As we make our way through 2022, London has already seen the arrival of some excellent new restaurants. Having trouble keeping track? Here's our edit of the very best new restaurants to open in 2022 (so far).
December
Bouchon Racine
Farringdon - 66 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BP
In a nutshell: Henry Harris returns to the kitchen
This sees Henry Harris bring his much-missed Racine back, this time above Farringdon pub The Three Compasses in a joint venture with ex-Goodman alumnus Dave Strauss. The menu, which has been described as "unashamedly French" reads like a dream - fans of Harris's cooking are going to be very happy indeed.
Shiro
City of London - Broadgate Circle, 100 Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 2QS
Fresh from success in Hong Kong comes the Aqua Restaurant Group’s latest opening. This time they’re hitting up the City, with this sushi restaurant in the heart of Broadgate. The dish you’ll definitely want to try is the crystal sushi the made a name for themselves with - which sees nigiri draped with intensely flavoured jelly - the London menu includes scallop and caviar with kimchi jelly.
November
Belvedere
Holland Park - Abbotsbury Rd, London W8 6LU
Belvedere is a complete reinvention of a classic restaurant in Holland Park, relaunched by the people behind Wild Tavern after months of attention lavished on it. The glamorous interiors match a menu that has an Italian flavour.
Maresco
Soho - 45 Berwick St, London W1F 8SF
Taking over a prime corner site on the junction of Berwick and Noel Street in the heart of Soho, this tapas restaurant sees North London restaurateur Stephen Lironi hitting up the West End for his first central London opening. The food might be Spanish but there’s a strong Scottish influence here too, with super fresh razor clams and hake arriving down from the Scottish coast daily.
Notto
Piccadilly - 198 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9EZ
Notto sees top chef Phil Howard opening a fresh pasta restaurant on Piccadilly. More affordable than his previous restaurants, like Elystan Street, you can expect an Italian menu (and Italian cocktails) and his own takes on pasta, created together with chef Louis Korovilas.
Saltie Girl
Mayfair - 15 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WW
It may be right next door to a fish and chip shop, but the seafood offerings at this Boston import are a lot fancier than a bit of battered cod. Expect towers of shellfish, stuffed lobster rolls and plenty of caviar in a room that’s perfectly designed for weary shoppers to relax and recharge.
Straker's
Notting Hill - 91 Golborne Rd, London W10 5NL
Thomas Straker's social media fame is such that he probably doesn't have to do much more than post the odd TikTok to ensure a steady stream of folk through the doors of his new Notting Hill restaurant. Here you can expect a menu based around sustainability and seasonality with some of the TikTok hits making an appearance.
Studio Frantzen
Knightsbridge - 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge Fifth Floor, Harrods, London SW1X 7XL
Adding a massive new roof terrace to Harrods, Bjorn Frantzen's first London restaurant is a massive affair and the Knightbridge store's flagship restaurant. The terrace with its views over Knightbridge is a great place for a pre-dinner drink before heading to the main restaurant for a menu that brings together Nordic and Japanese cuisine, with the odd British influence.
Our Studio Frantzen Test Drive
October
Cycene
Shoreditch - 9 Chance St, London E2 7JB
Taking over from Maos at the Blue Mountain School is Cycene. Chef Theo Clench - and much of his team from when he was at Akoko - want to take you on a literal culinary journey, kicking off in the ground floor minimalist bar for soup and bread before heading to the upstairs dining room and kitchen for an extraordinary dinner.
Dorian
Notting Hill - 105, 107 Talbot Rd, London W11 2AT
The owner of the popular local Notting Hill Fish + Meat Shop is behind this new opening in West London. More importantly, he’s brought in a top chef to help him do it - Max Coen is formerly of the two Michelin-starred Kitchen Table - along with Core’s former bar manager. The net result is a place that’s getting great buzz for its British bistro food.
Eline
Hoxton - 1C, Rosewood Building, Cremer St, London E2 8GX
With a resume including both high-end Mayfair spot Hide and East London favourite Pophams, chef Alex Reynolds was always going to be one to watch. Here in Hoxton, he and his partner wine enthusiast Maria Viviani (also ex-Pophams) are serving up seasonal dishes with interesting wines from small wineries. Don’t forget to say hi to their four-legged wine shop ‘manager’ Kimchi.
Elis
Bethnal Green - Town Hall Hotel, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF
Coming from the same folk that brought us two Michelin-starred Da Terra, it’s fair to say expectations were already high for this new Bethnal Green spot. It hasn’t disappointed, drawing in a panoply of food folk in its first week to check out its Brazilian/Italian fusion menu.
