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The big new London restaurants opening in May 2026
May is another busy month in the London restaurant calendar with a lot of very promising new openings throughout the month. There's a new restaurant from Uncle Roger, a Great British Menu Finalist, a two-Michelin-starred chef, the latest from Jackson Boxer and a whole lot more. Here are the ones we think you need to focus on so you can start planning your May now...
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Covent Garden is Noodle Inn's next stop for their hand-pulled noodles
We're still waiting for the upcoming Battersea Noodle Inn to throw open its doors, but while we wait, they've just announced another opening. This time it's back close to where they started in Soho (just 10 minutes' walk away) as they're opening in Covent Garden.
They're taking over a space that used to be a Gordon Ramsay Street Burger, so we'd call that a definite trade-up for Covent Garden. Other than that, little has been announced about the restaurant, apart from the fact that it's likely to open before their Battersea outpost does.
As for what to expect, it'll be
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The Victory takes over from longstanding East Dulwich restaurant Franklin's
29/4/26 - Updated with full details about the opening
When one door closes, another opens, and that's very much the case with the closure of an East Dulwich institution, Franklin's. After 26 years in business, owner Rod Franklin decided that he was ready to retire. In a eulogy for the restaurant, critic Jay Rayner dubbed it "a marvellous place, the model of what you want a local place to be".
But before SE22 locals get all in a tizzy about losing their happy place, the good news is that plans are already afoot for what's going to replace it. As Rod explained in a
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Doghouse Distillery is opening a bar in Clapham with London’s largest Old Fashioned menu
The Doghouse Distillery is in Battersea but now they're also opening a brand new bar, just a mile away, that's just off Clapham Common. They actually popped up there for a short while back in December, but since the beginning of the year, they've been changing the space into a proper permanent bar for the local distillery.
The main distillery itself mainly focuses on gin, vodka and "moonshine", the latter of which is their version of an American-style whisky. And that's going to be used in what they're claiming is "London’s largest Old Fashioned menu", which will also include Old
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You'll soon be able to get those viral Basque cheesecakes from La Maritxu in King's Cross
We love a single-item shop as much as the next food-obsessed person in London, so the news that the bakery specialising only in Basque cheesecakes is opening in our neck of the woods (ish) is a moment of joy. La Maritxu first opened in Connaught Village back in 2021 and, since then, has branched out to Greenwich and Soho.
Now the group are heading to North London, opening up in Coal Drops Yard behind King's Cross station. Here they're opening a cafe and bakery so you can also sit in to enjoy cakes, coffee and matcha. If you haven't been before, La Maritxu sells those baked Basque
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Theo James and his restaurant crew are opening a second restaurant, Ornella, in Hackney
Updated 30/4/26 with booking info
Having enjoyed a barnstorming success with their first restaurant, LUPA, in Highbury, the team behind that are gearing up for a second opening. Actor Theo James, restaurateur Ed Templeton and chef Naz Hassan (pictured above with sous chef Sandro) are getting the band back together to try their luck in Hackney next.
They've settled on Wilton Way, where they've taken over the site that used to be Fran's for their new restaurant, Ornella. That's making the road a bit of a hot spot at the moment, with
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Uncle Roger is opening Kawan, his first London restaurant, in Chinatown
28/4/26 - updated with new opening date
He's the comedian who roasted both Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver for their ramen and egg fried rice dishes, respectively. Now Nigel Ng, who's better known by his comedy alter ego Uncle Roger, is preparing to put his money where his mouth is. This spring, he's opening his first UK restaurant in London.
Kawan by Uncle Roger is going to be a team effort between Nigel, restaurateur Keng Yew (who's behind London openings like YiQi and The Eight) and chef Daren Liew (Duddell's and the Hakkasan Group).
Given that Uncle
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Look out Deptford! Toad Bakery is coming your way.
They're one of the most popular bakeries in London, beloved as much for their idiosyncratic take on croissants to their innovative collab bakes. They even picked up London Bakery of the Year at the 2025 National Bakery Awards. So it stands to reason that queer-owned TOAD Bakery would be looking to expand.
All of this is good news for Deptford folks who are about to get a TOAD Bakery in their neck of the woods. For their second bakery, owners Rebecca Spaven and Oliver Costello have picked a former rectory on the high street at the entrance to Deptford Market Yards. It's a much
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All the new London restaurants - recently opened restaurants in London
Here's a complete guide to all the new London restaurants that have opened...
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Upcoming London restaurants - hot new openings coming soon
All the latest news on every upcoming London restaurant that's going to be opening in the capital. The only Coming Soon list you need. -
Great British Menu winner Nikita Pathakji is opening her first restaurant MAAI in Clapham with her family
What better way could there be to launch your first solo venture as a chef than being crowned Champion of Champions on Great British Menu the day before you make the big reveal. Chef Nikita Pathakji may have had a tricky path to winning this year's show (she wasn't in the running for the final at all, until rival Corrin Harrison had to pull out for personal reasons) but she more than proved herself and now she's immediately switching things up by opening a restaurant in Clapham.
MAAI is going to be very much a family affair with Nikita's mother Rima and sister Isha both playing a
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New restaurants and bars opening in London this week
Here are all the new restaurants to look forward to in the coming week. This week, top chef Aktar Islam opens his first London restaurant, the Lupa team open a follow-up in Hackney, Shoreditch's Nest gets a reboot and more...
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Kentish Town's Rossella is expanding, hitting up Muswell Hill with pizza, pasta and a tiramisu trolley
26/4/26 - Updated with the opening date
Having worked in Kentish Town for years, we can attest to the popularity of its neighbourhood Italian, Rossella. Tucked up on the Highgate Road, it's been luring locals in with its pizzas and pasta since the late seventies. The service was always super friendly and the very drinkable wines came from the family's own vineyard back in Benevento in Campania.
Now the family-run restaurant is hoping to bring a little of that magic across North London to the folks of Muswell Hill. They've taken over the site that used to be
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Soraya in Marylebone sees the team behind Nina and Bottarga opening their largest restaurant to date
If you've been wandering around Marylebone recently and wondered what is going to be opening up at the massive Loxton Walk development on Baker Street (Matchado, Le Choux and Melrose & Morgan have already announced they'll be there), then we have big news. The Pachamama Group have earmarked two spaces for new restaurants and we've got the scoop on the first one.
Soraya is actually one of the group's restaurants that they developed outside of London. While they were busy pivoting to the likes of Zephyr, Lagana and Nina here they were also opening Soraya over in Abu Dhabi. And
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Expect banging brunches and innovative bakes at Burnt's new Bethnal Green home
Updated 22/4/26 with opening date
Londoners' capacity to be excited by the arrival of a new bakery knows no bounds, so the arrival of a new one in Bethnal Green should be of interest. This will be the third opening by Burnt, a neighbourhood cafe and restaurant with branches in Shepherd's Bush and Bloomsbury. But this, their first East London venture, will also feature its own in-house bakery.
The bakery addition will mean that not only will East London folk be able to enjoy their popular pistachio croissant, but a whole load more bakes, including a rhubarb and
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