This is our monthly round-up of the restaurants causing the biggest stir in town. This month sees lots of new additions, from a pub set up by hospitality royalty to two celeb-owned restaurants that are actually good, a chicken caesar wrap phenomenon and more...
Czer
Mayfair - 33 N Row, London W1K 6DE
In a nutshell: Chopped chicken Caesar wrap phenomenon
Chopped chicken Caesar wraps are a big thing in America, but had never really happened in London. So hospitality folk Mairi and Marius saw an opening and launched Czer at the back of The Mayfair Food Fair, in true NYC bodega style. Almost overnight after launching, they became huge, with some of London's longest queues, meaning Czer have been selling out every day. The main draw is their own take on an NYC-style chopped chicken Caesar wrap, all made fresh to order (with the sauce made every morning) and featuring your choice of crisps chopped into the wrap. Following this, we'd say a second, permanent Czer is inevitable at some point, but you can expect those long queues to remain in the meantime.
Ornella
Hackney - 51 Wilton Way, London E8 1BG
In a nutshell: Lupa sequel
After having a huge hit in a petite space with Lupa in Highbury, the same team of restaurateur Ed Templeton, chef Naz Hassan and actor Theo James launched their follow-up in Hackney. Once again led by chef Naz, this much larger restaurant focuses on Milanese cuisine this time around. It also proves that Lupa was no fluke, with the chef turning out some exceptionally accomplished dishes like an excellent Milanese risotto. They also serve a martini that rates very highly on our chill scale, which is a very important thing. Camilla Long in the Sunday Times was won over too, saying about the food: "It’s great: the best I’ve eaten this week."
The Latimer
274 Latimer Rd, London W10 6QW
In a nutshell: Hospitality family launch a pub
When we first heard that the entire Spiteri family was uniting to launch a west London pub, we knew it was going to be great. A lot of that is down to the main players, Fin and Lorcan Spiteri, who were also behind the excellent restaurant on a boat, Caravel. At The Latimer, they've created the best of both worlds. Half of it is a proper pub, albeit one with an excellent bar snacks list led by their masala haddock bites, paired with very good cocktails and wine for a fiver. The other half is a dining room with an inventive, seasonally changing menu that already has a standout signature dish with the pork belly skewers. It's a class act throughout. In the Sunday Times, Camilla Long professed not to like pubs, but called this, ahem, "almost erotic."
Kawan
Chinatown - 12 Macclesfield Street, London W1D 5BP
In a nutshell: Uncle Roger opens a restaurant
When news came that Uncle Roger (the alter ego of comedian Nigel Ng) was opening a London restaurant, a little hesitancy would be fair. But it turned out that this particular celebrity restaurant was done with a certain degree of aplomb, something that was certainly helped by having chef Daren Liew (Duddell's and Hakkasan) to help on the menu and launch. As a man known for his fried rice takedowns, Uncle Roger's version is actually good, while the chicken Wellington, a version of "Uncle Gordon's" signature dish, works surprisingly well. Will the restaurant have the longevity it needs when the man himself isn't there? We'll have to see, but it's a strong start at least.
The Victory
East Dulwich - 157 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8HX
In a nutshell: Classic restaurant reborn as a neighbourhood pub
When a much-loved neighbourhood restaurant gets a new lease of life, there’s always going to be plenty of interest from locals who want to see what the new owner has done with the place. But judging by our FYP, it looks like half the restaurant industry has already been down to see what The Begging Bowl’s Jamie Younger has done to what used to be Franklin’s in East Dulwich. Early word on the street is good, with ex-Noble Rot chef Seán Breen’s menu going down well, particularly his Cornish crab vinaigrette. We'll have to pay a visit soon to try some of their Nick and Nora's martini list.
Oudh 1722
London Bridge - Address
In a nutshell: Two-Michelin-starred chef's London home
Aktar Islam's Opheem in Birmingham was the UK's first two-Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, and now the chef has opened in London, with this restaurant concentrating on Awadhi cuisine, with a particular focus on the Lucknow region. Set within a three-storey Victorian building in London Bridge (which used to be Lupins), Oudh 1722 is in a warren of rooms with a great bar right at the top. The menu delivers plenty of delights, from the melt-in-the-mouth Herdwick lamb gilawat kebabs to a very good (and huge) oxtail dum biryani. The chef has more than lived up to high expectations with his London debut.
