The big restaurant openings to watch in 2018 [updated]

It's going to be a busy first few months of 2018 in the restaurant sector. Here's a rundown of the key openings for the first half of the year.

Sabor

Nieves Barragan Mohacho’s and José Etura’s restaurant, bar and asador will finally open at the end of January.

Kettner’s Townhouse

One of London’s oldest French restaurants will reopen under the auspices of Soho House in January with a restaurant, champagne bar and 33 bedrooms above.

Brat

Ex-Kitty Fisher’s head chef Tomos Parry will open his first solo London restaurant in spring. Named after the colloquial term for ‘turbot’, it will serve British produce cooked over open wood-fired grills.

Cornerstone

Former Outlaw’s at The Capital head chef Tom Brown will open his debut London restaurant in Hackney Wick early 2018.

Hicce

Pronounced 'ee-che', Pip Lacey’s debut restaurant will serve ‘modern’ dishes of fish, meat and vegetables cooked over an open wood fire when it opens in central London.

Ollie Dabbous

The co-founder of now-closed Fitzrovia restaurant Dabbous will open a 250-cover restaurant at 85 Piccadilly.

Roganic

Simon Rogan returns to Marylebone in January to open a permanent iteration of his London pop-up.

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Aiden Byrne has departed Manchester House to head up D&D London's new Manchester restaurant

20 Stories

Aiden Byrne has joined D&D London to take the reins upcoming 20 Stories restaurant ​at Manchester’s Spinningfields development.

Scully

Ottolenghi’s head chef at Nopi is opening his first solo London project. Ramael Scully will open the new restaurant, Scully, in the St. James’s Market development.

Madame Wong

Andrew Wong’s more casual Chinese iteration will open soon at Bloomberg Arcade in the City.

Tom Kitchin

The Michelin starred chef is opening his fourth restaurant, at a venue in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield district. It is set to be a "different format" to his other fine-dining spots, and is expected to open this summer. 

Brigadiers

The new Indian restaurant from the team behind Michelin-starred Gymkhana, also in Bloomberg Arcade, which will serve classic Indian barbecue cuisine in a space inspired by a traditional Indian Army mess.

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Brigadiers will join Andrew Wong and Caravan at Bloomberg Arcade

Din Tai Fung

One of the world’s largest Chinese restaurant businesses makes its long-awaited UK debut in Centre Point in 2018.

Cunard House

Chef Ernst Van Zyl is transforming Liverpool's Cunard House into a fine-dining spot, with options of six or eight course tasting menus. 

Sorella

Restaurateur Robin Gill will be relaunching the Manor in London’s Clapham as an Italian restaurant called Sorella, on the same site, in late January.

Bob Bob Cite

Eric Chavot makes yet another London comeback, as head chef of this the Leadenhall-based sister restaurant to Bob Bob Ricard.

La Goccia and The Petersham

Petersham Nurseries has already opened its Covent Garden deli, cellar and cafe, but later this year two new restaurants, La Goccia (Italian food, cichetti and aperitivo) and The Petersham, will also open in the 16,000 sq ft site. 

Ruya

Opening on Grosvenor Street in Spring 2018, will feature contemporary dishes from various Anatolian regions, with a kitchen headed up by Colin Clague, formerly of Zuma and Caprice.

Gunpowder Market Market

The unusually named restaurant from Harneet and Devina Baweja will feature home-style Indian dishes served in a dining room alongside a bakery with takeaway options when it opens at One Tower Bridge.

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Harneet and Devina Baweja, the team behind Gunpowder, are opening their fourth restaurant next spring

Hero of Maida

Henry Harris returns to the stove at the former Truscott Arms in Maida Vale in March.

The Blue Posts

The team behind The Palomar and The Barbary have relaunched Soho's famous pub, The Blue Posts, as a three-storey, three-concept venue. The ground floor pub is already open, as is the first floor 'Mulwray' cocktail bar, but the 11-cover basement counter-restaurant (which will be reservations only) will open this month. 

Inko Nito

Zuma is bringing its new robata grill brand to Soho.

Rob Roy Cameron

The Untitled chef is behind a multi-million pound, two storey bar and restaurant opening in Mayfair in earky 2018.

Sushisamba Covent Garden

The delayed but ambitious second UK outpost of the Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian restaurant will open in the market building.