Restaurant Radar: the key openings of 2023

AngloThai​
John and Desiree Chantarasak’s much-anticipated restaurant is coming to Fitzrovia’s Eastcastle Street. The husband and wife team have previously run a number of high-profile residencies across London but this will be their first restaurant proper. John has built a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting Thai chefs, having worked in kitchens across London, Europe, North America and Asia, including Som Saa, and David Thompson’s Nahm, and AngloThai is opening in partnership with MJMK Restaurants, which has also partnered with Lisboeta and Kol, so it looks set to be a cracker.

Tomos Parry's new Soho restaurant​
The former Byron site on Soho’s Beak Street will be the location for an as yet unnamed new restaurant for Brat’s Tomos Parry. It is understood that the large, two-storey site will not be called Brat, although the offer will be of a similar style and feature a number of the dishes that made Brat famous, not least its grilled turbot. What is certain is that, judging by Parry’s Shoreditch debut, his second venue will be equally as enticing.

Long Chim​

First announced here at the start of 2022, David Thompson will finally opened an outpost if his Bangkok-centric dining brand Long Chim in London next year. The former Nahm chef David Thompson has secured a site at Horse & Dolphin Yard in London’s Chinatown with the dining room located at basement level and a pagoda and extensive outdoor courtyard seating.

Socca​

French-Mediterranean bistro Socca sees top chef Claude Bosi return to Mayfair in partnership with LSL Capital’s Samyukta Nair, owner of Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair and the newly opened KOYN. The South Audley Street restaurant was initially due to open in summer 2022 but is now expected to launch in February serving a menu that will pay homage to the coastal towns and flavours of the French Riviera. Nair is known for not scrimping when it comes to restaurant fit outs and there are few French chefs of Bosi’s pedigree in the capital, so the pairing is a strong one.

Yannick Alléno’s​ London restaurant ​
Celebrated French chef Yannick Alléno makes his London restaurant debut in the summer at the Four Seasons Park Lane. While exact details of the project are still under wraps, it is understood the restaurant will be a new outpost of Alléno’s Michelin-starred Pavyllon concept, which already has sites in Paris and Monte-Carlo and is described as a ‘gastronomic counter’.

Dovetale​

Restaurant Story chef-patron Tom Sellers will launch a restaurant within 1 Hotel Mayfair later this year. Dovetale’s menu will be ‘rooted in a deep respect for seasonal produce’, with an à la carte menu bolstered by a dedicated offering from the grill, a raw bar and an expansive wine programme.

Mauro Colagreco's London restaurant​

London remains an attraction for top chefs, not least Mauro Colagreco, whose Mirazur restaurant in Menton, France, has previously held the title of The World’s 50 Best Restaurant. The Argentine-born chef will this year open a brace of restaurants as well as an ‘avante garde chef’s table’ at upcoming Whitehall hotel Raffles London At The OWO.

Alberts Schloss London​
Mission Mars’ Bohemian bier palace, cook haus and bakery brand was a smash hit when it launched in Manchester, with sites in Birmingham and Liverpool following. Now, if the rumours are true, the brand is coming to London with a bold new venue on Shaftesbury Avenue. Watch this space.

HUMO ​
Endo Kazutoshi protégé Miller Prada will make his solo debut in January with the opening of a wood-fired kitchen on the former site of Anthony Demetre’s Wild Honey in Mayfair. Translating to ‘smoke’ in Spanish, the 34-cover HUMO is part of Creative Restaurant Group, which was recently co-founded by Kazutoshi (Endo at the Rotunda, SUMI) and Misha Zelman (Goodman, Burger & Lobster, Beast, Zelman Meats and SUMI). 

Root Somerset​
Bristol chef Josh Eggleton has chosen the town of Wells in Somerset as the location for a second of his vegetable-focused small plates restaurant. Root will be led by head chef Rob Howell and his wife Meg and will celebrate Somerset’s best produce’ sourced from the surrounding farms, market gardens and dairies.

