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London — and its hospitality industry — is some way from a return to its pre-pandemic order. But one sign of a semblance of normality having resumed is the steady flow of new opening announcements, many of which were on course to arrive in 2020 but whose timelines were interrupted by the coronavirus crisis. With the caveat that these dates are subject to change, here’s the definitive list of notable upcoming openings in 2021, in order of anticipated launch. This list will be updated constantly.
SEPTEMBER 2021
Brutto
Address: 36 — 37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross Street, Farringdon EC1M 6BN
Key people: Russell Norman, formerly of Polpo
What to expect: A loosely Tuscan restaurant from the small plates pioneer, intending to function as a canteen by day and a dolled up restaurant by night.
Projected opening: 23 September 2021
Planque
Address: 323 Acton Mews, Haggerston E8 4DN
Key people: Chef Seb Myers (formerly Snackbar and P. Franco), club manager Sarah Papadimitriou (formerly Laughing Heart and Mãos) and Jonathan Alphandery, wine collector and Planque owner.
What to expect: “A wine drinker’s clubhouse,” with a focus on natural and low-intervention styles with a 40-cover modern French-leaning restaurant.
Projected opening: 29 September 2021
Balady Leather Lane
Address: 39-41 Leather Lane, Holborn EC1N 7TJ
Key people: The Sabbo brothers, behind Balady and Balady Alaesh in Temple Fortune.
What to expect: Some of the outright best falafel, sabich, and chips in the city.
Projected opening: September 2021
Manthan
Address: 49 Maddox Street, Mayfair W1S 2PQ
Key people: Rohit Ghai, of Kutir
What to expect: A big-ticket iteration of the food of Madhya Pradesh, split between sharing plates and tasting menus.
Projected opening: September 2021
Rita’s
Address: 49 Lexington Street, Soho W1F 9AP
Key people: Missy Flynn and Gabe Pryce
What to expect: The next iteration of Rita’s, the much-loved, irreverent, and peripatetic restaurant and wine bar from Flynn and Pryce.
Projected opening: September 2021
Vergine Maria
Address: 15 St. Mary’s Road, Ealing W5 5RA
Key people: Pasquale Chionchio and Angelo Ambrosio
What to expect: Vegan pizza and other dishes from the founders of Santa Maria, taking over its original restaurant.
Projected opening: September 2021
Jolene
Address: 16 Essex Road, The Angel N1 8LN
Key people: Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell of Jolene, Westerns Laundry, et al
What to expect: A satellite bakery from the Newington Green hit.
Projected opening: September 2021
Santo Remedio Shoreditch
Address: 55 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch EC2A 3HP
Key people: Edson and Natalie Diaz-Fuentes
What to expect: A return to Shoreditch for this modern Mexican restaurant, focussed on tacos and larger sharing dishes like barbacoa.
Projected opening: September 2021
AUTUMN 2021
Gunpowder
Address: 20 Greek Street, Soho W1D 4DU
Key people: Harneet Baweja and Devina Seth
What to expect: A third modern Indian restaurant for the buzzy group.
Projected opening: 8 October 2021
Nusr-Et Steakhouse
Address: The Park Tower Knightsbridge, 101 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RN
Key people: Nusret Gökçe aka Salt Bae
What to expect: Theatrically-served food, Instagrammable experiences and expensive cuts of meat.
Projected opening: October 2021
Toklas
Address: 1 Surrey Street, Temple WC2R 2ND
Key people: Frieze co-founders Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover
What to expect: An “expansive garden terrace,” with a menu centred around delicate grill cookery.
Projected opening: October 2021
Carmel
Address: 21 - 25 Lonsdale Road, Queen’s Park NW6 6RA
Key people: The team behind popular Levantine restaurant Berber and Q
What to expect: A more “grown-up” restaurant than Berber and Q with similar influences, according to the founders.
Projected opening: October 2021
Mowgli
Address: 5 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia W1T 1RE
Key people: Founder Nisha Katona.
What to expect: A wide-ranging menu of Indian “street food” which has proved popular across several U.K. cities.
Projected opening: October 2021
Arcade Food Hall
Address: 103 — 105 New Oxford Street, WC2H 8LH
Key people: JKS Restaurants, the group behind Gymkhana, Trishna, Hoppers, Bao, Lyle’s, and many of the capital’s most successful restaurants.
What to expect: An entirely new suite of restaurants and kitchens for the site formerly known as Arcade Food Theatre.
Projected opening: November 2021
Ombra Pastificio & Forno
Address: Vyner Street, Hackney E2 9DG
Key people: Mitshel Ibrahim, chef-owner of the original Ombra.
What to expect: A pasta and charcuterie production site that will be open to the public for pastries, soups, and Roman pizza, in the vein of London Fields favourite E5 Bakehouse.
Projected opening: November 2021
Roketsu
Address: 12 New Quebec Street, Marylebone W1H 7RP
Key people: Daisuke Hayashi, of two decades’ training at one of the world’s foremost kaiseki restaurants, Kikunoi Honten in Kyoto.
What to expect: Kaiseki mastery from one of its most expert practitioners.
Projected opening: Autumn 2021
LATER
Blacklock
Address: Henrietta Street, Covent Garden WC2E 8QH
Key people: Gordon Ker’s group
What to expect: Incredible steak, brilliant Sunday roasts, accompanied by the crispiest dripping-fried chips.
Projected opening: 2021
Manzi’s
Address: 1 Bateman’s Buildings, Soho W1D 3EN
Key people: Jeremy King and Chris Corbin of The Wolseley, The Delaunay, et alia
What to expect: A huge seafood restaurant in the heart of Soho, in the affordable luxury guise that the duo do so well.
Projected opening: 2021
H.O.M.E.
Address: 8-10 Pollen St, Mayfair, W1S 1NQ
Key people: Restaurateur Jason Atherton
What to expect: Next door to Atherton’s flagship site, Pollen Street Social, this 16-seater restaurant will not open with ambitions for Michelin stars, according to him.
Projected opening: 2021
Tatale
Address: 66 Great Suffolk Street, Southwark SE1 0BL
Key people: Akwasi Brenya-Mensa
What to expect: A self-consciously pan-African restaurant, designed to provoke conversation and cross-pollination between different cultural disciplines.
Projected opening: January 2022