The best new restaurants opening in London

RECENTLY OPENED…

Cafe Kitty, Soho

Craving the decadence of a restaurant dinner but also the thrills of a West End show? At this new outpost from the team behind London institutions Kitty Fisher and Cora Pearl, you can enjoy both in one night. We’re not talking cabaret necessarily (although there is a piano loitering in one corner and live performances have been promised), but the restaurant is catering for the pre-theatre audience with a special set menu and scrumptious small plates. Behind the stoves are chefs Charles Shaw and Fabrizio Pusceddu, whose titillating flavour bombs include bubbling Welsh rarebit; a delicate roast celeriac salad; crab cakes with kohlrabi tartare sauce; and show-stopper crispy potatoes.

A menu of punchy cocktails, including the house Bad Kitty (a gin-based tipple with prosecco, lemon and elderflower) and refreshing Southside Sour (mezcal, cucumber, mint, ginger and fino sherry) is not to be overlooked.

It’s tucked away out of sight on the first floor of Underbelly Boulevard – which just might work in your favour if it’s a last-minute reservation you’re after before ducking into a show.

Sune, Broadway Market

This cool and classy neighbourhood restaurant from husband-and-wife team Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims marks the couple’s first venture together. The two bring years of industry know-how to it, with sommelier Spencer having run her own wine bar, The Mulwray, and Sims having previously managed Copenhagen's prestigious Noma. Perched on the canal at the foot of Broadway Market, Sune, they hope, will become a much-loved pit-stop for brunch, lunch or a candlelit dinner. In charge of the menu is former Pidgin chef Michael Robins, who will be cooking up the likes of za’atar spiced lamb ribs; smoked eel Caesar salad; and a dessert of chocolate, cherry and pistachio tart.

Pearly Queen, Shoreditch

Since opening in 2018, Tom Brown’s Cornerstone has become one of the first names on anyone’s lips when ‘seafood in London’ is mentioned. Now, he’s followed it up with a second outpost, Pearly Queen, where oysters take centre stage. Highlights on the menu include crispy buffalo oysters; Exmoor caviar, devilled egg with soldiers; and cuttlefish lasagne. Drinks are likely to be just as spectacular with mixologist Max Venning of Three Sheets behind the list. There’s Guinness, too, for those keen to go all Irish on it.

Broadwick Soho

This opulent new hotel is one of the year’s most glamorous openings. There are several bars and restaurants within it, but the showstopper is the wraparound rooftop bar, Flute. The interiors are a mishmash of ideas: mirrored ceilings, animal prints, velvet bar stools and a marble bar, but what unites them is a firm belief in luxury. Perch on the bar and enjoy your pick from the ever-evolving cocktail list, or brave it outside for views across Soho. The bar snacks too are not to be missed, what with Hereford beef tartare and shrimp-topped toasted brioche on the menu.

Dalla, Hackney

While fond memories of small-plate restaurant Peg retain a special place in our hearts, exciting smells are wafting from the corner site that formerly housed it. It’s been taken over by Italian trio, Gennaro and Gianmarco Leone, and Mitchell Damota (formerly P. Franco), who are running the joint as a homage to homestyle Italian cooking. Come for the pasta, stay for the calming, muted interiors.

Whyte’s, Hackney

With stints at Brat, Scully and Kerridge's under his belt, chef Whyte Rushen has opened his own restaurant in Hackney and lent it his name. A glance at the inaugural menu suggests seafood will be big here, with a ‘raw giant vernis clam’ and ‘tuna rib meat tartare’ among the starters, and both ‘tempura octopus leg’ and ‘whole bbq squid’ among the larger plates. But the final item, listed only as ‘The Burger’, might just clinch it.

COMING SOON…

The Park, Bayswater

Having split amicably from his business partner Chris Corbin, with whom he opened The Wolseley, Brasserie Zédel, and several other luxurious all-day bistros, Jeremy King is going solo, opening his own restaurant, The Park, opposite Kensington Palace Gardens. It’s a step forward into the 21st century for the restaurateur, apparently, whose dining halls until now have been a bit of a portal back to a bygone era of stately glamour.

Wildflowers, Pimlico

In a restaurant that’s likely to be as gorgeous as it is nourishing, Wildflowers comes to SW1 from interior stylist Laura Hart and chef Aaron Potter. Here, you can tuck into Mediterranean-inspired plates and wine, or pick up some deli bits to take home. Us? We’ll be stocking up on the fig leaf pastel de nata.

Endo at The OWO, Whitehall

To the grand Old War Office (OWO) comes one of the most exciting openings of the year. Esteemed sushi master Endo Kazutoshi is following the success of his White City omakase restaurant with a rooftop eatery and ground-floor sake bar. Further details are scarce, but there's no question you'll want a seat at that table.