It’s fair to label London as one of the culinary capitals of the world. From Chiswick to Stratford, there’s a melting pot of cuisines to be found on nearly every street corner, ranging from Goan to Greek and Indian to Chinese. You’re never stuck for choice, but perhaps overwhelmed by the vast array of eateries to choose from. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re a dedicated foodie on a mission to try something new.
More good news for foodies: the new year brings with it an abundance of opportunity for London restaurant openings. While some have been in the planning room for years, others come in the form of exciting debuts from some of the world’s most celebrated chefs. Either way, there’s a lot to look forward to in 2023. Here’s our edit of the most exciting new restaurants opening in London this year.
Humo, Mayfair
Humo is the debut restaurant from exciting culinary talent Colombian-born chef Miller Prada, protégé of Endo Kazutoshi of Michelin-starred Endo at the Rotunda. Directly translated as ‘smoke’ in Spanish, Humo will revolve around a four-metre-long grill where no electricity or gas is used as cooking fuel. Instead of conventional methods, this new wood-fired culinary concept uses a range of British wood including oak, cherry, walnut and beech to flavour food.
The final menu will be revealed on its opening this month, however, Humo has teased dishes including Ike-jime trout marinated and smoked in juniper and hand-dived Orkney scallop grilled to give diners a flavour of what’s to come.
Projected opening: 18 January
Address: 12 St George’s Street, W1S 2FB
Visit humolondon.com
Darjeeling Express at Kingly Court, Soho
2023 marks the return of Darjeeling Express both to London’s restaurant scene and to its ‘spiritual home’, with the restaurant moving back to the site it first opened at in 2017. The Indian-inspired cuisine moved to Covent Garden after it outgrew its spot in Soho in 2020. However, after opening afresh at Garrick Street in November later that year (at the height of the pandemic), it became clear to founder and pioneering restaurateur Asma Khan that the space didn’t align with her vision for the restaurant. So after a fair bit of back and forth over the past few years, the Darjeeling Express team is excited to reopen on the second floor of Kingly Court this month.
From inception, Darjeeling Express has operated with an all-female team and takes pride in showcasing the traditional family dishes of Khan and her team. The menu will include the signature Kosha Mangsho-Bengali goat curry and favourites from the original restaurant will also be returning, such as the mutton Shikampuri Kabab and beetroot chop. On Sundays, the team will be serving up a traditional Indian brunch of Halwa Channa Puri (stuffed parathas with masala omelettes) alongside bottomless masala chai as a delicious weekend special.
Projected opening: 30 January
Address: Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, W1B 5PW
Visit darjeeling-express.com
Edit, Hackney
Over in Hackney, former architect-turned-restaurateur Elly Ward will be launching hyper-seasonal, veg-forward restaurant Edit in February. The kitchen will be led by chefs Fabrice Jacquet and Beth Olivier, who have curated a modern British plant-based menu using ingredients sourced from local small-scale farms, foragers and independent producers.
The daily-changing menu is devised in accordance with seasonal availability and harnessing the ‘root to fruit’ principles of zero-waste cooking. Diners can expect small plates, such as roasted salsify with smoked aioli, crispy kalettes with purple potato mash, and beetroot à trois, followed by larger plates of wild mushroom fricassée with creamed barley and wilted chard, salt-baked turnip with lentil ragu, and seaweed-cured celeriac with oyster leaf and radish.
Projected opening: 1 February
Address: 217 Mare Street, E8 3QE
Visit edit.london
Joia, Battersea
Henrique Sá Pessoa, one of Portugal’s most celebrated chefs, is set to open his Iberian restaurant Joia across the top floors of the new Art’otel London at Battersea Power Station. Sá Pessoa already has several successful restaurants to his name, including Lisbon’s Michelin-starred Alma and the relaxed trans-Iberian tapas spot Tapisco, as well as the critically-acclaimed restaurant in Art’otel Amsterdam. However, Joia will be Sá Pessoa’s London debut.
The menu will showcase Sá Pessoa’s culinary heritage and will be influenced by the robust flavours and cooking techniques of Catalonia and Portugal, using the best British and Iberian produce. Joia — meaning ‘jewel’ in Portuguese — will comprise a 14th-floor bar and an 85-cover restaurant on the 15th floor, both overlooking the iconic power station and the Thames below.
Menus are set to feature a selection of snacks, petiscos and tapas, including La Bomba de Lisbon — Sá Pessoa’s signature croquette made with potato and traditional Portuguese Alheira sausage, served with tomato and sofrito sauce — and octopus salad with red pepper, potato and smoked paprika in a modern interpretation of classic Portuguese fare.
Projected opening: February 2023
Address: Art’otel London Battersea Power Station, 1 Electric Boulevard, SW11 8BJ
Visit joiabattersea.co.uk
Socca, Mayfair
Located on South Audley Street, Socca will pay homage to the European coastal towns of Cannes, Marseille and Nice, with an emphasis on French-Mediterranean-style dishes and wines by the glass. Co-founder Samyukta Nair has worked with Fabled Studio to breathe new life into the former Richoux site, an institution that has been serving diners since 1909, transforming it into a modern French bistro in time for its spring opening.
French chef and co-founder Claude Bosi — behind the Michelin-starred restaurant Hibiscus in Mayfair — has curated a menu with simplicity and seasonality at its core. Socca, named after both chickpea flour (the staple ingredient of panisse) and the elegant pea flower, will serve comforting but skilfully-presented dishes. Bosi aims to draw upon childhood memories spent in the South of France to create nostalgic sharing plates enriched with the flavours of the French Riviera.