Paper Moon​
Milanese restaurant Paper Moon is to opening its first London outpost at The OWO in London’s Whitehall (see Mauro Colagreco above) in the spring. Paper Moon was founded in Milan in 1977 and the London restaurant will follow in is footsteps of serving an all-day menu of classic Italian dishes alongside a drinks menu featuring contemporary takes on traditional Italian cocktails and a selection of more than 100 wines from regions across Europe.

Nord​
Nothern-based operator GSG.Hospitality is opening a fine dining restaurant in Liverpool’s 18-storey office complex The Plaza. Headed up by chef Daniel Heffy, Nord will open in February and will serve a menu ‘that celebrates Northern heritage’. It will be located on the ground-floor of The Plaza and will be an all-day restaurant offering ‘relaxing dining’. 

Stock Market Grill​
The Schofield brothers are picking up where Tom Kerridge left off with the opening of a restaurant at the site that was formerly home to Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear. Sited at Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel it’s not new territory for the brothers who already run Sterling bar within the hotel, but it does mark their first foray into restaurants. They have employed a safe pair of hands in head chef Joshua Reed-Cooper, who has worked for Simon Rogan at The French, with Sam Buckley at Where The Light Gets In and with Simon Martin at Mana, in what will be a British Brasserie ‘with touches of elegance from continental Europe’.

Larry Jayasekara’s first solo restaurant​

The former Pétrus head chef will this year open an as-yet-unnamed restaurant in partnership with art dealer Tim Jefferies in London’s Mayfair. Located on Bruton Place, the 3,000sq ft site will be set over four floors. The pair have also secured another 800sq ft site opposite the restaurant at 38 Bruton Place, which is set to become a delicatessen with takeaway option at ground floor level.

Jacuzzi​

Described as a ‘four-storied pleasure palace’, Big Mamms Group’s latest London venture will open its doors on High Street Kensington in January, marking its first move out west. Called Jacuzzi, it is promised to be its most luxurious restaurant to date, which is some going given the style of its other venues. Set across 400,sq ft, the 170-cover restaurant will have a Sicilian mezzanine on the third floor with a retractable roof and glitter ball disco toilets in the basement - so as subtle as expected.

Mr Nice​
Mayfair isn’t short of slick fine dining rooms, but even so new French restaurant Mr Nice is likely to stand out with its eye-catching yet minimal design. Set over two floors, the ground floor of the restaurant will have a neutral colour scheme with white banquettes, dark brown velvet chairs with white piping and white linen table clothes while the basement will have a darker colour palette and feature an open kitchen and wine rooms that are accessed through large arched doors. Former head chef at Seabird and Barrafina Javier Duarte will lead the kitchen serving elevated French bistro food.

Joia​

Yet another high-profile European chef is joining the ranks of London’s dining scene, this time in the form of Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa. Knowns for hiss two Michelin-starred Lisbon restaurant Alma, the chef is opening Joia at the new art’otel in Battersea Power Station at the start of this year. The venue will champion Spanish and Portuguese food and comprise three distinct spaces, a 15th floor restaurant; a bar on the 14th floor; and a rooftop bar with infinity pool, all overlooking Battersea Power Station.

Darjeeling Express Mark 3​

No year would be complete without Asma Khan relocating her popular Indian restaurant Darjeeling Express, and 2023 is no exception. Khan is returning home to Kingly Court where she first launched Darjeeling Express in 2017, this time to occupy a larger site on the development’s second floor that was previously home to pilates and yoga studio brand Triyoga.

Mark Greenaway Haweswater Hotel​
Scottish chef Mark Greenaway is heading to the Lake District this year, opening two new restaurants at the Haweswater Hotel in January. Mark Greenaway at the Haweswater Hotel will be a fine dining restaurant that will serve both tasting and al a carte menus that continues the Scottish chef’s focus on using seasonal, local produce, while Brasserie 37, named after the year the hotel was completed, will be a more informal dining room with log fires and an art deco bar.