MA/NA
Mayfair - 30 Upper Grosvenor Street, London W1K 7PH
In a nutshell: Los Mochis team's high-end Japanese restaurant
Having visited this new Japanese spot in Mayfair just days after opening, it was already doing storming business. From the Los Mochis team, this sees them focusing on sushi and robata grill dishes, and it’s clearly just what this part of town wanted/needed. The fact that it’s also got a very sceney bar too doesn’t hurt any, and we’re already hearing that this has quite a clubby vibe come the weekends, thanks to the DJ booth. If you do manage to secure a Friday night table, don’t forget to order the grilled avocado, which is delivered to your table on fire.
Bar Etna
Newington Green - 47 Newington Green, London N16 9PX
In a nutshell: Four Legs do pizza
Etna’s co-founder Ed McIlroy must be used to generating hype, having been responsible for Four Legs, The Plimsoll and Tollington’s. Now he’s partnering up with American pizza giant Joe Beddia, who’s had similar hyperbolic praise for his pies back in the States. The net result is a Newington Green pizzeria that has all the hallmarks of a massive hit. There are four pizza bases to choose from, with a range of toppings for diners to build their perfect pizza. It’s also a beautiful space, with a massive bar that’s only going to make this even more popular.
The Golden Tooth
Newington Green - 79 Green Lanes, London N16 9BU
In a nutshell: Papi's pub
Their previous venture, Papi, burned bright but briefly, not quite making it to its third birthday in London Fields. But chef Matthew Scott and wine merchant Charlie Carr have pivoted quickly, taking over this pub just north of Newington Green for their new place. Here they’ve opened a grown-up gastropub, one where you can sit up at the bar with a pint and platter of oysters, or move to the dining room for a more leisurely stroll through a menu with highlights currently including a savoury cheese tart and amazing pie.
Read The Golden Tooth Test Drive
Teal by Sally Abé
Hackney - 52 Wilton Way, London E8 1BS
In a nutshell: Sally Abé goes it alone
It’s always interesting seeing how many chefs are hitting up a new restaurant in its early days, and there have been a lot of them checking out Sally Abé’s first solo offering. Having taken over the space previously occupied by Pidgin and Sesta, she’s managed through clever design to turn it into what we’d call a more sophisticated space. As for the menu, think of this as a celebration of British food, brought to the table in a more contemporary way. David Ellis in the Standard gave it top marks, dubbing Sally “one of London’s greatest chefs”.
Kumori
Soho - 26 Denman Street, London W1D 7HX
In a nutshell: Japanese handrolls from top chefs
Handrolls are the hot new trend in central London, with Kumori one of three to open in the space of a few weeks. But if Instaworthy raves are a sign of hotness (and let's face it, they really are), then Kumori is doing pretty damned well. Owner Marc Flekei has done well to employ the design team who also did the award-winning Soma bar further down the road. Here, they’ve created a beautiful space, while Flekei has worked on a vinyl playlist to match. As for the rolls and their much-touted extra-crispy nori, the good news is they live up to the hype, which is unsurprising given that the chefs here have Tobi Masa, Nobu and Dinings on their CVs.
Weezie's
Belgravia - 14-15 Eccleston Yards, 21 Eccleston Pl, London SW1W 9AZ
In a nutshell: Pizza + wine
If you thought that London’s appetite for hot new pizza places had been sated, then the presence of two of them as new entries to the Hot Right Now list this month shows you couldn’t be more wrong. Weezie’s may not have the culinary credentials of the likes of Bar Etna or Crisp Pizza, but what it lacks there it more than makes up for in being a genuinely fun place to eat out in an area not all that blessed with them. You’ll find it packing them in, in Eccleston Yards, with folks as happy to secure seats in the sheltered courtyard as inside the restaurant itself. The fact that the owners also produce their own wines, makes this combo of pizza and wine even more compelling.
Logma
Hackney - 81 Goldsmith’s Row, London E2 8QR
In a nutshell: Iranian/Iraqi cafe/bar
Logma originally started life as supperclubs run by Iraqi/Iranian couple Ziad Halub and Farsin Rabiee before finding this permanent space in Hackney. It's primarily a cafe during the day, but once a week they bring back their popular supperclub in the guise of Logma Lates. It quickly became one of the hottest new openings in Hackney, at least in part driven by a kofte and aubergine sandwich that has become a viral hit. The sandwich may well be worth crossing town for, but we are also hearing great things about the weekly dinners, with a parade of dishes that celebrate regional Iraqi and Iranian cooking.
Impala
Soho - 13- 14 Dean St, London W1D 3RS
In a nutshell: Next-level Soho grill
Every once in a while, a restaurant opens with such a weight of expectation surrounding it that you wonder how the team don’t buckle under the pressure. Happily for the Super8 Restaurants group and their star chef Meedu Saad, their latest opening, Impala, has thrived under such conditions. From day one, getting a table here to try Meedu’s eclectic menu has been nigh on impossible. If you do succeed, then we urge you to get the sweetbreads and that amazing roasted duck dish. Reviews have been ecstatic too, with David Ellis in The Standard saying, "This is a one-off" while Grace Dent in The Guardian said "Impala is shamelessly, brilliantly too much."
