The 10 most exciting restaurant openings to visit this February

Want some ideas on where to eat in February? We’ve curated our pick of new destinations for a food lover to book for this month and ahead, with something for everyone. From candle-lit wine caves to regional Thai cooking and French-inspired bistro dishes, there's plenty to discover this month.

For more restaurant inspiration, check out more of our London food guides, as well as our comprehensive guide to the best new restaurants in London to visit. Want some ideas on where to go on holiday in February? Check out our curation of the best spots to visit in February.

For a date-night at a 'wine pub': Godet, Islington

This Essex Road denizen has the spaciously proportioned bones of an old Victorian boozer (it was formerly The Seveney in another life) but with decidedly more chic peach and sage interiors. It calls itself a ‘wine pub’ and we can see why – the vibe inside feels decidedly laid back and akin to the neighbourhood local it once was, but the drinks place equal importance on grape and grain, with a pithy rotating list of low-intervention wines chalked up on blackboards and a roster of nine beers on tap. The former draws heavily from France (as befits Parisian owner Sylvain’s heritage) while the latter showcases classic and experimental brews from London and across the UK. You could stop by for a pint here as easily as you could a date-night glass of chilled red.

What to order:
Godet has hosted several kitchen residencies – previous ones have included Nordic pop-up Jomfru by Anna Søgaard and Perk’d Up Burger – and its latest, modern Chinese outfit Ling Ling’s, delivers flavour-packed hits such as crispy pork and water chestnut wontons, zingy pomegranate radish cakes and spicy beef ragu noodles with parmesan. Other highlights include regular wine tastings and meet the winemaker events, and vinyl DJ sets on Fridays and Saturdays. godetlondon.com Hannah Guinness

Address: 382 Essex Rd, London N1 3PF
Nearest train station: Canonbury
Opening times: Wednesday (5pm-11pm); Thursday (5pm-12am); Friday (5pm-12:30am); Saturday (3pm-12:30am); Sunday (3pm-9pm)

For contemporary European dishes in a relaxed setting: Levan, Peckham

This Peckham mainstay has undertaken a few refreshes as it enters its eighth year, with ex-Planque and The Clove Club chef Rani Raimondi in the kitchen. His appointment is accompanied by a thoughtful update of the restaurant’s interior, with big Parisian charm via a rich burgundy palate, softened lighting and carefully curated art.

What to order:
Inspired by the ‘bistronomy’ movement and a longstanding love affair with French cuisine, Levan’s à la carte menu is split into four sections – snacks, starters, larger mains and sides. Start with a few snacks and starters: tuck into the must-have beef tartare, a rich, tender morsel perched atop a deeply golden Parisienne-style rösti.

The highlight of the starters is the scallop crudo – delicate slices of scallop are balanced by sweet-tart blood orange, accompanied by dabs of crème fraîche and trout roe for a fresh, mildly salty finish. For mains, the pork neck is tender and deeply succulent, crowned with slithers of buttery Cantabrian anchovies and charred sprouts which elevate its savouriness to heavenly new heights.

Finish with the chocolate pudding, uniquely fused with plums, hazelnut praline and sesame ice cream to create a mouthwatering experience.

The carefully curated wine list focuses on low-intervention and biodynamic wines. Dafni white is wonderfully herbaceous with a refreshing citrus finish – a native variety saved from extinction by the Lyrarakis family in Greece. There is also a snappy list of modish aperitifs: the Red Velvet Margarita, mixing mezcal verde with Lillet Rouge, plum brine, almond orgeat, cranberry and rosemary, will be what we order next time. levanlondon.co.uk Helen Salter

Address: 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL
Nearest train station: Peckham Rye
Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday (12pm-1pm), Sunday (12pm-4pm)

For modern Georgian and natural wine: Daka Daka, Mayfair

This modern Georgian restaurant and natural wine bar comes from Giorgi Mindiashvili and chef-patron Mitz Vora, with a list of more than 100 bottles curated by Honey Spencer, one of the UK’s most influential sommeliers and a leading voice in natural wine.

