New opening

Opening its doors in Islington is The 411, a new bar from the Incipio Group who are also behind such behemoths as The Prince in Earl's Court and Pergola in Paddington. Fittingly they've found an equally capacious space for their latest bar The 411, taking over the old Jamie's Italian site at Angel.

The 411 is being billed as a 'neighbourhood bar' taking NYC's Soho as its inspiration. That translates to the food menu

We're gearing up for the launch of The OWO and Raffles London at The OWO which, as you'll have read here, is packed full of new bars and restaurants. The latest we're hearing about is The Guards Bar and Lounge which is the first of two bars opening on the hotel side.

It's

If there's anything positive that could be said to have come from Covid and lockdown it's the number of small businesses that took the challenge presented by those dark months and turned it into something good. Maya's Bakehouse is one such endeavour. Baker Maya Manwaring had trained up at the prestigious Ballymaloe Cookery School and started baking sourdough and buns during the pandemic.

"I was home all day

Over the weekend the latest addition to the hotter-than-hot Notting Hill dining scene opened its doors. Ria's is a new all-day spot that kicks off with home-baked cookies in the morning, moving to focaccia sandwiches by lunch. In the evenings things go up a notch as the space transforms into a natural wine and pizza bar.

The pizzas they're serving are deep pan-style Detroit pizza pies made with wildfarmed flour which can

Updated 13/9/23 with opening date

Two years after opening their wine shop and tasting room in Islington, Must & Lees are expanding. Their second place will open this autumn on Warren Street, taking over Miel Bakery's old site.

Owner Chris and his team are aiming to jump straight into Fitzrovia community life, joining the likes of Miel, Honey & Co and Bang Bang on the street. So while their

As the year starts to wind down, the London restaurant scene heats up. Autumn is always the biggest period for new restaurant openings, so here's what you've got to look forward to in the coming months. 

A Hot Dinners exclusive

They've been running pop-ups and supperclubs throughout the year (including one at Carousel), but now Hainan House are getting ready to settle down in Islington. They've taken over the space that was once Street Greek on Upper Street.

Set up by Sunny Wu, Hainan House aims to showcase the Southern Chinese cooking that she grew up eating. The

The folk behind SushiHeads in Tottenham have now got a new venture to pour their energies into. Having closed their Tottenham restaurant just weeks ago they're now open as Okonomiheads in Haggerston.

The talent behind the business is Naomi Simpson. Her decision to open an okonomiyaki restaurant has its roots in her family history - her parents ran an okonomiyaki bar in Osaka. They retired this year and, as Naomi

Just months after chef James Cochran closed his own sports bar Valderrama's in Islington, another hospitality group are clearly hoping for a better outcome for their new sports bar opening at Angel. Maven Leisure (owned by the same people behind Chelsea's The Botanist and Aviary in Moorgate) are behind Northwood which is going to be opening at the Angel Central shopping centre, next to Birdie's.

It's going to be

Updated 11/9/23 with opening date and soft launch info

In excellent news for pre and post-show dining, Covent Garden’s Lyceum Theatre is getting a restaurant that is an ode to all things Calcutta. Called Paro, it will bring a modern spin to the traditional Indian dishes of West Bengal. In a space revamped by Studio G by Giorgia Pellandini, you can choose to dine in

Updated 10/9/23 with soft launch info

It feels like only yesterday we were telling you about Mayfair’s Bocconcino opening a new restaurant on The Strand, but we’ve just heard it has been rescheduled until later in 2024. Hold onto your Bellinis, though, there’s a new

Updated 8/9/23 with opening date

If the name Hakim Ziyech makes you sit up, then you are probably a football fan (or at least a Chelsea supporter). We’re here to tell you that he’s launching a taco restaurant in Shoreditch. That’s right, joining an extremely niche list of famous footballer restaurant owners, Hakim (along with three other co-founders, including two

8/9/23 - updated with more details about the London launch

Following a bakery that's come to London via Hong Kong, now here's another which has come via Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. 

Kayu Bakehouse dubs itself an "artisan dessert boutique" specialising in French desserts. It comes

Springing to life over the lockdown, Spasia Dinkovski's Mystic Burek (once Mystic Börek but now using the Balkan spelling), quickly became a massive hit. Spasia served up North Macedonian-style böreks - flaky dough pies - using recipes from her grandmother's recipe book, cooking from home and selling via Instagram. Hugely popular and constantly selling out, she also appeared at pop-ups as varied

A very different kind of British/Irish restaurant has just opened its door in Chelsea that's aiming straight for the luxury end of the London dining scene. BÓHA London has taken over the old Chelsea Lodge site on the King's Road with its restaurant and soon-to-open cocktail bar.

Behind the scenes are a founding team that includes several folk from the drinks business like Jay Bradley CEO of The Craft Irish