Simpson's in The Strand
Strand - 100 Strand, London WC2R 0EW
In a nutshell: iconic restaurant returned to its former glory
It’s been a long time coming, but Jeremy King’s much-anticipated reopening of classic restaurant Simpson’s appears to have gone off incredibly smoothly. An early review in from The Standard awarded it a top mark of five stars, dubbing it The Restaurant Where it’s Impossible to Get a Hangover, while Grace Dent called it a place where you can be "fed, nurtured and taken care of". Go and be sure to get a visit from a shiny roast beef trolley, but don’t forget to give one of the two excellent bars here a visit too.
More about Simpson's in The Strand
Berenjak
Mayfair - 80 Duke St, London W1K 6JG
In a nutshell: Persian restaurant goes glam
For their third opening, in Mayfair, Berenjak really went big on both the design and additions to the menu. If you haven’t been before, then Iranian kebabs are the mainstay of the menu. But the Mayfair menu enhances that with new sharing dishes and a couple of signature snacks that you mustn’t miss. It helps that this is a gorgeous space. The upstairs dining room is beautiful, but the real surprise is downstairs, where a hidden second restaurant and private dining space is where the fun is really at.
Burro
Covent Garden - 2 Floral Court, Floral Street, London WC2E 9FB
In a nutshell: Trullo's smarter sibling
Trullo's chef, Conor Gadd, has tried something both similar and different for his second restaurant. Similar in that he's developing his Italian cooking speciality and different in that it's a much more plush approach than the neighbourhood setting of Trullo. It's turned out to be a great move, where the excellent cooking is backed up by a laid-back and extremely welcoming approach to the service and room. Grace Dent was an early fan, calling the restaurant "elegant and defiantly serene" while Giles Coren fell in love with the restaurant, calling the fried artichokes a "dish of the year".
TAQ
Notting Hill - 141 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS
In a nutshell: Mexican restaurant reborn
When a Notting Hill restaurant is looking to relaunch with a whole new approach, who do they look to but Jackson Boxer, who has already had huge success relaunching Orasay as Dove. He's teamed up with the team behind Notting Hill's Taqueria, which has been here for 20 years, and brought it back to basics with an authentic approach to Mexican food, primarily due to having Side Hustle/CDMX Tacos Eduardo Yishima in the kitchen. The tacos and tostadas here are excellent, particularly the homage to Dove's cheeseburger, and the restaurant is excellent value in an area that is notable for more pricier affairs.
Osteria Vibrato
Soho - 6 Greek St, London W1D 4DE
In a nutshell: Laughing Heart Italian sequel
There were howls of dismay when Charlie Mellor’s The Laughing Heart closed its doors in Hackney. But now that Mellor has resurfaced in Soho, his many, many fans have been heading to Greek Street to check out his new Italian. Cunningly, he’s surrounded himself with a bunch of talented folk, including business partner and sommelier Cameron Dewar, along with Gaia Enria (ex Burro e Salvia) who's behind the menu and chef Louis Lingwood (ex-Quo Vadis and Toklas) running the kitchen. There aren’t many places in London where waiters moonlight as pianists, and the restaurant’s order-ahead Amaretti biscuits are already a must-have dessert. In the Guardian, Grace Dent sees big things ahead: "Vibrato may only just be getting going, but it’s already worth singing loudly about."
Read the Osteria Vibrato Test Drive
Tiella
Hackney - 109 Columbia Road, London E2 7RL
In a nutshell: Dara Klein goes permanent with her Italian trattoria
One of the easiest ways to see if a restaurant is ‘hot’ is the simplest - how easy/hard is it to get a booking? Well, we can tell you it’s no easy feat at Tiella. Chef Dara Klein has already built up a loyal fanbase at her residency in Islington before the move to permanent digs on Columbia Road, and they are all keen to check the new place out. So far, the standouts on the Italian menu are the polpette with the chicken Milanese a close second. Ry Jessop, co-founder of The Plimsoll, is running front of house and with much of the wine coming courtesy of Dara’s wine importer dad, the drink side of things is as important as the food.
