The New London Restaurant Openings to Book This Week
No doubt about it, London's boiled-turnips-for-tea reputation is now ancient history and you can eat well and widely. Our own very begrudgingly conducted research shows that international diversity is greater than ever, boasting more quality and variety than perhaps any other city (and yes New York, we're coming for you).
So, if you want a little taste of the best of London's current restaurant scene you could do a lot worse than visit one, some, or all of the establishments listed below. Because happily, as far as eating well is concerned, (and with apologies to anyone who remembers Colin Farrell's sex tape), London is still very much open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
(And while you're here, sign up to Esquire's Junk Mail newsletter for weekly culinary recommendations from across the capital).
Goodbye Horses (Hackney)
When Goodbye Horses opened in early autumn, it seemed to tick all the hipster boxes: a De Beauvoir wine bar serving espresso by day and pet-nats by night, with small plates and oysters and a turntable by the door. Even the name – in honour of a Q Lazzarus song made famous by its use in The Silence of the Lambs – seemed to be wearing a little beanie and talking about Latvian neo-disco. But… It really is completely fantastic. The bar space is moody and louche, with a warm, convivial vibe, like the afters at an especially chic Parisian loft. The food offering is confidently concise – try the sardine sobrasada – and the wine menu is broad but not imposing, and served by lovely people that know what they’re talking about and make you feel like you do, too. Sometimes, it pays to believe the hype. CT
21 Halliford St, London N1 3HB goodbyehorses.london
Ambassadors Clubhouse (Mayfair)
Have you walked up Heddon Street lately? The U-bend;alleyway behind London’s Regent Street will likely always be most famous as the location for the photo on the cover of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust;and the Spiders from Mars. Having not had cause to visit for while, though, I was pleased to find a flourishing new role for Heddon Street as a swanky carouser’s paradise. There’s a packed-out pub, called The Starman (obviously); there’s Mexican superchef Santiago Lastra’s buzzy new venture, Fonda; there’s a Michelin-starred Spanish joint, Sabor, and then, most unexpectedly,a painstaking recreation of the louche and disreputable Soho watering hole the Colony Room, former home to artists, piss artists, and piss-artist artists, a basement under a restaurantvcalled Ziggy Green. Weird.
Much more exciting than that, on the site of the former Momo’s, one of 1990s London’s see-and-be-seen hotspots, is Ambassadors Clubhouse, the new opening from the Sethi family, owners of powerhouse London restaurant group JKS. These are the people behind the capital’s best Indian restaurants, including Trishna, Brigadiers and — the jewel in the crown — the magnificent Gymkhana, plus Bao, Hoppers, Plaza Khao Gaeng and many more. Over the past decade the Sethis have done as much as anyone to put London on the world foodie map.
Ambassadors Clubhouse is glamorous, lavish, and indulgent, with an emphasis on drinks and on fun. It celebrates the cooking, and the culture, of Punjab, the region that straddles India and Pakistan, and is named after the Sethi siblings’ grandfather, a former ambassador, taking inspiration from his home in Northern India, as well as the abandoned party mansions of the region. (I don’t know precisely what an “abandoned party mansion” is, but I wouldn’t mind finding out…)
On a recent weekday lunchtime, Esquire took a comfortable corner booth and settled in for a feast. Meals begin with papads, chaat and bitings — sharing snacks — before kebabs, matka and karahi (there is no boring Anglicising going on here), followed by biryan and pilau. Everything we ate was ridiculously good. There was heat, there was sauce, and there was flavour. There is really nothing on the menu I wouldn’t stuff into my gob, but the one thing I will definitely be ordering again when I return is the basket of mutton kheema naan with bone marrow masala dip: chase those bad boys with a Strangers & Sons G&T or three and pretty soon you too will have screwed up eyes and a screwed down hairdo, just like Ziggy (and the cat from Japan). AB
25 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BH ambassadorsclubhouse.com
Lina Stores (Shoreditch)
A new branch of the ever expanding Lina Stores empire, the latest opening feels more like a dining hall than a little trattoria, but still delivers on the “just like mama used to make” quotient. Once a little family-run deli in Soho, Lina Stores is now a seven-location go-to for Italian staples that do the business time after time. Great salsiccia, eruptive burrata, and pasta you can count on. When Esquire visited, we ate a very peppery tuna crudo, and a very truffle-y tagliolini, but the sausage pici was a stand out. If you have time, sneak out to sultry Bar Lina at the back of the pistachio-hued restaurant. The plush, cavernous space is good for those who like their aperitivi served with a side of Milanese kitsch. CT
180 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6HY linastores.co.uk
Tamila (Clapham Junction)
Date night poses no end of questions. Where? When? What? But there is, finally, a definitive answer to all three: Tamila in Clapham Junction. The menu cleaves close to what has made sister joints Tamil Crown and Tamil Prince the kind of places you need to book several quarters in advance for, but next to those venerable ex-pub sites there’s a more lowlit, more cosy, more vibesy vibe at Tamila. There are new dishes cooked in the tandoor too, but split a fruity, piquant Thanjavur chicken curry with your beloved and get all up in it. Separate rotis, however, are essential.
