As we stare down the barrel of dark evenings, there's solace to be found in the warming, delicious aromas of London's new restaurant openings.
From the eagerly awaited Tobi Masa in Grosvenor square to a red-hot collab at Motorino, and Marylebone's brand new gastropub, 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 October, plus a few recent favourites worth revisiting. It is our job, after all.
New restaurant openings for November
Nora
7 West Lane, E22 3AA
Nora
Thought Canary Wharf was all suits and spreadsheets? Think again. This November, brothers Ozgur and Sidar Akyuz drop Nora, bringing the flavours of Istanbul to the city’s financial playground. Brother Ozgur and Sidar Akyuz bring the flavours of Istanbul to Canary Wharf with Nora. Led by Daniel Alt (ex-Barbary), the menu fuses street food, Ottoman tradition, and modern takes – think Adana köfte off the robata, crab rice dolmas and orange blossom and walnut baklava. Turkish wines and raki cocktails ensure the boardroom vibe stays just the right side of lubricated.
Ling Lings
Godet, 382 Essex Road, N1 3PF
Ling Lings
Ling Ling's has parked at Godet for a year, bringing Jenny Phung's cross-Asian snacks to one of London’s slickest wine pubs. Fans of her roaming kitchen at The Bluecoats, The Gun, Bambi and Newcomer Wines can expect the same killer food, now skewed towards shareable plates and wine-friendly bites. Tongue-tingling Sichuan hibiscus octopus, soy-pomegranate turnip cakes, and mala beef udon (yes, a nod to Spag Bol) all make an appearance. From November, Sundays go full family-style feast.
Motorino
1 Pearson Square, W1T 3BF
Luke Ahearne and Stevie Parle
What happens when the brains behind two of London’s most hyped restaurant openings of the past couple of years team up? At Motorino, we’re about to find out. It comes from restaurateur Steve Parle, who already has a 2025 hit on his hands with Town, and chef Luke Ahearne, whose work at Lita earned him a Michelin star earlier this year. Opening on October 20, the aesthetic builds on Town’s retro-futuristic, slightly Blade Runner-adjacent, featuring a distinct, yellow colour palette. For the food, after conquering Spanish fare with Lita, Ahearne turns his sights eastward towards Italy, so expect a revolving door of staple pasta numbers, focaccia and meat dishes.
The Hart
56 Blandford Street, W1U 7JA
Interiors at The Hart
For an affluent part of central London, Marylebone is surprisingly lacking when it comes to quality pubs. That could all change as The Hart takes over a space on the corner of Blandford and Chiltern Street. The pub is in the vein of Maida Vale’s The Hero or The Pelican, so think smoked eel with celeriac, bubble and squeak, and trout with horseradish. The interiors are swoonsome too, all wood panelling and private nooks.
Tobi Masa
30 Grosvenor Square, W1K 6AN
Tobi Masa
Hot on the heels of Carbone, The Rosewood Hotel has another big restaurant opening to shout about. Tobi Masa comes from Masa Takayama, the chef you might know from his three-Michelin-starred restaurant Masa in Manhattan, or from his regular appearances on Anthony Bourdain’s various travel shows. We don't know if this new opening will be gunning to hunt down its New York sibling in the Michelin race, but we do know you can expect some high-end Japanese cooking at, we’re sure, a reasonable price.
The Black Eel
41 Kingsland High Street, E8 2J
Rileys at The Black Eel
We hate to see iconic London buildings left to ruin, so it's always exciting when a new venture takes over a beloved space. The Black Eel is setting up shop in the Grade-II listed Cooke’s Pie & Mash shop on Kingsland High Street, preserving the shopfront but changing what’s inside. What unfolds is a labyrinth of different rooms: a main bar area, a games room with darts and shuffleboard, a more relaxed lounge space, and a gigantic beer garden out back. The new kitchen concept is called Riley’s, where you can expect Mediterranean-style sharing plates from chef Billy Fisher.
Our favourite recent openings
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!
Kudu
7 Moxon Street, W1U 4EP
Kudu Bread
After eight years in Peckham, Kudu, the South African-inspired venture from Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams, has made the leap to Marylebone, leaving loyal Peckham regulars slightly heartbroken. The new site unites the original Kudu, Kudu Grill and Curious Kudu under one roof, with a larger kitchen primed for open-fire brilliance. Every meal here should kick off with the cult-favourite Kudu Bread, soft, pillowy, and dunked into an addictive curry-leaf-infused butter. The menu balances punchy small plates – harissa chopped beef with crispy shallots, burrata with pineapple and shiso – with grill-driven mains: monkey gland pork chops, Cape Malay monkfish potjie, and sharing-ready T-bone or whole black bream. Sweet finishes include fig pavlova and the showstopping Kit Kat tart with burnt marshmallow. Marylebone, you’re welcome.
