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Late spring 2021 will be the first time in a year that London’s restaurants might open and — barring a reversal of fortune far starker than any in the last twelve months — stay open. With the “roadmap” to reopening after coronavirus lockdown pencilling them in for outdoor dining on 12 April, and indoor dining from 17 May, and the vaccine rollout remaining on schedule, opening a new restaurant in London feels a little less scary; not that it isn’t scary with or without a global pandemic.
That opening in some ways remains out of their hands: Those with terraces, outdoor spaces, or permissive councils can open earlier; those without must sit on those hands another month. But after 12 months of shock, readjustment, and reassessment, having time now feels less like a burdened void and more like an opportunity to plan, consolidate, and be ready for whatever 2021 and later has in store. This is particularly true of the 2020 restaurant openings that never got a run — those that made their debuts for months, weeks, or even mere days, before being forced to close before they could get started.
With this in mind, here are the restaurants to keep an eye on this spring.
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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: March 2021
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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: April 2021
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Mr Ji
Address: 72 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 4UN
Key people: Mr Ji founder Samuel Haim, with consultation from Tātā Eatery and Tōu’s Zijun Meng and Ana Gonçalves
What to expect: A rejigging of the Taiwanese fried chicken nook, with a deep-fried chicken thigh sando; a cucumber salad with black fungus and yuba; and a riff on prawn toast that puts the prawns not on top of the toast, but... Inside the toast.
Projected opening: April 2021
Nomad London
Address: 28 Bow Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7AW
Key people: Ashley Abodeely and Leo Robitschek
What to expect: Two restaurants, one, Nomad Restaurant, more smart, and two, Side Hustle, a pub-like environment focussed on Mexican sharing food.
Projected opening: May 2021
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Bao Shoreditch
Address: 1 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch E2 7DJ
Key people: Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung, and Wai Ting Chung
What to expect: A new iteration for London’s slickest restaurant group, with a license for music and cinema promising ... Music and cinema.
Projected opening: April 2021
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Roketsu
Address: 12 New Quebec Street, Marylebone W1H 7RP
Key people: Daisuke Hayashi
What to expect: A kaiseki restaurant from one of its true masters, in a city that is yet to fully take to one of the great culinary traditions in history.
Projected opening: May 2021
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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: 17 May 2021
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Jolene
Address: 67 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch E2 7DJ
Key people: Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell of Jolene, Westerns Laundry, et al
What to expect: A second satellite bakery from the Newington Green hit, with the first opening on Essex Road in March.
Projected opening: May 2021
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Imad’s Syrian Kitchen
Address: Kingly Court, Kingly Street, Soho W1B 5PW
Key people: Imad Alarnab
What to expect: The quality falafel, lamb shoulder, and other Syrian dishes that have made Alarnab’s frequent pop-ups a hit.
Projected opening: May 2021
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