London’s Best Restaurants Are Reopening After Coronavirus

With restaurants now permitted to open for dine-in service, operators across the city are figuring out what it means for them. Some never closed; some adapted to COVID-19’s reshaping of the city with restaurant delivery, meal kits, and whole new brands. Others spoke last week of their plans to bring customers back into their dining rooms.

As dine-in measures become more finalised, from social distancing to mask-wearing to temperature checking, Eater will track how its current 38 essential restaurants in the city are reopening — and if they are reopening at all. Restaurants are expected to post their COVID-19 safety measures online, but just get in touch with the place in question if more clarity is needed.

As restaurants navigate any new guidance and customer confidence, this list is extremely likely to change. Check for regular updates, and if there’s a tip Eater needs to hear, send it right over.

Esters

Where: 55 Kynaston Road, Stoke Newington N16 0EB
Status: Open for takeaway, with a more portable menu focussed on Roman-style pizza and salads.

P. Franco

Where: 107 Lower Clapton Road, Clapton E5 0NP
Status: Open for takeaway wine, tinned fish, and crisps, Wednesday — Sunday, 10 a.m. — 6 p.m, with an evening four-course menu Wednesday — Saturday starting from 29 July. Sister restaurant Bright opened for dine-in service at reduced capacity on Tuesday 7 July.

Westerns Laundry

Where: 34 Drayton Park, Highbury N5 1PB
Status: Open, with a new set menu served in two sittings at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Wednesday — Sunday. Occasional lunch barbecues at the weekend too. Sister restaurant Primeur opened for dine-in customers on Wednesday 8 July, while the third restaurant in the group, Jolene, reopened for dinner on Wednesday 22 July.

Mangal 2

Where: 4 Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BH
Status: Opened Monday 6 July after refurbishment, with reduced capacity and a new, more concise menu.

Trullo

Where: 300-302 St Paul’s Road, Islington N1 2LH
Status: Opened Saturday 4 July.

Black Axe Mangal

Where: 156 Canonbury Road, Islington N1 2UP
Status: “We’re closed for now, looking forward to opening again in the near future. Watch this space,” owner Lee Tiernan says.

The Laughing Heart

Where: 277 Hackney Road, E2 8NA
Status: Opened Saturday 4 July, now adding lunch for the first time. Also offering delivery through its proprietary app, Big Night, created by Laughing Heart owner Charlie Mellor during lockdown.

Marksman

Where: 254 Hackney Road, E2 7SJ
Status: Opened Wednesday 15 July, with a three-course, daily changing set menu with three options for each course. Plus bar menu of buns, pies, and tarts.

Roti King

Where: 40 Doric Way, Euston NW1 1LH
Status: Open, for takeaway and collection Wednesday — Saturday.

Brawn

Where: 49 Columbia Road, E2 7RG
Status: Open now as a deli and for takeaway and delivery of some of its best dishes, including tiramisu. The dining room will reopen on Wednesday 5 August.

The Clove Club

Where: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT
Status: Reopened on 1 September, keeping its tasting menu format.

Moro

Where: 34 — 36 Exmouth Market, Farringdon EC1R 4QE
Status: Reopened on Wednesday 22 July; tapas bar sibling Morito is open on Exmouth Market, so too is Morito on Hackney Road.

TāTā Eatery

Where: TBD
Status: Closed before the pandemic. Keep an eye out for chefs Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng whose katsu sando, kimchi burger, and sparkling wine pop-ups will be announced on Instagram.

Quality Chop House

Where: 88-94 Farringdon Road, Farringdon EC1R 3EA
Status: Reopened on Tuesday 14 July, for lunch dinner. Outstanding next-door sibling Quality Wines has already reopened for dinner, now with bookings.

Brat

Where: Residency at Climpson’s Arch, 374 Helmsley Place, Hackney E8 3SB
Status: Opening for the summer months at coffee roaster Climpson and Sons’s arch in London Fields, 5 p.m. — 10 p.m. Monday — Friday. The restaurant proper on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch reopened on Tuesday 21 July, with reservations only. No walk-in bar tables will be available in the short-term.

Honey & Co.

Where: 25 Warren Street, Bloomsbury W1T 5LZ
Status: Open as Katish Katash, with falafel, crisp zaatar chicken, and sabich — no bookings, tables outside.

