If August was a quiet month for openings, September is the polar opposite. Traditionally one of the busiest months for openings (allowing restaurants to be well established before the Christmas period), this September is notable for some high-profile restaurants. Here's your bluffer's guide to the big new openings of the month:
Carbone
Mayfair - 30 Grosvenor Sq, London W1K
Although it's supposedly due to open this month, details of this latest US import have been kept notably under wraps. One of the most famous Italian American restaurants in the States, it's still incredibly hard to secure a booking at the original New York outpost, which remains a favourite haunt of celebs. Despite not making any big official announcements, the expectation for the London Carbone is through the roof and this will be, by far, the biggest draw to the revamped US embassy on Grosvenor Square which is now the Chancery Rosewood. Expect big portions, all the signature dishes and proper NYC-style service. We've had a chance to take a sneak peek and while we can't reveal anything (yet), this looks like being the hottest opening of autumn, from what we've seen.
Opening: September 2025 (date TBC)
Michael Caines at The Stafford
Mayfair - 16-18 St James's Pl, London SW1A 1NJ
Recent months have seen a lot of high-profile chef restaurant closures, which have raised a question over whether the time of the celeb chef-led restaurant is over. Not from this month's openings, it seems, with this being one of of two prominent chef-led openings in London (with another following on 1 October). Michael Caines first came to prominence at Gidleigh Park before moving to Lympstone Manor, where he won a Michelin star. This is the first time he's opened a restaurant in London, taking over what used to be The Game Bird in The Stafford. It's predominantly a tasting menu-focused affair, but he'll be keeping some Stafford classics on the menu too.
Opening: 17 September 2025
More about Michael Caines at The Stafford
Nela
Bayswater - 149 Queensway, London W2 4YN
It's been a long time coming, but this is the first restaurant to open at the relaunch of the Whiteley's building, now called The Whitely. At the end of its shopping centre days about a decade ago, the place was looking a bit tired, but expect this big revamp to make it all very high-end again. Nela is a live-fire restaurant from Amsterdam (not a million miles away from Mr Porter at the Hilton, which also hails from Amsterdam). The whole space is centred around an open kitchen and while the menu has yet to be fully revealed, we'd certainly expect their tiramisu, which features coffee caviar, to make an appearance.
Opening: 10 September 2025
Lagana
Shoreditch - 73 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HU
Recently, the group behind the Pachamama Peruvian restaurants have been converting them to new Mediterranean openings, influenced by the success of their restaurants Zephyr and Bottarga. It's proved to be a savvy change, particularly Nina in Marylebone, which has become a big success (and it's pretty hard to get a booking). Lagana used to be Pachamama East and as Lagana, it's going to be much more specifically Greek-focused and a more casual affair than their other places. Expect flatbreads, skewers, loukoumades (savoury Greek doughnuts) and more on the menu. Given their track record, we fully expect this to become their next big hit.
Opening: 15 September 2025
Punk Royale
Mayfair - 6 Sackville St, London W1S 3DD
This space on Mayfair has been a little tricky to fill, with both Amethyst and London Stock coming a cropper. However, this Scandinavian restaurant might be the one to help turn its fortunes around. Punk Royale has already been a success in London with a Carousel pop-up, and it's quite unlike any of the other openings this month. It's an irreverent take on high-end dining, almost as if MEATliquor decided to start serving up a fancy tasting menu, albeit one which involves foie gras served with syringes of sweet wine. There's plenty of caviar on the menu as well as a few surprises in store. We expect this place to be like catnip for restaurant reviewers.
Opening: 12 September 2025
Tobi Masa
Mayfair - 30 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London W1K 6LE
This is the Chancery Rosewood's big hitter (as Carbone is a separate restaurant and not actually part of the hotel). Until recently, chef Masa Takayama had a prominent space in the Harrods Dining Hall, but this is his first proper restaurant in London. His New York restaurant holds three Michelin stars, so expect the chef to be aiming for something similar here. Classic dishes like Surimi Masa Pasta, Peking Duck Tacos and Masa Toro Tartare will be making the move from New York to London along with his signature (and pretty spendy) Masa Tartare that was also available at Harrods. London does love a bit of high-end sushi at the moment, so this should do well.
Opening: Late September 2025
Kudu
Marylebone - 7 Moxon Street, London W1U 4EP
Amy Corbin and husband Patrick Williams' Kudu and Kudu Grill have long been among the very best restaurants in Peckham. But this past weekend, the restaurants finally closed there ahead of their big move to Marylebone, which will bring all the various Kudu enterprises together. Taking over what was Aubaine, like the original restaurants the new Kudu will be all about European dishes with a South African twist. Their Kudu bread will be available here, as well as brand-new dishes and plenty of use of the open-fire South African braai. The one to save room for sounds like the Durban pineapple, spiced pineapple, cardamom brûlée, brandy canelé and coconut soft serve for at least three to share (or more likely two very hungry people).
