Fitzrovia

• Former Sosharu chef Alex Craciun is behind casual by day, immersive by night Aces Foodcraft opening in Fitzrovia

  

  It's been almost a decade since we last encountered the cooking of chef Alex Craciun in London. Back then, the chef had taken on the head chef position at Jason Atherton's Sosharu, for which he received almost universal praise from the critics. Grace Dent said his was 'the best chicken karaage in London, Giles Coren called the food 'fantastic' and Jay Rayner loved the 'precision verging on nerdiness' of his cooking.

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• Popular Thai restaurant Khao-Sō-i's permanent London restaurant is in Fitzrovia

  

  It's been big in Thailand and now Khao-Sō-i is coming to Fitzrovia, bringing its Northern Thai soul food menu. 

  The restaurant started in Chiang Mai (before expanding to Bangkok) and its titular dish, the coconut curry soup Khao Soi is what brought the restaurant acclaim. It's opening in a space that used to be an El&n Cafe in Market Place, which

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• Test Driving Mareida, showcasing Chilean cuisine in Fitzrovia

  

  Mareida brings something to London that we haven't seen all that much of - Chilean cuisine. We went down to Fitzrovia to see just what that looks like.  

• The best restaurants in Fitzrovia

  

  North of Oxford Street, there are a lot of great restaurants in Fitzrovia - and it's not all confined to Charlotte Street. Here's our pick of the best.

• La Spot puts brioche sarnies in the spotlight on Charlotte Street

  

  Right now, you can hardly make a move in London without bumping into a new sandwich spot. The latest to join the ranks is La Spot which is getting ready to open in Fitzrovia. The Spanish-inspired place is going big on its brioche sandwiches with a whole section of the menu devoted to them.

  On offer you'll find it used in:

  • Pulled oxtail with red wine sauce, cheddar, black pepper, and wild rocket
  • Red
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• Mareida will showcase Chilean cuisine in Fitzrovia

  

  It previewed at Carousel last year and now Chilean restaurant Mareida is getting ready to open, not too far away from Carousel in Fitzrovia.

  It's founded by Prenay Agarwal (pictured above) who has lived in Chile for a year and wants to showcase that country's cuisine to London. To that end, he's brought in Head Chef Trinidad Vial Della Maggiora to run things in the kitchen who is, in turn, supported

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• Gouqi chef jumps ship to 3 Gorges, a new luxury Cantonese restaurant on Goodge Street

  

  Fitzrovia's dining scene looks set for a shake-up with the arrival of 3 Gorges, a new Hubei and Cantonese restaurant that's promising a high-end experience. So it's good news for them that they've managed to persuade Chef Qian who headed up the kitchen at Gouqi in St James to join them. Qian, who also worked at Mimi Mei Fair and Hakkassan, has arrived with a menu that includes everything from

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• Lisboeta

  Nuno Mendes' Portuguese restaurant in Fitzrovia.

• 64 Goodge Street

  French bistro in Fitzrovia from the people behind Clipstone and Portland

• Circolo Popolare

  Big Mamma does Italian in Fitzrovia with panache. 

• The Newman hotel to open in Fitzrovia, with Brasserie Adeline and atmospheric Gambit Bar

  

  We get a lot of information about new openings here at Hot Dinners, so it takes a lot to impress us. So when we say that an announcement about a new central London hotel made us sit up and take notice, that's a big thing. The illustrations about the restaurant and bar opening at The Newman, just north of Oxford Street, really caught our eye. This Fitzrovian boutique hotel will have two places to eat and drink and they both

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• Pastino brings fast, fresh pasta to Fitzrovia

  

  London loves a fresh pasta restaurant and this new opening on Tottenham Court Road looks worth keeping an eye on. Pastino comes from Franco Manca alumnus Ahmos Wasif and it's been inspired by his trips to Italy and a desire to bring traditional Neapolitan, Sicilian and Roman pasta to London, with an emphasis on value.

  It also leans towards more of a fast-food meets fresh pasta operation than we've

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• Bar crawl: mezcal martinis and top-tier tostadas at No.23, the new bar at Carousel

  

  Bringing a taste of Mexico to Fitzrovia the new permanent bar at Carousel, No.23, feels like a sure-fire hit.

• Tofu Vegan is bringing vegan Chinese food to Fitzrovia

  

  27/8/24 - updated with the opening date

  It quickly became a local hit when opening in Islington in 2021 and now a new Tofu Vegan is opening, this time in Fitzrovia. 

  Since the Islington launch, the group - which is backed by Zhang Chao of Xi’an Impression - has opened in Golders Green and Spitalfields but this is their most central location yet, taking over from what

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• No. 23 mezcalaria and tostada bar has opened next to Carousel

  

  Until recently, the small No. 23 space next door to Carousel in Fitzrovia had been used for rotating residencies, most recently for Chuck NYC and Poons Wontoneria. Now that's about to change as it becomes a full-time bar, or more specifically a mezcaleria and tostada bar. 

  Opening somewhat under the radar last month, they've brought in bartender Matteo Vaccargiu (previously Equal

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