Best new restaurants opening in London this summer

ROVI

Vegetables are the main event at ROVI; cooked on the grill with open fire cooking and with fermentation playing a leading role. Working with small batch suppliers and farmers, only the best ingredients will suffice for the veg-minded culinary dream team of Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, and Neil Campbell.

ROVI has a vibrant bar with cocktails based on seasonal spices and a dynamic low-intervention wine list from small producers. Its interior features elements of Bauhaus as well as warm natural materials such as pale oak and travertine. There is counter top seating reserved for walk-ins, whilst the main room seats 16 guests, open to drinkers and diners alike.

Initially open for lunch and dinner, with breakfast to follow in July, flexibility is the key here, with many dishes available in different sizes and a small deli with salads, freshly baked cakes, and pastries to take away.

Ruya

A popular Dubai dining experience inspired by Anatolian cuisine and headed up by Colin Clague has arrived in Mayfair for the summer.

Providing both authentic, traditional cuisine as well as modern interpretations for London guests, Ruya offers dishes such as slow cooked short rib with a chili glaze and spiced Konya chickpea puree; and grilled octopus in marinade with black eyed beans and apple vinaigrette. Drinks include a range of exotic cocktails as well as a large selection of Raki, the national spirit of Turkey. Arranged around an open kitchen in the main dining room, Ruya also allows for a more intimate private dining area, a chef’s table and a lounge.

Brigadiers

Inspired by the army mess bars of India, this stunning new restaurant in the heart of the city serves a generous range of barbequed delicacies using traditional tandoors and charcoal grills, with an innovative mix of ingredients. Such a delightful balance results in the wonders of smoked Nepali bhutwa lamb belly ribs and wood-roasted curry leaf masala turbot.

Alongside the central dining room resides the bar and the ‘other bar’ with some not so traditional bar snacks such as Oysters ‘Saagafeller’ and chaat masala pork scratchings, as well as taps for both beers and cocktails including a nitro Espresso Martini! In the pool room is a very retro-looking whiskey vending machine and a self-serving beer dispenser... it doesn't get much more funky than that.

Cora Pearl

From the team that brought us Kitty Fisher’s, Cora Pearl draws inspiration from its namesake, the ‘party queen of Paris’, who is known for her involvement in the London culinary scene. This 60-seater restaurant is housed in a Grade II listed building with views across the ‘Actor’s Church’.

Starters range from leek hearts with smoked eel to pig jowl and Montgomery cheese toasties, while main courses juxtapose a traditional fish stew with a confit pork belly and a side of smoked quince. On the ground floor is the open kitchen and a cosy cocktail bar with a late license for post-theatre drinks and dining.

Insider's tip: sign up to the Coral Pearl newsletter here and they will tell you when their soft opening starts to get 50% off all food.

Pedler Cru

Pedler is opening an exciting second location in the heart of the Battersea Power Station redevelopment. Styled as a relaxed modern eatery, Pedler Cru will continuing the brand's tradition of serving internationally-inspired, yet ethically-sourced small plates, as well offering heartier meals and weekend brunch options.

With its menu changing daily and its rotation of carefully selected cocktails, craft beer and wines, revisiting could prove a must.

Pantechnicon

The Grade II listed Pantechnicon building, one of Belgravia’s most famous landmarks, began its transformation into a bar and restaurant in 2015, and is set to open this July.

Arranged over two floors, the ground floor bar’s large Victorian windows offer a splendid view of the streets below, to be enjoyed with wine and champagne by the glass, as well as a selection of cocktails. Upstairs guests can enjoy a menu encompassing the soul of modern European cuisine in several lavishly decorated dining rooms fitted with panelled walls, open fires and comfy leather armchairs.

Akira

On the first floor of Japan House on Kensington High Street, Chef Akira Shimizu – having opened some of the UK’s best Japanese restaurants – is striving to create 'an innovative Japanese restaurant like no other ever-before-seen in London'.

Based on Chef Akira’s ‘trinity of cooking’ principles – food, tableware and presentation – guests are immersed in Japanese omotenashi hospitality. Open for lunch and dinner, this is a chance to watch the chefs prepare dishes using seasonal ingredients over roaring flames. We recommend the chargrilled kushiyaki skewers and specialist sushi.

The experience is complemented by the cocktails which are made from rare sake, yuzu and shiso, and served in fine Japanese glassware.

Caravan Fitzrovia

Caravan’s latest development in the old BBC recording studio features all day dining on-site as well as 'Caravan-To-Go' take away options. The downstairs space offers the ‘record room’ for private dining and optional hire, while the upstairs has three dining rooms joined by a sleek bar.

The versatility of the cuisine is incredible, and brunch or breakfast is a must, with tamarind and date buns, and sourdough loafs baked in their flagship roastery in an old Victorian warehouse in north London.

The soft launch from 16-18 July is half-price, while Caravan-To-Go will be half-price from 8am – 4pm.