As summer winds down, it always seems to nudge us towards a slower, cosier rhythm. Jumpers reappear, nesting instincts kick in, and suddenly we’re craving big bowls of comforting, tasty things. Luckily, London’s restaurant scene isn’t slowing down – a string of tantalising new openings means there’s plenty to get stuck into.
From the eagerly awaited Singbury 2.0 in Shoreditch to Bourdain-approved Vietnamese in Covent Garden, and Speedboat Bar’s fresh Notting Hill outpost, there’s no shortage of spots to tick off your list.
Of course, keeping up with London’s relentless wave of openings can feel like a full-time job – so we’ve done the legwork for you. Here’s our pick of the most exciting new and upcoming restaurants to try this July, plus a few recent favourites worth revisiting. It is our job, after all.
New London restaurant openings this September
Cô Thành
16 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8QH
A Vietnamese spread at Cô Thành
This September, Cô Thành lands in Covent Garden, bringing the flavours of Southern Vietnam to Henrietta Street. First opened by Brian Woo in 2017, the restaurant is a tribute to Nguyen Thi Thanh – known to locals and Anthony Bourdain fans alike as ‘The Lunch Lady’. Her daily-changing noodle soups in Ho Chi Minh City drew crowds from across the world, earning cult status after Bourdain’s No Reservations episode in 2009. Now, Brian brings her legacy to London, with a menu full of herb-laden Southern Vietnamese staples and a few London-only twists. Expect bún thái – a sweet, salty, sour hit inspired by Thai flavours – and bún mam, a vermicelli soup with fermented fish and shrimp paste broth. Old favourites like bún bò hue, bánh mì and cooling Vietnamese desserts return too.
Speedboat Bar at the Electric
191 Portobello Road, W11 2ED
Speedboat Bar at The Electric
Ready to slurp makrut lime margaritas all summer? Same here. Which is why you’ll find us wedged into a booth at Speedboat Bar’s new Notting Hill outpost. Open since 10 July inside The Electric, it’s Luke Farrell’s second spin on his Chinatown hit. Here, you’ll get all the Thai-inspired hits: crispy pork and black pepper curry, minced beef with holy basil, and Tom Yam Mama noodles. The vibe? Classic Yaowarat: neon, chrome and a chrome-decked speedboat engine behind the bar. The spice rating? Prime your tear ducts.
Kokin
20 International Way, E20 1FD
A selection of dishes at Kokin
Stratford Chef Daisuke Shimoyama’s latest opening brings woodfire-led Japanese fine dining to the top floor of The Stratford. With sweeping views of the Olympic Park, a sushi counter and two terraces, Kokin is all about bold flavours, precise technique and standout ingredients – from top-tier bluefin tuna collar grilled over cherry wood to A5 Miyazaki Wagyu accompanied by wild mushrooms.
Noodle & Beer
27 Wardour Street, W1D 6PR
Noodle & Beer interior
Spicy noodles and cold beer – perhaps the most failsafe pairing of all – flow freely at Soho’s (drumroll) Noodle & Beer. This is the second restaurant of the Spitalfields original, now rubbing shoulders with Chinatown’s heavyweights. Down in the snug, scarlet basement, it’s all about that tongue-numbing Sichuan heat and beef-centric dishes. Come hungry: you’ll want wide belt noodles draped in braised beef and something cold and frothy on the side. Open ‘til 4am – perfect for when Soho’s spat you out and you need reviving.
Singburi
185‑186 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6HU
A Thai spread at Singburi
The cult Leytonstone Thai restaurant has entered a bold new chapter, landing in Shoreditch with fire-fuelled flair. Run by chefs Nick Molyviatis and Sirichai Kularbwong, with GM Alexander Gkikas, the new space features a custom-built grill, a 19-seat kitchen counter, and a no-desserts menu of punchy, seasonal dishes: prawn and betel leaf curry, smoked pork belly with green peppercorn, mussels with tomato and sweet basil. Natural wines rotate by the glass, BYO is still on, and cocktails are designed by Athens bar royalty. It’s a much larger home for Singburi and we have no doubt that it will be stuffed to the brim with hungry diners.
Luso
30 Charlotte Street, W1T 2NG
Lobster rice at Luso
Luso, the latest venture from MJMK Restaurants, has opened its doors on Charlotte Street, succeeding Nuno Mendes' Lisboeta. Under the guidance of chef Leandro Carreira, known for his work at The Sea, The Sea, the menu wanders the Iberian Atlantic coastline with a contemporary take on Portuguese cuisine. With dishes like salt-baked wild sea bass, clams à Bulhão Pato, and oven-roasted suckling pig on the cards, we're practically sprinting to book a table.
