These Are The Coolest New Restaurants Opening In London In 2026
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You’ll want to bookmark these restaurants ahead of their open – here’s the latest hot tables
2026 is set to be a big year for new London restaurants, with expansions of small-chains, like upcoming sites from Hoppers and Padella. There will be new offers from big names including Jeremy King (reinventing the iconic Simpson’s In The Strand) and Gordon Ramsay, who brings his TV concept Hell’s Kitchen to London for the first time. There’ll be exciting debut ventures from chefs who have built their names up in cult kitchens (chef Meedu Saad from Kiln goes solo with Impala, for starters). In short, lots of places for you to bookmark ahead of open. Here are the coolest restaurants opening in London in the coming months.
C&TH’s Pick Of The Latest London Restaurant Openings: 2026
Hoppers Shoreditch
The fourth London site from Hoppers, the Bib-winning Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho. Except this one transplants the concept to Shoreditch, where the restaurant will sit in the Tea Building, a former warehouse opposite BoxPark. The new site will draw not just from the cuisine of Sri Lanka but pull from the southern states of India, too – think Chennai’s biryanis, and Bangalore’s dosa scene. The restaurant has been designed by Atelier Wren to recall the palaces and traditional homes of this latter region, but there’s still a bit of Geoffrey Bawa, the iconic Sri Lankan architect, through splashes of tropical modernism. A pretty new offer for fans of the original site.
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When? Late Jan 2026
Where? Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ.
Little Julie’s
It’s looking a little 1066 out here as yet another modern French brasserie opens on West London shores, but bon travail – this one is Little Julie’s from the team behind (big) Julie’s. Chef-patron Owen Kenworthy (Brawn, The Pelican) brings his magic touch to a chic café and wine-bar offering pastries and small plates at the hip of Holland Park. The OG has been beloved for decades by the likes of Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox and Naomi Campbell, so it’s the perfect haunt for celeb spotting.
When? Early 2026, TBC
Where? 102 Portland Rd, London, Holland Park W11 4LX
Padella’s cult favourite ragu dish © Elena Heatherwick
Padella
Padella in Borough Market won hearts and stomachs with its queue-worthy pastas. Which is a good thing, as its original site doesn’t take bookings, and usually gathers a long line of hopeful diners night after night. Good news though for the impatient: a new mega-site will open in spring 2026 in a plum central Soho location – although it’s still TBC on whether this Padella will be walk-in only. Either way, the Kingly Street Padella promises to seat 80 a night over two floors, and will feature the sort of cult carbs that won it fans in the first place (including the pici cacio e pepe and beef shin ragu parpadelle). And, yes, there’ll be a killer cocktail list, too, in a 1960s inspired bar-lounge.
When? Spring 2026
Where? 2 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PB
Render of new Japanese restaurant MA/NA
MA/NA
Did Mayfair need more luxury Japanese dining spots? Frankly, we’d forever make an exception for the latest dining and drinks venture from the Thesleff Group, which also brought us Los Mochis, LUNA Omakase, Juno Omakase and Sale e Pepe. The name of the new restaurant refers to ‘mana’, aka spiritual energy that exists beneath the surface of all things. And a spiritual experience this certainly sounds… The restaurant will seat 156 for elegant Japanese dishes with exec chef Leo Tanyag designing the menu. Highlights include big-hitter A5 wagyu dishes, as well as prime fish, crab and scallop dishes seared up in mouthwatering ways. The cocktail bar brings in the expertise of bar director Pietro Collina (from World 50 Best Bars’ Viajante87) for a drinks list that pays homage to Japanese bartending and rare spirits. Food and drink aside, the highlight might just be a custom-designed dragon-shaped banquette that coils throughout the lounge.
When? 23 February 2026
Where? 30 Upper Grosvenor Street W1K 7PH
Cooper’s Cut
2025 was a big year for hotel dining, argued C&TH online editor Ellie Smith in her review of the Beaumont’s new restaurant, Rosi. Could 2026 see the trend continue? The new steakhouse at the Four Seasons Hotel London, Tower Bridge, certainly hopes so. Cooper’s Cut promises to be an indulgent chops house. Named for Sir Edwin Cooper (the architect behind the building), expect a relaxed atmosphere and piles and piles of protein.
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When? March 2026
Where? Four Seasons Hotel London At Tower Bridge, 10 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4AJ
Burro
A debut solo venture from Conor Gadd, the chef co-owner of Trullo. He’s stuck to the duosyllabic naming scheme, with this one called Burro, meaning butter in Italian. The new restaurant will be tucked away in a corner of Covent Garden, and will feature a bar, dining space as well as all-seasons terrace. Designer Lisa Helmanis states the look will be ‘part-Irish country-house kitchen, part Italian fifties bistro’, and if that wasn’t enough to entice you, the menu certainly should. Huge pasta offers – tagliatelle of duck and porcini ragù as well as roman fettuccine ‘alfredo’ – as well as sweet treats like a tiramisu ‘bomboloni’ doughnut. Carb heaven.
