New opening

10/12/24 - updated with menu details

Earlier this year, there was the surprising news that Birmingham-based chef Brad Carter had decided to pull out of the launch of the much-hyped Undercroft restaurant that was to be housed in the St George's Church crypt in Mayfair. After

Kricket are on the expansion trail again, following up their recent Canary Wharf opening by coming to Shoreditch. 

Taking over the space that was most recently Apothecary East, their latest opening will have the same Indian-inspired food as the

If you've been following Hot Dinners for a while you'll know that there's nothing we enjoy more than a well made martini, so the arrival of a seafood bistro in Shoreditch that puts the martini at the centre of its drinks offering certainly piqued our interest.

The place in question is Noisy Oyster which is going to be opening in the Norton Folgate development beside Shoreditch train station (where

If you're the kind of person who opts for lemon & herb when they go to Nando's then keep scrolling because you're not going to want anything to do with Dave's Hot Chicken. The cult US chicken chain, which originated in Nashville, arrives in London this week and - as that name suggests - they turn up the heat when it comes to their burgers and tenders.

The chain was set up by three friends in an East Hollywood car

Last summer there were bug plans for a new food, drinks and events space in Dalston. Called Dalston Yard, it was the brainchild of Dominic Cools-Lartigue, the man who opened The Tramshed Project and before that Street Feast. 

However, things all went very quiet as opening plans were put on hold. But now it's somewhat unexpectedly back, albeit in a temporary new

A Hot Dinners exclusive

If there's one thing that 2024 has taught us, it's that the London pub scene is very much still alive and kicking. We started the year strong with crowds thronging the newly opened Devonshire and since then we've had a slew of places serving up interesting offerings in the city's old boozers from new Irish pubs to more wine-led offerings. Now as one year ends and another looms, we have

Anyone who's been to, works at or lives near Vauxhall or Nine Elms will have been aware of the progress of the looming pair of towers, aka One Nine Elms, that are now complete. The Park Hyatt London River Thames has taken over 18 floors of one of the towers (the River Tower) while the rest are mainly very expensive apartments. 

Of course, a new hotel

Do you know what's more stressful than opening a new restaurant in London just before Christmas? Opening two restaurants. But that's the delightful pickle that restaurateurs George Bukhov-Weinstein, Ilya Demichev and their business partner Elmira Amdiya find themselves in. One day after they throw open the doors to ...

29/11/24 - Updated with opening details

A Dutch burger group is hoping that the London love affair with smash burgers is very much still in the ascendancy. Fat Phill's started life in Amsterdam five years ago and they already have loads of branches in the Netherlands. Here in London, they've picked Clapham Junction as their first UK restaurant.

Looking at what they're serving up in Amsterdam Londoners

December is when things finally start to slow down on the new opening front, but there are still some places to look forward to. From the latest opening by James Cochran to a great-looking rotisserie in Mayfair, here's what's opening in the run-up to Christmas. 

If there were an annual prize for the most industrious restaurateurs in London, then 2024's trophy would probably be a dead heat between Jason Atherton and the dynamic duo of George Bukhov-Weinstein and Ilya Demichev. The latter, having only recently unveiled their latest restaurant Fantomas on the King's Road, are about to open two new London restaurants in just one week.

The first one you need to know

Proof indeed that there is no such thing as bad publicity, the deluge of negative reactions to the arrival of the Yellow Bittern appears to have had only a positive effect on the restaurant's bookings.

You can hardly have escaped the media attention given to the tiny Caledonian Road restaurant (which we were ...

Flat Iron continues to be a huge success across town (as you'll know if you ever tried to book one at even close to a peak time). Earlier this year, they opened in Hammersmith, but their latest is much more central, opening right across the road from Victoria Station in the revamped Terminus Place.  

They've taken over a space that originally held shops (which, having worked in the area,

If you're in the City and permanently thinking about what to have for lunch, the arrival of brand new salad spot Pick Your Own (aka PYO) should be of interest.

As the name somewhat gives away, it's a choose-your-own salad place. You'll be creating a salad of four key parts. The base could be seasonal shredded veg, chopped lettuce or some fava beans. Then another layer gets added for "texture" like

Eagle-eyed Stokey residents will have spotted the imminent arrival of a new fish and chip shop on their doorsteps. Cod & Brew has taken over the corner site on Stoke Newington Church Street, where Truffle Burger was before, and is already on soft launch.

Having grown up in Stokey owners Inan and Kas have won best regional takeaway food in the past for their previous chippy, but this will be their first opening