Published: 07 August, 2026
Brighton’s vinous credentials are strong and getting stronger with the opening of The Vine House in Kemptown. The new restaurant-wine bar also represents a collaboration between some of the beachfront city’s top hospitality aficionados. Founded by Marc Wise and Tim Hall, formerly directors of the city’s 9 Vines wine shop and bar, the gastronomic offer is overseen by the team from Brighton neighbourhood restaurant Wild Flor, James Thomson and head chef George Upshall. Seafood delights including crab and samphire linguine entice, with Jersey rock oysters an exciting aperitif. It would be remiss not to mention the 120-cover venue’s wine wonders. This is a smart hybrid venue, with an enticing wall of wine available for take-out purchases, and a list that stands as a quality oasis in Kemptown.
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Published: 05 August, 2026
Chef-restaurateur Adam Byatt is bringing another culinary destination to south west London. Much like his Michelin-starred Trinity, the restaurant sits astride one of the area’s commons, Wandsworth rather than Clapham for this venture. Rosina represents Byatt’s first exploration of Italian dining. Will Bee fronts the kitchen operation as head chef; his dishes will chart the best of the Boot’s culinary landscape. Enticing snacks such as gnocco fritto with mortadella bologna will commence diners’ evenings, followed by signature dishes such as risotto bianco and cacio e pepe. Byatt’s creative journey to launch the restaurant was charted in his Youtube series Road to Rosina, the chef being one of the savviest social media operators in hospitality. Evenings will be topped off by selections from the roaming dessert trolly – tiramisu, anyone?
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Published: 03 August, 2026
Nestled in the Derbyshire Dales, Bakewell has gained a new restaurant-cum-cocktail bar, The Charleston. It’s the newest hospo venture from Peak District group Longbow Venues. Drawing inspiration from 1920s glitz, Longbow has brought the previously long-vacant Grade-II listed bank building back to life. The upstairs restaurant overlooks the historic market town, where diners are encouraged to sample the best of domestic produce. Wine is sourced by a Harpers 50 Best Indies 2026 merchant – Bakewell’s own Hattersley Wines. In the main restaurant bespoke artwork, elegant drapery and funky furniture provide a dose of escapism for patrons. The building’s original bank vault hosts private dining room The Speakeasy while pre and post-prandial creations can be enjoyed at The Charleston’s cocktail bar.
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Within Tower Bridge’s Four Seasons Hotel, Cooper’s Cut is a sophisticated steakhouse combining prime cuts of beef with Martini sophistication. Using meat sourced from top Japanese, Galician and British farmers, head chef Luke Armstrong aims to perfect dishes including Côte de Boeuf and Chateaubriand. Housed in the former Port Authority building, the menu nods to its trading past – a homemade piccalilli’s mustard seeds harking back to a key spice route commodity. Head of bars Michele Lombardi centres Martinis in his drinks menu, supported by creations including a Gimlet with white port and Vetiver Gris. The Ho Bryan private dining room – a collaboration with Château Haut-Brion – pays homage to the earliest mention of the famed estate in the English language by Samuel Pepys, who lived on nearby Seething Lane.
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The Castle Hotel Windsor – with a history dating back to 1528 – is undergoing a very modern refurb. Alongside changes to the hotel proper, the storied venue will include Penningtons, a new restaurant and bar. A contemporary take on British classics, the offer will include hearty pies, Sunday roasts and a dessert trolley to boot. The restaurant takes its name from George Pennington, an entrepreneurial innkeeper at The Mermaid Inn (the site’s historic name), who created the Pennington Penny during a nationwide small coinage shortage. Similar creativity has been harnessed to create a refreshed bar in the site’s historic taproom. Interiors including zinc bar tops and tiled floors will play host to cocktail serves and local beers.
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The latest luxury Japanese dining venture from Thesleff Group – the business behind Luna Omakase and Los Mochis – takes a philosophical turn. Guided by the belief that every ingredient used carries an invisible power, considered and refined fine dining awaits visitors to the Upper Grosvenor Street eatery, led by executive chef Leo Tanyag and his team. Drawing from the Japanese cocktail tradition, as the night goes on MA/NA transitions into a sophisticated late-evening bar. Principles of precision, rhythm and heat underpin bar director Pietro Collina’s serves. These include the bewitching Noble Martini – an alchemy of vodka, dry vermouth, Château d’Yquem Sauternes and lemon twist. Interiors pay homage to Tokyo nightlife with patrons as likely to photograph the bespoke handblown lighting installation as the forward-thinking cuisine.
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The Open Restaurant Group is adding a new Mancunian venue to its ranks with the launch of The Counter in September. The restaurant is centred around its chef’s counter where six to eight guests can be wowed by a kitchen team led by executive chef Andrew Sheridan. The Counter’s ethos of lifting the curtain on the culinary operations sees it showcase a full-scale rotisserie, as well as a meat and fish drying cabinet to excite curious restaurant goers. The site gives patrons the option of dining under 4m-tall elm trees, astride stylish curved booth seating, or on its 20-cover terrace while observing the goings on of the buzzy John Dalton Street. The drinks menu is curated by Jake Nutt, formerly of Wales’ Ynyshir and Gwen, emphasising English wines, Manchester-brewed beers and contemporary cocktails.
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Former somm and consultant Jonathan Kleeman talks Andrew Catchpole through a novel approach to creating an economically sustainable future for restaurants and bars – and, spoiler, it doesn’t involve landlords.
