There’s nothing quite like great weather to get London’s culinary industry bursting with creative juices. Along with clear skies and jugs of Pimm’s, the warmer months are also welcoming a slew of newcomers to the local dining scene.
From a long-awaited launch from one of the city’s most over-the-top restaurant groups to a DIY grilled meats joint with an outdoor terrace, we’ve rounded up the hottest London restaurant openings for Spring/Summer 2019.
Gezellig
“Gezellig” is a Dutch word meaning “an atmosphere that allows good times to happen”. We have no doubt that this will be the case with the new wine-focused drinking den backed by an all-star team with a track record that includes Pied à Terre, The Ledbury, Elystan Street, and The Square. Diners can pop in for snacks and wine or can stay for a proper meal with choices such as cured sea trout with crispy oyster and charred and pickled cucumber, chicken, leek and foie gras terrine with a warm morel vinaigrette, and Ryeland lamb with roast tomato, fennel, capers, and mint.
Myrtle
Newly-opened Myrtle by Chef Anna Haugh will bring elegant yet relaxed dishes, inspired by Haugh’s Irish heritage, to its home in Chelsea. Haugh honed her craft in the kitchens of renowned chefs Phil Howard, Gordon Ramsay, Derry Clarke, and Shane Osborne and is sure to wow diners with her Modern European menu featuring the finest Irish produce. Myrtle’s sample menu currently includes dishes such as heritage carrot salad with pickled raisins and Mossfield cheese, Celeriac wellington with tarragon and cep mushroom duxelle, and a buttermilk panna cotta with rhubarb jelly, and cinnamon doughnuts.
Bob Bob Cité
It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. From the owners of one of London’s most opulent restaurants, Bob Bob Ricard in Soho, comes Bob Bob Cité. Opened to the public on the 10th of May, Leonid Shutov’s new brasserie on Leadenhall Street features a menu of French classics by Chef Eric Chavot, interior design by BradyWilliams, over eight hundred bespoke light fittings by Dernier & Hamlyn, and of course, the famous “Press for Champagne” buttons. It will no doubt become a fast favourite for City workers looking for new spots for business lunches and client dinners.
Flor
When the team behind Lyle’s, one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, announces they’re opening a second restaurant, it’s sure to be one of the hottest openings of the summer. The wine bar and bakery will open near Borough Market and has been described as “the little sister of Lyle’s”. Bread will be a focal point of the new venture with baked goods made from British wheat that will be milled at Lyle’s. The ingredients-led menu is influenced by the pintxos bars in San Sebastian and the buvettes in Paris and will be available for lunch, dinner, and Saturday brunch.
Wild Honey St. James
Loyal customers were in shock when after 12 years, Mayfair favourite Wild Honey decided to close its doors. However, chef and restaurateur Anthony Demetre has found a new home for his contemporary, seasonal cooking. Wild Honey St. James will open this month in the Sofitel London St. James hotel and will reflect Demetre’s flair for French techniques with a strong focus on British ingredients. The launch menu features dishes such as warm smoked eel and rillettes, slow-cooked and crisp tripe with sweet spice, and Tarte Tropezienne.
Bar Douro City
Wine lovers, rejoice! Acclaimed Portuguese restaurant and wine bar, Bar Douro, will be launching their second restaurant in the 1 Finsbury Avenue development in Broadgate this summer. The Grade II-listed building was the perfect choice for restaurateur Max Graham and Head Chef Sean Marsh, who are keen to bring their menu of petiscos (snacks), pratinhos (small plates), pratos (large plates), and desserts like pastel de nata, to a larger audience. Guests can expect the same attention to detail as the original spot, with features like hand-painted Portuguese azulejos tiles, a mosaic floor with hand-cut stones, an open kitchen, counter dining, and a covered outdoor terrace.
Parillan
Coal Drops Yard at King’s Cross has gifted the city with a number of new food and drink options, independent shops, and art galleries all under Victorian viaducts. Whilst the Hart brothers have already made their mark on the development with the opening of The Drop Wine Bar, Barrafina King’s Cross, Plaza Pastor, and Casa Pastor, they haven’t stopped with their King’s Cross domination and officially launched their newest venture, Parillan, a terrace bar and restaurant, on May 10th. With a menu created by Barrafina Executive Chef Angel Zapata, guests at Parillan will be able to cook their own meats, fish, and vegetables on bespoke mini charcoal grills whilst enjoying a selection of Spanish fine wines, sherries, and spirits.
The Standard Hotel
Modern American hotel group Standard International has announced the launch of its first non-stateside outpost, which will be a 10-storey establishment across the road from King’s Cross St. Pancras. At the helm of its culinary offerings are YBF Chef of the Year and former Head Chef at Pachamama Adam Rawson and Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, whose Bristol restaurants Casamia and Paco Tapas each have a Michelin star. The ground floor restaurant, Isla, will showcase food from the British Isles whilst the Double Standard will emulate a more casual dive bar/pub. Later in the year, another restaurant and bar will rise on the 10th floor of the hotel.
Circolo
If you still can’t get a table at smash hit larger-than-life Italian trattoria Gloria, you may be in luck with the opening of their sister restaurant in Fitzrovia. The Big Mamma Group is bringing a taste of Sicily to their new venture, Circolo, which will be housed in Rathbone Square. 20,000 bottles of spirits are rumoured to be part of the décor and expected dishes include metre-long pizzas, grilled meats and seafood, and an opulent dessert offering.
Silo
After a successful crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, East London brewery, CRATE, is set to begin a major refurbishment of their Hackney Wick home, The White Building. Aside from building an experiential brewery and an all-new work and event space, the CRATE team has partnered with award-winning chef Douglas McMaster to bring his zero-waste Brighton restaurant, Silo, to London. The all-day restaurant will feature dishes with a local, sustainable focus and everything from the plates to the furniture will be made using reclaimed materials.
Davies and Brook
When culinary powerhouse Chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara of “Make It Nice Hospitality” and New York’s Eleven Madison Park announced they would be making their debut across the pond, Londoners could not be more thrilled. Davies and Brook will open its doors this summer at 5-star luxury hotel Claridge’s. Together with Executive Chef Dmitri Magi, Humm and Guidara’s newest project will deliver a fine dining experience that embraces the heritage and elegance that Claridge’s is known for.
Note: Main image – Bar Douro