Opening: 16 September 2025
Alta
Carnaby - Unit G9, Kingly Court, Kingly St, London W1B 5PW
This is the second restaurant from fledgling group MAD Restaurants, who opened MOI in July. That proved to be an excellent restaurant when we visited, giving us very high hopes for their follow-up. It helps that this also heralds the return of top chef Rob Roy Cameron to London, who has most recently been at Albert Adria's 41 Degrees restaurant in Barcelona. This is all about open-fire cooking from Northern Spain, with a particular Basque influence. Drinks-wise there will be a big focus on a "wall of wines" on tap (including fine wines) and we're going to imagine that if a Basque cheesecake does make an appearance, it'll be pretty special.
Opening: 22 September 2025
Aki London
Marylebone - 1 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0LA
This restaurant hails from Malta and it's taken over an impressive building that's just off Cavendish Square, which used to be an old bank. If you have happened to walk past recently, you'll have seen that it's a massive space (it cost them £15 million to refurb it), and they're making good use of the bank vault, which is where you'll find the cocktail bar. They describe their food as "haute Japanese", and you can expect a mix of classic sushi, robata and Kushiyaki dishes, like Wagyu Tataki with truffle and mustard pickle.
Opening: Late September 2025
Aces Foodcraft
Fitzrovia - 8 Pearson Square, London W1T 3BF
Aces sees another chef returning to London with his own place. This time it's Alex Craciun, last seen running the kitchen at Jason Atherton's Sosharu. Here at Aces, he's working with his wife Aleksandra Jazevica, who happens to be a director of high-end costermonger Primeur, so expect the produce here to be top-notch. The restaurant will see something of a shift throughout the day, being a casual space at lunch before transforming into a more high-end setting in the evening, set around a nine-seater chef's counter and a desire for a sense of theatre. Promised dishes for the menu here include English baby lamb truffle souffle with fava beans and spring vegetables.
Opening: Late September 2025
ADOH!
Covent Garden - 36 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7LJ
ADOH! sees the team behind Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba trying something new. Taking over what was a Franco Manca space, they're launching a restaurant focused on Sri Lankan street food. Much more of a dine-and-dash approach than the Kolambas, the menu will primarily feature kothu, a dish of chopped roti, vegetables, and eggs, tossed together on a grill and finished with curry sauce - here served with crab, chicken, mutton or jackfruit. It sounds like an interesting pivot from a team whose other restaurants continue to be very popular.
Opening: 8 September 2025
Also opening this month...
We're barely getting started as a LOT more is opening.
Richoux (Fitzrovia, 15 September) - It's a return to London for Richoux (the first of at least two planned), taking over what was Pizzeria Mozza and launching an all-day classic Parisian-style cafe.
Il Bambini (Shoreditch) - An outlandish Italian restaurant that comes from Paris, but it's not the Big Mamma group this time around.
Slayer (Notting Hill, 1 September) - No, London hasn't had enough of pizza, as this new by-the-slice operation arrives, billed as "a love letter to NYC pizza culture".
Heard (Soho) - Once Michelin-starred chef Jordan Bailey brings his smash burgers to Soho
Poon’s (Somerset House) - Amy Poon opens her first standalone restaurant, with a focus on delivering an interpretation of home-cooked Chinese meals.
Ciccoria by Angela Hartnett (Covent Garden) - Angela Hartnett takes over the rooftop at The Royal Opera House.
Solaya (Hoxton, 11 September) - This sees chef Kenny Atkinson (seen on Great British Menu and with popular restaurants in Newcastle) taking over the top floor of the art’otel in Hoxton.
Cô Thành (Covent Garden) - This Vietnamese restaurant was first big in Hong Kong, led by the legendary "Lunch Lady".
Aram (Somerset House) - Imad Alarnab (of Imad's Syrian Kitchen) opens his all-day Syrian restaurant.
Cafe Mama Pho (Bloomsbury) - The latest outpost for the very popular Vietnamese restaurant
Luso (Fitzrovia) - Nuno Mendes has gone, so Lisboeta is transforming into Luso, a new more casual take on Portuguese food with a menu by Leo Carreira (from The Sea, The Sea)
Chancery Rosewood (Mayfair, 1 September) - It soft opened in August, but the main opening for the big new hotel in the ex-US embassy opens this month, led by Med restaurant Serra
All of London's newly opened and upcoming restaurants...
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