Dover Street Counter
Mayfair - 31 Dover Street, London W1S 4ND
In a nutshell: The Dover's more casual cousin
At the end of 2025, Martin Kuczmarski had a very busy time of it, opening both Martino's and this restaurant in quick succession. And just as quickly, both have become instant hits. Just a few doors down from The Dover, you can see how the Counter shares some of its DNA with the original, particularly with the slick design of the place, but at heart it's quite a different beast. While it also looks towards the USA for inspiration, there's more of a diner feel to the menu, with steaks, buns and burgers all present, albeit served with some Mayfair touches. But it's also very well priced for the area and has become quite the scene. Fans of The Dover will love this, and if you're looking for a slightly more affordable/casual version of that restaurant, this should be at the top of your list. As Tim Hayward put it, "this is the place to have an evening you’ll remember your whole life."
More about Dover Street Counter
Read the Dover Street Counter Test Drive
Khao Bird
Soho - 24 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SS
In a nutshell: Thai barbecue restaurant goes permanent
There have been a few top new Thai restaurants opening in London recently, with both Luke Farrell (Speedboat Bar) and the Som Saa team helping to lead the pack in this area. However, Khao Bird had been quietly building a great reputation with its previous Borough residency and the team have taken things significantly up a notch with their permanent restaurant in Soho. Run by restaurateur Mike Palmer and chef Luke Larsson, who started with Lucky Khao in Brighton, this has a menu of Thai barbecue dishes and when we visited, everything we had was fantastic. Always busy (we've passed by a few times since), it's also blessed with an excellent drinks list that kicks off with a cocktail that's gone a bit viral - the I Am Broke, which is essentially a Lidl vodka and tonic. In The Times, Giles Coren was also a fan of the "fiery, sexy northern Thai barbecue cooking".
Hawksmoor St Pancras
King's Cross - St Pancras, Euston Rd., London NW1 2AR
In a nutshell: Hawksmoor goes fancy
It's been four years since Hawksmoor's previous London opening (in Canary Wharf), but their latest might be their most impressive yet. They've taken over what was before The Midland Grand. That was already an impressive room, but with a proper Hawksmoor makeover (wooden flooring, completely new paint job), it looks spectacular and easily the most impressive Hawksmoor to date (with a few new dishes to boot). That's all backed up by The Martini Bar in another beautiful room, that's quickly become one of London's hottest bars. They're coming up to their 20th birthday this year and it's clear that Hawksmoor remains as hot as ever.
More about Hawksmoor St Pancras
Lilibet's
Mayfair - 17 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QB
In a nutshell: High-end seafood restaurant in very fancy digs
We were early to experience the charms of Lillibet's, an extremely fancy-looking seafood restaurant in Mayfair, but even then, the word had already got out that this was a place to go, with the place packed out from the very early days. Restaurateur Ross Shonhan has form - he’s the man behind Bone Daddies and used to be executive chef at Nobu. Here he’s created that rare beast in this part of town, a glamorous spot to eat out that also has real heart. The seafood is fabulous; our tip would be not to miss the coal-roasted oysters. It's impressed David Ellis in The Standard, who gave it a five-star review, saying "Have I ever eaten anything better? I couldn’t swear to it." While Grace Dent in the Guardian called it "endlessly lovable."
Ones to watch...
And there are a few more restaurants creating buzz recently that we think are worth keeping an eye on...
Tavern (Shoreditch) - British bistros are very much a thing at the moment, so this rebrand of the Nest space is on-trend.
MAAI (Clapham) - Great British Menu winner Chef Nikita Pathakji has opened her own restaurant.
Perma-hot restaurants
These are the London restaurants that have been open for a while but are still hotter than ever.
One Club Row (Shoreditch) - Still one of Shoreditch's hottest spot and very, very hard to get a table at peak times (unless you manage to see the "walk-in" light on). The pub, The Knave of Clubs is well worth a visit too.
OMA and Agora (Borough Market) - the Greek-inspired duo from David Carter continues to be one of the biggest draws in the area.
The Devonshire (Soho) - Both the pub downstairs and the grill restaurant remain, one year on, the hottest places in town. It's also still a great place for celeb spotting.
The Dover (Mayfair) - Martin Kuczmarski's restaurant has a real understated Mayfair glamour and is a great place for star spotting. It's also one of the best bars in the area with an excellent cocktail list.
Mountain (Soho) - Tomos Parry's Soho restaurant is still hard to get into, but worth it for that spider crab omelette.
Bouchon Racine (Farringdon) - The return of Henry Harris remains one of London's best restaurants for many. Even if you can't get into the restaurant, the food in the pub downstairs is well worth a look. A recent visit confirmed it's still operating at the highest level.
Arlington (St James) - Jeremy King's revival of the original Le Caprice remains a solid hit. It's one of the best and buzziest restaurants in St James.
Where's Hot, mapped.
Here's how the Hot Dinners "Where's Hot" restaurants are spread across town.
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