London’s Burger Boomers Reach Double Figures — Plus More Openings

Early aughts London burger boomers Patty and Bun will move into double figures this spring, with openings in Clapham and Canary Wharf respectively. The brand, founded as a roving pop-up in 2012, has since expanded with the help of some good burgers and a couple of rounds of private equity funding.

As in mid-to-late 2021, there’s more expansion on the horizon across the city, as restaurant brands well-placed enough to weather the impact of Covid-19 (and with a little money left over) snaffle real estate opportunities. Temper, the no thoughts just vibes international meat chain co-founded by Neil Rankin, who has since left, will open a fourth restaurant on Great Eastern Street, in Shoreditch. The street is becoming a hub for its late-stage restaurant scene, now home to Pachamama, Barboun, a Nobu hotel, and Gloria.

That even extends to brands that were previously just a twinkle in the London metaverse’s eye. Goila Butter Chicken, which has found a cult following and considerable success for the meal kit version of its key dish since launching in the city in 2020, will take up residence at the new Carousel, on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, from 13 January.

And, in perhaps the ultimate assertion of a “new normal” beginning for restaurants, airport dining is lucrative again! Ellen Chew’s Shanghainese restaurant Shan Shui, which has another site in Bicester Village, will open at Heathrow Terminal 2 from 25 January, adding to some fairly sparse dining options.