39 Northcote Rd, London SW11 1NJ, tamila.uk
See the original post on Instagram
Fonda (Mayfair)
You may not expect to find a cosy-yet-trendy Mexican enclave hiding behind the lower curve of Regents Street, but that’s where Fonda is hiding – though not too well, given that it comes from Santiago Lastra, one of the most talked about young chefs in London right now. Having redefined Mexican cooking at Kol, which was the highest placed UK restaurant on this years “50 Best” list, he is now doing a cosier version of his concept at Fonda, which opened in October. Based on the traditional family-style “fonda” restaurants in Mexico, often built in a garage or house front, this new restaurant, goes for dishes that are both more-ish and surprising – confit pork carnitas, charred monkfish adobado (pictured), the must-have Baja taco with Cornish cod – in a setting that is full of energy and fun. MC
12 Heddon St, London W1B 4BZ fondalondon.com
The Barbary (Notting Hill)
There is a grey stretch of Westbourne Grove where the smart brunch spots and European clothes shops dissipate into humdrum cafés and gyms. The middle point used to be an art gallery, which was well-lit but not exactly a hub of fun times. So it’s very good news that The Barbary has filled that vacated corner site. The restaurant is inspired, like its two sister sites in Covent Garden, by the regions of the Barbary Coast (think: Southern Europe to North Africa). The food here is – and there’s no other word for it – tasty: sea bass with chermoula, fish and bean tartare, harissa lamb cutlets, roasted chili cauliflower. Hard to go wrong. But make sure to order the flatbread, which is pillowy and dressed in za’atar and ricotta salata. We dipped chunks into the kapia pepper and feta brûlée (creamy, tangy, and brûléed right in front of your eyes!). And save room for the hash cake, which probably isn’t what you think it is, unless you thought it was a pistachio tart and the perfect way to end a dinner. HW
112 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RU thebarbary.co.uk/notting-hill
Ibai (City of London)
The Galician blonde is a handsome sort of cow that, usually, spends its days grazing in a wild and windswept corner of Northwest Spain and parts of the French Basque Country. At Ibai, just behind the Barbican, head chef Richard Foster (formerly of Chiltern Firehouse) has turned to the region for both inspiration and its incomparable quality of meat, courtesy of Txuleta, the restaurant's specialist supplier and partner. Ibai’s signature steak, a complex, rich and earthy slab of beef (I was steered towards the T-bone), crusted in salt and globs of yellowed fat, is an intense experience, and unlike any other steak you’ll have tried before. Elsewhere, there’s a very photogenic Croque Ibai, a fancy toastie with carabinero prawns, Tomme de Brebis cheese, and boudin noir; chops of turbot with lemon and olive oil; and a Basque gateau with fresh berries. Ibai looks set to become a City Power Lunch hotspot, but — thankfully — the Pyrenees are never far away. FR
92 Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BN ibai.london
Agora (Borough Market)
This picture is a lie. The chances of you finding David Carter's new venture, Agora — the “souvla bar” on the ground floor of the Borough Market building that also houses the Manteca and Smokestak founder's acclaimed new Greek restaurant, Oma — completely empty, are pretty much zilch. The walk-ins-only restaurant is cleverly designed for maximum conviviality and optimum buzz, as the queue snaking out the door attests: there are eating spaces at varying heights, from shared high tables to booths, as well as counters for dining by both the kitchen and the bar, and in the surprisingly ungloomy basement. As for the food? While you're waiting, you can see the lamb and pork souvla in the window, which, for the uninitiated (as we were), is a larger, slower-cooked version of flame-grilled souvlaki skewers. They have the smaller kind too, including pork with oregano and outrageously delicious chicken thigh and, as Carter told us, you're very much welcome to pop in for a drink and a quick bite. But you'd miss out on the range of excellent vegetable dishes, including the spanakopita flatbread, chard borani with crispy garlic, slow cooked chickpeas with green zhoug, and the chance to savour a frozen margarita or two... Plus, once you've beaten the queue, you'll want to bed in. MC
