MA/NA
Thesleff Group will open a vibey yet high-end Japanese restaurant within the space that was formerly Turkish restaurant Rüya next month. Just off Park Lane, MA/NA is billed as a ‘ground-breaking’ concept that will ‘celebrate the craft of Japanese cuisine’ through the ‘quiet mastery of precise cuts, the patience of fermentation, and the connection between earth and ocean’. The 156-cover restaurant and bar will offer contemporary Japanese dishes made with luxury ingredients and is being pitched at a higher level than its Thesleff Group stablemates Los Mochis and Sale e Pepe.
30 Upper Grosvenor St, London W1K 7PH/ https://manarestaurants.com/
Hell’s Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay’s TV show-born Hell’s Kitchen is returning to London in permanent restaurant form, with an opening at The Cumberland hotel in Marble Arch. Described as an ‘immersive dining experience’ that is said to capture the intensity of the TV series ‘while pairing outstanding food and drink with world class service’, the concept debuted in Las Vegas in 2018 and has since expanded to eight locations across the United States and Europe. The menu at Hell’s Kitchen London will feature a mix of signature favourites and new dishes, including beef wellington, seared scallops, lobster risotto, sticky toffee pudding, and apple butterscotch cheesecake. “Bringing Hell’s Kitchen to the UK for the first time is an incredible full circle moment,” says Ramsay.
The Cumberland, Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7DL / hells-kitchen.thecumberland.com
Tigermilk
Less than a year after launching their debut London restaurant, French-born Latin American restaurant brand Tigermilk is opening a much larger restaurant in Spitalfields. Seating 230 people indoors and a further 50 on a terrace, the site will be founders Nina and Alexis Melikov’s largest to date. The opening will bring Tigermilk – which was founded in Paris in 2019 – to 13 locations. Tigermilk says Spitalfields was selected as the next London location because of the pace of the neighbourhood and its mix of office workers, residents and tourists. Guests will enter through a courtyard before moving deeper into the house, passing through a sequence of interconnected spaces, from the main dining room to an orangery. Above it all, a six-metre-high bar rises as the centrepiece of the restaurant, overlooking the courtyard below and backed by more than 2,000 bottles.
London Fruit Exchange, Brushfield St, London E1 6AG tigermilkrestaurants.com/en/restaurants/london/
Kawan by Uncle Roger
Malaysian-born comedian and online personality Uncle Roger is putting his money where his mouth is with a restaurant in London’s Chinatown. Kawan by Uncle Roger, on Macclesfield Street, is a collaboration between Uncle Roger – the comic creation of Nigel Ng – and restaurateur Keng Yew, co-founder of Chinatown restaurants YiQi, SanHao, Dozo and The Eight. The kitchen will be led by Malaysian chef Daren Liew, whose CV includes Nanyang Blossom, SanHao, Duddell’s and Hakkasan. The name Kawan means ‘friend’ or ‘companion’ in Malay, a nod to the restaurant’s focus on sharing plates and sociable dining. The team describe the concept as informal and energetic, designed to reflect London’s multicultural food scene rather than adhere strictly to one regional tradition. The menu draws broadly on Asian flavours and techniques, interpreted through a modern British lens. Fried rice – a dish closely associated with the Uncle Roger persona – will form the backbone of the offering.
12 Macclesfield Street, London W1D 5BP / www.kawanlondon.co.uk/
Acme Taco
Tacos continue to have their moment, the latest place to serve them being the new spot from Acme Fire Cult chef Andrew Clarke. Clarke is opening Acme Taco with 40ft Brewery founder Steve Ryan at the Blackhorse Road brewery on 3 April before expanding to the brewery’s Dalston taproom in the summer. Tacos will come in options such as the Suadero taco made with confit ox cheek, beef sausage, heart and tongue, finished with smoky bone marrow and salsa roja; the ‘Jalisco Mariscos’ shrimp taco that comprises a crispy shell taco with shrimp bechamel, avocado and clamato and which pays homage to a famous food truck in LA; and the Quesabirria - a quesadilla/taco hybrid filled with the Westholme wagyu chuck, roll fried cheese and a consommé for dipping.
