A new Greek taverna, an Afghan-inspired barbecue spot, and even more Italian spots feature in London’s newest openings, alongside special dining events and a new luxury olive and antipasti supermarket offering. As London summer starts again, here’s where and how you should be spending it.
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 May, plus a few recent favourites worth revisiting. It is our job, after all.
New restaurant openings for May
Bar Etna
47 Newington Green, N16 9PX
Bar Etna
London’s pizza scene is an increasingly crowded one, but this new opening has a couple of factors in its favour that make it stand out. It’s the newest opening from Four Legs founder Ed McIlroy, who has already had winners in the gastropub scene with The Plimsoll and with the Spanish-inspired fish bar Tollington’s, so there’s every reason to believe the group will nail a new genre. Pizza novices as they are, McIlroy has drafted in outside help with Philadelphian Joe Beddia, of Pizzeria Beddia fame, which received a Bib Gourmand in 2025. The style leans Italian-American, combining with McIlroy’s focus on seasonality and ingredients, and it hits all the notes of a modern London opening: soft-serve, Negronis on tap, house spritzes and low-intervention wines.
Jolene Bridle Lane
13 Bridle Lane, W1F 9BT
Jolene Bridle Lane
It was only a matter of time before East London darling, and the pre-eminent bakery-to-be-seen-at Jolene spread its wings and flew to Soho, and now it has happened. It won’t be the full bakery-by-day, restaurant-by-night spot like the Hackney original, but will focus on sandwiches, pastries and coffee, seven days a week, from The Aries flagship. Expect classic combinations like rhubarb, frangipane and almond danishes; fiery jalapeño and cream cheese buns; and flaky pains aux raisins, as well as providing another great spot to pick up one of its tote bags.
Zylia
6 Bedford Street, WC2E 9HZ
Nick Molyviatis and Barry Karacostas
If London hitting 20°C has massively increased the frequency at which you suddenly crave charcoal-grilled souvlaki, you’re in luck. Zylia, a new Cypriot-Greek taverna from Nick Molyviatis (Oma, Singburi 2.0) and Barry Karacostas, will open at the end of May. It promises mezzes like
The Sea The Sea
234 Pavilion Road, SW1X 0AW
Silver mullet, peas and white asparagus
Likely the first restaurant in London to share a name with an Iris Murdoch novel, but rather than a psychological exploration of vanity, it focuses more on the genre of serving fresh seafood. Long known as a seafood bar and fish shop in Chelsea that supplies many top restaurants, it is expanding into a bistro and fishmonger on Pavilion Road. Dishes include oysters, skate wing, Cornish lobster, and cuttlefish, served alongside an expensive wine list focused on white wine and some quaffable cocktails.
Ornella
51 Wilton Way, E8 1BG
Ed Templeton and Naz Hassan
With Ornella coming off the back of Lupa, co-founders Ed Templeton, Naz Hassan and Theo James are bringing each Italian city to London, one restaurant at a time. While Lupa leans into a Roman trattoria style, Ornella is inspired by the flavours of Northern Italy, reflecting head chef Hassan’s Milanese background. The menu skews more Alpine, dairy-rich rather than olive oil-soaked. Think: mondeghili meatballs, penne alla vodka, tagliatelle al burro e parmigiano, e risotto alla milanese.
Cue Point
41 Bramley Road, W10 6SZ
Cue Point
As we quickly move into barbecue season, London met the moment with the new opening of Cue Point, a British-Afghan concept that will open its first permanent location on Bramley Road in Notting Hill. As permanent spots go, this one is well-earned – it comes as Cue Point celebrates its 10-year anniversary. Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney have spent the intervening years building the brand through pop-ups, international residencies, and festivals, and have experience elsewhere at places like Smokestak. The food sounds salivatingly good, with slow-smoked meats and Afghan flavours combining in dishes like black-lime-and-pepper chicken, oak-smoked lamb shank, and chilli-citrus charcoal-grilled sea bass.
Our favourite recent openings
The Latimer
274 Latimer Rd, W10 6QW
The Latimer family
The Spiteris, one of Britain’s powerhouse families in the hospitality industry, are all teaming up together for a new pub and neighbourhood restaurant, The Latimer. Husband Jon Spiteri (The French House, St. John, Sessions Art Club) and wife Melanie Arnold (Rochelle Canteen) will be joined by sons Lorcan and Fin (Caravel), and daughter Molly (Koya) in a venture one hopes doesn't eventually ruin Christmas. The kitchen will be led by Lorcan, with dishes like brown crab tagliolini with bisque and lemon and ox tail with mash and horseradish, while Fin will be heading up the drinks and leading the front-of-house service, with the rest of the family involved behind the scenes.
