Leaping into Summer, this month's new openings guide features the latest from Big Mamma, a Hollywood star opening an Italian in Highbury, a surf & turf chef team-up in King's Cross and lots more...
Barbarella
Canary Wharf - YY Building, 30 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HX
Canary Wharf has been very busy with new openings in the past few months, and this long-promised opening from the Big Mamma team (Circolo Popolare, Gloria and more) should make a big splash in the area. Taking over what used to be an All Bar One, they've made that even bigger by expanding to include the first floor too. Seating around 225 diners, it'll be a massive affair which is inspired by the golden age of Roman cinema in the 70s in, we imagine, a way that won't be subtle. As for the food, like all Big Mamma restaurants, it will be all-Italian, with thin-crust Roman-style pizzas being a new addition to the menu here. A separate 70s-style lounge bar is also planned, along with their biggest cocktail menu yet.
Opening: 20 June 2025
Island
King's Cross - Mare Street Market, Kings Cross, Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY
He may not have had much luck opening Undercroft, but sometimes these things work out for the best, and Brummie chef Brad Carter's new attempt at breaking London sounds very interesting indeed. First off, he's teaming up with chef Tom Brown (who's only just opened his own place) for a restaurant that's a new spin on surf and turf. Each chef takes on what they're known best for with Carter taking a nose-to-tail approach on rare-breed meats and Brown in charge of seafood. That'll all come together in their mixed seafood and meat grill, while other dishes like the oyster ice cream sandwich sound well worth a try. It's all part of the big Mare Street Market outpost in King's Cross.
Opening: June 2025 (date TBC)
Canal
Westbourne Park - 11 Woodfield Rd, London W9 2BA
Canal comes from Ham Restaurants, who are the team behind Crispin, Bar Crispin and Bistro Freddie. All of those openings have been extremely accomplished, so this latest one, opening in the new Mason & Fifth hotel in Westbourne Park, is definitely one to watch. In charge of the kitchen is Adrian Hernandez Farina, recently at Humo, Coal Rooms and who's also worked at The French Laundry in the US. The seasonal menu here is inspired by British and European produce. On the menu, you'll find dishes like Portland crab doughnuts or red mullet with bouillabaisse, mussels and Mangalitza sausage. As you might guess from the name, it's also a canalside restaurant with two terraces and a main bar overlooking the Grand Union Canal.
Opening: 30 June 2025
Lupa
Highbury - 73 Highbury Park, London N5 1UA
Taking over what used to be Highbury Arts Club (which was actually a restaurant/bar), this is an unlikely joint venture in that it sees Carousel founder Ed Templeton teaming up with Actor Theo James (best known for The White Lotus and The Gentlemen). It turns out they both live in the area and saw this as the perfect place to go into business together. They've taken an ex-Pidgin head chef and have created a Roman-style neighbourhood restaurant. It's a pretty small space, but (and we say this from a local's perspective) there's definitely room for a well-done Italian in the area, and dishes like slow-roasted porchetta are already tempting us.
Opening: Late June 2025 (may slip to July)
Noreen
Marylebone - 28-32 St Christopher's Place, London W1U 1NU
Not too far from Oxford Street, this is a Middle Eastern offering from a chef who used to be a head chef at Harrods. The focus here will be on the tannour oven and Minqala grill, with fresh flatbreads, grilled meats and slow-cooked dishes making up the bulk of the menu. The cocktail list will also be well worth a look as Ryan Chetiyawardana's Mr Lyan Studio is in charge of the list, with many being arak-focused and ingredients like hibiscus, za’atar, black lime and tahini in the mix.
Opening: June 2025 (date TBC)
Mareida
Fitzrovia - 160 Great Portland St, London W1W 5QA
Mareida first had its preview at Carousel last year, and now the Chilean restaurant from founder Prenay Agarwal (pictured) is coming to Fitzrovia. Agarwal has brought in chef Carolina Bazán, who was voted Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2019 by the World’s 50 Best list. The menu here takes its inspiration from across Chile, and dishes showcased at Carousel included a lamb corn cake alongside grilled sea bass with quinoa, avocado, pebre and chilli. The wine list will also be mainly Chilean-focused, and a Santiago-based architect has been brought in to ensure there's a feel of Chile throughout.
Opening: June 2025 (date TBC)
Noisy Oyster
Shoreditch - Norton Folgate, London E1 6DB
This Shoreditch "seafood bistro" comes from the team who opened Firebird in Soho, who are aiming for a modern take on a seaside restaurant (albeit one right in the centre of town). There's an ex-Trullo/Paradise chef in the kitchen who is planning dishes like a pressed skate schnitzel with mixed peach panzanella. There will, of course, be oysters (with dressings like smoked tomato water & horseradish) and they're being paired with mini ice-cold martinis. The seafood theme even carries into dessert, finishing on a vanilla soft serve topped with brown butter caramel, churros and caviar.
Opening: 20 June 2025
Shanghai Me
Mayfair - 28th Floor, 22 Park Lane, London W1K 1BE
It's been over a year since Galvin at Windows, set at the top of the Park Lane Hilton, closed for good. This month, however, we're getting the replacement - a Pan-Asian restaurant, based on 1930s Shanghai, that debuted in Dubai. So it's quite a change in direction, but at the same time is also on-trend for fancy hotel restaurants. Expect the food to be on the high-end side, so the Cantonese-style roast duck comes with foie gras and caviar. There's still a separate bar up here too, and both bar and restaurant will have stunning views across London and Hyde Park in particular.
Opening: June 2025 (date TBC)
Also look out for...
- Harry’s (King's Cross) - Richard Caring brings his all-day Italian to King's Cross, taking over the old Vinoteca site.
- Black Cow (Shoreditch) - Moving from Camden, this is a Middle Eastern approach to a steakhouse.
- Cafe Linea (Chelsea) - An all-day European cafe and bakery right next door to the Saatchi gallery.
- Luna (South Bank) - The team behind nearby Legare is getting ready to unveil a new wine bar.
- Lai Rai (Peckham) - An all-day, Vietnamese cafe which morphs into a canteen with a cocktail offering in the evenings.
- Tigermilk (Soho) - A Latin American restaurant that has been big in France.
- Chez Lui (Notting Hill) - The team behind Bagatelle are opening a new French bistro
- Dumbo (Shoreditch) - Another Parisian import, this time of the smashburger kind.
- Fulham Pier (Fulham) - The new food court that's just outside the football stadium at Craven Cottage
All of London's newly opened and upcoming restaurants...
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