoke Newington, the same team has opened a much bigger restaurant close to Exmouth Market that's quite a different beast. Focusing this time on a modern interpretation of Mediterranean dining, they prove that they're no one-hit-wonder with an extremely assured parade of snacks and sharing dishes, all with their own unique spin. In The Standard, Jimi Famurewa says the restaurant "traffics in the sort of rare brilliance that it’s hard to keep secret for very long."
Read our Test Drive of Morchella
Liu Xiaomian
Carnaby - First floor, Kingly Ct, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW
In a nutshell: Spicy noodles go permanent
Previously popping up in residencies, Liu Xiaomian's noodles have been very popular, counting none other than Nigella Lawson among their fans. Run by Chongqing expats Liu Qian and Charlene Liu, this sees them finally getting a permanent space in Carnaby's Kingly court. The menu centres around two dishes - Xiaomian wheat noodles in an aromatic and spicy broth and a hot and sour glass noodle dish with new pig's trotter noodles making the menu too. It has a new fan in The Sunday Times' Charlotte Ivers who says "I’ll definitely be back a fourth time."
The Dover
Mayfair - 33 Dover St, London W1S 4NF
In a nutshell: Old-school hospitality in Mayfair
After a quiet initial opening, The Dover has quickly become one of the hottest places in town. The man behind it is Martin Kuczmarski, once Nick Jones' right-hand man at Soho House and he's created a slice of old-school, understated Mayfair glamour crossed with a classic New York Italian restaurant (and an excellent bar). Good hospitality and a great menu mix very well here and the spaghetti meatballs have found a fan in Giles Coren who called them "immense. Delicious. Fathomless." It's already quite the A-list hangout spot - will.i.am was the most recent to be spotted heading to the dining room.
Read our Test Drive of The Dover
Juno
Notting Hill - 2-4 Farmer St, London W8 7SN
In a nutshell: Omakase with a Mexican influence in Notting Hill
We may have contributed to the buzz around this tiny new restaurant tucked away upstairs in Los Mochis in Notting Hill after our Instagram reel garnered 370k views. But while we're unlikely to ever get a seat here again given that there are only six, we can't be sad if that's because more of you are heading down to try this exceptional omakase spot.
Sune
Broadway Market - 129A Pritchard’s Road, London E2 9AP
In a nutshell: Broadway market winner
Sune comes from a couple who have some pretty impressive restaurants in their CVs, Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims (along with ex-Pidgin head chef Michael Robins). It's a beautifully-designed restaurant with a menu that's both innovative and comforting. From dishes like the excellent grilled pork chop with prawn and lemongrass sauce to a really great toastie, all backed up by a truly great wine list, this emerges as something well worth crossing town for. Jimi Famurewa in The Standard agrees, saying it features "the sort of vivid flavours that make you want to howl in delight." While Grace Dent proclaimed that "There is some amazing destination cooking going on at Sune."
Donia
Carnaby - 2.5, Top Floor, Kingly Ct, Carnaby St, London W1B 5PW
In a nutshell: Filipino food in Kingly Court
Jimi Famurewa in The Standard gave this Filipino restaurant in Kingly Court a five-star review, saying it's "utterly unforgettable" and called the ube choux a "delirious, fusion fever dream" confirming our decision to make it our best dessert of 2023 in the Hot Dinners Awards. For our part we loved the food and the buzz at this latest opening from the Maginhawa Group and were making plans for a return visit almost the minute we'd left our first dinner there.
Whyte's
Hackney - Unit 3, 143 Mare Street, London E8 3RH
In a nutshell: Supperclub supremo goes permanent
Every so often, a hit restaurant manages to open with surprisingly little fanfare but immediate presence and that's certainly the case with Whyte's, the first restaurant from supperclub chef Whyte Rushen. It's easy to see why it's been a hit in this case. The chef has an impressive background, having been at Scully and Brat and the restaurant is blessed with a menu that reads incredibly well (oyster topped with Monster Munch and Comte sounds great). The menu shifts regularly and after a visit Grace Dent called it “weird but still pretty wonderful”
Mambow
Clapton - 78 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, London E5 0RN
In a nutshell: Modern Malaysian v 2.0
When Abby Lee first launched Mambow as part of Market Peckham, it was already clear that it was something special. We said at the time "we can see Lee going onto big things after this" and so it has proved, with the modern Malaysian Mambow moving across town to a bigger, standalone spot. It's already becoming a big hit with the Clapton folk and the larger restaurant means a slightly bigger offering too and the amazing lor bak is still on offer but. In The Standard, David Ellis said Abby Lee has "achieved a triumph".