Mount St. Restaurant
Mayfair - 41-43 Mount St, London W1K 2RX
This Mayfair restaurant from Artfarm is part of two halves - the other being the pub downstairs. This restaurant is very much an upmarket affair - The King was one of the first though the door - and features modern takes on classic British dishes. It also looks spectacular, with art all over the walls and a hugely impressive looking floor.
More about Mount St. Restaurant
Our Mount St Restaurant Test Drive
Restaurant St Barts
Smithfield - 63 Bartholomew Cl, London EC1A 7BG
The buzz around this new Smithfield spot is unmistakable, with several pundits already proclaiming it one of their meals of the year. It’s a British tasting menu concept from the folk behind Nest and Fenn (so allow time for that) and with your meal starting with snacks and drinks in the bar before progressing to the restaurant it’s something of a promenade experience.
More about Restaurant St Barts
Our Restaurant St Barts Test Drive
St John Marylebone
Marylebone - 98 Marylebone Lane London W1U 2QA
This return to the West End from Messrs Gulliver and Henderson, sees them unveiling on Marylebone Lane an all-day restaurant that is also their “first ever wine-led establishment". Roast mallard with bread sauce seems to be an early must-have dish and even if you can’t get a table here you can pop in and grab some of their madeleines to go.
September
The Barley Mow
Mayfair - 82 Duke Street, London W1K 6JG
This Mayfair pub is now owened by the Cubitt House group who have given it a complete makeover, as well as completely relaunching the restaurant upstairs (which has been designed with a Mayfair clubby vibe). In charge of the food is chef Ben Tich and the menu here "takes its inspiration from Britain with a little bit of France."
Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal
Piccadilly Circus - 68 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 4DY
Alex Dilling (previously at The Greenhouse) has taken on the main restaurant at Hotel Cafe Royal. He's only serving 34 diners and they're getting an exemplary tasting menu that's all based around a contemporary take on French cuisine. This finally gives the hotel the destination restaurant that such an iconic (and yes, we feel that description is deserved) London spot truly deserved.
Speedboat Bar
Soho - 30 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DL
After success at Arcade food hall with Plaza Khao Gaeng, this is chef Luke Farrell's first standalone restaurant. It's all about bringing a taste of the late-night canteens of Bangkok’s Chinatown to Soho offering curries, stir-fries, drunken noodles and more.
Scott's
Richmond - 4 Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1EH
Scott's is one of London's legendary restaurants and this sees restaurateur Richard Caring finally opening a second restaurant, this time in Richmond. Right beside the Thames, it boasts a room as jaw-dropping as the original, continues the focus on seafood and looks like a surefire hit.
Koyn
Mayfair - 38 Grosvenor Street, London W1K 4QA
Koyn comes from Samyukta Nair, the restaurateur behind hits like Jamavar and Mimi Mei Fair and her latest opening is already looking like a big success. This time, it's all about Japanese food in a restaurant which comes in two halves. Downstairs is the dark-hued Magma with plenty of robata grilling while upstairs is the lighter Midori, with a focus on sushi.
Milk Beach
Soho - Ilona Rose House, Manette Street, London W1D 4AL
The original Milk Beach opened in Queen's Park (and is still there). The team's next venture is in this central Soho space as part of a redevelopment of the area with the launch of the Elizabeth line. The restaurant (and the whole development) looks pretty spectacular and there's a big terrace too. As with the original, this sees a mix of South-East Asian and Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of Australian flourish.
August
Evernight
Nine Elms - Unit 1A, 3 Ravine Way Embassy Gardens, London SW11 7BH
If ever there was an under-the-radar opening in London it was Evernight - a minimalist Japanese izakaya staffed by former Laughing Heart staff and tucked away on the Embassy Gardens development in Vauxhall. Singaporean chef Lynus Lim is in charge with ex-Clove Club chef Chase Lovecky currently in the kitchen serving up dishes like tuna medley (sashimi, tartare and maki) along with ikameshi - squid stuffed with sausage rice and topped with onion ash.
Mriya
Kensington - 275 Old Brompton Road, London SW5 9JA
Trapped in London by the unfolding war in Ukraine, Olga Tsybytovska and Yurii Kovryzhenko made the decision not only to open a Ukrainian restaurant in London, but to offer work to refugees from the country too. Superb borscht and - of course - chicken Kyiv feature on a menu that also introduces Londoners to the delights of forshmak, holodets and honey cake.
