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A number of biggest names in the London restaurant industry have projects set to launch over the next three months. Here’s a guide to the major openings between now and the beginning of summer (mid-June.) Restaurants are listed in order of when they are scheduled to open.
Address: 378 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA
Key people: Bob Ritchie, Jon Beeharry and Dan Whine
What to expect: A new neighbourhood wine bar and restaurant for Dalston, headed up by a trio who boast stints at the likes of Bistrotheque, Rita’s, Liberty Wines and the Conran group on their collective CV. The menu will “champion the very best local produce and utilise it to create unique, uncomplicated dishes,” while an ever-changing wine list, focussing on the natural, low-intervention school of winemaking, will feature up to 40 varieties by the glass, while a cellar list will include another hundred available by the bottle, or via Coravin. In contrast to others of its ilk, Sapling will take reservations.
Projected opening: 15 March 2018
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Address: 4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL
Key people: Tomos Parry
What to expect: So, technically spring starts on 20 March, but because restaurants seldom open on time and because Parry’s Welsh-Basque Country hybrid, which promises so much, is the subject of such industry intrigue, it remains one of the most exciting yet-to-open restaurants in town. Grilled turbot; smoked trout; Welsh lamb and vegetables from a wood oven, as well as a sherry list compiled by Noble Rot’s Keeling Andrew and Co. will be among the many draws.
Projected opening: 17 March 2018
Address: 18 Phipp Street, EC2A 4NU
Key people: Jack Lewens and Ed Thaw of Ellory, with head chef Sam Kamienko
What to expect: Eater revealed back in February that Michelin-starred Ellory was soon to close its doors in favour of a move to Shoreditch; Leroy is the result of that move. A restaurant and bar that will be a more simple affair than Ellory — co-owner Ed Thaw admitted they were “not expecting us to be in the running for a [Michelin] star” at the new site. The menu and broader offer will take inspiration from the Parisian “cave”-style haunts where head chef Sam Kamienko used to work, and which have, in recent years, informed the development of a new style of London restaurant.
Projected opening: 19 March 2018
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Address: Prince Edward Road, Hackney Wick, E9 5LX
Key people: Tom Brown, former head chef of Outlaw’s at The Capital
What to expect: Cornerstone is the debut restaurant from Tom Brown, who left his position as head chef at Nathan Outlaw’s eponymous restaurant late last year to pursue this solo venture. The Hackney Wick restaurant will be built around a central open kitchen, where the Cornwall native will be serving “adventurous” small plates focussed on pared-back representations of a few hero ingredients. Brown hopes to “put Hackney Wick on the culinary map” in a manner reminiscent of the entry of The Clove Club and Lyle’s to the Shoreditch scene.
Projected opening: March 2018
Address: 5 Princes Street, W1B 2LF
Key people: Mark Jarvis and Sam Ashton-Booth
What to expect: A third venture from Mark Jarvis — founder of both Anglo and Neo Bistro — who has teamed up with former Anglo head chef Sam Ashton-Booth to bring “a bit of Anglo... west, to Regent Street — informal, but precise in terms of its modern British food.” Split over two levels, the new venue will feature a private six-seat chef’s table downstairs in addition to the main 35-cover dining room, where both à la carte and short set menus will be available, in the style of Parisian bistros.
Projected opening: Late March 2018
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Address: First Floor, 41 - 43 Redchurch Street, E2 7DJ
Key people: Nuno Mendes and James Brown
What to expect: A tiny, fourteen-seat venue from London’s foremost Portuguese chef, Mãos will offer only a pre-booked “gastronomic experience for a discerning clientele,” built around a £125 set menu. Details are scarce, but it is expected to be an immersive and singular addition to London’s dining scene: submissions made to Tower Hamlets council as part of a premises license application note that “the applicant has not called the business a restaurant [because] they feel that it is more unique.”
Projected opening: Early April 2018
Address: 85 Piccadilly, W1J 7NB
Key people: Ollie Dabbous and Oskar Kinsberg
What to expect: A massive undertaking, the much-heralded return of Ollie Dabbous will aim to create “a relaxed and holistic setting in which to savour seasonal cooking at its best, complemented by the UK’s most comprehensive wine list.” Split over three levels, it will feature a casual ground-floor dining room serving breakfast, and à la carte lunch and dinner menus, along with a basement bar, and — on the first floor — a dining room where set menu lunch and dinner offerings will see Dabbous “take his cooking to new heights.”
Projected opening: April 2018
Andrew Wong at Bloomberg Arcade
Address: Bloomberg Arcade, 3 Queen Street, EC4N 8BN
Key people: Natalie and Andrew Wong, Eater London Chef of the Year 2017
What to expect: The name of Andrew Wong’s second restaurant is still to be confirmed publicly, but the concept is sound: “Hong Kong diner kind of lunch. Crispy pork belly, honey-roast pork, and soya poached chicken... [it] will be true to being Chinese.” And, significantly for a chef who has become synonymous with distinctive, distinguished dumplings, no dim sum. “I refuse to do dim sum” Wong told Eater, “we need to give more credit to dim sum than £2.80 for three pieces.”
Projected opening: April 2018
Address: 27 King Street, WC2E 8JD
Key people: Lara Boglione and Damian Clisby of Petersham Nurseries
What to expect: Richmond’s iconic Petersham Nurseries is opening two restaurants at its new Covent Garden site this year, following the launch of the venue’s retail operations in 2017. La Goccia will be a “vibrant” and “accessible,” all-day restaurant with an open kitchen, wood-fired oven, grill and dining bar. It will offer Petersham Nurseries’ interpretation of the Italian aperitivo and ‘cicchetti’ (small plates), while The Petersham will more closely follow the Slow Food-inspired mission of the Richmond original, celebrating fresh British produce and the Boglione family’s passion for “understated grandeur”.
Projected opening: 23 April 2018
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Address: 51 Greek Street, W1D 4EH
Key people: Chef Masha Rener rejoins the Lina Stores team
What to expect: Soho’s 75-year-old Italian delicatessen will open a fresh pasta restaurant on Greek Street, headed by Masha Rener, a former devotee of the original shop who returns to London after selling her Umbrian restaurant in favour of a lead role at the new Lina Stores. Pasta will be made fresh daily, and the menu will celebrate Lina Stores classics and “lesser-known regional specialties and family recipes handed down through generations.” Think tortellini in brodo, and farfalle with ‘Nduja and wild fennel or pappardelle with slow cooked rabbit ragu.
Projected opening: Spring 2018
Address: Bloomberg Arcade, 3 Queen Street, EC4N 8BN
Key people: Karam, Sunaina and Jyotin Sethi, of JKS Restaurants
What to expect: Brigadiers is the latest from JKS Restaurants, who also own Gymkhana, Trishna, and Hoppers. An expansive 140+ seater venue in the new Bloomberg Arcade development, Brigadiers will be “an Indian barbecue and beer tavern inspired by the army mess bars of India, where military regiments go to eat, drink and socialise.” Menus will focus on preparations by way of tandoors, charcoal grills, rotisseries, wood ovens and classic Indian smokers, while there will also be an extensive beer list, and cocktails on tap.
Projected opening: May 2018
Address: 48 Albermarle Street, W1S 4DH
Key people: Tony Conigliaro and Rob Roy Cameron
What to expect: London cocktail don Tony C and chef Rob Roy Cameron are opening a two-story “cafe, bar, and restaurant” in a Georgian building in Mayfair. Much more than just cocktails, Conigliaro said of the new venture; “This will be a bit of a new direction for me. I always wanted to open a place where the food stood equal with the drinks and would be a complete destination in its own right.”
Projected opening: May 2018