Refurb

Five years after it reopened after a long hiatus, The Light Bar in Shoreditch is about to enter its third iteration, with a brand new owner on board and - crucially - a rather interesting new executive chef.

Rob Star is the new owner of the well-known bar, and his takeover here quickly follows his opening of Firestarter restaurant in Liverpool Street, less than a mile away. He's also the man behind Electric Star Pubs. Which is kind of a neat fit, if you think about it, as The Light Bar used to be a Victorian power station.

What really prompted our attention though was the

At the end of last year, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons closed for a major refurbishment that won't be complete until Summer 2027. But the bigger story was that after over 40 years, Raymond Blanc was going to step back from the day-to-day dealings with the place. Instead, he's becoming "Lifetime Ambassador", which we're assuming is a lot less intense than running something like Le Manoir.

So when the hotel is back up and running, there will be quite a few changes. And one big one has just been announced - the new chef. Having done very well indeed with a French chef over the past

They say you can never have too much of a good thing, and that's a saying that London Fields restaurant and record bar Bambi has very much taken to heart. To that end, they've bought the space behind them and will be closing for three weeks this month to transform into Bambi 2.0. The new, enhanced version is going to be double the size it is now. That means loads more tables, including a new mezzanine floor, as well as more space in that lovely front courtyard they have.

It's not all design changes, though. The food is now being run by Jamie Thorneycroft, who used to head up the

Updated 16/6/25 with opening date and prices

When most chefs earn their second Michelin star, they can then allow themselves to bask in the glory (and the extra bookings) for at least a few months. But not Angelo Sato and Humble Chicken. 

The restaurant started out as a primarily yakitori affair back in 2021. Then, it pivoted to more

The Michelin-starred Benares is celebrating the New Year in Mayfair with a brand new look. Find out just how much has changed. 

One of London's oldest dining rooms is about to reopen after a major makeover, and with a very well-known London chef to boot.

The Georgian restaurant in Harrods has been welcoming guests for afternoon tea since it first opened way back in 1911. Since then it's played host to royalty and celebrities and had a number of refreshes over the years from the addition of Art Deco skylights in the 1920s to the most

Every year, just before the new Michelin stars are announced, there's some buzz about who might be getting a new star. And this month, when it came to potential new two starred restaurants, Endo at the Rotunda was definitely a name being bandied around.

While they didn't get that

After quite the makeover Lavazza's flagship London store has reopened and now boasts a cafe, cocktail bar and restaurant. The store, opposite Liberty, has also brought in various chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants to work on the pastries and dishes they'll be serving up.

Now when you walk through the door you'll find a caffetteria, pasticceria and gastronomia inside. In the first, it'll be

Updated 22/11/23 with reopening date

In the nine months since he closed his Restaurant Story in Bermondsey for a massive £2.5 million refurbishment, chef Tom Sellers has kept himself busy. First, he opened Story Cellar in Covent Garden, followed by ...

Updated 27/10/23 with opening date

Big changes are coming to Soho's Michelin-starred SOLA - it's about to become twice the size.

The restaurant has been a fairly compact one to date (the open kitchen itself took up a fair chunk of space), seating only 24 people. The coming changes - the restaurant is closing for two months during the renovation - mean that it's about to get an entirely new

Another day, another news story about Notting Hill. That part of London is on fire at the moment when it comes to interesting food and drink openings. Today we bring you news not of a new opening but a reopening. Two prominent teams have so far failed to turn The Walmer Castle into a thriving business. First up we had David Beckham

Following both fire and flooding - not to mention the issues facing live entertainment over the pandemic - it's fair to say the past few years haven't been great ones for iconic music venue KOKO. But this week the team behind it revealed their plans to reopen in Spring following quite the makeover.

Updated 8/10/21 with menu details

Langan's Brasserie was one of the true legends of the London dining scene, with the restaurant being the place to be seen at back in the 70s and 80s. Originally launched by Peter Langan in partnership with Sir Michael Caine it was one of the main celeb hangouts of its day.

Since Langan's death in 1988 though, the restaurant slowly lost its lustre and it

It closed along with everything else when the pandemic hit last year, but now Kitchen Table is returning and it's got a brand new look. 

James Knappett and Sandia Chang's restaurant still retains the big counter around the kitchen where all the action happens - but big changes have been made. It now seats 18 (that's down one) and the previous steel counter has been

It was one of the last places we visited before the Christmas lockdown, but fans of Covent Garden restaurant J. Sheekey will be aware that the restaurant had yet to reopen its doors this summer. Turns out a 125 year old restaurant needs a bit of work done to look its best, so they've been spending that time giving it a bit of a refurb.

To that end, Sheekeys is getting ready to open again this month and probably the biggest