Agora, 4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL, agora.london
July (Fitzrovia)
You might not have imagined there was room on Charlotte Street for another restaurant (although, to be fair, that is kind of Charlotte Street's thing), and yet it turns out no one had hitherto thought to open an Alsatian joint. By which of course we don't mean a novelty café where you get sicced by a police dog while you have your mocaccino, but rather an elegant wine bar-cum-restaurant where you can enjoy the delicacies of the Alsace, the singular region in the east of France and to the immediate west of Germany and Switzerland. Happily, Solynka Dumas and Julian Oschmann had just such a brainwave, and their delightful establishment, with cosy seats inside and perfect people-watching tables outside, serves refined variations of the typically hearty Alsatian wine and cuisine, including sausage, spaetzle and — oh yes — schnitzel. MC
July, 10 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LT, july.london
The Parakeet (Kentish Town)
The Parakeet is a pub in North London where former Brat chef Ben Allen, a north London native, cooks sophisticated modern European food over fire. The menu starts small but confident — house pickles; Gordal olives; potato bread and insanely good smoked butter; oyster, elderflower and Jerusalem artichoke — then grows in size and ambition — Tokyo turnips, tamarind and clementine; smoked ricotta and peas; lamb chop, cabbage and pepper sauce — before, if you’ll take my recommendation, the real star of the show: the sea bream, expertly filleted at the table by our convivial waiter, with piperade, a Basque dish made with tomatoes and capsicum peppers. This is brilliant, innovative cooking in elegant, comfortable surroundings. Given it’s a pub, you can also stop by for a pint. AB
The Parakeet, 256 Kentish Town RdLondonNW5 2AA, theparakeetpub.com
Arlington (St James's)
Those who remember the heyday of Le Caprice — among the essential dining rooms of 1980s and 1990s London — will experience a Proustian rush when walking through the doors at Arlington, which is the new name for what is essentially the old restaurant reborn, under the auspices of the man who made it famous in the first place: Jeremy King, the Jedi master of London restaurateurs. Those who never went to Le Caprice will find simply a brilliantly run, utterly chic restaurant. A monochome colour scheme, rattan chairs, a long mirror behind the bar, walls decorated by David Bailey photos of London’s great and good. The food is just as it should be: bang bang chicken, crispy duck and watercress salad, salmon fishcake, shepherd’s pie. And in this corner of St James’s, all is well with the world. AB
Arlington, 20 Arlington St, St. James's, London SW1A 1RG, arlington.london
The Hero (Maida Vale)
The Hero is a new pub in Maida Vale, though it may remind you of the Pelican in Notting Hill or even The Bull in Charlbury because it is from the same owners: Phil Winser and James Gummer. You will be familiar with the interiors (exposed wood, candlelight) and perhaps also the vibe, which I would describe as impossible to resist. Downstairs, there is a very nice pub. On the second floor, a hushed bar appropriately called The Library. We stopped off at the newly-opened restaurant on the first floor, The Grill. And we were happy to do so, because the dining room is easily of London’s cosiest: it is like a country house kitchen, but one with heating and comfortable seating. We ordered martinis and they arrived swiftly, accompanied by warm bread and salted butter. For proper food (thought up by executive chef Ed Baillieu), order the raw beef and hashbrown (piled high with grated Red Leicester) and sardines on toast. For mains, we had the monkfish served with collard greens and duck breast paired with beetroot. The fries were French, which is to say: thin and crisp and sophisticated. For pudding, there is crumble and cheese, though we ordered two scoops of ice cream (one chocolate, one vanilla, both delicious). Chilled glasses of Beaujolais helped this all go down very easily. As did the candlelight, which encouraged silly and conspiratorial conversation. NP