When? Early 2026, TBC
Where? Floral Court, 2 Floral St WC2E 9FB
Pillar Hall mid-renovation
Idalia
The Kensington Olympia exhibition hall has been under the hammer since 2021 as part of a major face lift for the smart west London area. Naturally, as this nears completion, this works includes some swanky new restaurants. Pillar Hall, its grade II* listed venue, will be home to Des Gunewardena’s Idalia. Don’t be misled by the name (which is a nickname for Greek goddess Aphrodite) – the restaurant is a modern British a la carte, led by exec chef Samantha Williams (ex-The Park and Angela Hartnett). After you’ve enjoyed a dinner in this glamorous eaterie, head downstairs to Pepperbird, a basement speakeasy purportedly inspired by Olympia’s rock heritage as well as 1970s jazz.
When? Spring 2026
Where? Pillar Hall, Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX
Langosteria
The first UK restaurant from a Milanese seafood restaurant group, Langosteria will be a contemporary Italian fine dining spot. There’s not much information on this opening yet, except that there’ll be an emphasis on lobster, and that the restaurant already serves up well-heeled folk in Paris and St. Moritz. Set to open on the ground floor of Raffles at the OWO, and you can expect a truly luxurious dining destination.
When? Spring 2026
Where? Raffles London at the OWO, 57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX
theowo.london/langosteria
Hell’s Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen may have stopped airing its profane but supremely watchable cooking show in the UK in 2009, but it has hit its 24th season in the States. Across the Atlantic, it is accompanied by seven immersive restaurants that bring the drama (but thankfully not the blood, sweat and tears). And now the UK will see its first Hell’s Kitchen at The Cumberland hotel in Marble Arch in 2026… Amid rumours of a rebooted TV show from ITV. The menu is likely to be classic fine-dining fare: pan-seared scallops, beef wellingtons, lobster risottos, sticky toffee puddings and apple butterscotch cheesecakes.
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When? February 2026
Where? The Cumberland Hotel, Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7DL
Kebab dishes and flatbreads from new Georgian restaurant, DakaDaka
DakaDaka
Georgian restaurants are on the up and up in London, and new open DakaDaka rides the wave to bring eastern European cuisine to Mayfair. Expect a modern interpretation of Georgian foods – using seasonal British produce – and a natural wine list containing over 100 exports from the country. You can also count on bracingly strong cocktails based on chacha, a brand or grape-vodka from the region that ranges between 40-80 percent ABV. The restaurant’s site, 10 Heddon Street, has previously played host to pop-ups and residencies from ultra-hyped food spots including Manteca and Fallow – no doubt DakaDaka hopes that the cult spirits lives on at the address.
When? 15 January 2026
Where? 10 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BX
Simpson’s In The Strand
Technically this is not a new London restaurant, but rather the reinvention of a very old, iconic one. Simpson’s In The Strand first opened nearly 200 years ago at the edge of Covent Garden – which closed in 2020 – and reopens in early 2026 with legendary restaurateur Jeremy King at the helm. There will be two dining rooms, the Grand Divan and Romano’s, as well as two bars, Simpson’s Bar and Nellie’s, in addition to a sparkling ballroom with capacity for a hundred diners. We anticipate one of the best roasts in the capital which promises to arrive at dining tables via a silver-domed trolley, then cut table-side.
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When? February 2026
Where? 100 Strand, London WC2R 0EW
jeremykingrestaurants.com/simpsons
Richard Hart will head up the new bakery at Claridge’s © @lateef
Claridge’s Bakery
Ex-Tartine baker Richard Hart will shape the dough at a highly anticipated new bakery at Claridge’s. Located at the rear of the five-star hotel, the bakery is not just for the sole enjoyment of lucky guests, and promises gluten-heaven. The menu is likely to rotate, but in the first instance you can take away little treats like jammy dodger or custard tarts, iced fingers and belgian buns, or indulgent scotch eggs and sausage rolls. Be sure to extend the experience into your week by picking up your loaf here – sourdough is Hart’s particular speciality but there’s a good selection here of bloomers, granary loaves, and more.
When? 21 January 2026
Where? Brook’s Mews, behind Claridge’s, Claridge’s Brook Street Mayfair London W1K 4HR
Impala
Chef Meedu Saad cut his teeth at Michelin Bib-awarded Thai restaurant, Kiln (famous for its clay pot noodles). His new restaurant – and first solo venture – will mark a departure from south east Asian food, but not from open charcoal grills, as the space, called Impala, will centre around this same type of cooking. Saad will marry Egyptian flavours with traditional French cuisine, all while championing the best of British meats. Think dry-aged duck stuffed with black limes and chillies from Aswan, cooked over wood. And there’ll still be some clay pots, but this time used to bake rice with ghee.
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When? Spring 2026
Where? 14 Dean St, London W1D 3RS