What to order:
The kitchen, led by head chef Adrian Hernandez Farina, cooks over charcoal and a wood-fired hearth, and the menu leans into Georgia’s most defining dishes. We began with lobio – a kidney bean hummus slicked with ajika chilli crisp – earthy and smoky, made for scooping. Then came the khinkali, hand-folded soup dumplings served steaming hot. The iberico pork pluma and aged beef versions arrived with cracked black pepper and a burst of slurpable broth inside, the kind of dish that makes you slow down.

From the grill, kababi skewers brought smoke and spice, while penovani (flaky, cheese-filled pastry) was rich and moreish. We moved on to shkmeruli, roast chicken in a confit garlic sauce, glossy and deeply savoury.

Dessert kept things Georgian too. Napoleon, the regional mille-feuille, came layered with dulce de leche cream and caramel – delicately crisp and not overly sweet. instagram.com/dakadaka.london Keith Kendrick

Address: DakaDaka, 10 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BX
Nearest tube station: Piccadilly Circus
Opening times: Tuesday-Thursday (12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm); Friday (12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-11pm); Saturday (12pm-11pm)

For contemporary Cantonese dining: Cafe Kowloon, London Fields

Hot on the toes of its noodle bar opening, Wonton Charlie's, the team behind Mr Bao has launched a contemporary Cantonese evening spot through the back, inspired by the fast-paced buzz of Hong Kong (from where co-owner Frank Yeung's dad hails).

We sat at the glossy tiled counter so we could watch the chefs work the charcoal grill, while the adjacent dining room has a real vibe with a neon-lit bar and swishy curved booths, larger tables complete with lazy susans for sharing-style dishes.

What to order:
Kick off with on-trend sipping cocktails, a lime leaf delicately perched on the white lady offering a fragrant hit. Snacks include fish ball skewers in a light, fragrant curry sauce, tinned dace and black beans whipped into a cream cheese dip, and beef tendons two ways: puffed up like crackers and soy-marinated for deep umami results.

On to the sharing highlights – lo bak go (turnip cake) garnished with crispy Chinese-style sausage and prawn toast, its bread base custom designed by E5 Bakehouse, topped with a thick layer of prawn and sesame seeds, deep-fried and sliced into soldiers alongside crispy prawn heads to dip into spring onion chill oil. There are two larger sharers: whole steamed sea bass looked fabulous but we were tempted by the Cantonese-style chickens twirling on the spit. Half a chicken, foot and all, comes doused in ginger sauce, Szechuan salt on the side, best paired with sesame-sautéed cabbage. The Hong Kong french toast is another winner (spot a theme?) – two thick slices of bread filled with a silky peanut crème patissière then deep-fried to ensure a crisp yet surprisingly light finish. cafekowloon.co.uk Alex Crossley

Address: 392-393 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH
Nearest train station: London Fields
Opening times: Wednesday-Saturday (6pm-11pm)

For natural wines in a date-night spot: Stable Wines, Islington

Stable Wines makes a good case for being one of London’s most beautiful wine bars. Owners Alex Young and George de Vos are the brains behind the much-adored Goodbye Horses and The Dreamery, and Stable Wines has similar decorative touches – like the sculptural painted paper lanterns dotted throughout, including a beautiful rice paper shade in the ground-floor shop illustrated with whimsical folkloric scenes by artist Lucy Stein.

Arrive in a glass-walled space on Essex Road which functions as a wine shop – complete with a striking oak and volcanic stone counter, and head downstairs where a former bank vault has been turned into a magical candlelit, labyrinthian cave: dimly lit with bare brick and stone walls, full of arches, alcoves and cosy nooks. It feels like you’ve descended into an ancient pagan temple but in a sexy, sultry way – a date-night spot par excellence.

What to order:
Wines channel a ‘zero zero’ ethos, meaning natural and low-intervention bottles. A highlight on our visit included a textured, honey-floral pét nat. Next-level snacks and small plates include uber-umami Guinness rarebit oysters, crunchy fingers of layered potato topped with beef tartare, grilled squash with a crisp pastry filled with hazelnut cream, and an unmissable silky whipped chocolate mousse doused in olive oil. @stablewines Hannah Guinness

Address: 344a Essex Road, London N1 3PD
Nearest train station: Essex Road
Opening times: Monday (12pm-11pm); Tuesday (12pm-6pm); Wednesday (12pm-8pm); Thursday-Saturday (12pm-11pm); Sunday (12pm-10pm)

For NYC-inspired slices: Vincenzo's Pizza, Shoreditch

Vincenzo's in Shoreditch is the second location from Tom Vincent, who opened his first location in Bushey in 2022 and watched it become a cult favourite. You can now find his signature crispy, thin-crust whole pies and pizza by the slice in the capital, bringing New York’s late-night energy and providing Londoners with a new way to enjoy pizza: fresh, hot, generous slices to grab and go. It's made such a mark that it's already a buzzing London institution.