Alta
Kingly Court, W1B 5PW
A selection of dishes at Alta
Alta is the new Spanish grill landing in Soho’s Kingly Court this September, headed by Rob Roy Cameron, who has cooked everywhere from El Bulli to Albert Adrià’s 41 Degrees. The restaurant is a love letter to the Basque coast, with open-fire cooking, escabeches, and a keen eye on British ingredients – Shropshire Iberico pork, Lake District dairy, South West seafood, and vegetables grown specially for the menu. Plates are built to share: razor clams, grilled courgettes, Txistorra with onion cider jus, plus a grill section of sirloin and turbot. Drinks lean European and ethical, with a cider-heavy Basque nod, sherry, and savoury cocktails. Salud!
Our favourite recent openings
Moi
84 Wardour Street, W1F 0TQ
The baked mushroom rice at Moi
Eleonora Boscarelli
A selection of nigiri at Moi
An elegant marriage of British ingredients and Japanese flavours served in a sexy Soho dining room by a team with top tier hospitality pedigree? That's the bill at Moi, the first restaurant from the ambitious new MAD Restaurant Group who will be opening a series of restaurants in London, all of them centred around open fire cooking. Kick things off with a cocktail – the Red Egg Plant with tomato consommé, white wine, gin, apricot and ash oil was a perfect way to whet the appetite – before taking a robust stab at the sushi and sashimi menu where exceptional British seafood is left to shine in a testament to simplicity. Most elements of the menu are cooked over fire in some way, whether it's the raw tuna tataki topped with delicately charred slices of grapefruit, buttery longhorn short rib, or the intensely umami and earthy mushroom rice. The wine list, meanwhile, is full of the cool and quirky, with some hard hitting oranges and a range of classic bottles too from niche, independent producers.
Lai Rai
181 Rye Ln, London SE15 4TP
Dining at Lai Rai
Lai Rai has landed on Peckham’s Rye Lane with cold Saigon beers, sugarcane prawn skewers and a Ca Phe Martini that tastes like a disco in District 1. It’s Vietnamese bar-snack culture dialled up: fermented tofu with turmeric oil, twice-cooked crispy chicken with a fresh herb sauce, grilled betel leaf beef in coffee BBQ jus, and Laughing Cow ice cream laced with fish sauce (packed lunch nostalgia, eat your heart out). From Blair Nguyen (co-founder of the South East London project of Vinaxoa) and the Bánh Bánh team, it’s 50% childhood nostalgia and 50% afterparty sustenance. While there’s no pho on the menu, the traditional spices can be found on the quaffable cocktail list: the Pho Please is a mix of whiskey, pho-infused rice wine and house-made syrup. Môt, hai, ba, dô!
Set List
River Terrace South Side, Somerset House, WC2R 1LA
Dining at Set List
Setlist is the new bar, venue and general good-time enabler landing on Somerset House’s riverside terrace from 8 May. Built in a bespoke structure with views over the Thames, it’s part of the arts centre’s 25th birthday celebrations and promises a heady mix of live music, DJs, installations and snaffable food from some of London’s most exciting female chefs. The dream team behind it includes the folks behind Bar Elba, Bambi and Frank’s in Peckham, plus pub hero Clement Ogbonnaya and Somerset House stalwart Paul Smyth. Lock in for culture, carbs and cocktails with serious rhythm.
Duchy
18 Phipp Street, EC2A 4NU
Dining at Duchy
Duchy is the new spot from chef Simon Shand (formerly of Leroy), channelling the flavours of the old Duchy of Savoy – the Alpine-ish region once spanning Lyon to Milan – by way of pork neck with bagna cauda, Dover sole Grenobloise, and brown crab arancini. There’s pasta, there’s Génépi, there’s a Negroni made entirely from Savoyard booze. One for lovers of anchovies, artichokes, and Alpine amaro.
Hello Jojo
31 Camberwell Church St, SE5 8TR
Dining at Hello Jojo
Camberwell locals were gutted when Forza Win shut up shop in February – but good news: a belter’s already taken its place. Hello JoJo is the new restaurant and bakery lighting up Church Street, from Will Faris (formerly of The Dairy, The Ritz, Naughty Piglets) and Jo Garner (formerly of Mountain, Toad, e5 Bakehouse). It’s the kind of place that’ll quietly become your go-to. Think cured Tamworth pork belly sandwiches at sunrise and smoked potato dumplings by sundown. Take a pew. You’re staying a while.
Josephine Marylebone
6-8 Blandford Street, W1U 4AU
Dining at Josephine Marylebone
Claude and Lucy Bosi have swung open the doors to their hotly anticipated second Josephine, following the smash-hit Chelsea original. A Parisian brasserie Londoners dream about – this second outpost leans into the soul of classic Gallic cooking with a menu straight out of the 7th arrondissement. There are snails, heavy on the garlic, rum-soaked baba, plats à partager, and more fruits de mer to sink than Billingsgate. Best of all? A whole PDT (Pommes de Terre) menu devoted entirely to the humble spud – from silky purée and crisp frites to a golden, oozing gratin dauphinois and duchess potatoes. Vive la carb.
