The change of the seasons brings with it a flurry of new London restaurants, ushering in the warmer days and longer evenings. From Jeremy King’s latest projects across the capital and the opening of the Maybourne hotel group’s newest property to Claude Bosi’s buzzy neighbourhood bouchon in Chelsea, there’s plenty to get excited about. Here, we’ve rounded up the finest new restaurants in London to book this spring.
Where The Chefs Eat
New spring restaurants in London
Arlington
Now open
You’ll know of Arlington already, of course, the new restaurant in London from legendary restaurateur Jeremy King (formerly of The Wolseley, Le Caprice, The Ivy and more), so consider this your reminder to book a table if you haven’t already. The restaurant’s diary is open for May and June now with best availability après théâtre. Arlington, in brief, is King’s revival of Le Caprice, the iconic 1980s restaurant once so beloved of Princess Diana, Mick Jagger, Joan Collins and more. You’ll find many of its most famous dishes back on the menu, including salmon fish cake with sorrel sauce, bang bang chicken and Scandinavian iced berries. Arlington’s clientele looks set to be starry; Zendaya, Nigella and Sir Michael Caine have all been, even if you haven’t.
20 Arlington Street, Mayfair, London SW1A 1RJ
arlington.london
The Cocochine
Open 25th March
Six months, it’s been delayed, but at last The Cocochine on Bruton Place is ready to open its doors. To recap: the Cocochine is the intimate new mews house restaurant from gallerist Tim Jefferies and former Pétrus head chef Larry Jayasekara. It heralds a return to old-school hospitality, with touch points including reservations by telephone only, no turning of tables – the table is yours for the night – and a fully à la carte menu. In the kitchen, Jayasekara sources much of his produce, including fruit and flowers, from a regenerative farm in Northamptonshire.
27 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1J 6NQ
thecocochine.com
Mimosa
Opening 3 April
Now that we’ve finally waved goodbye to that interminably long winter, Mimosa at The Langham London delivers just the dose of Vitamin D we need. It hails from Paris – the original is at the Hotel de la Marine – but its heart is in the French Riviera, whose warm sun, fragrant air, and sparkling seas it seeks to convey with beguiling Mediterranean dishes such as spit-roast coquelet with thyme and confit lemon, salt-baked sea bass, and gnocchi with tomato, courgette and pine nuts. Mimosa, which moves into the former Roux at the Landau space, is the second London opening for The Moma Group, the first being Café Lapérouse at The OWO.
The Langham, 1C Portland Place, Mayfair, London W1B 1JA
mimosa-rivieracuisine.com
Niju
Opening 27 March
His Michelin star restaurant Endo at the Rotunda closed for refurbishment until summer, sushi chef Endo Kazutoshi is keeping himself busy. Not only does he have his new rooftop restaurant Kioku at The OWO to open this spring, he’s also, as culinary director of the Creative Restaurant Group, transforming what was 20 Berkeley in Mayfair. Now reimagined as Niju (Japanese for twenty), it offers katei ryori, or ‘home cooking’, as well as high end sushi.
20 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8EE
nijulondon.com
Oma and Agora
Opening mid-April
If this duo of Greek restaurants from David Carter, founder of Smokestak and co-founder of Manteca, are anything like as good as they sound, we are in for a treat. Oma, upstairs, will have a live fire kitchen, raw bar and heated terrace, and will serve Greek island dishes, traditional and modern, such as brown crab borek; turbot collar youvetsi baked in a clay pot, and hung sheep’s yoghurt with salt cod XO. Downstairs, meanwhile, at casual, faster-paced Agora, from the Greek word for market, there will be flatbreads, spit-roast meat and coffee and pastries to go, just like you’d find in Athens.
2 – 4 Bedale Street, Southwark, London SE1 9AL
oma.london
abc kitchens at The Emory
Opening 4 April
We’ve been looking forward to the opening of Maybourne’s new Knightsbridge property The Emory, London’s first all-suite hotel, for a very long time. As always with Maybourne (the group behind Claridge’s, The Connaught and the Berkeley), you know the bars and restaurants are going to be destinations in their own right. At The Emory, they’re collaborating with French star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten once again, this time on a trio of restaurants, collectively known as abc kitchens, and incorporating his New York concepts abc kitchen, abcV, and abc cocina (which are farm-to-table, plant-based and Latin American, respectively).
Old Barrack Yard, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7NP
the-emory.co.uk
Carmel
Opening 8 April
Josh Katz of Berber & Q has enjoyed great success in Queen’s Park with his buzzy neighbourhood restaurant Carmel. Now he’s bringing the concept to Market Place, just north of Oxford Street, where his vibrant and original Eastern Mediterranean flavours are sure to find a receptive audience. His flatbreads are coming with him; look out for new versions with lamb prosciutto and guindilla, and cod’s roe with potatoes, spring onions and bottarga. There’ll also be incredible-sounding new dishes like whole sea bream with Calabrian hot honey, lemon butter, fennel and Kalamata olives, and tahini and honey tart with black sesame. Brunch is set to be a scene.
7 – 8 Market Place, Fitzrovia, London W1W 8AG
carmelrestaurant.co.uk
Josephine
Open now
French chef Claude Bosi is on a tear, with two freshly minted new Michelin stars earned this year at Brooklands at The Peninsula to add to the two he already holds for Bibendum. And if that weren’t enough, following the success of 2023’s Socca Bistro in Mayfair, he’s now opened Josephine in Chelsea with his wife Lucy. This new launch, inspired by and named after his grandmother, is from his heart. It sees him look back to the bouchons of his hometown Lyon, and to the nostalgic dishes he grew up with, like oeuf en gelée, rabbit in mustard sauce and nougat glacé. A £29.50 set menu and all-Rhône wine list are all the more reason to go.
315 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London SW10 9QH
josephinebouchon.com
The Park
Opening May
Restaurateurs’ restaurateur Jeremy King has three new projects on the go. Two revivals: Arlington (see above) and Simpson’s in the Strand (opening date tbc). And one he’s building entirely from scratch: The Park in the new Park Modern building overlooking Hyde Park. King is summoning his inner ‘Danny Meyer’ for this one to conjure a 21st century American-accented brasserie worthy of New York City. It’s going to be an all-day affair, serving brunch, grills, salads and seafood with a breezy glamour. I can’t wait. N.B. Follow @theparklondon now to be first to know about reservations; if Arlington is anything to go by, The Park will fill up fast.
123 Bayswater Road, Notting Hill, London W2 3JH
jeremykingrestaurants.com
Lita
Open now
Lita, short for ‘abuelita’ (‘granny’), in Marylebone is the new one from George Bukhov and Ilya Demichev, the owners of Wild Tavern, Beast and The Belvedere. Their West London restaurants are low-key some of the most luxurious neighbourhood restaurants in town, with produce and wine like you wouldn’t believe. For Lita, they’ve brought in former Corrigan’s Mayfair head chef Luke Ahearne to cook Southern Mediterranean food over live fire in a grand open kitchen. They haven’t posted a full menu yet, but a little nose around on Stories reveals ruby steaks, whole turbot, anchovy toasts and plates of tuna carpaccio, all very much in keeping with their style.Â
7 – 9 Paddington Street, Marylebone, London W1U 5QH
litamarylebone.com