Opens April 21; thelatimer.co.uk
Ornella
51 Wilton Way, E8 1BG
We’re only a month or two away from everyone longing for a Talented Mr. Ripley summer – ideally minus the murder – and, due to the amount of Italian spots opening up, you don’t even have to leave London to get it anymore. Ornella comes from chef Naz Hassan, who pays homage to his Milanese upbringing with this London Fields spot. Think mondeghili meatballs, penne alla vodka, tagliatelle al burro e parmigiano and risotto alla milanese, and signature dishes like vitello tonnato, and ‘elephant’s ear’ cotoletto di vitello. It’s also the latest collaboration between founders Ed Templeton and Theo James, who opened the Roman-inspired Lupa last year, as they tick off every major Italian city.
Opens April
Whiteley’s Kitchen at Six Senses London
Suffolk pork chop
In the mood to repent? London's hedonism has a way of catching up with you, and when it does, Whiteley's Kitchen, Bar & Café – opened at Six Senses London this March – is a more civilised response than a multivitamin and a vow of sobriety. Executive Chef Eliano Crespi and Head Chef Jose Jara, formerly of Henrique Sa Pessoa's two-Michelin-star kitchen, lead a menu that takes its cues from the Anglo-Celtic calendar: vegetable-forward, fermentation-led, built around time, fire, and patience. Morning brings scrambled eggs on toasted brioche with New Forest asparagus; come evening, soothing bowls of nettle and ricotta agnolotti. The adjoining bar works with or without alcohol – a detail that, depending on the week you've had, may be the most useful thing in this guide.
Opened March; sixsenses.com
Tavern
374-378 Old St, EC1V 9LT
Tavern
We like a restaurant that tells you its vibe in its name – you hear Tavern, you think homely interiors, possibly a dog, pints, and meals of substantive portion. Dog yet to be confirmed, but you’ll find the other three at this latest opening from the team behind Michelin-starred St Barts. Taking over the former site of Nest in Shoreditch, the bistro-style restaurant will serve a regularly changing menu focusing on seasonal British produce, whole-animal butchery, and dishes cooked over fire, headed up by Executive Chef Brendan Appleby. Beer will be served in tankards, alongside classic cocktails and a wine list from suppliers including Newcomer and Modal Wines, focused on natural and low-intervention producers.
Opens April 28; Tavernlondon.co.uk
Sova
9 Blenheim Cres, W11 2EE
More and more new openings are shining a spotlight on Eastern European cuisine, and Sova is set to add to the list. Just off Portobello Road in Notting Hill, it will feature a range of Slavic-inspired sharing plates, skin-contact wine from Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and beyond from consultant sommelier Cristian Vega, as well as vinyls and guest DJs to turn up the vibes. Sova literally translates to ‘owl’ in several Slavic languages, so we hope it keeps its nocturnal promise and becomes a late-night staple, because who doesn't want some Slovenian Malvasia after midnight?
Opens April; sova.london
The Golden Tooth
79 Green Lanes, N16 9BU
Golden Tooth
East London dwellers aren’t exactly lacking in choice, but are set to receive another option in the form of The Golden Tooth. This opening comes from the team behind Papi, with Chef Matthew Scott and wine aficionado Charlie Carr taking over the site of the historic Leconfield Pub in Stoke Newington for a pub-restaurant with in-built nostalgia. The menu will include currywurst, fried ox tongue with Thai gooseberry jam, and non-stop oyster shucking at the front bar. The wine offering focuses on micro-producers and low-intervention natural wines, with a special focus on homegrown English producers.
Opens April 24; Goldentooth.co.uk
Teal by Sally Abé
52 Wilton Way, E8 1BS
View on Instagram
One of the most anticipated openings of the year so far, Teal is the latest venture from chef Sally Abé, previously of The Pem and The Bull at Charlbury, and marks her first solo venture. Taking over the gone-but-not-forgotten Sesta space (which in turn took over from Pidgin), it aims to celebrate the best of British produce. The menu will change with the seasons, but expect dishes like Dorset crab royale, haunch of deer with pickled walnuts and cavolo nero, and Cornish mussels with Jersey royals, cauliflower and sea kale.
Opened March 26; tealbysallyabe.com
Impala
13-14 Dean St, London W1D 3RS
View on Instagram
Another long-awaited opening, Impala is the first solo venture of ex-Kiln chef Meedu Saad, an Egyptian-style restaurant that blends charcoal and Saad’s classic French training. Kiln DNA is all over the place, sharing the same design team and Soho residence. Menu highlights include a dry-aged Devon duck stuffed with black lime and Aswan chillies, skewers cooked over white coals for a smoky char, and wood-oven-baked rice with ghee in clay pots. To give a little insight into the level of preparation that has gone into this spot: The team worked with a farm in Exmoor to rear their own lambs, mutton and ewes for use in the kitchen, which will be a standout on the menu.
Opened March 26; impalasoho.com