Projected opening: Early 2023
Address: 41 South Audley Street, W1K 2PS
Visit soccabistro.com
1 Warwick, Soho
Say hello to 1 Warwick, one of the newest members’ clubs coming to Soho this spring. Having undergone an extensive renovation, the 1910 Neo-Baroque house is set over six floors and will feature a members-only, year-round rooftop and bar, as well as lounges, a gym, private and shared workspaces and meeting and event rooms.
The menus for 1 Warwick’s wrap-around rooftop terrace and the ground-floor restaurant, Nessa, have been designed by renowned chef Tom Cenci — formerly of Loyal Tavern and Duck and Waffle — and the food will be inspired by his time spent in Istanbul.
Projected opening: March 2023
Address: 1 Warwick Street, W1B 5LR
Visit 1warwick.com
Empire Empire, Notting Hill
This spring, Harneet Baweja of Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Gunpowder will launch his latest venture: Empire Empire. Taking inspiration from the late 1970s Indian disco era, this venue will have music, art and authentic Indian cuisine at its core. Fitted with a custom-made Marshall jukebox, Bollywood bangers will be the score while the walls will be adorned with works by two of the 20th century’s most respected Indian artists: Jogen Chowdhury and Rabin Mondal.
The 40-cover restaurant will be lined with tables on one side, each dressed in crisp white linen covered with paper cloths, reminiscent of India’s old-school curry houses. The adjacent side of the restaurant will be home to a bar stocked with natural wines, beers and ciders from 40ft Brewery, alongside a concise selection of pre-batched cocktails and a considered wine list curated by Mattia Bianchi of Berber & Q and Carmel.
The menu is predominantly inspired by the northwestern cuisines stretching across the old Punjab Empire, from Bihar to Afghanistan. Dishes, such as the Lasooni Tangdi kebab, Nizam Chicken kebab and Bihari Boti kebab, will be made by slowly charring the meats over hot coals, some of which will then be combined with rich sauces to create authentic curries. Marking a shift from Gunpowder, which rarely serves breads, Empire Empire will also offer perfectly-prepared naans and roti as well as all of the other delicious trimmings you’d expect at a classic Indian feast.
Projected opening: March 2023
Address: 16 All Saints Road, W11 1HH
Visit gunpowderrestaurants.com
Harvest, Kensal Rise
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Jesse Dunford Wood will open his third restaurant, Harvest, in Kensal Rise in early 2023. You’ve likely heard his name before: he’s the man behind modern European and British dining joints Six Portland Road in Holland Park and Parlour in Kensal Rise. Inside, diners will find lots of natural colours and bare wood with the restaurant aiming for a lived-in, comfortable atmosphere. Step outside to find the secret heated and covered garden and a street-facing European-inspired terrace.
Joining the array of new restaurants flocking to the area, Harvest will be a bright and airy all-day restaurant with a seasonal, frequently-changing menu focusing on British ingredients. While the final menu is still being decided, Dunford Wood is ensuring Harvest will bring a great emphasis on contemporary vegetarian dishes, which will complement British-caught fish and sustainably-farmed meat sourced from local, trusted suppliers.
Projected opening: March 2023
Address: 68 Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise, NW10 3JJ
Visit harvestrestaurantuk.com
Akira Back London at Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair
Korean-born, Michelin-starred chef, Akira Back, will be making his UK debut this spring within the luxurious new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair on Hanover Square. Coinciding with the opening of what’s pegged to be one of London’s most opulent hotels, Akira Back London will also be the latest venture from the former professional snowboarder turned global chef, whose culinary footprint has expanded to 16 restaurants in locations including Bangkok, Las Vegas, Singapore, Paris and Istanbul.
In partnership with Mandarin Oriental, the 148-cover Akira Back London will sit at the heart of the new property. Set across two restaurants and a bar, as well as a rooftop experience, Back will offer an exciting menu showcasing the elevated Japanese cuisine with a Korean-American influence that he’s become renowned for.
Projected opening: Spring 2023
Address: 22 Hanover Square, Mayfair, W1S 1JP
Visit mandarinoriental.com
Manzi’s, Soho
Manzi’s, the long-awaited seafood restaurant which was first announced in 2019, will finally open its doors this spring. The restaurant is named after its much-loved forefather which famously served delicious fish dishes to Londoners off Leicester Square for more than half a century before it closed in 2006. After four years in the planning room, it’s safe to say expectations for Manzi’s are high.
Located at Bateman’s Buildings, a wide alleyway running south from Soho Square, the restaurant is set over two floors decorated in soft blues, whites and elegant sea greens. The décor by Fabled Studio incorporates the hedonistic escapism that the original Manzi’s was known for into a modern, glamorous guise, with mermaids and mermen, whimsical nautical adornments and an abundance of sea creatures on the walls.
The new restaurant will embody a more relaxed dining affair than other seafood eateries in the capital. Dishes will encompass everything from moules marinière to a wide range of crustacea, a ‘catch of the day’ and a classic Dover sole.
Projected opening: May 2023
Address: 1 Bateman’s Buildings, Soho, W1D 3EN
Visit thewolseleyhospitalitygroup.com
Yannick Alléno at Four Seasons Park Lane, Green Park
Celebrated French chef Yannick Alléno will make his London debut at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane in late spring. Alléno is one of France’s most acclaimed and innovative chefs with 15 Michelin stars across his 14 restaurants.
Situated on one of London’s most prestigious addresses, this promises to be one of the most exciting openings of 2023. The new restaurant and bar will offer elegant, approachable dining from breakfast through to dinner, where guests can expect contemporary and creative plates that embody Chef Alléno’s modern philosophy for French cuisine.
Projected opening: Summer 2023
Address: Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, Hamilton Place, W1J 7DR
Visit fourseasons.com
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