Hot new restaurant openings for autumn 2019
Diaries at the ready, here are autumn’s must-visit new restaurants, from Middle Eastern small plate restaurants to sustainable seafood spots
Looking for the best new restaurants in London? Want the hottest openings across the UK? Read on for the best new openings, and check out where to eat in London here…
Recent and upcoming restaurant openings in London…
Norma, W1
Since publication this restaurant has opened, review coming soon.
Occupying three floors of a converted townhouse in Fitzrovia, Norma is the first independent restaurant at The Stafford hotel. The Sicilian-inspired food is overseen by the hotel’s culinary director Ben Tish and there is a particular emphasis on the Moorish influences on the Italian island’s cuisine.
Taking inspiration from the grand café culture found in Sicily, there will be a crudo bar at the entrance, serving seasonal raw seafood. The main menu will feature modern dishes using seasonal Italian and British produce, from a selection of antipasti and pastas to larger grilled meat and fish dishes.
Ben says: “I’m really excited about launching Norma with the Stafford team, as it’s a concept I’m passionate about and have been working on for a while. I’m intrigued by Sicily and the Moorish influences found in its culture and architecture, and Norma has been inspired by much time eating and drinking through this part of the world.”
More like this
Legare, SE1
Due to open 7 October
Former Trullo chef Matt Beardmore and Jay Patel (ex-GM at Koya and Barrafina) are opening a modern Italian at London Bridge this autumn. Located alongside the 19th-century warehouses at historic Shad Thames, Legare (it means ‘to bind’ in Italian) will focus on seasonal ingredients, fresh pasta and a small, low-intervention wine list.
The broadly Italian menu will feature an abundance of seafood, sun-ripened vegetables and Italian-grown fruit. Typical dishes include orecchiette with fennel sausage and swiss chard ragu; stracci with crab, chilli, garlic, saffron and pangrattato; and whole Scottish lobster taglierini to share. Non-pasta options will include fett’unta (a type of bruschetta) topped with goat’s curd and sobrasada, and seasonal oysters.
Jay says: “The restaurant draws inspiration from the places Matt and I have worked in and travelled to. Our aim has always been to find the most delicious produce, farmed in the most sustainable ways, from various farmers across Europe – and use those ingredients to create our version of the Italian food we love to eat.”
Trivet, SE1
Due to open 29 October
Although details are still scant, Trivet is already one of the most talked about openings of the autumn. It’s the first venture from former Fat Duck duo Jonny Lake and Isa Bal (who worked there together for more than 12 years) and it will be a restaurant and wine bar with cellar.
Part of the Snowfields Yard development in Bermondsey, Trivet will combine “Nordic functionality with the warmth of the Mediterranean”.
Follow @jonny5lake and @isabal_ms on Instagram for the latest news.
Bubala, E1
Since publication, this restaurant has opened. Read our full review of Bubala here
After a number of sell-out pop-ups across London, Middle Eastern vegetarian restaurant Bubala opens its first bricks-and-mortar site on Commercial Street in Spitalfields. It’s the first collaboration from Marc Summers (previously general manager at Berber & Q) and chef Helen Graham (The Palomar, The Barbary and The Good Egg).
Bubala’s fully vegetarian menu will be designed for sharing and centre around the bold flavours, herbs and spices of the Middle East, inspired by Tel Aviv’s modern cafés. Dishes include fried aubergine with zhoug and date syrup, and cabbage braised in pomegranate with za’atar chimichurri.
The drinks menu will comprise red and white house wines on tap, a selection of wines from Lebanon and the Middle East, and a short list of cocktails.
Marc says: “I feel like there is such appetite for Middle Eastern food in London. The flavour combinations and gentle spicing techniques are perfect to showcase vegetables and vegetarian cooking, and the sharing menu will be a great way for friends and family to come together over food, which is exactly the kind of place we want to be.”
Silo, E9
Due to open October 2019
Having made his name in Brighton with his groundbreaking waste-free restaurant, Silo, olive Chef Awards winner Douglas McMaster has relocated to London’s trendy Hackney Wick. Above the Crate Brewery in the iconic White Building, Silo’s new London operation overlooks the River Lea and the striking interior includes furniture made from post-industrial materials, an open kitchen with a fire at the centre, and a large counter made from recycled glass bottles.
The menu will evolve throughout the day, with 10-15 dishes, such as smoked violet carrots with egg yolks and elephant garlic, and jerusalem artichokes cooked over fire with stilton sauce and pickles. The wine list is sourced from small, artisanal producers and a selection of fresh juices is made using ‘wonky’ fruit and veg. Kombucha is also brewed on site.
Douglas says: “I’m thrilled to be opening Silo in London – it will of course follow the same philosophy with sustainability at the forefront but we’re constantly raising the bar when it comes to upcycling and zero waste, so more exciting developments to come.”
Read about Douglas McMaster's Cub restaurant here
Julie’s, W11
Since publication this restaurant has reopened, review coming soon.
To mark its 50th anniversary, veteran Holland Park restaurant Julie’s has reopened following an extensive refurbishment. Since it opened in 1969, Julie’s gained a reputation for hosting a star-studded clientele.
