This is our monthly round-up of the restaurants causing the biggest stir in town. New additions this month include the Soho hotspot everyone's dying to try, the revamped classic, a hot new take on tacos and a handy seafood restaurant in the centre of town.
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; we couldn’t see a table for dinner free for the next month. If you do succeed, then we urge you to get the sweetbreads and that amazing roasted duck dish.
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 blogger Andy Hayler said “The relaunched Simpsons has done a fine job of restoring an English classic to its former glory.” 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 - Address
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 is an early fan, calling the restaurant "elegant and defiantly serene".
Sale e Pepe Mare
Marylebone - The Langham Hotel, 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London W1B 1JA
In a nutshell: High-end Italian seafood
Good things come to those who wait, and the longtime diners at Chelsea’s Sale E Pepe only had fifty years to wait before they opened a second restaurant. Here in The Langham London, just off Oxford Circus, they’ve given their classic Italian offering a seafood twist. Best of all, they’ve completely redesigned the hotel’s dining room to create a beautiful space to dine in. There’s a lot of trolley action, staff are super friendly and we saw a lot to like here.
Read the Sale e Pepe Mare Test Drive
Med Salleh Restaurant
Kentish Town - 320 Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2TH
In a nutshell: Malaysian street food
The arrival of Malaysian street food spot Med Salleh in Kentish Town was met with near-universal delight, not least from the critic of The Times, Giles Coren. Coren’s not only already been in multiple times since its opening, he’s already done a video for the publication, calling it “Probably the best Malaysian restaurant in England” and declaring it somewhere "I'd spend my own money.” He’s not alone in loving the claypot rice and roti; the group’s legion fans are already packing it out.
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
Cafe Kowloon
London Fields - 392-393 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH
In a nutshell: Hidden Hong Kong-inspired restaurant
Hackney’s Mentmore Terrace is usually an interesting place to hit up for restaurants, and the arrival of Cafe Kowloon only served to strengthen this. You’ll find this very modern, very London take on Hong Kong food tucked away at the back of Wonton Charlie’s, making this feel like a real hidden gem. The Standard’s David Ellis was a fan of the overall effect and the prawn toast in particular urging readers “Do not share, order a portion each.” If you’re looking for a vibey, fun spot in this part of town, it’s a no-brainer.
Wild Izakaya
City of London - 33 Old Jewry, London EC2V 8EY
In a nutshell: Huge Japanese Izakaya from the Goodman group
The restaurant group behind this (also behind Goodman, Pinna and Wild) may have been characteristically secretive in the run-up to the opening of Wild Izakaya, but the lack of publicity certainly doesn’t appear to have done them any harm. It helps that they’ve got an excellent team in place, helmed by former Koyn/Nobu chef Satoru Hashimoto. But they’re also offering something that the City is lacking - a vibey sushi spot that’s not as buttoned up as traditional omakase spaces and has a fantastic wine and sake list to boot. It’s already doing very well.
Read the Wild Izakaya Test Drive
Hoppers Shoreditch
Shoreditch - Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ
In a nutshell: Hoppers 4.0 with added South Indian dishes
For their fourth opening, Hoppers' Karan Gokani decided it was time to try something different. While all the Sri Lankan favourites stayed on the menu, there was a new added focus on South Indian cuisine. That's paid off handsomely, with the menu seeming fresher than ever and with some outstanding new dishes on the menu - the lamb benne dosa and sizzling salmon mappas being unmissable. It also helps that they've completely reinvented the space that was once Lyle's, making it one of the best-looking new restaurants in the area. In The Standard, David Ellis sums it up well as "a place that’s dependably brilliant"
Read the Hoppers Shoreditch Test Drive
Sushi Amamoto
Mayfair - 36 Albemarle St, London W1S 4JE
In a nutshell: Top sushi chef takes over Taku
It’s been a busy few weeks for the restaurant formerly known as Taku. First, they retained their Michelin star, news that was quickly followed by the announcement that they were changing their name to Sushi Amamoto. The new name reflected the fact that the restaurant had been taken over by Taipei sushi master Shogo Amamoto. In Taipei, Amamoto’s menus cost upwards of $2000 and there’s a legendarily long waiting list for bookings. So the master’s arrival in London is great news for clout-seeking sushi fans. We went in for an early preview dinner and thought his innovative take on Edomae-style sushi really brought something new to the London scene. Service is also hugely Instagrammable, which will only help.
Read the Sushi Amamoto Test Drive
Gordon Ramsay at 22 Bishopsgate
City of London - 22 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4BQ
In a nutshell: Gordon Ramsay's show has a restaurant attached
We’re not sure exactly how Gordon Ramsay managed to persuade Netflix to do a six-part docuseries, which turned into a giant promo for his restaurants in this City of London skyscraper, but all kudos to him and his team. The series, which went live a week or so ago and has been a big hit on Netflix, has focused primarily on the opening of High, Lucky Cat and the upcoming Bread Street Kitchen. As a result, bookings have gone through the (very high) roof.
More about Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High
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.
