This is our monthly round-up of the restaurants causing the biggest stir in town - the hottest at this very moment from a slice of NYC in Shoreditch to a little bit of Paris in Marylebone. (If you're looking for classics, see our all-time London's Best Restaurants guide).
One Club Row
Shoreditch - 1 Club Row, London E1 6JX
In a nutshell: A slice of NYC style in London
Not since The Devonshire has there been a launch of a restaurant over a pub that’s had quite as much good press as One Club Row so far. But while it is technically above a pub they run, this restaurant complete with its all-over-Insta graffitied front door, is a wholly separate entity. Chef Patrick Powell’s menu is full of nods to both Paris and New York (the burger is a must-have) and the martinis and general bonhomie just add to the vibe. The Standard’s David Ellis was an early fan calling it “E1’s answer to The Dover”.
Read the One Club Row Test Drive
Josephine
Marylebone - 6-8 Blandford St, London W1U 4AU
In a nutshell: Paris comes to London
If there was a one complaint people had with Claude Bosi’s Lyonnaise bouchon in Chelsea, it was that it was a bugger to get to. The chef has redressed that with his latest restaurant, opening just off Marylebone High Street. We popped in for supper after a few days of opening to find the restaurant absolutely wedged with W1 residents jostling for space at the bar and in the dining room. But service is slick and friendly and the space is gorgeous. Food-wise this leans more towards a Parisian brasserie with a hitlist of French classics, including a very good soufflé au Camembert and some excellent terrines.
Tom Brown at The Capital
Knightsbridge - The Capital, 22-24 Basil St, London SW3 1AT
In a nutshell: Tom Brown comes home
The opening of chef Tom Brown’s new Knightsbridge restaurant marks a completion of the circle for the chef who first came to prominence when working here under chef Nathan Outlaw. Now it’s his name above the door, and fans who loved his food at Cornerstone are making the pilgrimage here to enjoy his seafood-focused offering. David Ellis at the Standard felt “Brown is operating at a level rarely witnessed” but thinks there’s still room for improvement. If you love inventive seafood in a luxurious setting this is going to tick all the boxes for you.
More about Tom Brown at the Capital
The Lavery
South Kensington - 4 Cromwell Place, London SW7 2JE
In a nutshell: Mediterranean by the museums
The critics are unanimous: The Lavery is a very beautiful restaurant. “It’s modern minimalist with a glut of leftover grandeur from fine times past,” declared Grace Dent in The Guardian, while Giles Coren in the Times said, “It’s the sort of place I often have dreams about living in.” The good news is that the food by former River Cafe chef Yohei Furuhashi more than lives up to the surroundings. Think ultra seasonal with a modern European sensibility. We were big fans of the gnocchi (which Coren also praises as ‘perfect’) and the lack of interesting new places to eat in this area means it’s bound to do well.
Read our Test Drive of the Lavery
The Kerfield Arms
Camberwell - 16 Grove Lane, London SE5 8SY
In a nutshell: Gastropub reinvented
London’s roster of excellent gastropubs got another addition to its swelling ranks in this Camberwell pub from the team who brought us the critical hit The Baring. Visiting on its first weekend, we found the dining area there already packed for lunch with locals who couldn’t quite believe their luck that this had landed on their doorstep. As with their Islington sibling, there’s a popular skewer dish on the menu. Here it’s Cornish squid & lardo shish with pul biber chilli which should give you an idea of the inventiveness of the offering. Literally everything we tried was a banger, but if you don’t order pizza dough with tarama or the doughnut, then that’s on you.
Read The Kerfield Arms Test Drive
Tatar Bunar
Shoreditch - 152 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AT
In a nutshell: Southern Ukrainian cuisine
London’s Ukrainian dining scene continues to boom and the arrival of Tatar Bunar in Shoreditch is just one more reason to head to this part of town to dine out (see also - One Club Row). Grace Dent was enchanted by this quaintly and charmingly rustic restaurant, which she said was “already most definitely a highlight of 2025” and confidently predicted it would be very hard to get a table at soon, which is certainly one of our criteria for a hot restaurant. Southern Ukraine provides the culinary inspiration here with a menu that includes mushrooms on a grapevine twig and where the village onion bread comes with lardo and elderberry pickles.
Boxhall
City of London - The Arcade, Liverpool Street, London EC2M 7PN
In a nutshell: Boxpark goes indoors
London’s food hall scene is booming (as our recently updated guide illustrates) and nowhere has that been more evident than at this brand new food hall just around the corner from Liverpool Street. Boxhall City marks a shift in its owner Boxpark’s direction. Instead of a container village, this has them taking over an old shopping arcade in the heart of the City of London. Featuring traders you don’t normally find in food halls, including Sourdough Sophia and a chef-led restaurant, this has paid off with the place doing tremendous business since opening.
