New opening

• The Red Duck is a new neighbourhood Chinese restaurant for Balham

  

  This Balham Chinese restaurant has a strong focus on sourcing along with celebrating the very best in Chinese cooking (with a view to training more chefs in the techniques too). 

• The Roasting Shed now have a roastery and cafe on Hornsey Road

  

  Lucky Hornsey Road folk. They've waited patiently for a great place to get coffee and pastries and, like London buses, two came along in quick succession.

  Tucked in right beside the super popular Big Jo is The Roasting Shed which opened for business before Christmas. The artisan roasters, who also have a espresso bar over in Hackney Bridge, are roasting their own coffee and selling it in their new digs on Hornsey

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• Farina Pizzeria are returning to Notting Hill

  

  Back in June, it was revealed that popular Notting Hill Pizzeria was shutting its doors - with founders Edy Piro and Paolo Petrillo announcing plans to make a comeback at some point. That point has arrived and Farina are opening a brand new pizzeria on Notting Hill Gate, just up the road. 

  They're all about Neapolitan pizzas with 48-hour fermented dough and showcasing San Marzano tomatoes. Pizzas

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• EggRun has designs on London's egg in a bun market

  

  Updated 24/5/21 with City opening date

  They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if that's the case, the folks at Eggslut should be tickled pink by the launch of new egg-based bun business, EggRun.

  EggRun first began life as a delivery service back in the Autumn, and they've just opened their first City restaurant at Monument on Fish Street Hill.

  Executive chef John Skotidas (who also runs the

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• Rudy's is opening a vegan diner in Islington (next to their vegan butcher)

  

  After the launch of their vegan 'butcher' (which has proven to be very popular indeed), Rudy's are also getting ready to bring their vegan diner to Islington (when restaurants open up again). 

  It'll be right next door to their butcher shop, on Islington's Upper Street. As with the original diner in Camden, you can expect a vegan spin to American diner classics,

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• The new restaurants to look forward to in 2021 - at some point...

  

  Someday, sooner than it might feel, restaurants will open again. So consider these upcoming openings as the distant light on the horizon.

• Reenie's ice-cream parlour opens in Primrose Hill

  

  What's a thespian to do, when all the theatres are shut? According to London actress Sirine Saba, it's the perfect time to make a sideways step into hospitality. Sirine has just opened Reenies, an ice-cream parlour in Primrose Hill, next to longstanding veggie spot Manna.

  "Reenie’s is our Covid baby," explains Sirine, "conceived and born out of a desire to connect with, uplift and delight our community at a time when

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• Vergine Maria in Ealing will be a new vegan pizzeria from the folks at Santa Maria

  

  Coming from the same team as London's top tier pizzeria Santa Maria, this new vegan pizzeria is great news for London's veggie crowd.

• Pizza Pilgrims launch Slice on the South Bank with big NY-style pizzas on offer

   

  We may be right in the middle of a lockdown at the time of writing (without it actually being called it a lockdown) but Pizza Pilgrims have still managed to launch a brand new restaurant. 

  This one's a bit of a departure for them, as it's a completely new venture called Slice which is going to be popping up on the South Bank (taking over the space

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• Cut The Mustard adds a second cafe in Tooting

  

  Independent cafe Cut The Mustard has been a Tooting success story since 2014 and just before we all entered Tier 3, they managed to launch a second cafe. It's also in Tooting - this time a corner space on Franciscan Road. And the good news is they're doing takeaway.

  Part bakery, part cafe, their sourdough is at the heart of the bakery - with porridge, wholewheat and rosemary and polenta options all

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• Maru, a 20-course Omakase restaurant will be replacing the original Taka

  

  This restaurant is taking over the space from the original Taka. It comes from the same people but will have a very different approach - all centred around a 20-course omakase-style tasting menu.  

• Rebublic comes to Chiswick, headed up by an ex-Kricket head chef

  

  Republic is a brand new restaurant that fell under our radar until now - but was recently highlighted in a BBC news story. 

  The restaurant comes from two Kricket alumni, chef Kuldeep Mattegunta and Mustaq Tappewale. The two have spent a decade in the restaurant industry

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• Neal's Yard has opened a cheese pop-up in Islington (with a permanent shop to come)

  

  As the focus on more neighbourhood openings continues, there's the arrival of a heavyweight in Islington as Neal's Yard has opened a pop-up shop in advance of a permanent shop in 2021.

  The pop-up is open now and plans to remain open until the end of the year - as it really is the season of cheese at the moment. So if you're in Islington, you'll be able to pop down for a selection of their best cheese for Christmas or New Year

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• The Good Plot deli and restaurant on Westbourne Grove is Mandy Lieu's Notting Hill ethical project

  

  Model Mandy Lieu is behind the transformation of this Westbourne Grove spot into an all-day restaurant and deli aiming to connect Londoners with where their food comes from.

• Two new Greggs have arrived at St Pancras

  

  Isn't that the way? You wait ages for a Greggs and then two come along at once...

  Yes, if you've been hankering for a Steak Bake around King's Cross or St Pancras of late - there are two new Greggs in the station! The first opened on Saturday in the lower ground The Circle in St Pancras, while the second opens today on the first-floor concourse. 

  They'll have all the Greggs delights you want -

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