The Hero, 55 Shirland Road, London W9 2JD, theherow9.com
Dear Jackie (Soho)
At the tail-end of 2023, a bad trip descended on Soho’s Broadwick Street. You might have seen them: two giant pink elephants in top hat and tails, holding magic wands and juggling balls, hoisted over the entrance of the newly opened Broadwick Hotel. Terrifying, yes, but they set the right tone. Peek inside the 57-room hotel – the first from tech entrepreneur Noel Hayden – and you’ll be overwhelmed by a kitschy, carnivalesque mix of glitzy maximalism and disco pop ephemera, inspired by the Bournemouth hotel that the owner called home during the Seventies and brought to life by Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki (Annabel’s, The Rosewood Hotel). The fun follows you downstairs into Dear Jackie, a dimly-lit Italian restaurant made memorable by its red silk walls, plush booths, traditional Sicilian patterns and reassuringly short menu. The latter has been pulled together by head chef Harry Faddy, formerly of Aquavit, and on our visit the standout dishes were the seared yellowfin tuna and braised rabbit tortellini, best followed up with a trip to the seventh floor for a drink in the Flute bar, overlooking the Soho streets. You should give it a visit – the giant elephants can’t hurt you anymore. NP
Broadwick Soho, 20 Broadwick St, London W1F 9NE, broadwicksoho.com/dearjackie
Yi Qi (Chinatown)
It’s testament to Yi Qi’s already burgeoning reputation that, at 6pm on a Thursday when Esquire visited this new tucked-away Chinatown hot spot, the place was already packed. Though the restaurant’s teal awning describes its offering as “pan-Asian”, which might make you think it means a conglomeration of West-familiar dishes of the pad Thai/satay chicken variety (though, as it happens, superior versions of both feature on the menu), what it actually delivers is “Nanyang” cuisine, referring the coastal regions of China and the countries of southeast Asia: a considerable culinary terrain at which Yi Qi’s executive chef Stanley Lum Wah Cheok proves himself a master. There’s Chinese cordyceps flower chicken soup and “childhood radish cakes”, Indonesian gado-gado salad, Malaysian “night market” prawn fritters, Singaporean oyster omelette… And that’s just the starters. Make sure you’re hungry when you go as you’ll want to sample a lot, though reserve room for the spectacular desserts, including the dramatic shaved ice with sweetcorn, and the ‘gram-worthy Wagyu mousse. MC
Yi Qi, 14 Lisle Street, London WC2H 7BE, yiqipanasia.co.uk
Il Gattopardo (Mayfair)
Please, for the love of God, don’t call them ravioli. There are said to be over 600 unique pasta shapes out there, each one holy in its own pernickety, postcodified way, and you never know if there’s a rolling pin-wielding nonna within earshot. The dish at the centre of this table is agnolotti, a stuffed square pasta from the Piedmont region on the collar of Italy’s boot, and the crucial difference is that the filling is entombed by one layer of dough rather than two, empanada-style (but don’t say that either). Il Gattopardo, a new-ish, dolce vita-infused Italian on Mayfair’s Albemarle Street, packs theirs with rich stracciatella cheese, beds them in roasted tomato cream and sprinkles parmesan and basil over the top. Simple, delicious as it sounds, and one of the more wallet-friendly options on a menu that matches the decadence of its surroundings. Veal tomahawk, anyone? NP
Il Gattopardo, 27 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4HZ.
