London’s Hottest New Restaurants

Central London is experiencing a gastronomical boom, with hip new restaurants popping up constantly. We’ve narrowed down a list of our absolute favorite newcomers to try in the area.—Alex Wijeratna

Dazzling dishes, such as silky lobster knuckle ravioli in a fragrant consommé–mark out Les 110 de Taillevent as the capital’s ne plus ultra French brasserie de luxe. An import from Paris and chicly housed in a former Coutts Bank on Cavendish Square, swarms of giddy oenophiles and horn-rimmed doctors from nearby Harley Street delight in the exquisite cuisine and list of 110 rare and famed wines by the glass. Indulge in classic Chambertin and Château Latour, or rarely seen Rieslings, Barolos and Sauternes, and be sure to pair with flawless desserts like Breton sablé or Paris-Brest éclair.

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There’s no finer fish dish in town right now than up-market Indian newcomer Jamavar’s stone bass tikka. Tandoor-blasted and marinated in mace and cardamom, this stone bass is accompanied by a chili-spiked avocado chutney. So authentic is the food and spicing here that the restaurant buzzes with Bollywood stars, wealthy Mayfair moguls and the entire well-coiffured high caste Indian diaspora. Inspired by the Viceroy’s House in New Delhi, Jamavar is sumptuously decorated with gilded wall coverings, Indian artwork, and Lutyens-style furniture. Luxuriate in a procession of mini dhosas, black dhal and palak, and enjoy other top mains like pearly onion and coconut milk-spiced lobster nerulli, or char-grilled Old Delhi butter chicken.

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Downsized dishes of vibrant Indian street food emerge from the open kitchen at this lively Soho newcomer. Sit at the L-shaped lava-topped counter and watch chefs haul out bone marrow-smeared kulcha breads from a blazing clay tandoor. Sip rum-laced milky masala chai tea and dip away at cauliflower and yolk-topped kedgeree, perky bowls of garlic butter crab, or puffed rice bhel puri starters, pepped up with raw mango, Greek yogurt and a tangy tamarind sauce. Always packed, the place is full of neat touches, from molten bronze injected into the exposed brickwork, to vintage Indian herb holders and the ornate Haveli doors in the basement cocktail bar-cum-communal dining den.

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Perch at the galley kitchen counter at London’s top pasta bar at Borough Market, and watch transfixed as chefs toss hot pans of handmade Italian pasta. Epic and amazingly cheap dishes include egg-free Parmesan-and-black pepper rich pici cacao e pepe (pronounced pea-chy) from Tuscany, or devilishly addictive ricotta ravioli with a slick of sage butter. Other favorites include burrata with Puglian olive oil, pappardelle with 8-hour Dexter beef shin ragù, or fettuccine with chicken livers. With pasta mains ranging from £5 to £12, dessert at £4, and Italian wine by the tap starting at £3.50, it’s little wonder expectant lines form here daily from noon.

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Earthy northern Thai food shines at this evocative clay pot, iron wok, BBQ and wood-burning kiln-focused Soho spot. Sizzling hogget skewers and slow-grilled soy chicken thigh bites pack a huge side-of-the-road punch, while a raft of other rural village-style dishes showcase influences from Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan province. Pick up pungent hints of betel and kaffir lime leaves, galangal, sweet mint, Thai parsley, Szechuan pepper and rare Burmese wild ginger in the cheap and authentic dishes. Think spiky lime-bathed langoustines, Isaan mushroom salad, or clay pot baked glass noodles with Cornish crab and Mangalitsa pork.

Insider Tip: it’s walk ins only at the counter and closed Sunday evenings.

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Low-and-slow smokehouse meat maven Neil Rankin smashes the live-fire rare breed meat scene at this speakeasy-like basement playpen. Sit at the central open kitchen counter and feel the heat from a Heath Robinson-esque complex of white-hot charcoal smoke pits, seething clay ovens, and medieval-looking roasting spits. On-site butchered and tempered nose to tail goodies include the 9-hour smoked Cabrito kid goat tacos with chipotle and sour cream, Welsh Black Tyn-Y-Caeau burnt beef fat, and charred Daphne Tilley lamb on baked flat breads. Swig pokey Mexican mescal, and pair with grilled corn and lamb fat béarnaise, smacked cucumber, or beef fat potatoes with a blowtorched Ogleshield cheesy top.

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Hidden way in the depths of Flemings Mayfair hotel is Shaun Rankin’s Michelin-starred ode to all things Jersey (in the Channel Islands). A mélange of Rankin fans, hotel guests, and Mayfair dining scene divas luck out in this art deco-inspired haven featuring Jersey-reared, caught, and foraged dishes. From sweet lobster ravioli with crab bisque to crab with mango, there’s nothing here that fails to delight. Choose from a list of mostly English fizz and wines, then end on Rankin’s famous treacle tart with raspberry coulis and–you guessed it–Jersey clotted cream.

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An older crowd enjoys the club-like vibe at this instant classic all-day brasserie in the back of Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. Exchange a few words with the flat-capped doorman before settling into a burnt orange leather booth and dusting down a dark rum and Darjeeling Char Lady cocktail or Noilly Prat soda apéritif. An old school trolley trundles up tableside to serve Siberian Sturgeon caviar with copious scrambled eggs, blinis and baked new potatoes, while creamy beef Stroganoff and whole duck with elderberry sauce gets the full tableside flambé treatment. Welsh rarebit toasty has a punchy mustard kick, while nostalgic desserts range from Knickerbocker Glory to a flotilla of boozy ice cream floats.

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Modern British bistronomy takes a giant leap forward with chef/patron Mark Jarvis’s foodie shrine and tasting menu mecca at Hatton Garden jewelry quarter in Farringdon. A DIY rip-out-and-gut job by classically-trained Jarvis and co. leaves a scarily stark dining room, with little to look at aside from the stunning Brit-sourced seasonal foodie creations on the plate. Offering only top value £45 seven-course tasting menus for dinner, bliss out on gorgeously plated dishes like Cornish plaice with carrot and sea beet or art-on-a-plate skate with salsify, sea beet and lemon verbena. A seemingly simple tomato salad is a symphony of sweet Isle of Wight tomatoes with edible flowers, pickled seaweed, and tomato foam, while dessert may surprise with a deconstructed apple crumble.

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There’s a hygge-style warm glow at this ritzy New Nordic morning-til-late frontrunner off Piccadilly Circus. Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki pulls out all the Scandi design stops at this double-height all clean-lines-and-polished-brass Nordic emporium, including en pointe Svenskt Tenn furnishings, Rörstrand porcelain and Filippa K wait staff uniforms. Pickled herring with dill and mustard dip are a highlight of the small-jars smörgåsbord, while seasonal mains take in tender halibut with fennel, trout roe and a dreamy, creamy Sandefjord sauce. Swedish meatballs pair perfectly with mash and lingonberries. Be sure to try the Artic bird’s nest dessert, a noir-ish tangle of tuile, chocolate twigs, forest berries, edible flowers, gold leaf flakes, and white chocolate goat cheese ‘egg’ with a sea buckthorn yolk.

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