The property’s owners, Tim and Cathy Herring, took over the running of the restaurant in 1972 from interior designer Julie Hodgess, who has overseen the distinctive new look, which also retains features such its stained-glass windows and gothic wood carvings.
Shay Cooper, previously of the Michelin-starred Goring hotel, has been appointed as chef patron and will serve a menu of modern British cuisine, with dishes including glazed ox cheek and aged sirloin of beef. Joining Shay in his brigade, is the owners’ grandson, Ralph Herring, as chef de partie, introducing a new generation to this legendary establishment and ensuring Julie’s remains true to its local, family feel.
Vardo, SW3
Since publication this restaurant has opened, review coming soon.
From the team that brought us Caravan restaurants, Vardo will be housed within a new, architecturally ambitious, three-storey stone and glass pavilion located in Duke of York Square, Chelsea, alongside the Saatchi Gallery. The circular structure boasts 360-degree wall-to-floor glazing that fully retracts into the floor allowing for a complete indoor-to-outdoor experience.
Named after the Romani travelling wagon of the 1800s, the menu will showcase “low and slow” cooking techniques and dishes with a global influence. Expect slow-braised carrots, brined mustard greens and aji blanco; charred aubergine, saffron buttermilk dressing and grilled Turkish chilli; and baharat-rubbed lamb cutlets, green harissa and tahini.
Stoney Street, SE1
Due to open October 2019
Following on from her Neal’s Yard café, Alex Hely-Hutchinson (whose recipes you can try here; plus you can listen to her on episode 157 of the olive magazine podcast here) is opening Stoney Street in Borough Market, a restaurant focussing on grains for breakfast (porridge, galettes and crêpes) and small plates for lunch and dinner.
Padella, SE1
Due to open 2020
Famous for its huge queues and dreamy pici, Borough Market’s Padella is opening another site in Shoreditch. Watch this space.
Best new restaurants across the UK…
The Dining Room at Squerryes Winery, Kent
Set within a 2,500-acre estate and vineyard, the new Dining Room restaurant at Squerryes Winery focusses on south-coast fish and seafood, plus seasonal ingredients from local producers and the estate itself. Expect oysters from nearby Whitstable and fish from day boats in dishes such as monkfish skewer with spider crab and garlic butter, all matched with award-winning wines from the vineyard.
Check out the best English vineyards here
Rockfish, Dorset
After a string of successful Devon openings in recent years, the award-winning seafood restaurant chain from Mitch Tonks and Mat Prowse moves eastwards as it expands into Dorset. After opening in Weymouth in August, the next Rockfish will launch on Poole Quay this winter.
The 100-cover restaurant will open on the site of the former Purbeck Pottery, which closed when its owners retired. As with other Rockfish restaurants, the focus will be on fresh, sustainable seafood from the South West, including locally caught Portland pearl oysters.
Henrock, Cumbria
Named after the rocky outcrop on Lake Windermere, which is often visible from the terrace of boutique hotel Linthwaite House, Henrock is the latest restaurant from chef Simon Rogan of L’Enclume and Roganic fame. With sweeping views across the lake, Henrock will showcase seasonal ingredients from Rogan’s own Cumbrian farm and the kitchen will be headed up by chef Brian Limoges, who has worked in a number of top San Francisco restaurants.
The globally inspired dishes include raw aged beef with elderberry and shiso, and halibut baked in cabbage leaf with bay shrimps and pink peppercorns.
Simon says: “Since opening L’Enclume in 2002, it’s been a hugely exciting and humbling journey. Today, we have five UK restaurants holding four Michelin stars among them and have recently opened Roganic and Aulis Hong Kong. It feels like the right time to be strengthening our offering in the north of the UK, a place we call home, with a fantastic team in place and in such a truly stunning setting.”
The Fat Duck, Berkshire
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020, the three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck is hardly new but its first festive concept is. Called The Fable Tree, it brings to life the story of Christmas in a memorable experience revolving around the focal role played by the Christmas tree.
Details of the multi-sensory meal are under wraps but Heston Blumenthal says the menu will take guests on a nostalgic journey through food and emotions.
“Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. I love the sights, sounds and smells of the festive period but I can’t stand the traditional Christmas dinner. Nostalgia is a key element that lies at the core of what we do at The Fat Duck. Our role is to help our guests recall their happiest memories. We aim to be the spark that ignites nostalgia. This is the most exciting thing we have ever done.”
Tandem, Leicester
Best known for his London restaurants Café Spice Namasté and Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen, Cyrus Todiwala is launching his first place outside the capital this autumn. Tandem will occupy a Grade-II building at the Highcross shopping centre in central Leicester and focus on authentic Indian cuisine.
The interior of the 150-seat restaurant takes inspiration from both Portuguese and Goan influences, and there is a stunning rooftop terrace.
Cyrus says: “I have always wanted to expand my restaurants outside of London and I’m thrilled to bring Tandem to life in Leicester. The foodie scene in Leicester is taking flight and we’re excited to launch in such an exciting and vibrant city.”
Words by Mark Taylor
Photographs by Jamie Orlando Smith, Kris Kirkham, Jake Eastham, Matt Russell, Jose Luiz Lopez De Zubiria
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