New opening

  • Rastro is Leather Lane's hip new sandwich bar

    rastro cafe leather lane

    A few years ago we brought you the news about an interesting new Mediterranean sandwich bar Rastro, which had just opened up in East London. Now the same team, which included two Allegra alum moving closer to the centre of town by expanding to Leather Lane. Their new cafe, halfway between Farringdon and

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  • HBR brings smashburgers to Victoria via Kuwait

    HBR brings smashburgers to Victoria via Kuwait

    The current smashburger craze shows no sign of slowing down and a brand new addition (at least to this country) has just arrived in Victoria. HBR first started in Kuwait, and this London opening is their first overseas. 

    It's a mix of smashburgers and chicken burgers, with the menu including:

    • The OG – double smashed patties, melted cheese and pickles
    • Double Trouble -
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  • With a bar in the old banking vault, Aki is a swanky new Japanese opening on Cavendish Square

    aki restaurant cavendish square

    London's old banks have proved to be a rich source of venues for London's restaurant and bar scene in recent years. Now, over on Cavendish Square behind Oxford Circus, a £15 million refurb of a former bank sounds like it'll be quite the looker when it opens as a new restaurant this autumn.

    Aki London is the first international opening for a Maltese restaurant group, which opened Aki in Valetta five years ago. It's taking

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  • Is Richard Caring's Le Caprice coming back to Mayfair?

    Richard Caring confirms Le Caprice is coming back to Mayfair

    3/7/25 update - We've been hearing that Le Caprice might not be opening here after all. We'll have to wait and see. Original story follows.

    It had been rumoured for months, but now we have confirmation - Le Caprice is coming back, opening at the new Chancery Rosewood in Mayfair. 

    But hasn't Le Caprice already returned, you ask? Well, while ...

  • Tom Kerridge's Butcher's Tap is being relaunched as The Chalk Freehouse

    Tom Kerridge's Butcher's Tap is being relaunched as The Chalk Freehouse

    Earlier this week, there was news that Tom Kerridge's Chelsea pub, The Butcher's Tap and Grill was closing, with the team behind it saying it gave them "an opportunity to regroup, rethink and rebuild".

    It turns out that they didn't need that much thinking time, because there are already plans to reopen it as a new pub, The Chalk Freehouse. 

    The new pub will be

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  • The big new London restaurants opening in June 2025

    The big new London restaurants opening in May 2025

    Leaping into Summer, this month's new openings guide features the latest from Big Mamma, a Hollywood star opening an Italian in Highbury, a surf & turf chef team-up in King's Cross and lots more...

  • Noren sake and sushi bar is taking over the Roji space in Mayfair

    Noren sake and sushi bar is taking over the Roji space in Mayfair

    We'd been wondering what would happen to Roji omakase bar, since chefs Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa moved over to open the excellent Himi in Carnaby - and now we know.

    Next door to Chisou in Mayfair, Roji won't be relaunching as an omakase bar. Instead, much like Himi,

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  • Thomas Straker opens all day restaurant and deli Acre in Notting Hill

    thomas straker acre notting hill

    Chef Thomas Straker is making things easy on himself with his second restaurant opening, as it's just a few doors further down from his eponymous restaurant in Notting Hill. Acre is being described as a restaurant and deli that's "all about simple, quality cooking and putting seasonal ingredients on a pedestal."

    While work on the space progresses they've already thrown open the doors to the casual dining restaurant.

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  • Barbarella is going to be Big Mamma's sexy new Canary Wharf restaurant

    barbarella is big mamma's new canary wharf restaurant

    26/5/25 - updated with the opening date

    Almost a year ago we brought you the news that the Big Mamma group (Circolo Popolare, Gloria, Carlotta et al) were setting their sights on Canary Wharf. Now we've got the scoop on exactly what they have planned for their restaurant there.

    Barbarella is going to be a retro-inspired self-styled "wild and jungle-themed city pad". It's taken

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  • London gets its own Guinness Storehouse, in Covent Garden's Old Brewer's Yard

    guinness old brewers yard covent garden london

    Updated 23/05/25 with new 2025 date

    Following in the footsteps of Dublin and Edinburgh, London is the next capital city to get its own huge city-centre brewery/distillery. Guinness are apparently spending £73 million building Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard in Covent Garden.

    As the name suggests, the arrival of a brewery on this particular spot sees history coming full circle, as the

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  • French smashburger hit Dumbo is heading to Shoreditch

    dumbo burger london shoreditch

    A year on from their fellow Parisians Junk Burger arriving in London, Dumbo and their smash burgers are also crossing the Channel. Of the two burger companies, Dumbo were the first to introduce smashburgers to Paris and their arrival in London will be the brand's first place outside of that city.

    If you haven't tried the burgers before, then the Dumbo approach is very minimalist and much more along the lines of

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  • Theo James joins Carousel co-founder Ed Templeton in opening Lupa restaurant in Highbury

    theo james lupa restaurant highbury

    As Highbury locals ourselves, you'll have to forgive us for focusing more on the fact that actor Theo James is also apparently our neighbour, than the news that he's opening a restaurant here. But if we stop wondering why we've never seen the White Lotus star out and about in N5 and look instead at what he's actually involved in, then Lupa does sound rather interesting.

    First off, Theo's got himself a solid

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  • Canal in Westbourne Park is the new waterside restaurant from the Crispin and Bistro Freddie team

    Canal in Westbourne Park is the new waterside restaurant from the Crispin and Bistro Freddie team

    21/5/25 - updated with menu details and an opening date

    As you might expect from a restaurant named Canal, this next opening from Ham Restaurants is all about its location on the canal. The team, who are behind Crispin, Bar Crispin and Bistro Freddie, are opening this ground-floor, all-day restaurant as part of the Mason & Fifth hotel in

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  • Stylish restaurant Chez Lui in Notting Hill is the start of a new French-inspired restaurant group

    Stylish French restaurant Chez Lui in Notting Hill is the start of a new French-inspired restaurant group

    You may know Bagatelle Group from their eponymous Bagatelle restaurant in Mayfair (and many others around the world), but they're about to try something new for their next opening. They're launching restaurants as part of a new group, La Bistrot Collection, and the first of those is getting ready to open in Notting Hill. 

    Chez Lui is taking

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  • Market Place St Paul's reveals its launch food traders for the City

    market-place-st-pauls-london-food-hall

    The City of London is about to get its second food hall in as many months as Market Place prepares to open opposite St Paul's Cathedral. The company, which already has halls in Peckham and Vauxhall (with Baker Street on the way) has got itself a two floored space on Cheapside. On the ground floor is where you'll find all the food traders and a big bar. Downstairs from that will be a cosier space with booths,

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