New opening

• Pophams Bakery opens a new site in Victoria Park Village

  

  Updated 5/4/22 with opening date

  After expanding to a Hackney restaurant in 2019 that served handmade pasta in the evenings, the exciting news is that a third Pophams site is on the way, this time in Victoria Park Village, announced on Instagram (and initially spotted by Eater).

  London’s Pophams Bakery has had a cult-like following ever since the 2017

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• Notting Hill’s Walmer Castle to reopen as a Scottish restaurant and whisky bar

  

  While there was a lot of buzz about David Beckham and Guy Ritchie buying Notting Hill’s Walmer Castle pub in 2018, it was quietly taken over by entrepreneur and hotelier Piers Adam in February 2022. Adams already co-owns The Punch Bowl with Ritchie and is probably best known for his clubs like Mahiki.

  The pub will reopen in collaboration with Scotland’s oldest whisky hotel, The Craigellachie, to feature

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• New London restaurants opening in April 2022

  

  Heading into April we have a new opening from Chantelle Nicholson, fire-based cooking in Dalston, two big new food halls and lots more besides...

• Flat Earth Pizza are opening a permanent meat-free restaurant in Bethnal Green

  

  You may have caught them in pop-ups and residencies over the past couple of years. but now Flat Earth pizza are getting ready to unveil their first restaurant (which just happens to be where they held their first-ever pop-up). 

  Set up by Sarah Brading and Rich Baker, Flat Earth are all about meat-free pizzas with an added focus on sustainability. Together they

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• Ronaldo is opening another London restaurant, this time with CZN Burak

  

  His first London restaurant, Zela, lasted barely two years, closing its doors for good during the pandemic. But Ronaldo's not going to let that experience dim his enthusiasm for the London scene. So the footballer is already making plans to get back into the restaurant game.

  He's joining forces with Turkish restaurateur Burak Ozdemir with plans to open a London restaurant towards the end of the year. 

  Also known as

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• The next big Market Hall is coming to Canary Wharf

  

  Updated 29/3/22 with full traders list and opening date

  Originally announced in May 2019 (before Market Hall West End even opened), Market Hall Canary Wharf is finally going to happen. 

  It's been a particularly tough couple of years for the Market Halls, who've been badly hit by some of the pandemic restrictions, but they're bouncing back. While the Fulham

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• Brix sees Brixton restaurateurs join up with DJ Troyboi to bring Brooklyn vibes to Bankside

  

  The team who launched the much-loved (and missed) Brixton Village Grill and also Chip Shop are headed towards the river for their next opening. Restaurateurs Michael Lythgoe and Cidalia Rodrigues are hoping to bring Brixton vibes to Bankside with their restaurant and late-night bar BRIX. And they're teaming up with DJ and producer Troyboi to make sure it has the right warehouse vibes.

  They're taking over the old

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• H Division is a bar in a Victorian police station where you'll be hunting the Ripper

  

  They've already created immersive bars like ABQ (the bar with a Breaking Bad theme) and Bletchley (1940s based, a bit of codebreaking involved) and now the same people behind those are heading to Shoreditch with another immersive bar.

  This time it's called H Division. It's themed as a Victorian police station in east London that's covering unsolved cases. And yes,

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• Patty & Bun head to Northcote Road and Canary Wharf

  

  18/8/22 - the Canary Wharf branch has now opened. 

  South of the river fans of the Smokey Robinson or Ari Gold have a spring bonus as Patty & Bun are taking on a site on Northcote Road.

  This new 'stripped back' burger joint is going to be like Patty & Bun's original spot by Selfridges so there'll be room for 35 inside and a few seats outdoors too.

  It's the ninth opening

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• Soho House is opening a Little House club in Balham

  

  Soho House isn't slowing down. Now that 180 House on the Strand is done, they're looking at their next opening. This time it's in Balham (taking over what used to be the Foxlow site) and it's the first time they've gone to South London. 

  At this stage, there's only a very small amount of news. We have a preview of what it should look like inside (see the pic above) and we do know that it'll also

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• Acme Fire Cult brings permanent cooking on fire to 40FT Brewery in Dalston

  

  Hot Dinners Exclusive

  Acme Fire Cult are getting ready to launch their first permanent restaurant at the 40FT Brewery in Dalston. 

  Acme comes from chefs Andrew Clarke (Brunswick House and St Leonards) and Daniel Watkins (St Leonards) and, as the name gives away, is largely about cooking over fire. There's also a strong focus on low-waste and a menu that

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• Uncle Zorro is part café, part 70s bar in Covent Garden from the people behind Abuelo

  

  The people behind popular cafe Abuelo in Covent Garden are expanding. They'll be launching another cafe, Uncle Zorro, just around the corner and this one also features a basement bar. 

  The ground floor will be the cafe. There you'll find gourmet salads and hot sandwiches as well as the speciality coffee they currently serve up Abuelo. They'll be

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• Bunsik expand their corn dog empire to Embankment

  

  Updated 21/3/22 with opening date and new dishes

  Our news story on the opening of Bunsik's first place on Charing Cross Road was one of our most-read of 2021. So, we confidently predict you're all going to be interested to learn that the Korean corn dog sensations are going to be opening a second

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• The Roost and their rotisserie chickens come to perch in Finsbury Park

  

  A Hot Dinners exclusive

  During lockdown, residents of Highbury and Finsbury Park were sustained in part by a local business, The Roost, serving up superlative rotisserie chicken deliveries. The business has been going great guns since then and, next month, will open its first proper restaurant in Finsbury Park.

  Taking over the old Exquisite site, they're going to be serving up their brined, rubbed

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• Caravan are opening a Brewbar at their North London roastery

   

  Caravan have expanded to many parts of London, Canary Wharf being the most recent, but now they're adding something new to their main roastery just off Caledonian Road. 

  Until now, the roastery has been just that - roasting and supplying coffee to all their restaurants (and elsewhere)

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