2022 ushered in a wave of new restaurant openings and resurrections across the British capital. Places with fresh flavours, jaw-dropping interiors, and top chef collabs continue to put London’s sizzling culinary scene on the map.
A hospitality mogul debuted a Greco Roman hotspot in Mayfair. A celebrated Sichuan street-food stand found a permanent home in Hackney. In Soho, an acclaimed chef breathes new life into an extravagant Batman-themed spot.
That’s just a sampling of what’s unfolding at some of London’s most exciting restaurants. Read on for a guide to eight of the city’s hottest tables to book right now.
Bacchanalia (Mayfair)
Richard Caring, the force behind some of London’s most lavish restaurants and clubs, including The Ivy and J Sheekey, opened this Mayfair spot in November. Diners are in for a spectacle that channels the ancient Roman Bacchanalia, a festival devoted to the Greco Roman god of wine, intoxication, and ecstasy. Gaze at monumental Damien Hirst sculptures and ceiling frescoes while you sip on decadent drinks such as the Baklava, a velvety blend of butter-washed vodka, sherry, pistachio, and honey. Chef Athinagoras Kostakos (formerly of Mazi in Notting Hill) dishes up a Mediterranean menu that’s just as theatrical. Toga-clad servers crumble Parmesan over truffle tagliolini, drizzle olive oil sauce over the catch of the day, and break out all sorts of pyrotechnics. Whether you’re in a red velvet seat in the opulent dining hall or perched on the colonnaded mezzanine level, a meal at this splashy new spot is dining at its most dramatic.
St. JOHN Marylebone (Marylebone)
This modern British mainstay graced yet another London neighbourhood when it opened its third branch in October. At its Marylebone edition, choose from a light-filled dining room with a thrumming open kitchen or an intimate basement. The nose-to-tail menu changes on a daily basis, though recurring classics are listed on a handwritten chalkboard. Offerings include comfort food from the British Isles such as bone marrow on toast (loved by the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain), deep-fried Welsh rarebit, and the Scottish classic haggis, neeps, and tatties—that’s swedes and potatoes—for two. Pair your feast with a wine from the prolific list, then round it out with one of St. JOHN Marylebone’s iconic desserts, including the Eccles cake with buttery Lancashire cheese.
Gura Gura (Covent Garden)
This pan-Asian spot that opened in late December marks Indian restaurateur Gobind Chona’s vibrant London debut. If you’re here for romance, sit under fronds of foliage at one of the intimate tables upstairs. For a group outing, head downstairs via a bespoke wine tunnel that leads to a larger dining room decked with teal- and terracotta-coloured chairs. The menu spotlights Japanese, Thai, and Chinese flavours, full of shareable small plates such as soy-miso dressed lotus root with wood ear fungus and mains including black cod with shellfish veloute. Fittingly, the cocktails are also Asian-accented, featuring ingredients such as Japanese plum wine and nori-infused whiskey.
Jam Delish (Angel)
Even before this vegan Caribbean restaurant opened in December, its former ghost kitchen avatar (a collab between Jordan Johnson and Nathan Collymore of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen) gained a solid reputation among London A-listers such as Black Panther star Letitia Wright. Jam Delish is an energetic addition to Angel’s food scene thanks to a lively R&B soundtrack and a punchy drinks menu of sharpshooters and island-inspired cocktails. Whet your appetite with a Coastal Kiss (chile, coriander, tequila, agave syrup, and lime juice) and make way for plant-based takes on Jamaican staples. Showstopping mains include brown stew “fish,” coconut dumplings, and bammy (a flatbread made from cassava).
Park Row (Soho)
London’s first DC Comics-inspired restaurant makes you feel like a Wayne Enterprises VIP from the moment you enter through a bookcase in the faux library. Former National Chef of the Year Alyn Williams, whose eponymous Mayfair restaurant earned a MICHELIN star, landed at Park Row in September 2022, breathing new life into the Gotham Cityesque Art Deco spot. As executive chef, Williams works his magic on superhero-worthy dishes such as Scales of Justice, a medley of seared Scottish scallops, hot sauce butter, and puffed rice with tiger’s milk ceviche. Cocktails, including the Better Tomorrow, a mix of gin, white Spanish wine, homemade mulled wine, and clementine juice, are just as power packed.
Studio Frantzén at Harrods (Knightsbridge)
This November launch from Swedish superstar chef Björn Frantzén is set to become Harrods’s flagship dining destination. Set on the fifth and sixth floors of the iconic department store, the red-toned restaurant is all angles and cut glass, mirroring the technical precision of the menu. Frantzén plays with Japanese and Swedish styles and creates flavour bombs such as tuna and red deer tartare served with wasabi-infused culture cream and fermented plum. Can’t-miss mains include Sweden vs Japan, a (friendly) tussle between Swedish braised beef brisket and grilled Japanese wagyu, while the dessert selection is filled with stunners such as the waffle with lingonberry marshmallow sorbet.
Only Food & Courses (The Strand)
If you’ve ever wondered what dinner with Del Boy and Rodney Trotter might be like, look no further than this new supper club. The December opening channels the 1980s sitcom Only Fools & Horses. Chef Robbie Lorraine (of MasterChef and Great British Menu fame) offers a monthly-changing menu that riffs on dinner party potlucks. Rest assured, the plates are more va-va-voom than vintage. For instance, the prawn cocktail gets the molecular gastronomy treatment, while the ham, eggs, and chips is reimagined as terrine, chickpea fries, and confit yolks. A nostalgic punk rock soundtrack completes the gourmet trip down memory lane.
Sichuan Fry x Dumpling Shack (Hackney)
They’ve steered sold-out stands at Spitalfields and South Quay for years, but this brick-and-mortar spot represents the first permanent restaurant for John and Yee Li. The duo brought beloved southwestern Chinese delicacies to a bi-level London Fields space in January. Its ground floor houses Sichuan Fry, a brand-new concept featuring fried chicken buns with numbing Sichuan peppercorns and chiles. Downstairs, diners can tuck into pan-fried soup dumplings and other Dumpling Shack standbys including dan dan noodles, best paired with a Hong Kong milk tea-flavoured shake.