What to order:
Order by the slice or indulge in a 16-inch pie if you're hungry. NYC fold is served on grease-stained paper plates, with simple toppings alongside the likes of spicy vodka sauce, plus a fun take on a Greek-inspired spanakopita. NY slices are the emphasis, however our favourite has to be the focaccia, served by the square: it's tangy, chewy and loaded with premium toppings like burrata and pepperoni (drizzled in hot honey, no less). Super heavenly, though be warned: you may never look at pizza the same way again.

It's primarily a grab and go situation, with just a few stools to perch, so the only thing left to order are the quietly formidable dips: a hot and sweet roquito ranch (our favourite), truffle mayo, garlic and herb, and hot honey. There's also a range of soft drinks. vincenzospizzas.com Helen Salter

Address: 122 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 6DG
Nearest tube station: Shoreditch High Street
Opening times: Wednesday-Friday (4pm-10pm); Saturday-Sunday (12pm-10pm)

For a date night deserving of a white tablecloth: Sartoria Launceston Place, South Kensington

Set between the bustle of Kensington High Street and the quieter elegance of Gloucester Road sits Sartoria Launceston Place. This is Milanese cooking, done with confidence and restraint. Sartoria Launceston Place is the younger sister to the original Sartoria on Savile Row and it carries that same sense of polish and tradition, just loosened slightly for this corner of west London.

The room is all softness and polish. Banquette seating, white tablecloths and plenty of tucked away corners give it an easy sense of comfort, while still feeling smart. It’s an obvious choice for a date, though there are larger tables too, should the evening stretch into something more sociable. Service is warm and attentive, perhaps a little formal for some, but in keeping with the room and the setting.

What to order:
The menu follows the familiar Italian rhythm: snacks and breads, antipasti, primi, secondi and sides. Calamari arrived shatteringly crisp, paired with a chilli jam carrying just enough heat. Tuna tartare and beef carpaccio made a pleasing contrast: the tuna soft and buttery, glossed with vivid basil oil; the carpaccio deeply beefy, brightened by the sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes.

For my primi, I chose the calamarata: generous and seafood-rich, mussels scattered through the pasta, red prawns offering small bursts of sweetness. Fillet steak followed, perfectly rare and lounging in a pool of creamy peppercorn sauce, so good we wished the plate had lingered a moment longer. We kept sides simple with sautéed spinach, its slight bite cutting cleanly through the richness. sartoria-launcestonplace.co.uk Lydia Anderson

Address: 1A Launceston Place, London W8 5RL
Nearest tube station: Gloucester Road
Opening times: Wednesday-Saturday (9am-10pm); Sunday (9am-9pm)

For fun and fiery Thai cooking: Plaza Khao Gaeng, Borough Yards

Set under the railway arches that flank Borough Market, this fun new spot brings the energy of a raan khao gaeng – the informal canteens that pop up on street corners and markets across Thailand. The high-ceilinged room is breezy and buzzy with a quirky, eclectic style: stainless steel tables, zingy pops of colour, retro Thai movie posters and restaurant signs all add to the atmosphere.

What to order:
A Paricha margarita eased us into the heat zone – mango infused tequila and kumquat liquor with a kick of fresh Thai chilli served alongside an appetiser plate of miang pla: betel leaves to be wrapped around spicy sausage, dried fish and crunchy galangal floss to make a herbal, tangy mouthful. The yam strawberry salad was a refreshing sweet/salty surprise – strawberries in a punchy dressing, topped with a sprinkling of the tiniest translucent fish and coconut.

