2016 was an incredible time for London’s food scene but don’t worry, because this year’s shaping up to be pretty good too. Read on for our pick of upcoming London restaurants that we can’t wait to eat in.
Words: Eamonn Crowe and Neil Simpson
When: Thursday
Why: Arguably the star resident at
Pop Brixton, co-founders Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell are now turning Kricket into a restaurant proper. We (and many others) love their Indian food, which employs British seasonal ingredients and authentic Indian spices to great effect. Spread across two floors, there'll also be a dedicated cocktail bar and a chef's counter – not too shabby for a project started in a shipping container.
When: Monday 9 January, with 50% off food until Sunday 15 January
Why: This slice of Tel Aviv is the first solo project from Israeli-born Eran Tibi (formerly of
Zest). Tiba’s casual site will be turning out pittas stuffed with stews and slow-cooked meats at lunch, with heftier dishes such as salt-baked, blackened salmon with tahini, picked chilli and tomato to follow at dinner. The restaurant’s name alludes to the strength of mothers everywhere and with food that sounds this good, we think mum’s definitely the word.
When: January
Why: Familiar to many as a judge on BBC2’s
Master Chef: The Professionals, Monica Galetti is now opening her own restaurant on Charlotte Street. Mere (pronounced Mary) will have a 25-seater bar area on the ground floor and a 70-cover dining room below. The menu will be characterised by seasonal, ingredients-led cooking without any gimmicks. The tables are about to turn on Galetti and we can’t wait to judge her food (we have a sneaking suspicion that she’ll do just fine).
When: 1 February
Why: Restaurant group D&D London (
Bluebird,
Quaglino’s and literally more than we can list here) is behind this massive 10,000 square-foot Nordic-French restaurant in the new Nova development. We can’t wait to see what executive chef Helena Puolakka (previously executive chef at D&D’s
Skylon) cooks up.
When: February
Why: Mexican chef Martha Ortiz is bringing her brand of authentic yet cliché-busting Mexican cuisine to London, serving lunch and dinner and featuring dishes including lobster cooked in pig lard. Ortiz’s restaurant in Mexico, Dulce Patria, is consistently ranked as one of the best in Latin America, so we’re expecting big things when this site opens its doors. Find out more with our recent
Martha Ortiz interview here.
When: Early 2017
Why: Many eyes were rolled at the news that celeb Mecca Nobu was coming to once-edgy Shoreditch. Whatever your views on the gentrification of East London, this high-end Japanese will undoubtedly generate huge amounts of attention. The five-storey hotel complex will include a 240-cover restaurant located in its lower levels, an outdoor courtyard over two levels and a separate sushi bar. Shoreditch will never be the same again.
When: Early 2017
Why: Sushisamba’s blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine has been wildly successful in London, so it’s no surprise this second site is coming. The new location is atop Covent Garden’s Piazza and will be open all day, with food ranging from nibbles in the day, to heartier dishes come the evening – and there’s an outdoor terrace too for when the weather’s good.
When: March
Why: Experimental Group (
Experimental Cocktail Club,
Joyeux Bordel) is opening this Covent Garden hotel, with its restaurant being overseen by Ollie Dabbous. The 80-cover, split-level bistro will serve an all-day seasonal British menu with global influences. Find out more with our recent
Ollie Dabbous interview here.
When: Spring
Why: The polishing up of Shoreditch continues with another upcoming hotel, The Curtain, which comes complete with a rooftop swimming pool. A sister to Manhattan’s Harlem restaurant of the same name, expect a similar menu here which celebrates America’s southern soul food, featuring the likes of hot wings, meatballs with lingonberry and buttermilk mash, and trucker fries (big fat chips, slathered in cheese, burger sauce and scattered with bits of bacon). It’s just as well The Curtain has a gym.
Tom Kerridge London, Kensington
When: Spring
Why: Tom Kerridge’s much-anticipated London debut replaces The Rib Room at the five-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel. The TV star will oversee the kitchen at his third restaurant, which follows the two-Michelin-starred
Hand and Flowers in Buckinghamshire (which won our
UK Restaurant of the Year 2015) and
The Coach.
When: April
Why: Most people will have seen its famous ‘press for Champagne’ buttons on Instagram and we share London’s love for
Bob Bob Ricard. So we’re thrilled that owner Leonid Shutov (above) has revealed this second site for the City. Details are sketchy, but we do know the restaurant will be on the third floor of the Leadenhall Building (aka The Cheesegrater). There will be room for 180 in the main restaurant, plus a smattering of private rooms and another, separate Japanese restaurant.
When: Mid-2017
Why: Duck & Waffle’s unique mix of experimental comfort food and sky-high views has thrilled London diners for a few years now, so we weren’t surprised when head chef Dan Doherty announced plans for a sister site in St James’s Market. It has some esteemed neighbours in Nordic restaurant
Aquavit and Salt Yard Group’s
Veneta, not to mention a prime corner spot on the Haymarket tourist highway.
Shibui, location TBA
When: September
Why: This casual fine diner will be Elizabeth Allen’s solo debut, having left Hackney’s Pidgin just after earning it a Michelin star last year. Her mission includes taking less exalted foods to a more refined level, so expect buttermilk chicken slathered in caviar, for example. Shibui’s European and Asian menu will include plenty of BBQ – catch a preview with her residency at Marylebone’s Carousel from 17-28 January.
This article was published 3 January 2016