Onsu
Soho - 55A Dean St, London W1D 6AG
In a nutshell: Asian inspired patisserie and cafe
A bad (but also badly researched) review by bloggers Bite Twice aside, new Soho bakery Onsu has been hugely popular and has had queues snaking down Dean Street since day one. The reason people are willing to queue in the rain is to check out the Asian-influenced bread and patisserie by chef Michael Kwan, former head pastry chef at The Dorchester. On our visit, the first flush of visitors through the door pretty much cleaned the bakery out of treats like the wagyu beef curry bun and popcorn miso caramel Paris Brests. Go for the cakes, but try and get a table to enjoy the new coffee sensation, their -86 degree lattes (the ube one is the best).
DakaDaka
Mayfair - 10 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BX
In a nutshell: Georgian food in Mayfair
DakaDaka comes from a pair of restaurateurs who previously had big successes with openings like Eggbreak and Seabird with Ennismore. Now going it alone, they've taken over the space at 10 Heddon Street, which has been a proving ground for big restaurants like Fallow and Manteca before. Because they're now the permanent restaurant there, they've reinvented the space, most importantly opening a downstairs bar. As for the food, that's all Georgian, with dishes including Khinkali, a Georgian soup-dumpling and Khachapuri, cheese-filled bread. The wine continues that Georgian focus, with top sommelier Honey Spencer in charge of the list.
Aces Foodcraft
Fitzrovia - Address
In a nutshell: Global-inspired food by a returning chef
Aces Foodcraft sees the return of chef Alex Craciun to London (previously seen at Jason Atherton's Sosharu) and together with his wife Aleksandra Jazevica he's created a little marvel of a restaurant in Fitzrovia. In the beautifully designed restaurant, Craciun mixes in global influences with a strong Japanese focus to create a produce-led affair that's already become one of our best meals of 2026 so far. The food is fantastic, the tasting menu is great value when compared with anything else at this calibre, and they do a mean martini too.
Read the Aces Foodcraft Test Drive
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".
Bonheur by Matt Abé
Mayfair - 43 Upper Brook Street, London W1K 7QR
In a nutshell: Le Gavroche reborn
Matt Abé has launched his first solo restaurant in the old Le Gavroche space, with a little help from former boss Gordon Ramsay (Abé was previously Head Chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay). Although you can see some reminders of its previous life in the bones of the room (particularly the alcoves), it's gone through a pretty spectacular transformation, bringing it properly into the 21st century. That's backed up by Abé's cooking, which plays with dishes like quiche Lorraine, but with an incredible amount of detail, all backed up by a light and friendly service. It's already impressed Davis Ellis in The Standard, who said he can see it getting "Two stars, pronto."
More about Bonheur by Matt Abé
Martino's
Chelsea - 37 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AN
In a nutshell: The Dover goes to Chelsea
Even before it had officially been announced, Martino’s was the kind of restaurant we were getting emails about. ‘What’s that restaurant opening up on the corner of Sloane Square?’ readers asked. ‘It looks like a nice place for a drink.’ Well, it turned out that The Dover restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski had been keeping something rather large under his hat - a new Florentine trattoria to be exact. But while new London Italians are ten a penny, Martino’s stands out for its looks (the design is by the same team behind The Dover), its service and its generous dishes. Look out for the old-school XXL pepper grinder being wielded by waiters and don’t miss out on the lasagna. David Ellis in The Standard is a big fan "I sat with champagne and thought: oh, I’ve found my new favourite restaurant".
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 last London opening (in Canary Wharf), but their latest might be their most impressive yet. They've taken over what, until recently, was known as 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
2210 by NattyCanCook
Herne Hill - 75 Norwood Road, London SE24 9AA
In a nutshell: Modern Caribbean
When announcing his solo restaurant, much was made (including by us) of Nathaniel Mortley's time in HMP Brixton and how he's reformed himself through his cooking and pop-ups. But even with that compelling background, the chef would have to deliver the goods with his first solo restaurant, and he's definitely done that. Here, the food is billed as "reimagining Caribbean classics with refined flair", and the response so far has been hugely positive. Grace Dent was among the first in, saying "there’s an attention to detail in every dish that makes this place more than fit for a special occasion" and "it’s definitely up there in the best-of list".
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."
Ones to watch...
And there are a few more restaurants creating buzz recently that we think are worth keeping an eye on...
Maza (Mayfair) - This party-loving Greek restaurant in Mayfair is already quite the scene.
Orrery by Pierre Minotti (Marylebone) - we're hearing good things about the tasting menu here.
Teal by Sally Abé (Hackney) - An early (and good) review from The Standard bodes well.
Holy Carrot Bistro (Spitalfields) - This is already a hit in Notting Hill and looks like doing good business in East London too.
Bara (Peckham) - The Welsh factor here makes this new Peckham cafe of interest.
Pillar Hall (Olympia) - We've been told that the dining room here is pretty eye-popping.
The Newman (Fitzrovia) - This hotel's Gambit bar is already proving a draw.
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.
Subscribe to hear the latest from Hot Dinners
