This is our monthly round-up of the restaurants causing the biggest stir in town. This month's new additions include game-changing BBQ in Hackney, next-level risotto in Wandsworth and a taste of LA in Stoke Newington.
Hon's BBQ
Hackney Wick - The White Building, Unit 7 Queen's Yard, London E9 5EN
In a nutshell: Texas BBQ meets East Asian flavours
After finding success during a series of pop-ups and residencies, Man Hon Luk has found a permanent home in Hackney Wick (having taken over the space that used to be Silo). Hon learned all his BBQ skills in Texas and has mixed that with an East Asian twist to deliver something truly unique. He starts the smoking at 5am every day (thankfully he lives close to the restaurant), and once the meats are gone, that's it (so pre-ordering is a must). The results are wonderful with the short ribs on our visit easily among the best barbecued food we've ever had.
Rosina
Wandsworth - 35 Bellevue Road, London SW17 7EF
In a nutshell: Adam Byatt does Italian
Adam Byatt’s new Italian restaurant in Wandsworth is yet another glowing addition both to the chef’s own roster and the food scene in this part of town. So far, only The Spectator has been down to review it, but the good news is they very much liked what they had. On our own visit, we found the place full of regulars from Trinity making the schlep from Clapham to check out the new restaurant. And it’s well worth the trek wherever you are in London for classic Italian dishes cooked with intent and the loveliest of service. make sure to have the enormous Risotto Bianco - it's a really stellar dish.
Cremer
Hoxton - 1 Geffrye Street, London E2 8JH
In a nutshell: Hoxton cafe and canteen
The founders of this new Hoxton cafe are also behind the ‘no photos allowed’ Space Talk bar in Farringdon. But here it’s a totally different story, with phones very much encouraged to take in all the lovely aesthetics of the space. Open during the day only, it’s a place for great pastries and small plates; recent dishes have included sweetcorn and girolles and a must-try croissant ice cream. As a walk-ins only place, you’ll be lucky to get a seat, but it’s worth persevering for one.
Kismet
London Bridge - Upstairs at The Globe Tavern, 8 Bedale Street, London, SE1 9AL
In a nutshell: A Turkish meyhane in Borough Market
The Globe Tavern has had a particularly great run of residencies, with the past two (Khao Bird and Barang) going on to open permanent restaurants. This latest residency might be their most successful yet, run by the same team behind Crispin and Bistro Freddie. Leading the kitchen is ex-Bibi chef Keiran Mustafa, who has created his version of a Turkish/Cypriot meyhane in London. For this residency, they've redesigned the room, making it a much more vibey space and it's already getting harder and harder to snag a table. The dips, particularly the atom when paired with watermelon, are superb and we can definitely see this finding a permanent home after the residency is done.
Johnny Boy's
Stoke Newington - 3 Northwold Road, London N16 7HL
In a nutshell: LA comes to Stokey
It turns out that a SoCal-inspired eatery (they reject the term diner) is precisely what this part of Stoke Newington needed. Founder Julian Dennis hails from LA, and he’s brought a slice of that West Coast cheer to North London. It’s a good place to hit up both for the breakfasts and the steak and chicken dinner plates. The patty melt is already getting a lot of well-deserved attention, but we also rate it for their excellent cocktails too. The best news of all is that on a steaming hot summer’s day in London this new spot is very well air-conditioned.
Read the Johnny Boy's Test Drive
RH London
Mayfair - 7 Burlington Gardens, London W1S 3ES
In a nutshell: Glam US homeware & restaurant emporium
The new opening from RH (the company formerly known as Restoration Hardware) has obviously taken years and an absolutely massive budget to get over the line, but we thnk it was worth the wait. Even on day one, the place was mobbed with Londoners wandering around slack-jawed at the glamour of the place. The second-floor terrace restaurant is the place to be over the summer, while the main restaurant, The Treasury and its Insta-worthy gigantic chandeliers, are more of a late-night vibe. Camilla Long in The Sunday Times wasn't a fan, but we think that if they get the service properly sorted (a month in and they still need work on this), it could be a stellar operation. Even with that said, it's well worth popping along for a look.
Vesper
Clerkenwell - 8-10 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QA
In a nutshell: Jackson Boxer comes to market
As part of this masterplan for reframing Taqueria as Taq in Notting Hill, Boxer took on their Exmouth Market restaurant himself to turn it into Vesper. Think of this as an East London mirror image to the chef’s Dove restaurant in West London. So far the feedback has been very good, with critics praising Boxer’s food and others picking this as a particularly good date spot. The menu at both lunch and dinner is a hit list of what Londoners are loving right now with fougasse, tostadas and gnudi alla vodka all jostling for position. Mina Holland in The Standard gave it five stars while Time Out called it an “instant Clerkenwell classic”. Just get there early if you want to grab one of the ten burgers they make every day.
