It’s a question we get asked all the time. Where should I be eating in London right now? If you’ve thought that recently, you’ve come to the right place because 2019 has some serious treats in store.
London is set to welcome a whole host of new foodie destinations across the next 12 months, so it’s time to get your dining diary in order.
From Michelin-starred chefs taking over London hotels to glamour-filled City spots, these are the London restaurant openings to most look forward to.
André Garrett at the Northall
2018 saw the Corinthia Hotel enjoy great success in welcoming a Michelin-starred chef into its midst, and now it’s going for the double. While Tom Kerridge will continue to run his acclaimed Bar and Grill, André Garrett will oversee the rest of the food at the five-star hotel, including the fare at its restaurant The Northall.
Garrett returns to London from a stint as executive chef at country hotel Cliveden House and held a Michelin star at Galvin at Windows until his departure in 2013.
January 2019 | Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BD, www.corinthia.com
Orasay
Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke are following up an impressive 2018 with an even bigger 2019. Fifty-cover restaurant Orasay, named after an island off the coast of Scotland, will open in Notting Hill.
Boxer will act as chef-patron at the new site – their third in London – and produce will be sourced from the organic farm at his family home. The announcement comes less than a year after the launch of the pair’s acclaimed Shoreditch restaurant St Leonards, where Standard critic Fay Maschler enjoyed a “close-on sublime lunch”.
Early 2019 | Notting Hill
Endo at Rotunda
White City is where it’s at for new restaurant openings at the moment – and sushi master Endo Kazutoshi is adding his name to the west London district’s increasingly foodie roster. Following on from a pop-up restaurant at the Berkeley in 2018, the Ichibuns director and former executive sushi chef of Zuma will be bringing a very exclusive dining experience to Television Centre. Endo at Rotunda will boast just 15 seats and occupy the rotunda of the iconic former BBC headquarters.
January 2019 | 101 Wood Lane, W12 7FR
The Court
Back in the Swinging Sixties, Carnaby’s Bag O’ Nails club hosted the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who. From 2019, it will be home to rockstars of the culinary world instead.
The historical spot is being converted into The Court, a new private members club which will include a restaurant with a menu by Tom Sellers – who holds a Michelin star for his Bermondsey spot Restaurant Story – and a drinks list from cocktail maestro Ryan Chetiyawardana, the award-winning mixologist whose bar Dandelyan was named the best in the world in 2018. You’ll have to be a member to get to it, unless you’re joining as a guest.
February 2019 | 9 Kingly Street, W1B 5PN, www.thecourt.co.uk
Bob Bob Cité
Yes, we’re excited for Bob Bob Cité – but we’ve been excited for considerably longer than expected. This offshoot of Soho’s Bob Bob Ricard (famed for its “Press For Champagne” buttons) was actually in our 2018 list, but will now be opening in March of 2019 – a good 14 months overdue.
The Leadenhall Building (the Cheesegrater, to many of us) restaurant will be a City-ready incarnation of the opulent original, feeding 190 covers with a menu designed by Michelin-starred chef Eric Chavot. The fizz-fuelling buttons are also set to make an appearance.
25th March 2019 | The Leadenhall Building, EC3V 4AB
Nathan Outlaw at The Goring
When a five-star hotel frequented by the Queen opens its first new restaurant in 109 years, there’s a good chance it will be pretty special. The man bringing a fresh flavour to The Goring Hotel is seafood sensation Nathan Outlaw, who will open an as-yet-unnamed restaurant at the royal favourite alongside its Michelin-starred Dining Room. “I’ll be concentrating on sustainable Cornish seafood,” said Outlaw, speaking to the Standard. “It will be a true seafood restaurant and will complement the existing restaurant at The Goring, which is amazing in its own right.”
Spring 2019 | The Goring, 15 Beeston Place, SW1W 0JW, www.thegoring.com
Nutshell
Iranian food looks set to continue its ascendence in the capital in 2019 with this new Covent Garden spot. The cooking at Nutshell comes from chef Leonardo Pereira, who enjoyed a five-year stint at superstar Copenhagen restaurant Noma before a more recent turn at two Michelin-starred The Greenhouse. Teaming up with husband-and-wife duo Mohammad Paknejad and Marwa Alkhalaf, Pereira will be serving up Iranian cuisine that celebrates British produce (you may have caught a taster of it at Nutshell’s Brick Lane pop-up late last year). Expect the likes of overnight coal baked squash with barberries and saffron curds, as well as Iranian caviar on raw scallop.
Early 2019 | Covent Garden, www.nutshelllondon.co.uk
Arros QD
Arros QD is another fashionable latecomer, having originally been slated to arrive in London in 2018. Its considerable pedigree should, however, make it worth the wait: Quique Dacosta holds three Michelin stars for his eponymous Alicante restaurant in his native Spain.
The superstar chef is now set to open in London for the first time, with a fine dining-style menu dedicated to bowls of paella. The Spanish comfort food classic will inevitably get a slick take from the chef and will be served across a two-storey venue on Oxford Street.
Spring 2019 | The Plaza, 116-128 Oxford Street, W1D 1LT, www.quiquedacosta.es
H.O.M.E.
Internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton has a considerably large restaurant empire – but it looks like the latest addition to it will be his smallest venue yet. Atherton is set to open H.O.M.E. (a working title) in a space he owns next to his Michelin-starred flagship site Pollen Street Social and will serve just 16 covers. Atherton has likened the project to “[his] Araki”, in reference to the nine-seat, three Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, and is looking for this unusual addition to his oeuvre to be a “purely creative outlet”.
TBC | Mayfair, www.thesocialcompany.co.uk
Darby’s
Robin Gill’s restaurants have already caused quite the sensation in south London, and now the MasterChef Ireland judge has his sights set on shiny new prospects in Nine Elms.
The man behind The Dairy and Sorella will be opening Darby’s – named after his father – at Embassy Gardens, the home of the much-talked about SkyPool. The restaurant will be situated on the ground floor but will also supply dishes and drinks for swimmers at the 115ft high, glass bottomed pool.
Early 2019 | Embassy Gardens, SW8 5BL
Adam Handling at Belmond Cadogan Hotel
Believe it or not, luxury hotel group Belmond is cruising into London for the very first time this year, setting up shop in Chelsea. Top London restaurateur Adam Handling will be overseeing all food and drink offerings across the Belmond Cadogan hotel, from afternoon tea to the in-room minibars.
At the heart of the offering will be his restaurant, Adam Handling Chelsea, which will be open to both hotel guests and outside diners, focusing on British produce and featuring some of Handling’s favourite dishes from his acclaimed Frog restaurants.
Early 2019 | Belmond Cadogan, 75 Sloane Street, SW1X 9SG, www.belmond.com