AngloThai
Marylebone - 22-24 Seymour Place, London W1H 7NL
In a nutshell: Thai dishes, British produce
Sometimes great things come to those who wait and that's certainly the case with AngloThai. The restaurant by John and Desiree Chantarasak has been in the planning stages for four years, but that long waiting period has ended up delivering a fantastic restaurant and an immediate Michelin star. Known for blending Thai cuisine with British ingredients, this sees them working at the top of their game, with a review by David Ellis in The Standard agreeing - "This is thoughtful, elegant food". Meanwhile, Grace Dent says "There is an understated elegance to just about everything that AngloThai does." it's had a lot of notice from overseas too, with a place on Conde Nast Traveller's best restaurants in the world and American Saturday morning TV.
Read our Test Drive of AngloThai
Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand
King's Cross - St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd., London NW1 2AR
In a nutshell: SOLA chef takes on a grand dining room
The latest big-name chef to take on the glorious restaurant space at The Midland Grand is SOLA chef Victor Garvey. His arrival, bringing with him a new concept and menu, has made this restaurant a must-visit, even if you’ve been before. This is grand French dining that feels less like a homage to the Ritz, but a younger rival, maybe? Tim Hayward made it his swansong review in his capacity as restaurant critic for the FT saying, "Its dining room is a Wonder of the Hospitality World…It feels good to have been there, at the start of something spectacular."
More about Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand
Read the Midland Grand Test Drive
Senza Fondo
Shoreditch - 1 Rufus St, London N1 6PE
In a nutshell: All-you-can-eat lasagna
Italian restaurant Senza Fondo has one key selling point - its bottomless lasagna. That comes in traditional or artichoke varieties (and even in a sandwich) and it's a simple premise that has meant the restaurant is booked out for months ahead - people do love a good deal. There is more to the restaurant than layered pasta, though. Assuming you don't overdo it on the lasagna, you'll also find pizzette, pasta and snacks like deep-fried mozzarella sticks. The Standard's David Ellis was convinced: "It is better than Big Mamma, just about, and not nearly so pleased with itself."
Bône
Shoreditch - 72 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY
In a nutshell: Stealthily hot restaurant
We like to think we might have had something to do with the hype behind new weekend supperclub restaurant Bone in Shoreditch (as we’re the only people to have written about it). Such is the buzz about the intimate 25-seater that it’s now booked up until September. The menu changes monthly and if you do manage to get a booking, you can expect a set menu that includes delights such as chicken nuggets with caviar and Chick-fil-A sauce or a show-cooked short rib with Cafe de Paris sauce.
Tasca at Cav
Betnal Green - 255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LE
In a nutshell: Wine bar with a Spanish residency
We’re always keeping an eye out for whatever chef Josh Dalloway is up to as he’s been involved in a load of interesting popups all over London. Right now, he’s cooking as part of Tasca, the food residency at new Shoreditch bar Cav, where the menu mixes up Spanish and Portuguese influences. Standard critic David Ellis is an early fan, praising “the beautiful food and fair prices”. Their pork and prawn cachorrinho sandwich certainly deserves to be tried.
Crunch
Soho - 60 Dean Street, London W1D 6AW
In a nutshell: Big brioche sandwiches
Londoners do love a single-dish restaurant. In a time where we have so much choice, it’s a lot easier when the menu has been tightened right down. At Crunch, it’s all about their hype brioche sandwiches which are made to order for you. This has been all over our FYP in recent weeks. Eating with Tod may not have graced it with his presence at the time of writing (he loved their stall in Spitalfields), but it’s only a matter of time. If you're heading down, it looks as though the patty melts are the current hot ticket item here.
Nina
Marylebone - 18 Thayer St, London W1U 3JY
In a nutshell: Marylebone Mediterranean
Having seen its last new opening, Bottarga, immediately became one of those hard-to-book restaurants, the same team were presumably hoping for similar success from their next place, Nina. They’ll be buoyed then by the immediate buzz that this subterranean, Mediterranean-focused Marylebone opening (which was once the original Pachamama) has managed to get on social. We popped in for dinner the other week to find the place heaving (in the best possible way). Go for crudo and ‘tini cocktails; this is a place to dress up for.
Gordon Ramsay at 22 Bishopsgate
City of London - 22 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AJ
In a nutshell: Gordon towers above all
If anyone knows something about opening a new restaurant with a bit of a bang, it'll be Gordon. He's managed to get everyone talking about his new restaurants, the highest in London apparently, and has even been touting them on talk shows thanks to a few purloined cats. A starry opening party was next and although it looks like Lucky Cat is the big, and slightly more affordable, draw, it's the (pictured) second coming of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay as "High" which is the really hot table to try and get a booking for (if you have a spare £250).