July
Tatale
Southwark - 66 Great Suffolk St, London SE1 0BL
Akwasi Brenya-Mensa's Tatale has been one of the year's most anticipated restaurants. It started it as a supperclub before it turned into this permanent version at the new Africa Centre in Southwark. Here, the menu covers dishes and techniques from across the African continent, with some focus on Akwasi's own Ghanaian roots. Grace Dent said "Brenya-Mensa has created one of London’s most interesting and delicious new openings."
Cadet
Stoke Newington - 57 Newington Grn, London N16 9PX
Cadet has sprung out of the gate to be one of London's hottest new openings almost out of nowhere. It's been hugely popular since day one. Of course, it helps that the food is by Jamie Smart, coming off a well-received residency at P Franco. He's backed up with some amazing terrines and more from charcutier George Jephson and the fact that the place is owned by wine importers means you'll get a damned good glass of wine or two.
The Baring
Islington - 55 Baring St, London N1 3DS
The Baring has an impressive team behind it, with Rob Tecwyn in the kitchen (ex Dabbous and Kerridge's) and the pub run by Adam Symonds (ex Orasay and Six Portland Road). The seasonal menu is full of inventive dishes which take the traditional pub menu into new territory. The critics agree as Jimi Famurewa called it "immensely likeable" while Grace Dent praised the "imaginative cookery and ingredients; excellent staff, good beer."
Bubala
Soho - 15 Poland Street, London W1F 8PR
Bubala first started out in Spitalfields (with pop-ups before that) before opening this second Soho restaurant, featuring food that takes its inspiration from across the Middle East. It's also an entirely vegetarian experience. The restaurant has taken advantage of the bigger space to create a bigger menu and this one looks to be an even bigger hit than the original. Grace Dent is a fan: "Bubala, you see, really does know best."
Miznon
Soho - 8-12 Broadwick St, London W1F 8HN
Miznon comes from Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani, it's a hit the world over and this Soho restaurant is no different; it became hugely popular in its opening weeks. The restaurant is mainly all about its filled pitas and wherever they open they aim to "take the flavour of each city and translate it into pita". That does mean you get dishes like the "Sac de coq" but it also means there's a "cottage pie in a pita" on the menu here too.
Caia
Notting Hill - 46 Golborne Rd, London W10 5PR
Billed as a combo wine bar, restaurant and music venue, Caia comes from a duo that was behind popular Notting Hill restaurant Fiend. Alongside the wine, there's an open kitchen, led by ex The Pem chef Jessica Donovan, who's turning out an excellent menu of small plates and snacks, not to mention some garlic bread to die for. The Standard's Jimi Famurewa concurs, calling it one of "2022's best new openings".
Roji
Mayfair - 56b South Molton Street, London W1K 5SH
Tucked down an alleyway off South Moulton Street, this new omakase restaurant from the owners of next-door Chisou feels like a secret discovery. There are just 10 seats, so everyone gets a ringside view of the kitchen action by husband and wife team of Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa (both ex-Tokimeitē). Faultless sushi and sashimi follows with a menu that changes daily.
Bottle + Rye
Brixton - Ground Floor, 404-406 Market Row, Brixton, London SW9 8LD
We weren’t the only ones to see the attraction of Robin Gill’s new Parisian-inspired wine bar in Brixton. Marina O’Loughlin found a menu “rammed with things I want to eat” and loved the ‘spectacular’ double carbing joy of the smoked eel brandade. If you go, make sure to have one of the beautifully constructed cocktails before plunging into the natural wine list.
June
Mambow
Peckham - 133a Rye Lane, London SE15 4BQ
Abby Lee's Mambow is one of the crown jewels of Market Peckham. Here she has a menu that features a range of culinary inspirations on her cooking, from her childhood in Singapore and Malaysia to her first restaurant job at the Michelin-starred Pashà Ristorante in Italy. Marina O'Loughlin was in with a rave review: "this is excellent food."
The Tamil Prince
Islington - 115 Hemingford Rd, London, N1 1BZ
The Tamil Prince is a pub in Islington's Barnsbury area that has a big focus on South Asian cuisine. Named after the chef, Prince Durairaj, the cooking has specific references to the cuisine of his home state of Tamil Nadu. The chef is a Roti King alumnus and there's already been a rave reception to the opening from Islington locals. In The Standard, Jimi Famurewa raved about it - "Pub dining has a new fresh prince" and Grace Dent was also won over, calling it "a sharp, bold reworking of the (Desi pub) concept."
Honey & Co
Marylebone - 54 Lamb’s Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3LW
The worry of thinking that Honey & Co was going to shut was soon eased by the revelation that they were moving to a much bigger space (almost three times as big) in Bloomsbury, just opposite Noble Rot. As before, the restaurant specialises in Middle Eastern cuisine but with newer dishes being added all the time and lots more terrace space too. Even with that extra space, you'll still need to book ahead for a table, though.