Lyle’s

Where: 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ
Status: Reopened for dinner only 12 August; lunch and coffee slated for September. Flor, its sister restaurant has launched a new takeaway pizza brand called ASAP, which is operating out of Borough Market now.

Sushi Tetsu

Where: 12 Jerusalem Passage, Farringdon, London EC1V 4JP
Status: Closed until further notice, but recently introduced a takeaway service.

Otto’s

Where: 182 Grays Inn Road, Holborn WC1X 8EW
Status: Reopened for dine-in on 21 August, after offering weekly takeaway lunches, currently two variations on whole poulet de Bresse.

Noble Rot

Where: 51 Lamb’s Conduit Street, Bloomsbury WC1N 3NB
Status: Opened Monday 6 July. No walk-in bar area for the time-being. Reservations only.

A range of shared items on decorative dishes. — Biang biang noodles, smacked cucumbers, ou jia mo, and liang pi at Master Wei

Master Wei

Where: 13 Cosmo Place, Holborn WC1N 3AP
Status: Opened Monday 13 July.

St. John Bread and Wine

Where: 94-96 Commercial Street, Spitalfields E1 6LZ
Status: Reopened on 29 July, for dinner Wednesday — Sunday. There is a new non-refundable “no-show fee” of £20 per booking.

Dumpling Shack

Where: Old Spitalfields Market, Brushfield Street, Spitalfields E1 6BG
Status: Open, Monday — Sunday, as is sister brand, Fen Noodles, next door.

Bao Fitzrovia

Where: 31 Windmill Street, Fitzrovia W1T 2JN
Status: Open, under the Call Suzy brand, while continuing with Rice Error delivery in London and bao kits nationwide. Bao Borough Market has reopened with an outside terrace and hatch for collection.

Koya Soho

Where: 50 Frith Street, Soho W1D 4SQ
Status: Reopened with outdoor seating on Wednesday 29 July, as well as offering food delivery for the first time.

Core By Clare Smyth

Where: 92 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill W11 2PN
Status: Opened Saturday 4 July.

Food House

Where: 48-36 Gerrard Street, Chinatown W1D 5QH
Status: Open, Monday — Saturday 12 p.m. — 11 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. — 10 p.m.

Blacklock Soho

Where: 24 Great Windmill Street, Soho W1D 7LG
Status: Opened on Thursday 23 July; the Shoreditch branch reopened on Thursday 9 July, with the City restaurant reopening on 1 September.

Kiln

Where: 58 Brewer Street, Soho W1F 9TL
Status: Reopened on Friday 24 July. Smoking Goat in Shoreditch reopened on Saturday 11 July.

Ikoyi

Where: 1 St James’s Market, St. James’s SW1Y 4AH
Status: Reopened on Friday 17 July at a reduced capacity for dine-in customers and with a new delivery menu focussed on its version of West African-inspired comfort food.

Santa Maria Pizzeria

Where: 15 St Mary’s Road, Ealing W5 5RA
Status: Fully reopened. Sites in Fulham and Fitzrovia reopened on Saturday 4 July. Diners can sit in at the Red Lion pub next door.

The Wolseley

Where: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB
Status: Opened Saturday 4 July.

A mezze platter with various dishes surrounding a mound of rice. — A Kurdish mezze platter at Nandine

Nandine

Where: 45 Camberwell Church St, Camberwell SE5 8TR
Status: The Babans’ outstanding Kurdish cafe-restaurant is closed for dine-in, but open for takeaway in Camberwell.

40 Maltby Street

Where: 40 Maltby Street, Bermondsey SE1 3PA
Status: Has reopened for dine-in, with a four-course set menu inside, a terrace menu outside, and a solo diner table for the dedicated.

A. Wong

Where: 70 Wilton Road, Pimlico SW1V 1DE
Status: Opened Monday 6 July.

River Cafe

Where: Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, Hammersmith W6 9HA
Status: Opened Monday 6 July.

Roti Joupa

Where: 12 Clapham High Street, Larkhall SW4 7UT
Status: The Trinidadian doubles and macaroni pie specialists reopened on 22 June.

Tasty Jerk

Where: 88 Whitehorse Lane, South Norwood SE25 6RQ
Status: Open for takeaway jerk chicken and pork with rice and peas from the oil drums in SE25.