We know you’re a sucker for a new opening. Just the word ‘new’ in the title of this article was enough to lure you in, the promise of fresh drinking and dining spots too enticing to miss. And luckily, London has one of the most exciting food scenes in the world; an ever-changing tapestry of fusion flavours, best-in-class chefs, and ritzy, glitzy openings you simply must try.
So, as we’re the world’s leading luxury lifestyle group, we’ve selected the finest new restaurants this April. From a 12-course seafood feast to a sultry steakhouse, here are five you won’t want to miss.
Lilli by Akira Back
Akira Back doesn’t mess around – just look at DOSA (his 14-seat chef’s table that became London’s first Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in this year’s guide). Now, he’s onto his next much-raved-about venture at the Montcalm Mayfair – only a short stroll from the celebrated counter. While the scoop is still somewhat of a secret, we have high hopes that this new spot will serve the chef’s signature super-thinly sliced tuna pizza.
2 Wallenberg Pl, W1H 7TN
MR PORTER Steakhouse, Mayfair
It's getting hot in here – and not just because this sultry steakhouse has turned up the heat at its latest destination. After successful outposts in Amsterdam and Barcelona, plus a pop-up in Ibiza, the brand has teased flame-kissed dishes like grilled lobster and carpaccio crowned with Beluga caviar. So, it’s no surprise that the space is just as sexy – so much so, it could give Brad Pitt a run for his money. Enough said.
22 Park Ln, W1K 1BE
Tom Brown at The Capital
After starting off strong with Shoreditch oyster bar Pearly Queen and the now-closed, Michelin-starred Cornerstone, Cornish-born chef Tom Brown is now making waves in Knightsbridge. The 28-seat space is all sorts of stylish – partly because you can spot Harrods from the window. Now, onto the food. Diners can shell out for the 12-course seafood feast, featuring creations like cuttlefish ravioli (curiously crafted entirely from fish) and tuna with soy and quail egg.
22–24 Basil St, SW3 1AT
Alfie’s at The Alfred Tennyson
A restaurant above a Belgravia boozer? Now that’s worth raising a glass to. As you’d expect from this postcode, this isn’t your average pub grub. Upstairs, you’ll find white tablecloths, candlelit corners, and a menu that means business – serving standout plates like Hereford beef tartare and roasted brill with Cornish mussels in a smoked mackerel sauce. It’s quite literally a step up from a perfectly poured pint with a side of pork scratchings.
10 Motcomb St, SW1X 8LA
The Lavery
It’s a cliché to call a restaurant a work of art, but when it’s housed inside the former home of an artist, the comparison feels appropriate. What was once a blank canvas is now a masterpiece – picture a Georgian townhouse framed with stuccoed plasterwork and soaring ceilings. Bringing this vision to life is The River Café’s former senior chef Yohei Furuhashi, who has used his (brush)stroke of genius to sketch out a Mediterranean menu – including Scottish scallops with alubia beans.