Kima (Marylebone)
Although fin-to-gill may not be the most appetising name for a concept (to be fair, nor was Fergus Henderson’s famous “nose-to-tail”), a visit to Kima, the bijou sister restaurant to Marylebone Greek-cuisine stalwart Opso across the road, proves there’s plenty of deliciousness to be had. First you must meet your fish – on the day we visited, there were whole seabass, turbot and bream glistening on ice – and then sit back and let the kitchen, overseen by executive chef Nikos Roussos, do the rest. We enjoyed beautifully subtle tarama and crisp flatbread to kickstart things, followed by morsels from the bream’s head (the cheeks – and, if you’re bold, the eyes) and the collar, before the perfectly grilled fillets appeared on a bed of tangy giouvetsi-style orzo. Even the dessert, “nori millefeuille”, a cuboid of coffee cream blobs interlaced with thin sheets of seaweed, had a texture, and actually quite pleasantly, that was redolent of fish skin. But the real beauty of Kima is not the natty concept but the classiness and care of the cooking (not to mention the excellent wines): ingredients come first, as does a wonderfully warm sense of being hosted, and you’ll leave feeling both dazzled and coddled. MC
Kima, 57 Paddington Street, W1U 4JA, kimarestaurant.com
All'onda (Fitzrovia)
Rice, rice, baby – that’s the centrepiece at Cordula Schulz’s elegant and understated new Charlotte Street restaurant, where head chef Andrea Granzarolo (formerly of Hélène Darroze at the Connaught) shines a modern fine dining spotlight on the humble risotto. all’onda (a phrase meaning ‘on the wave’ in Italian, dontcha know) is a quietly confident affair, with general manager Marco Montalbano overseeing a service as smooth as the dining room’s brushed wooden interiors. The tightly-edited menu offers light and flavourful starters and mains, but the signature risotti are the main event – the mouth-watering saffron risotto Milanese, with marrow bone and veal, is a particular triumph – and Montalbano’s wine pairings are never anything short of spot on. An unusual, refreshing experiment which goes against the grain – or rather, doesn’t. MO
All'onda, 67 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PH, allonda.co.uk
Roe (Canary Wharf)
Even if you haven’t visited Fallow in St James’s Market, you’ve probably scrolled past it. A savvy social media strategy has been pivotal to the restaurant’s rise over the last few years, with behind-the-scenes recipe videos regularly reaching millions of views (largely shot in a trademark POV style; it’s a bit like playing Call of Duty, if your mission was to make a really nice omelette). The chef duo behind Fallow, Jack Croft and William Murray, are adamant that nothing is wasted in the execution of their nose-to-tail, root-to-stem menu, and that includes opportunities for #content.
So it comes as no surprise that they’ve carried that approach forward to their latest spot, Roe, a fish restaurant in Canary Wharf – the launch of which has been accompanied by a (genuinely good!) five-part documentary series (sample thumbnail: “FIRE FIGHTERS IN OUR NEW RESTAURANT!”) and at-least one viral, unexpectedly divisive recipe video (turns out people get very heated about blooming onions). We visited on a quiet Saturday afternoon in May and propped ourselves up at the 10-seater chef’s table, in close proximity to the perma-sizzling open kitchen. This is an ambitious space – 500 covers, an aeroponic system on a wall that allows them to grow their own produce – with a refreshingly affordable and reliably delicious menu. The grilled venison skewer is a highlight, ditto the cuttlefish toast, market fish and puffy wildfarmed flatbread topped with snail vindaloo (influencer-bait? Maybe, but who cares when it's this good?). NP
5 Park Drive, Wood Wharf, London E14 9GG roerestaurant.co.uk
Kinkally (Fitzrovia)
The humble dumpling is the lingua franca of those concerned with good eating. Little pockets of dough stuffed with slightly littler bundles of meat and vegetables that betray everything about the culture that made them. Even a bad dumpling is better than no dumpling at all. Named after the Khinkali, Georgia’s contribution to the scene – a bulbous, twisted shape with a dense tip thick enough to hold – the dumplings at new Fitzrovia restaurant Kinkally do everything good dumplings should: they delight, surprise, and soothe. Try the langoustine, tarragon, and matsoni (Georgian fermented yoghurt) and the pumpkin kveri, gorgonzola, amaretto khinkali. And don’t leave without sampling the brilliant Nomad, a strawberry-skewed take on the classic negroni, which you can take at the table, or downstairs in the moodily lit and friskilly-named, Bar Kinky. It’s open late, and you don’t need a reservation, and even better, it’s dumpling-adjacent. CT
