From neighbourhood pizza places to wine bars and sushi joints, here are the best bars, restaurants and pubs to try in London this September.
1 Forza Wines, Southbank
Forza Wines opens up a second venue right on South Bank at the Brutalist feat the National Theatre. Similar to its south London older sibling in Peckham, this wine bar will pour natural wines and dish up Italian-ish small plates from its new 170-cover bar that comes with a terrace overlooking the Thames. Opens September 7.
Address: Upper Ground, South Bank, SE1 9PX
Website: nationaltheatre.org.uk
2 Little Cellars, Camberwell
The Peckham Cellars team are opening up a second wine bar a stone’s throw away in Camberwell. The wine list covers old and new wines while for food, quaffers can expect to munch on dishes such as confit chicken leg with coco beans and girolles; poached trout, artichoke and seaweed beurre blanc; and courgettes provencal and truffled polenta, although the menu will change regularly. Also look out for charcuerie and cheese boards and homemade pates and terrines for snacking. Opens September 7.
Address: 75 Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell, London, SE5 8TU
Website: littlecellars.co.uk
3 Luci, Covent Garden
The Aqua Restaurant Group (also found in the Shard) has opened an ‘Italian dining bakery’ on Long Arce in the style of Milanese cafes. The venue’s bancone counter on the first floor comes stocked with fresh baked goods and Al Forno dishes, while in the upstairs dining room, diners can order a la carte.
Address: 136 Long Acre, Covent Garden WC2E 9AA
Website: lucirestaurant.co.uk
4 Fazenda Bishopsgate
A grand Argentina grill restaurant for the financial district, Fazenda Bishopsgate is the first Fazenda for London, with restaurants already in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Cocktails and wines come alongside a meat-forward menu – wagyu crudo, chicken hearts, as well as beef tenderloin, ribeye and sirloin.
Address: 100 Bishopsgate, EC2M 1GT
Website: fazenda.co.uk
5 Llama Inn, Shoreditch
This Bib Gourmand-awarded Brooklyn Peruvian restaurant ventures out past New York when it opens its doors in The Hoxton hotel’s rooftop in Shoreditch. Voted into the New York Time’s 2023 Best Restaurants list, Llama Inn has earned rep for great cocktails and contemporary Peruvian dishes such as lomo saltado with chive crepe,pickled ajies, avocado, and rocoto cream; and scallop, yuzu kosho, pitahaya, and nori ceviche.
Address: The Hoxton Hotel, 1 Willow Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4BH
Website: llamainnlondon.com
6 LAVO, Marylebone
From the team behind the Michelin-starred Hakkasan and sublime dumpling house Yauatcha, Italian restaurant LAVO will open up in new hotel The BoTree. With locations in New York, Las Vegas, Singapore and Los Angeles, the restaurant plates up contemporary Mediterranean dishes such as Wagyu meatballs with whipped ricotta and homemade pasta; tagliatelle al limone with marjoram, sweet butter and Kaluga caviar. And of course, pizza. Opens September 15.
Address: 30 Marylebone Lane, Marylebone W1U 2DR
Website: taogroup.com
7 42 Holborn, Holborn
A swanky new Mediterranean-ish restaurant house sin a Grade II Listed building, 42 Holborn is an all-day dining restaurant. Food and Drink Director Adnan Ozkara has previously worked at Hakkasan, Parak Chinois and Jeru Mayfair, so expect a slick operation here. As well as an extensive cocktail list, expect to see things like Tuscan chicken and Spanish lentil stew on the menu. Opens early September
Address: 42 Kingsway, Holborn WC2B 6EY
Website: 42holborn.com
8 Chez Rowley at Laylow
Rowley Leigh, the chef and author behind Le Café Anglais and Kensington Palace has launched a residency in Notting Hill club/restaurant Laylow. Chez Rowley is a bistro with nostalgic dishes that takes its ques from Italian-tinged family holidays in Europe. Dine family-style on dishes such as seasonal tomatoes and stracciatella; raw bavette; and seared mackerel with bread sauce and pickled gooseberries. The hero on the menu is poulet antiboise – whole chicken roasted with anchovies, black olives, garlic, thyme, onions and white wine and served with hispi cabbage and pangrattato. Opens September 13 and runs for three months.
Address: 10 Golborne Roade W10 5PE
Website: chezrowley.com
9 Payvllon, Park Lane
One of the world’s most awarded chefs has opened his first London restaurant. With 15 Michelin stars across 17 restaurants worldwide, Yannick Alleno has set a high bar for his first London venture, Pavyllon in the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane. The restaurant serves modern French dishes using British produce. Known for his “Extraction” technique used in making sauces, Yannick will continue to focus on this aspect of the dishes. Attached to the restaurant, Bar Antoine comes with an innovative cocktail list – try the mushroom foam espresso martini.
Address: Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, W1j 7DR
Website: fourseasons.com
10 CHŪŌ, Shoreditch
Don’t confuse this “sushi monorail” restaurant with sushi conveyor belt joints. Instead of sushi pieces cutting laps along the counter like uncollected baggage, CHŪŌ’s dishes are made fresh to order and delivered to guests by the Sushi Monorail directly to your table. Head Chef Armanto Tsatsa leads the kitchen, having previously worked at Miro Mayfair, Lucky Cat, Ivy Asia and Taka Mayfair.
Address: 20 Paul Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4JH
Website: chuo.co.uk
11 Eight Hundred Flavours, Chinatown
This new Chinatown haunt focuses on Chinese street food from the southern coastal region of Qingdao. It’s the newest venture by Shao Wei, the founder of popular Sichuan restaurant Barshu and dim sum favourite Baozilnn. And serves the likes of steamed fish dumplings, pan fried dumplings, along with noodle dishes and a good range of BBQ dishes.
Address: 8 Little Newport Street WC2H 7JJ
Website: 8hundredflavours.co.uk
12 Napoli On The Road, Richmond
With a restaurant already in Chiswick, award-winning Neapolitan pizzeria Napoli on the Road has opened a second site in Richmond. Serving pizzas with seasonal toppings, pizzas include fillet tartare with parmigiano fondu, fior di latte, mixed leaves beef filet tartare, crushed hazelnut and Amalfi lemon olive oil; and a stuffed pepper pizza with for di latte, sauteed red peppers, aromatized panko bread black olive powder, raisins, almonds, capers, and wild creamy garlic leaf. There’s even a six cheese pizza for those with guts made of steel.
Address: 12 Red Lion Street, Richmond TW9 1RW
Website: napoliontheroad.co.uk
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