May
Cavita
Marylebone - 56 Wigmore St, London W1U 2RZ
This new Mexican restaurant in Marylebone is not too far from another Mexican hit, Kol, and has been just as big a success - albeit with quite a different, more laid-back vibe. It's from chef Adriana Cavita, who originally previewed in a pop-up at the Dorchester and has received high praise from The Standard's Jimi Famurewa who called it "absolutely stormingly good".
Parrillan
Borough - 4 Dirty Lane, London SE1 9PA
Parrillan comes from the people behind Barrafina and it's the second outing for this spin-off. There's still a focus on grilled Spanish cuisine, with an extensive outside space where you can grill your own meat. This bigger venue adds a much larger restaurant inside, and the menu is much extensive as a result. Jimi Famurewa in the Standard was a little conflicted, but was a big fan of the pineapple dessert: "It is abominably good; an exuberant hit of sun-soaked escapism."
Amethyst
Mayfair - 6 Sackville Street, Mayfair London W1S 3DD
Carlo Scotto won praise for his tasting menu at Xier (winning over Grace Dent) and he's taken that one step further with Amethyst. Set in an astonishing-looking room with a central table that faces the kitchen, it's the next stage for him - really upping the theatrical approach. The food is as on point as ever and we'd expect him to win over a good few more fans - there's really nothing else like it in Mayfair right now.
April
Apricity
Mayfair - 68 Duke Street, London W1K 6JU
This is the latest restaurant from Chantelle Nicholson, previously behind Tredwells. This takes forward the low-waste and vegetable focus that was pushed to the fore at her Hackney pop-up All's Well and delivers a strikingly good menu that's full of innovative touches. A real sign that a low-waste focus can really deliver wonders. Grace Dent is a fan: "Apricity, you are too good and truly delicious."
The Twenty Two
Mayfair - 22 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 6LF
There's definitely a taste of the high-end clubbiness of the Marylebone haunt in The Twenty Two, but in distinct Mayfair trappings. It's become almost an instant hit in Mayfair - no easy trick - and that's all backed up by an extremely good menu from ex-Picture chefs Alan Christie and Colin Kelly. It's also had its fair share of celebrity diners, from Tom Cruise to Stormzy.
Acme Fire Cult
Dalston - Abbot Street Car Park, London, E8 3DP
Acme Food Cult sees chefs Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins (previously together at St Leonards) teaming up for a restaurant that's all about cooking over fire. Indeed, much of the menu comes from one single outside grill and it's an impressive endeavour. Right next to 40FT Brewery, you can expect plenty of beer in the cooking too. In The Standard, Jimi Famurewa found it "strikingly flavoursome" while Jay Rayner (who was there when we visited) found his dinner "engaging".
Arcade Food Hall
St Giles - 103-105 New Oxford Street, London WC2H 8LH
This is a relaunch of what was once Arcade Food Theatre, but now under the management of JKS, the people behind Gymkhana, Hoppers, Lyles and more. Probably the hottest table is Plaza Khao Gaeng from chef Luke Farrell which has had rave reviews. Besides that, there's Shawarma from the people behind Berenjak, sandwiches from Margot and Hector Henderson and burgers from Bake Street’s Feroz Gajia.
The Princess Royal
Notting Hill - 47 Hereford Rd, London W2 5AH
This is the latest pub from the Cubitt House group, who also have the talented Ben Tish (ex-Norma and Salt Yard) as their Chef Director. While the pub has had a particularly impressive makeover (with a huge garden too) the Mediterranean-influenced menu really impresses and it has quickly become one of Notting Hill's best places to eat.
March
Lisboeta
Fitzrovia - 30 Charlotte St., London W1T 2NG
Nuno Mendes is one of London's great chefs. His Viajante still remains a template for many contemporary restaurants and his menu at Chiltern Firehouse certainly contributed to its success. Here, he returns to his Portuguese roots with a menu that is described as being a love letter to Lisbon, and it's already a big hit. In The Standard, Jimi Famurewa said "Mendes has collapsed the best bits of a beloved city’s eating culture into a single restaurant" while Giles Coren summed it up thus: "Lisboeta is a great restaurant, in a beautiful building, with top-class service, serving very good modern Portuguese food."
Caravel
Hoxton - 172 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7JL
Caravel is a restaurant on a barge, floating on the canal on the Hoxton/Islington borders. In charge are brothers Lorcan and Fin Spiteri who are in charge of the food and drink respectively. Expect the kind of food from Lorcan "that he and Fin enjoyed growing up". Marina O'Louglin is an early fan of the cooking: "It’s just, like its setting, designed to be lovely".