The Devonshire
Soho - 17 Denman Street, London W1D 7HW
In a nutshell: Hottest pub and grill in town
Still the very hottest thing in this list of hot restaurants, The Devonshire's success continues to be bigger than really anyone could have predicted with a parade of stars visiting to see what the fuss is about (Nigella was in for lunch recently). The excellent reputation of the grill restaurant has well and truly spread and it's still almost impossible to get a booking. Reviews have also been stellar. Giles Coren summed it up as "What. A. Place." Even if you can't get into the restaurant, it's well worth squeezing your way into the pub for a Guinness.
Read our Test Drive of The Devonshire
Kolae
Bought Yards - 6 Park Street, London SE1 9AB
In a nutshell: Som Saa sequel
It's been six years since the opening of Som Saa which proved to be an instant hit, but the launch of Kolae from Mark Dobbie and Andy Oliver shows that it's been worth the wait. A small pivot into grilled food focused on the Southern provinces of Thailand has proved to be very popular - and those skewers (particularly the Kolae chicken) are a must-have. It got a rare five-star review from Jimi Famurewa in The Standard who said "Kolae are doing very exciting things."
Pearly Queen
Shoreditch - 44 Commercial Street, London E1 6LT
In a nutshell: Oysters and more from Tom Brown
This is the new restaurant from the chef behind Michelin-starred restaurant Cornerstone, Tom Brown. Like that place, the menu here is decidedly seafood, with a strong focus on oysters and shellfish (given its East End location). It's a more casual affair than the original restaurant but there's a huge amount of talent in the kitchen with some excellent dishes being served, not least of them the amazing fired crispy buffalo oyster, which Giles Coren called "Canapé of the year, no question".
Read our Pearly Queen Test Drive
Akara
Borough Yards - Arch 208,18 Stoney Street, London SE1 9A
In a nutshell: Fried fritters from Akoko
Aji Akokomi launched his impressive West African restaurant Akoko in Fitzrovia and now for the Borough Market crowd he's created something of a spin-off. The titular Akaras are deep-fried black-eye bean fritters that are filled with delights like ox cheek or scallop. Great as they are, it's just part of the menu that has a good deal of heat in dishes like the BBQ Lagos chicken. Jimi Famurewa in The Standard was impressed, saying it's "an imperfect but swaggering step forward for contemporary West African dining"
Chishuru
Fitzrovia - 3 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 8AX
In a nutshell: West African restaurant v 2.0
After initial success in Brixton, Adejoké Bakare has taken Chishuru to a bigger space in central London and the restaurant is better than ever, winning a Michelin star in near record time. Here, you'll find the same modern West African cuisine that proved such a hit at the original opening with a regularly-changing set menu on offer. It's one of the most impressive new openings of the year. In the Standard, Jimi Famurewa calls Bakare "one of the most blisteringly gifted and original chefs in the city" and we have to agree.
64 Goodge Street
Fitzrovia - 64 Goodge St, London W1T 4NF
In a nutshell: Compact French bistro
Coming from the same people (and chef) that brought us Portland and Clipstone, 64 Goodge Street is a perfectly proportioned French bistro in Fitzrovia. The menu features classic French dishes but with a little local twist, described as an "outsider's" approach. Fitting perfectly onto Goodge Street, the restaurant received a warm welcome with David Ellis in The Standard calling it "one of those restaurants that could be recommended to anyone" while Grace Dent said "I’ll return to 64 Goodge Street repeatedly."
Our 64 Goodge Street Test Drive
Warming up...
Here are a few more restaurants creating buzz recently that we think are worth keeping an eye on...
Ixta Belfrage at The Standard (King's Cross) - A three-month pop-up only, this will be a hot ticket while it's on.
The Cocochine (Mayfair) - Larry Jayasekara teams up with Tim Jefferies for this long-awaited restaurant
TT (Shoreditch) - Now a permanent affair, ex-Oren chef Sam Lone has taken over the rooftop at the place formerly known as TT Liquor.
Unlock (Hackney) - Artisanal pizzas and art by the canal at Hackney Wick
Lita (Marylebone) - Irish chef Luke Ahearne is in the kitchen for this new live-fire restaurant
For more - read our guide to all the new restaurant openings in London.
Where's Hot, mapped.
Here's how the Hot Dinners "Where's Hot" restaurants are spread across town.
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