10 Lockwood Way, London, E17 5RB
The Latimer
The Spiteri brothers’ upcoming Notting Hill pub is a true family affair, with the talented young duo having also roped in their restaurateur parents, John Spiteri and Melanie Arnold, and their sister Molly. The Latimer’s kitchen will be led by Lorcan, serving a menu that balances classic flavours and hearty favourites with ‘refined, imaginative touches’. Snacks and starters will include black pudding confit potato with homemade brown sauce, and poached trout mayonnaise in little gem, while larger plates will include brown crab tagliolini with bisque and lemon, and ox tail with mash and horseradish. Desserts such as almond cake with custard and poached rhubarb, and a white chocolate ganache with clementine and shortbread, will also feature. Interior design elements will include upholstered and recycled furniture, reclaimed crockery, and wooden floors, giving the space a warm, lived-in character, while artwork chosen by the family adds a personal touch throughout.
274 Latimer Road, London W10 6QW thelatimer.co.uk/
Auguste
Head chef and co-owner Michael Bagnall and GM and co-owner Dylan Walters open the doors to Auguste on 1 April, a fittingly jocular time for a restaurant named after a clown archetype. Their new neighbourhood restaurant and bar is built around arrosticini - traditional flame-grilled skewers from the Abruzzo region of Italy, designed for sharing across counters. Charred skewers will be served alongside a concise selection of dishes such as carciofi alla Romana; La Latteria stracciatella with Ibérico tomato; crushed smoked potato with hikari miso and Lyonnais; and crème fraîche capoletti in lamb brodo, alongside larger plates including whole grilled fish from the market.
373 Mentmore Terrace, London Fields, E8 3DQ
Cue Point
Then years after first starting out, Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney finally have permanent digs for their Afghan-Texan barbecue brand. The Garden Bar Grill and Smokehouse by Cue Point opens on 22 April serving a menu that will include house hot link sausage with tarragon gravy; black lime and pepper chicken bites, with optional Exmoor caviar and chutney mayo; oak-smoked wagyu brisket steak with Texas naan and saffron butter; live-fire chicken korma; oak-smoked lamb shank with Kabuli pilau; charcoal-grilled chilli citrus sea bass; and live-fire aubergine curry with dill yoghurt.
41 Bramley Rd, London, W10 6SZ / cue-point.co.uk
East West Shoreditch
Devinder Singh will open a second site of his pizzeria that blends Punjabi cooking with Italian comfort food. East West will open a site in Shoreditch, close to Brick Lane, with a menu that will include pizzas such as the marsala margherita; the CTM made with a tikka sauce base, mozzarella, tandoori chicken, roasted peppers, and crispy onions; the Makhini Paneer with a butter sauce base, mozzarella, paneer, red onions, roasted peppers, and green pesto; and The OG - a butter sauce base, mozzarella, tandoori chicken, portobello mushrooms, and red pesto
42-44 Kingsland Rd, London, E2 8DA / www.eastwestlondon.com
Beefy Boys Nottingham
The West Country-founded burger brand is opening its most northerly restaurant this month with a site in Nottingham. Opening on the city’s Queen Street, it will be the sixth restaurant in the group’s portfolio and will serve its extensive range of award-winning burgers.
Ornella
Ed Templeton, Naz Hassan, and The White Lotus star Theo James’s follow up to their debut Italian restaurant LUPA this time showcases the food of Milan. Taking its name from Milanese singer Ornella Vanoni, Ornella will open on Wilton Way in London Fields at the end of the month and will serve Milanese and northern Italian dishes that will include vitello tonnato; ‘elephant’s ear’ cotoletto di vitello; and desserts like mille foglie alle fragole; penne alla vodka; and risotto alla Milanese and zuppa Inglese.
51 Wilton Way, London E8 1BG
The Golden Tooth
Hackney restaurant Papi may have closed, but owners Matthew Scott and Charlie Carr aren’t going anywhere and will this month open their latest project The Golden Tooth. Opening on the former Leconfield pub site on Green Lanes in North London, the restaurant will serve a menu that will take cues from Papi with snacks such as fried ox tongue; Bedfordshire clanger with Thai-style gooseberry jam; and mussels on toast with house lardo as well as grilled meats, chops, pies and sharing plates.
79 Green Lanes, London N16 9BU / www.goldentooth.co.uk
Willets
British bistro Willets will open within The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, in Chelsea. Led by executive chef Micheal Turner, the restaurant will offer sourdough crumpets – a signature of the menu – which can be served savoury or sweet with a range of toppings such as Gentleman’s Relish; mushroom parfait with Wiltshire truffle; duck liver parfait with Yorkshire rhubarb; Dorset crab; and with cep parfait, a poached egg, hollandaise and shaved Wiltshire truffles for breakfast. The space will feature an open kitchen with chef’s counter seating overlooking the dining room as well as a bar area which will serve drinks, including around 20 wines by the glass, showcasing contemporary British producers and bar snacks alongside the full restaurant menu.