Chez Rose
Mayfair - 5 Pollen St, London W1S 1NE
In a nutshell: Metzger and Atherton have another team-up
Jason Atherton had already accepted an offer for his old Little Social site when his chef partner at Row on 5, Spencer Metzger, came to him saying he wanted to take the space on. Now Metzger, who already has two Michelin stars for his other restaurant, has opened this gorgeous French bistro. The menu is full of hits, with the most-ordered being the XXL chocolate soufflé, and you’re already looking at weeks before an end-of-week dinner table becomes free. "I could honestly drink it by the pint" was Eating with Tod’s view on the Café de Paris butter sauce while Grace Dent said "like all good French cooking, it is ruthless simplicity that blows your mind".
Cafe Clement
Strand - Ground Floor, St. Clement, 12 Temple Pl, London WC2R 2NF
In a nutshell: Cafe from ex-Soho House boss
If you’re a Soho House or 180 House club member, you were probably part of the early cohort discovering the delights of the first restaurant to open at Nick Jones St Clement hotel (which still only officially opens in September). The rest of us have been playing catch-up after Giles Coren gave it a big thumbs-up in The Times saying; "This restaurant will, I think, define the summer of 2026." To be fair, he does also go on to mention that he’s mates with Jones. The food here is Italian, which already makes it very on-trend for London this year and the chef, Danny Bohan, is ex-River Cafe so he ought to know what he’s doing. It’s already very, very hard to get a booking and it's already a great place to spot celebs.
Zylia
Covent Garden - 6 Bedford St, London WC2E 9HZ
In a nutshell: Greek/Cypriot taverna
Every once in a while, a London restaurant opens with the kind of team behind it that gives food writers a sense of reassurance that things will be done well. And so it is with new Covent Garden taverna Zylia, where the heft of the Arcade brand has been reinforced by the arrival of Singburi’s Nick Molyviatis and Cypriot restaurateur Barry Karacostas. Grace Dent loved the look and feel of the place, saying "It has about it the feel of a family taverna that’s been here for about 62 years." While Josh Barrie, writing for the Standard, declared it "a fabulous taverna, one trumpeting the joy of Hellenic lands with passion and élan." On our visit, it seemed a massive hit with second-generation Greek and Cypriot Londoners and the general restaurant-going public alike.
Tavern
Shoreditch - 374-378 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
In a nutshell: Nest 2.0
There’s been a run of London restaurants being given a new identity by the same team, and over in Shoreditch Tavern you'll find the latest iteration of what used to be Nest, from the team behind St Barts. As the name suggests, it’s inspired by the great British tavern, viewed through the lens of a 21st-century London foodie. From the reviews so far, everyone loves the smoked cod’s roe with crisp pig skin and the black koji custard tart has been a similar hit. “If you want to feel fantastic, go to Tavern,” says Sophia Evans in The Observer. Giles Coren agreed, saying “the food simply rocked from start to finish.”
Cantinera
Brockley - 10 Coulgate St, London SE4 2RW
In a nutshell: Spanish/Mexican affair
You’ll probably remember us telling you about the opening of this Mexican/Spanish cantina in South London when we broke the story on it back in May. Since then, we’ve heard nothing but good things about what chefs Jake and Celia are trying to do here. The regularly changing menu is chalked up on a blackboard and, from what we can see, is absolutely rammed with things we want to try, like the seabass aquachile tostadas and tortilla with chilli de arbol onion salsa. Right now, it’s walk-ins only and BYOB, but there is a wine shop opposite so that solves that problem. All we can say is how lucky Brockley residents are, having this at the end of their road.
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 (our readers were the first to hear about it), 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."
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. Weekends are insanely busy and we hear Nick Grimshaw has been spotted in the restaurant.
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. Time Out gave it five stars, calling it "A neighborhood gastropub that wears its excellence lightly. "
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. Grace Dent was a big fan saying: " There is a precision and earnestness to the cooking that is light years from the hip positioning and hype that surrounds this new venture."
Read The Golden Tooth Test Drive
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."
Oudh 1722
London Bridge - 66 Union St, London SE1 1TD
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.
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.
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”. While Jancis Robinson says that "a reservation at Teal is well worth hunting down."
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.
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
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
Ones to watch...
And there are a few more restaurants creating buzz recently that we think are worth keeping an eye on...
Roost (Forest Gate) - We're hearing good things about this Algerian-spiced rotisserie chicken restaurant.
Bar Blondie (Queen's Park) - The people behind Milk Beach pivot into wine bar territory.
Carmy’s (Covent Garden) - The Carmela's team (which includes Bite Twice) are turning out great slices here.
Appalacia (Shoreditch) - What was once Counter has embraced Americana.
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 mind often boggles at the length of the Agora queue).
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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