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Hot Right Now - London's hottest restaurants - March 2024

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 - 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 had became a massive hit before it had even opened. 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, the menu revives some of that restaurant's classic dishes like the berries in white chocolate sauce but it's primarily all about the scene on which score it 100% delivers. 

More about Arlington

 

JosephineNew - Josephine

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. Featuring dishes as varied as frog's legs and Sole Grenobloise, we're already hearing early raves about Josephine which should be a massive hit.

More about Josephine

 

MorchellaNew - 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. All this and there's a walk-in only bar where you can order their snacks. It's a truly great addition to Clerkenwell.

More about Morchella

Read our Test Drive of Morchella

 

SingapulahNew - Singapulah

Chinatown - 53 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6LB

In a nutshell: Authentic Singaporean food

Once a pop-up, Singaporean restaurateur Ellen Chew is relaunching Singapulah, this time teaming up with the Singapore tourism board. Behind a "secret" door, you'll find the restaurant which features classics like Bak Chor Mee, Singapore Laksa, and Mao Shan Wang Durian. It's already fully viral on social and hopefully should be the restaurant to make a success of what recently has been an ill-fated site. 

More about Singapulah

 

Liu XiaomianNew - 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. If you're yet to try their noodles - then now's the time. 

More about Liu Xiaomian

 

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. 

More about The Dover

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.

Read our Test Drive of Juno

 

Café Kitty

Soho - 6 Walker's Ct, Soho, London W1F 0BT

In a nutshell: Kitty Fisher's goes to the theatre

The team behind Kitty Fisher's and Cora Pearl continue the welcoming trend of restaurants attached to London theatres that are actually good. This brings together some of the hits from both the previous restaurants (the crispy potatoes make an appearance) as part of Soho's Underbelly Boulevard and the food is backed up by a strong cocktail list. They say their club sandwich is "up there with the very best in London" (fighting words) and Jay Rayner enjoyed his meal there saying it "manages to feel both tucked away and right in the heart of things at the same time."

More about Café Kitty

Read our Test Drive of Café Kitty

 

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."

More about Sune

Read our Test Drive of 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.

More about Donia

Read our Test Drive of Donia

 

Whyte'sWhyte'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”

More about Whyte's

 

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 thiCan wengs 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".

More about Mambow

 

New - The DevonshireThe 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. 

More about The Devonshire

Read our Test Drive of The Devonshire

 

New - KolaeKolae

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."

More about Kolae

Read our Kolae Test Drive

 

Pearly QueenPearly 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". 

More about Pearly Queen

Read our Pearly Queen Test Drive

 

SaltineSaltine

Highbury - 11 Highbury Park, London N5 1QJ

In a nutshell: Finks restaurant

In pre-pandemic times Fink's in Highbury used to have a very popular evening menu too. Now the same team (with an ex-St John chef) have opened a fully-fledged restaurant and it's quickly proven to be a big success with locals and those further afield. A beautiful (and huge) room is home to some excellent cooking and a pretty phenomenal sticky toffee apple cake. It's been a hit with Jimi Famurewa, who said that cake "exemplifies the deft, grown-up indulgence" of the restaurant. 

More about Saltine

Read our Saltine Test Drive

 

AkaraAkara

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"  

More about Akara

Read our Akara Test Drive

 

Supernova

Soho - 25 Peter St, London W1F 0AH

In a nutshell: Hot burgers

Somewhat out of nowhere, Supernova appeared in Soho and became an instant hit, selling a pared-back menu of burgers in a minimalist setting. The scarcity of the burgers certainly plays into their popularity, with queues rapidly building during the few hours that they are actually open. It comes from the people behind Creme, who clearly know the benefit of a perma-queue, but by all accounts, the smashed burgers here also happen to be very good indeed. 

More about Supernova

 

Bistro FreddieBistro Freddie

Shoreditch - 74 Luke Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 4PY

In a nutshell: Classic French bistro

Turns out that there's nothing the hip Shoreditch crowd like more than a lovely old-school bistro, twinkling with candlelight but with a modern touch on the menu. Love for the sibling restaurants in this group, Crispin and Bar Crispin, has already propelled this budding bistro into an insta-hit on the back streets between Shoreditch and Old Street. 

More about Bistro Freddie

Read our Bistro Freddie Test Drive

 

ChishuruChishuru

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. 

More about Chishuru

Read our Chishuru Test Drive

 

64 Goodge Street64 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."

More about 64 Goodge Street

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...

Bar Bruno (Victoria Park) - Michael Sager's little bar of wine and filled pretzels

Yum Bug (Finsbury Park) - The insect-based restaurant is becoming a big hit

Chapel Market Kitchen (Islington) - This seafood restaurant in Islington is just what the neighbourhood needed

Trejo’s Tacos (Notting Hill) - Danny Trejo's taco restaurant has finally arrived. But is it any good? We're yet to hear reports.

Camille (Borough Market) - The Ducksoup chefs go French with their latest.

Yuki Bar (London Fields) - An ex-Noma sommelier opens a bar in Hackney

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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