75 Sloane St, London SW1X 9SG
Bar Etna
Bar Etna is a new East Coast–style pizza bar opening this month in Newington Green, created by Four Legs founder Ed McIlroy and Philadelphia’s Joe Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia. Marking Beddia’s first venture outside the US and Four Legs’ first international partnership, the restaurant will focus on Beddia’s signature pizzas alongside seasonal specials. The menu also features Italian-American classics like aubergine parmigiana, caponata, and meatballs, with simple sides and soft serve. Open late, Bar Etna will offer drinks including house spritzes, negronis on tap, and low-intervention wines. Michael (Mike) Stampler has overseen operations, design, and development, completing the founding trio behind Bar Etna.
47 Newington Green, Newington Green, London N16 9PX
BRASA
Following on from her chef’s table restaurant SAMPA, which now has a four-month waiting list, Caroline Martins is opening her second Manchester venture at Freight Island. BRASA will offer a more relaxed setting centred around churrasco cooking. Prime cuts cooked over fire will be the focal point of the menu, with traditional large cuts alongside a signature BRASA steak frites - barbecued picanha rump served with annatto-seasoned julienne fries and Caroline’s requeijão peppercorn sauce.
11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PZ / www.escapetofreightisland.com/food-and-drink/brasa
MIKO Mei Fair
The group behind Jamavar, Bombay Bustle and Mimi Mei Fair opens a new Thai restaurant in Mayfair this month. MIKO Mei Fair will occupy the ground floor of MiMi Mei Fair’s Georgian townhouse, seating up to 50 guests with a private dining room for eight. Led by chef Soonthorn Apaipat, previously head chef of KOYN Thai, which closed last year, the Thai kitchen will focus on fire-led cooking, with a robata-style grill taking centre stage. The food offer will include lobster choo chee; apple wood fire Peking duck; and Penang curry; as well as some dishes from KOYN such as Chiang Mai sausage; black pepper squid; pad see ew; lamb massaman curry; and yellow crab curry.
55 Curzon St, London W1J 8PG / mikomeifair.com/
KINZ
All-day Lebanese brasserie KINZ finally opens this month in Notting Hill Gate. Co‑founded by Jad Lahoud, Karim Lahoud and Rasha Khouri Bruzzo, the restaurant is housed within a former Lloyds Bank building dating back to the 1930s. The venue will blend traditional Lebanese flavours and recipes with a contemporary dining approach, serving breakfast through to dinner with mezze, larger plates and house‑made breads. Drinks will feature Lebanese‑focused wines and reworked classic cocktails, and a deli at the entrance will offer ingredients and ready‑to‑take‑home items central to Lebanese cuisine.
50 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JD / kinzrestaurant.com
The Horsemen and Fitzgerald’s
A new dual‑concept venue, The Horsemen and Fitzgerald’s, in London’s Broadgate will open this month, combining a traditional Irish pub with a more formal dining space. Created by UK-based 13th Street Hospitality – which brought New York-founded all-day dining concept Sunday in Brooklyn to London in 2021 – The Horsemen will operate at the front as a traditional Irish free house, serving draught Guinness, Irish whiskies and bourbons alongside live horse‑racing screenings and a relaxed pub atmosphere, while at the rear, Fitzgerald’s will offer a more formal dining experience for up to 45 guests, featuring a ‘Kentucky to Dublin’ grill menu created by executive chef Esteve Prats Grau.
1 Broadgate, London EC2M 2QS / www.thehorsemenlondon.com/
Senza Fondelli
Senza Fondeli marks the first regional expansion of the popular London Italian‑American restaurant Senza Fondo, introducing a new all‑day concept in Tunbridge Wells this April. Situated on The Pantiles, the 90‑cover venue combines restaurant, deli, and bar under one roof, serving speciality coffees, focaccia sandwiches, fresh pastas, charcuterie, and antipasti alongside the brand’s signature bottomless lasagna on Tuesdays. The restaurant is a partnership between Joe Worthington, founder of the original Senza Fondo in Shoreditch, known for its all‑you‑can‑eat lasagna format, and Charlie Sweet, founder of the mobile bar business The Cocktail Social.
50 The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TN / www.instagram.com/senzafondeli/