This autumn sees a jolt of life returning to the London restaurant scene with over 50 restaurants due to open in the coming months. But which should you really focus on? We're here to help with our edit of the very best places opening as the year draws to a close.
Trattoria Brutto
Farringdon - 36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BN
It's been just over a decade since Russell Norman opened Polpo. a restaurant that had a huge impact on London's dining scene. Now he's back again with one of autumn's most anticipated new openings (taking over where the Farringdon Hix once was). Here, instead of Venice as the inspiration, we're looking at an all-day restaurant with Tuscan food and Florence in particular as the influence.
Opening: 23 September 2021
The Plimsoll
52 St Thomas’s Road, London N4 2QW
They were a huge hit right out of the gate during their residency at Islington's Compton Arms, earning a loyal following and creating one of London's very best burgers. Now Four Legs have graduated to opening their own pub, taking over The Auld Triangle - a classic Finsbury Park pub. Expect a similar (yet ever-changing) menu from before and yes, there will be a cheeseburger.
Opening: September 2021
Planque
322-324 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA
This sees Seb Myers (ex P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) in charge of the food at what's billed as a wine drinkers clubhouse - combining wine bar, restaurant, members' club and store. He's in charge of a 40 seater restaurant that will have a focus on modern French food. Absolutely one to watch, and the wine list should be stellar too.
Opening: Date
Oxeye
14 New Union Sq., Embassy Gardens SW11 7AX
Sven-Hanson Britt's Oxeye has apparently a project he's been dreaming about for a decade, but is only becoming a reality now. He's a former MasterChef: The Professionals winner and Oxeye will be part restaurant, part wine bar, part shop and part gallery. There will be a single seasonal tasting menu on offer, as well as a separate seafood and charcuterie menu for the bar. This is yet another restaurant that's bringing a lot of buzz to Embassy Gardens (already the home of Darby's and Homeboy).
Opening: October 2021
Carmel
Lonsdale Road, Queen’s Park NW6 6RR
Carmel is the new restaurant from the people behind Berber and Q and it's quite a departure from them. First off it's on the opposite side of town to their original restaurant, opening in Queen's Park but it's also more of a traditional restaurant than what's come before. There will still be inspiration from North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean but with a much broader menu.
Opening: October 2021
Ekstedt at The Yard
3-5, Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HN
This is the first London restaurant from Swedish Michelin-starred chef Niklas Ekstedt, taking over the main restaurant at The Scotland Yard hotel. As with his previous restaurants, there's an entire focus on wood-fired cooking and he'll be bringing over his signature dish from Sweden - oyster flambadou.
Opening: September 2021
More about Ekstedt at The Yard
Manthan
49 Maddox St, London W1S 2PQ
Manthan is the new restaurant from Kutir's Rohit Ghai, which sees the chef returning to Mayfair since he first came to fame in charge of the kitchens at Gymkhana and Jamavar. The menu here will feature "traditional flavours with a contemporary twist" with a big (but not sole) focus on vegetarian food. The cocktail menu should be well worth a look with ex Bombay Bustle's Abhi Sangwan in charge.
Opening: September 2021
Arcade Food Hall 2.0
103-105 New Oxford Street, London WC2H 8LH
Arcade Food Hall was a big hit when it first opened in 2019, but the pandemic and lockdowns have proved challenging for all food halls. It's now to get a completely new lease of life with JKS (the people behind Gymkhana, BAO and Lyles to name a few) in charge. A variety of all-new restaurants will feature and while the names are currently under wraps, the food will be diverse including tapas, burgers, shawarma, Indonesian street food and more.
Opening: October 2021
Cavita
56 Wigmore St, Marylebone, London W1U 2RZ
Mexican-born chef Adriana Cavita ran a much-lauded pop-up on the Dorchester rooftop earlier this year which was a prelude to this, her own restaurant in Marylebone. Cavita will be a celebration of Mexican culture and should be another great showcase of how far Mexican food has come in London of late. We're also liking the sound of the downstairs mezcaleria which pairs margaritas and snacking plates.
Opening: November 2021
Mowgli
5 Charlotte St, London W1T 1RE
Nisha Katona's Indian street food restaurants Mowgli have been huge hits across the country and she's looking to replicate that success with her first London restaurant. There's an extensive menu that takes in everything from gunpowder Chicken to their own Mowgli House Keema. As Six by Nico showed us on the very same street, regional hits can become big London hits too.
Opening: Late 2021
Roketsu
12 New Quebec St, Marylebone, London W1H 7RP
Roketsu has been in the making for a while now, originally launching as a short residency in Mayfair's Browns hotel. Over the past year, chef Daisuke Hayashi (previously Executive Head chef at Tokimeitē) has been previewing the restaurant with incredible looking delivery dinners in a team-up with Japan Airlines - if the real thing lives up to those, this should be quite special.
Opening: Late 2021
Hawksmoor Wood Wharf
1 Water Street, London E14
it may not be the most high-profile Hawksmoor opening this year (that accolade definitely goes to their New York restaurant) but as Canary Wharf returns to life post-lockdown, this new opening will be very much appreciated. This features a huge new bar, promises to have a focus on sustainable energy - and it's even floating! Oh yes, and their excellent steaks and cocktails will, of course, be in evidence too.
Opening: Winter 2021
More about Hawksmoor Wood Wharf
Let's not forget...
Salt Bae's Nusr Et
The Park Tower Knightsbridge, 101 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RN
We can't have a "coming soon" feature without the possibility of Salt Bae finally opening his London restaurant. He's been partying away and lifting rocks in Mykonos all summer, but as autumn draws in - surely he'll remember that he still has to open his Knightsbridge restaurant? We're not sure how much longer we can wait for that gold-plated steak...
Opening: Sometime before the end of 2021. Surely??
And there's a lot more...
That's just a taste of the 50+ new restaurants that are opening by the time 2021 ends. Here's where you can read the full list...
Finally - for even more upcoming restaurants - you'll want to bookmark our ever-updated Coming Soon page.
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