Upstairs at The George
Fitzrovia - 55 Great Portland Street, London W1W 7LQ
The George is the second collaboration between JKS (Gymkhana) and James Knappett (Kitchen Table) although the upstairs dining area of this pub leans a little more into classic pub food with a touch of Knappett's fine dining edge. As such, you'll find plenty of top quality seafood and there aren't many pubs with Tournedos Rossini on the menu. Giles Coren called it "classic gussied-up pub fare in the best possible sense".
Noci
Islington - 4-6 Islington Green, London N1 2XA
Islington had been missing out on the trend in fresh pasta bars that have been popping up across town (like Lina Stores and Emilia's) so this is a welcome addition to the area. It comes from Louis Korovilas the ex-chef at Bancone (and who created some of its iconic dishes). It's relatively early days, but the restaurant is already getting rave reviews from locals. "A welcome addition to Upper Street's thriving restaurant scene," said the Ham & High.
Three Uncles
Brixton - Unit 19 & 20, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PR
Three Uncles started life as a takeaway restaurant, but their Brixton opening was the first time they launched a more traditional restaurant. Here they concentrate on the Cantonese roasted meats that have won them a great reputation, so expect roasted duck, crispy pork belly, char siu BBQ pork and lots more. Jimi Famurewa in the Standard says their Hainanese chicken has "profound depth of flavour".
Facing Heaven
London Fields - 1a Bayford Street London E8 3SE
Facing Heaven is Julian Denis' sequel to Mao Chow, moving just around the corner from the previous restaurant. The vegan menu takes influences from Cantonese, Yunnan and Shaanxi cuisines as well as adding in a few Puerto-Rican, American and Portuguese flavours into the mix. Writing in The Standard, Jimi Famurewa said they are "capable of injecting vegan food with creativity, playfulness and intensity."
February
Cedric Grolet at The Berkeley
Knightsbridge - The Berkeley, Wilton Pl, London SW1X 7RL
A dessert tasting menu costing £135 sent TikTok into a tizzy, but as the Standard's David Ellis found, the proof is in the pudding. He called Cedric "a sorcerer" for his magic tricks. The good news is you can pop in for a less budget-busting pastry to go and there's also a breakfast offering in the hotel's brand new adjacent cafe. Grace Dent in The Guardian said the cost is worth it - "Grolet is outrageous on many levels, but he does it so very sweetly.".
Lahpet
Covent Garden - 21 Slingsby Pl, London WC2E 9AB
Having built an incredibly loyal fanbase over in Shoreditch for their authentic Burmese food, Lahpet have arrived at this Covent Garden spot. Tucked in off Long Acre, this huge two-floored restaurant is already doing storming business, particularly with the opening of their first floor covered and heated terrace. Grace Dent says it's "officially one of my safe places" in Covent Garden while David Ellis in the Standard agreed: "This is a happy place"
The Ledbury
Notting Hill - 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AQ
Following its headline-making closure, The Ledbury is back in business with a new head chef - Tom Spenceley - and Brett Graham overseeing things. There have been changes too in the design - it's got a bit more bling than before - and it's now serving up a tasting menu-only option at lunch and dinner. They've quickly gone straight back into number six on the National Restaurant Awards list, so it's a strong return.
Richoux
St James - 172 Piccadilly, St James, London W1J 9EJ
When Richoux closed in early 2021, there were concerns that a London institution could be lost. However, it returned under completely new stewardship with a new look, new menu and new chefs and has immediately improved the St James dining scene. Here, you'll find French classics done really well and also at a very decent price for the area. Giles Coren wasn't so impressed but Jay Rayner is a fan, saying when it comes to a Central London recommendation, "Richoux is my new best answer."
Restaurant 1890
Strand - The Savoy, Strand, London WC2R 0EU
This is Gordon's third restaurant at The Savoy - he already runs The Savoy Grill and The River Room. It's a bijoux little restaurant (with room for just 26 diners) that pays homage to the iconic chef Georges Auguste Escoffier who came to work for The Savoy in - you guessed it - 1890. Open for dinner and serving a tasting menu only it's definitely one for special occasions.
Our Restaurant 1890 Test Drive
January
Boiler & Co
Bankside - 5 Canvey St, London SE1 9AN
Boiler & Co is half cocktail bar and half chef's table which started with Great British Menu finalist Kerth Gumbs running the show and will feature a series of ongoing residencies (alongside the bar).
See also
Subscribe to hear the latest from Hot Dinners