More about Ramsay at 22 Bishopsgate
The Prince Arthur
Belgravia - 11 Pimlico Rd, London SW1W 8NA
In a nutshell: Pub with upscale Basque menu
London has had a run of impressive gastropubs recently and The Prince Arthur is continuing that trend, albeit by going at things a little differently. While it looks like a more traditional pub when you first go in the door, it's one with a beautiful design (that amazing ceiling particularly) and a Basque menu that dips into luxe territory (it is in Belgravia, after all). There's plenty of caviar (their own brand) and the Basque cheesecake is up there with London's best. It's already picked up a big following and we can see this only getting better when the upstairs restaurant opens. Grace Dent was a fan, saying "above all, the cooking is wonderful, especially if seafood is your thing."
Read our Test Drive of The Prince Arthur
Dove
Notting Hill - 31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU
In a nutshell: Orasay reborn
Reacting to increasing costs that have particularly hit the seafood market, Jackson Boxer has closed what was Orasay in Notting Hill and brought it back to life as Dove. Instead of the seafood focus, it's now a restaurant that concentrates on "elevated comfort food" with new dishes on the menu including the fantastic deep-fried truffle lasagne. Although William Sitwell wasn't quite convinced, it seems to be a gamble that's paid off and Bella Freud in The Guardian says "The food at Dove is amazing". While the look of the restaurant itself hasn't changed, the new approach has brought more life and, more importantly, renewed interest into what has always been a great Notting Hill place. With the ever-changing hospitality scene, Boxer has shown how a smart reinvention can be the way to keep in the game.
Canteen
Notting Hill - 301 Portobello Road, London W10 5TD
In a nutshell: The Pelican do an Italian café
If you want to show that you're serious about your latest Italian restaurant opening in London, it always helps to have a couple of ex-River Cafe folk running the kitchen. Here at Canteen (from the same team that brought us The Pelican and The Hero) chefs Jessica Filbey and Harry Hills are in charge of a daily changing menu that features both pizza and pasta alongside a few larger sharing plates in a very casual space. It got five stars from David Ellis in The Standard who said "I’d cross town for lunch here". Giles Coren also loved it, while his dining companion Nick Jones says "It’s basically a smaller, cheaper River Cafe", something which Tom Parker Bowles agrees with.
Wildflowers
Belgravia - Unit 2, 57 Pimlico Road, London SW1W 8NE
In a nutshell: Beautiful Belgravia restaurant and wine bar
If you look at just how many chefs and folk from the London restaurant scene have made it their business to check out Wildflowers in the first few weeks of its opening then you'll get a good indication of how much they rate chef Aaron Potter's Mediterranean-influenced cooking. The Guardian's Grace Dent was another early visitor declaring it "so charming and tasteful that finding fault is a challenge." It doesn't hurt that there's a fantastic wine bar upstairs too. Giles Coren took along Jamie Oliver who was wowed, saying "this is the generation of chefs we have to be hopeful for, right?"
Read our Test Drive of Wildflowers
Miga
Hackney - 1 Mare St, London E8 4RP
In a nutshell: Modern Korean
Miga is another restaurant that has built up an impressive following, relying on word of mouth and social media buzz to get the word out there. A family business (it's run by two brothers, with their father in the kitchen), its modern approach to Korean cooking brings something unique to the Hackney food scene. The restaurant i s continuing to evolve, with a new-look menu promised in September and they're also trialling omakase-style dinners. That buzz has already translated to a five-star review in The Standard from Jimi Famurewa who says they are giving "their father’s remarkable, soulful cooking the platform it deserves."
Warming up...
And there are a few more restaurants creating buzz recently that we think are worth keeping an eye on...
Bubala (King's Cross) - The vegetarian take on Middle Eastern cuisine is likely to be a big hit in it's beautiful new King's Cross location.
Bianca's (Stoke Newington) - The chef behind Casa Fofo's more casual restaurant and wine bar.
27 Old Compton Street (Soho) - The man behind 40 Dean Street has opened up a new fresh pasta bar in Soho.
Perma-hot restaurants
These are the London restaurants that have been open for a while but are still hotter than ever.
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.
Crisp Pizza (Hammersmith) - Alley Cats may get the press, but this pizzeria is still the best for many. There's still a wait for pizzas at the weekend particularly, but it's well worth it.
Where's Hot, mapped.
Here's how the Hot Dinners "Where's Hot" restaurants are spread across town.
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