Kinkally, 43 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RS, kinkally.co.uk
Forza Wine at the National Theatre (Southbank)
For too long theatre-goers have resigned themselves to, at best, a tired sandwich or a fridge-cold salad from on-site food vendors – or, if really pressed for time, just an over-priced interval ice cream – so the arrival of a branch of Forza Wine at the National, alongside the slightly more formal Lasdun, has been something of a revelation. In its position on an upper mezzanine floor with views of the Thames, Forza Wine gives you a sophisticated, energised restaurant experience without the fear that you’re going to have to hot-foot it through the West End cradling your stomach: just nip into the lift and take your seats. Even better yet, the food is actively great, so you can get Forza staples like cauliflower fritti and soft serve (familiar to patrons of their other restaurants in Peckham and Camberwell), as well as seasonal small plates such as, say, white beans, cavolo nero and anchovies or pork collar with calcots and romesco, and wash it down with a glass of something delicious as the restaurant’s name suggests (though the cocktails, also, are worthy of your consideration).
Forza Wine, National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX, nationaltheatre.org.uk
Bébé Bob (Soho)
The baby sister restaurant of swish Soho stalwart Bob Bob Ricard, Bébé Bob is surely among London’s most instantly appealing recent openings. The sell is uncomplicated: Champagne, caviar, rotisserie chicken and chips. To borrow a slightly irritating phrase, what’s not to like? The caviar arrives in triplicate: Siberean, Oscietra and Amurski, served with blinis and crème fraîche. Starters are straightforward and excellent: prawn cocktail, smoked salmon. Then, as it says on the menu, “any main course the customer wants as long as it is chicken or chicken.” Choose between Vendee or Landes (slightly richer) for your bird, served with jus. Select sides (roast potatoes, truffled cauliflower cheese, winter leaf salad), and a bottle of Burgundy. And save space for the honey cake. The room is glamorous, as you’d expect from the people behind Bob Bob Ricard, but the emphasis is very much on fun.
Bébé Bob, 37 Golden Square, London W1F 9LB, bebebob.com
TT (Shoreditch)
I’ve often wondered about the first human to realise fire’s ability to make a kebab. Was he fleeing some ancient wildfire and spotted the charred corpse of a fallen antelope and, in a moment of ageless lad banter, dared his mate to put an ear in his mouth? Maybe they then dragged it back to the cave and shared it round and nobody could believe how good barbecued meat actually tastes.
Anyway, about a million years later I went to TT Restaurant and Rooftop and pondered this again as I stuffed barbecued chicken thighs into my mouth. Here, in about as modern a barbecue joint as you can find, there's still a hint of that primal thrill – the transformative power of flame and the promise of a satisfying meal.
The restaurant, in Shoreditch, is the brainchild of ex-Oren head chef Sam Lone, where “fire-cooked seasonal produce is the focus, with smoking, pickling and baking featuring heavily across the sharing menu”, according to marketing. Sitting atop the former Victorian police station that’s been TT Liquor’s home since 2017, the rooftop space’s newly installed outdoor kitchen lets you watch your food go up in flames as it’s prepared. Which is all very influencer-friendly stuff (there was no shortage of Insta-foodies rubbing their tummies and smacking their lips for the camera on the night we visited).
But it was worth the distraction because the menu was on fire. We enjoyed delicious fired, smoked and grilled dishes, including smoked ox cheek croquettes, fire roasted golden beetroots, grilled cabbage, and barbecued chicken thighs with tirokefttari. And we mopped up the juices with a colossal hunk of house-made focaccia, rounding it all off with whipped cheesecake, burnt pineapple, and white chocolate. After dinner, if you’re that way inclined, you can head down to the cellar bar, occupying the former holding cells of the prison, for a nightcap, where the cocktail menu is based on famous hip-hop songs.
TT, 17b Kingsland Road, London E2 8AA
You Might Also Like