Lumette​
Jackson Boxer introduced diners to his new restaurant at the end of 2022 with a short residency at 180 Corner at 180 Strand giving them a taste of what’s to come this year. Lumette, a contraction of ‘allumette’ or ‘matchstick’ that alludes to live fire cooking as well as warmth, hospitality and candlelight, is a project that Boxer has been working on for the best part of this year, according to the chef, and will showcase his refined yet indulgent style of cooking.

Coal Shed Brighton​
Steak restaurant Coal Shed has been part of Brighton’s food scene since its launch in 2011 but it has now outgrown its former pub location. As a result, owner Raz Helalat has found it a new, grander location in a 5,000sq ft former retail site. The bigger restaurant will have a bar with space for 30-50 people, a much larger dining room and an open kitchen.

Higher Ground​
The team behind acclaimed Manchester wine bar Flawd are opening a permanent iteration of their Higher Ground restaurant concept in the city’s Chinatown. Richard Cossins, Daniel Craig Martin and chef Joseph Otway launched Higher Ground as a four-month pop-up restaurant concept in early 2020 but the project was halted by the pandemic after just four weeks. Their new restaurant will seat around 50 covers and will showcase seasonal produce from Cinderwood Market Garden and other North West produces.

Gwen​

Ynyshir chef Gareth Ward will open his second restaurant early this year, a bijou spot in the Welsh town of Machynlleth. The eight-cover restaurant will be named Gwen, after Ward’s mother, and will be lead by Ynyshir head chef Corrin Harrison. It will also have a wine bar that will double as a coffee shop in the day time. If that wasn’t enough, Ward also intends to open a small pizzeria next door having bought a pizza oven from friend and fellow chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias.

Mayha​

Due to open late last year before delays took their toll, Mayha is a Beirut-founded Japanese omakase restaurant that is heading to Marylebone. Located on Chiltern Street, the two-storey restaurant will feature a curved stone counter restaurant serving the daily-changing tasting menu on the ground floor, while the space beneath will have a Japanese raw bar and courtyard.

Harvest​
Parlour and Six Portland Road chef Jesse Dunford Wood will open a third venue this year, in Kensal Rise. Opening in February, Harvest will open for breakfast from 8am and then move into brunch, lunch and dinner serving a menu of regularly changing seasonal and British-led dishes. There will be an emphasis on contemporary vegetarian food as well as meat and fish, according to the chef.

Lío London​
London landmark Café de Paris is being given a new lease of life by entertainment hospitality brand Pacha Group. Opening in February 2023, Lío London will be a show and dining experience that combines dinner, entertainment, and a club under one roof. In charge of the food at the 200-cover restaurant will be Adam Rawson​, previously of The Standard in New York and London, with the wine programme overseen by head sommelier Romaine Aurdrerie, who has previously worked with Andre Balazs for the opening of Chiltern Firehouse.

Arcade Battersea​

JKS has chosen Battersea Power Station for the location of its second Arcade food hall. At 24,000sq ft the vast space will be nearly twice the size of the original Arcade which opened at London’s Centre Point last year and will feature a number of new brands that will showcase even more global cuisines. It will feature three standalone restaurants including one under the Bao and one from Luke Farrell (see below).

Luke Farrell's new restaurant​

Luke Farrell had a busy 2022, opening Plaza Khao Gaeng at Arcade in Centre Point and then Speedboat Bar in London’s Soho. The chef has promised a trio of restaurants, the third of which is likely to be housed in the forthcoming Arcade Battersea Power Station (see above). The restaurant is understood to this time  celebrate the food of northern Thailand, and if his other two are anything to go by it wont be pulling any punches flavour wise.

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair​
Korean-American chef Akira Back’s first London restaurant at the new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair will be a 148-cover space split accross two restaurants and a bar as well as a rooftop terrace. The professional snowboarder turned chef will serve a menu of elevated Japanese cuisine with a Korean-American influence for which he has gained a name in locations including Bangkok, Las Vegas, Singapore, Paris and Istanbul.