From the curries, the gaeng massaman neua was deeply comforting – big chunks of beef, slow cooked in a rich spiced coconut sauce with hunks of potato to soak up all of that fragrant curry. Gung pad prik gaeng sator (tiger prawns stir-fried in red curry paste) brought some of that notorious heat but balanced it well with coconut cream.

We kept the heat at bay with a icy glass of Singha beer, served in a chunky frozen glass tankard. Or if you’re in a crowd there’s the option to order a three-litre beer tower with your own tap – a fun playful touch for a very fun spot. plazakhaogaeng.com Janine Ratcliffe

Address: Arch 207, 18 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD
Nearest tube station: London Bridge
Opening times: Monday-Saturday (12pm-10pm); Sunday (12pm-4pm)

For elegant and modern European cooking: 74 Charlotte St by Ben Murphy, Fitzrovia

74 Charlotte Street by Ben Murphy sees the chef (who ran the kitchen at Launceston Place to great acclaim) in his first solo spot. The room is calm and elegant: coming in from a rainy winter evening the golden light and a warm atmosphere was immediately welcoming, as was the beautiful crescent-shaped cocktail bar where we kicked off with an icy, citrussy yuzu gimlet and a French 75. Such is the commitment to a perfect cocktail that my drink was decanted into a fresh frosty glass halfway through to keep it chilled.

What to order:
Don’t skip the bread – a pillowy loaf of tear-apart milk bread served with a cube of beurre noisette and a dish of hummus with vivid green pumpkin seed oil was just gorgeous. We loved the tender butter poached lobster tail with a tartlet topped with tiny discs of pumpkin to look like fish scales, and the iberica presa pork served perfectly pink with tiny grilled baby gem, carrot purée and a savoury jus – each dish looking like a little work of art. The wine list has some interesting by the glass options, with a Turkish sauvignon blanc being a particular surprise.

Desserts are fun – there’s a retro mint green ice cream trolley with a seasonal flavour (mince pie on our visit) and a lovely chocolate tart, dense and rich with crisp chocolate pastry and hazelnut praline. 74charlottestreet.com Janine Ratcliffe

Address: 74 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QH
Nearest tube station: Goodge Street
Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday (12pm-9:30pm)

For reimagined Caribbean food: 2210 by NattyCanCook, Herne Hill

As a Brixton resident I was extra excited about this opening. The Clink project at HMP Brixton inspired Nathaniel Mortley to turn his life around, launching a social media channel which led to residencies and now his permanent home in Herne Hill. Though born and raised in Peckham, Natty’s heritage is Bajan, Jamaican and Guyanese, thus he spotlights flavours and ingredients from the region in his elevated dishes.

It’s a family affair – Natty's delightful godmother Cecilia was our server, his mum is his accountant and an old school friend helps out front of house. This, paired with the throwback soundtrack causing us to wiggle along in our plush grey chairs, ensures that good vibes prevail. I’m already planning a trip back for the Sunday roast, with the promise of scotch chimichurri roasties, followed by a brisk walk in neighbouring Brockwell Park.

What to order:
We kicked off by dunking grilled roti triangles into whipped scotch bonnet butter. Next came crispy spring rolls stuffed with ackee and saltfish, and pork belly with crackling trim, spiced jus and puddles of scotch bonnet mayo. I recommend sharing the hearty mains, all served with a choice of aromatic jollof rice or spiced rice and peas. There’s a sophisticated take on jerk chicken with mango and pineapple salsa, a much talked-about lamb rump with tamarind jus, and pan-seared spiced duck breast served with a show-stealing confit leg croquette. My highlight was whole brill lifted with a lightly spiced plantain velouté, pickled plantain cubes and vibrant coriander pesto.

Don’t miss deep-fried apple crumble for dessert, presented in croquette form encasing spiced, pickled apple, with coffee chantilly cream and basil oil crème anglaise to lift. Cocktails pack a punch – signature rum punch is a popular choice, while margaritas are laced with scotch bonnet, and negronis infused with tangy sorrel. 2210bynattycancook.com Alex Crossley

Address: 75 Norwood Road, London SE24 9AA
Nearest train station: Herne Hill
Opening times: Wednesday-Thursday (5pm-11pm); Friday (5pm-12am); Saturday (12pm-12am); Sunday (12pm-10pm)

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