Alkebulan​
Food halls set to remain a prominent feature of 2023, and one of the most interesting that is incoming is Dubai-based African food hall Alkebulan. Initial plans to open a venue in London as well as New York as part of its owner’s plans to put African food on the global map were released at the start of last year and things have been quiet since, but African food is very much experiencing a purple patch in the capital and this year will be a good opportunity to keep this trend alive. There’s no details on what concepts the London venue might house, but the Dubai hall includes African street food concept Afro Street; African styled contemporary chicken shack Chicken Coop; Choma BBQ; innovative African cuisine concept Penja; nose-to-tail concept Tasty Goat; and east African seafood concept Seven Seafood, and we expect something along the same lines.

Rambutan​

Sri Lankan cuisine has made its mark in central London in the past few years and British-Sri Lankan chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam is hoping to keep this interest alive with her forthcoming restaurant Rambutan. Located in Borough Market, the restaurant will be heavily inspired by Shanmugalingam’s Tamil roots and her many summers spent cooking with her family in Sri Lanka and will serve village-style Sri Lankan food with a focus on regional dishes traditionally found in the north of the country. The 60-cover restaurant will be spilt over two floors with a ground floor dining room and eight-seater downstairs bar.

Midland Grand Dining Room​
Allegra chef Patrick Powell is making a return to more central London territory, taking over the space formerly occupied by Marcus Wareing’s The Gilbert Scott within St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Midland Grand Dining Room will be the third collaboration between the Irish chef and London developer and hotelier Harry Handelsman and will see Powell cook in a grand brasserie style setting.

Nessa​
Former Duck and Waffle chef Tom Cenci will head up a modern British bistro when it opens in Soho in the spring. Housed in a renovated 1910 Neo-Baroque building on the corner of Brewer Street and Warwick Street, 98-cover Nessa will be the third project from Guy Ivesha’s Maslow’s group, which also runs Mortimer House and Mortimer House Kitchen in Fitzrovia. Cenci is promising a menu of ‘classic dishes that champion seasonality with a contemporary twist’, which itself sounds promising.

Manzi’s​

Fish restaurant Manzi’s has proven to be a tough cookie, firstly for Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, who created the concept for their Corbin & King group, and more recently under its new ownership as The Wolseley Hospitality Group. But 2023 is when the much delayed restaurant will finally open is doors at Bateman’s Buildings in Soho. Set over two floors, Manzi’s will be an all-day, seafood focused restaurant with dishes to include moules marinière, a wide range of crustacea, a ‘catch of the day’ and a classic dover sole. It will also have a large outdoor terrace and private dining room.

The Wolseley City​
With its location on London’s Piccadilly, The Wolseley is the jewel in the crown of the recently renamed The Wolseley Hospitality Group’s portfolio. However, the name hasn’t been an unrivalled success with company forced last year to close its Café Wolseley restaurant at Bicester Village after having its lease prematurely terminated. The group hopes to put all that behind it with a second proper iteration of the European cafe/restaurant that is likely to take many of its cues from the original.

Los Mochis Broadgate​
Mexican Japanese restaurant Los Mochis will open a second London location next year, at 100 Liverpool Street at Broadgate in the spring. Located on the 9th floor of 100 Liverpool Street, the 14,000sq ft restaurant will have a 3,000sq ft outdoor terrace with views of the City and a ‘tequileria’ serving one of the largest selections of fine and rare tequilas and mezcals in Europe and will be the restaurant group’s flagship venue.

Gaia​

Named after the Greek goddess of earth, Gaia will serve modern Greek food when it makes its UK debut in Mayfair. The Monaco and Dubai-based Greek restaurant will occupy a 9,500sq ft, multi-level space in the 60,000sq ft One Berkeley Square development, with its location on Dover Street and will house a fish market complete with seafood bar, a cocktail bar and wine room as well as a private members club. Gaia will join the new 180-room 1 Hotel Mayfair at the development  where Tom Sellars will have a restaurant (see above) 

Sarap Kingly Court​
Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya is relocating his Filipino restaurant to Soho’s Kingly Court later this year following the end of his year-long residency at Mayfair’s 10 Heddon Street. The new 45-cover restaurant will have an industrial colour scheme and simple interior design and will serve a menu that will serve dishes that hint to Sarap’s origins as a supper club as well as to its more refined present.