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Published: 07 April, 2026
Jeremy King has a knack for restaurant revival, this time around bringing back landmark London restaurant Simpson’s in the Strand. The last Grande Dame restaurant to keep its original interiors, King says it is the “apotheosis” of his career to bring it back to its former glory. The venture sees a relaxed dining space, a cocktail bar and late-night bar, as well as flagship dining room The Grand Divan. Here, amid the Edwardian grandeur, Simpson’s famed silver trolleys are guided between tables by ‘master carvers’ who will ready the carnivorous fare. Grills, roasts and pies will be served alongside a classic wine offer – a French-oriented listing from leading appellations as well as value options from regional France. Breakfast service returns too, namely the classic Ten Deadly Sins plate.
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Published: 11 March, 2026
Describing itself as “Friday markets in Cairo colliding with a Soho bar”, Impala is a charcoal grill restaurant which combines influences from Egypt to England. The debut restaurant from chef Meedu Saad, who previously worked as head chef at Kiln, the space – an “awkward 1960s building” – will be based around an open kitchen. The presence of an in-house butchery is also a standout feature. Food will be seasonal, with dishes collected from Saad’s formative cooking experiences. Meanwhile the wine list, run by Penny Vine and Martina Larnach, can be expected to be idiosyncratic and distinct, with back vintages of Italian alpine greats, and a project underway to import Bourgeois Dias – a zero-sulphite Champagne producer.
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Published: 09 March, 2026
Acclaimed British chef Sally Abé will open her first standalone restaurant at the end of this month, named after her favourite game bird. Recognised for her ‘robust’ approach to food – which is rooted in British cooking and a nostalgia for the classics – the menu will include dishes such as haunch of deer, pickled walnuts and cavolo nero and Cornish mussels, Jersey royals, cauliflower and sea kale. Co-owner Abe Drewery will curate the wine list, which will be continually changing, with limited cases refreshed throughout the season – focusing on Champagne (a favourite of Abé’s), along with rich Chardonnays and Bordeaux reds to complement her cooking.
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Published: 09 February, 2026
New independent Italian Vieni opens its doors at the Goodsyard in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter early this month, promising Nonna-inspired cooking from Agrigento in Sicily. Chef-founder Angelina Adamo, who has spent a decade working across various Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels, and manager Charlotte Carter will draw on generous regional cooking and Sicilian street food to recreate a taste beyond the popular Italian image of pizza and pasta. From lemon granitas to whole sea bass and chargrilled beef ribs, decadent cannoli and affogatos, the drinks menu naturally dips into Sicilian wines, with spritzes and Italian liqueurs also to the fore. With 40 covers in this light and airy development, Vieni should easily meet its brief of being the flagship hospitality venue at Goodsyard.
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Published: 06 February, 2026
New independent Italian Vieni opens its doors at the Goodsyard in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter early this month, promising Nonna-inspired cooking from Agrigento in Sicily. Chef-founder Angelina Adamo, who has spent a decade working across various Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels, and manager Charlotte Carter will draw on generous regional cooking and Sicilian street food to recreate a taste beyond the popular Italian image of pizza and pasta. From lemon granitas to whole sea bass and chargrilled beef ribs, decadent cannoli and affogatos, the drinks menu naturally dips into Sicilian wines, with spritzes and Italian liqueurs also to the fore. With 40 covers in this light and airy development, Vieni should easily meet its brief of being the flagship hospitality venue at Goodsyard.
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Published: 06 February, 2026
The late Sir Terence Conran’s original vision of bringing Milanese elegance to London will be expanded further, with the third Sartoria restaurant set to open its doors in early February in London’s Square Mile. A trio of chefs from Sartoria’s sister venues will bring a shared love of Milanese gastronomy and refinement to a fresh audience. A wine list of over 100 SKUs will showcase the best of Italy, while the bar will serve post-work aperitivi to thirsty patrons. The suave interiors combine mid-century Milan with Conran’s original passion for “sharp tailoring, rich textures, and sartorial elegance”. Keep an eye out as the venue is the first in a series of new Sartoria locations being launched by the Evolv Collection in 2026.
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Published: 04 February, 2026
Reincarnation is the theme for Automat, with the Mayfair venue having recently reopened its doors on the neighbourhood’s Mount Street. In line with the original Dover Street venue – a popular noughties haunt – the restaurant will transport diners to a different era, with New York early and mid-century dining the modus operandi of the sophisticated new eatery. Akin to a speakeasy, it is accessed via luxury leather goods store Tanner Krole. Upon arrival diners will be met with dishes that combine culinary nostalgia with Mayfair nuance. Burgers, lobster rolls and steak tartare can be washed down with timeless American cocktails – a Dirty Martini, anyone? An international wine list, including a curation of US wines, rounds out the Automat experience. Opening in 2026 alongside is a lower-ground dining space named Sporting Club.
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Published: 12 January, 2026
Birmingham indie stalwart Phil Innes of Loki Wine fame has teamed up with chef Glynn Purnell to bring new culinary vibrancy to the Brum food and drink scene. Trillium opened during the festive period in the city centre’s Snow Hill and combines the wine nous of Innes and the cooking talents of a team that includes Purnell as chef patron and Rob Palmer as head chef, who was in charge at Hampton Manor when its Peel Restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Creativity abounds on the menu – whether its Orkney scallops with oxtail bolognese or a peasant kiev, Palmer has been given a long leash to innovate. To no one’s surprise the wine list is top notch, with an expansive by-the-glass offer allowing patrons the opportunity to explore.
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Published: 10 December, 2025
This new concept from Khaled Dandachi and Fred Srouchi (the minds behind the celebrated Sparrow Italia in Mayfair) is all about coastal French cuisine. Fresh fish and seafood are the foundation of this restaurant, which is named after the deep blue of the ocean depths. The intention is to create an elevated culinary experience, using classical French techniques to transform the best seasonal offerings into enticing dishes such as smoked eel croquettes, salade niçoise and octopus béarnaise, among others, paired with fine French wines. Also on offer are cocktails inspired by the Francophone world. Located directly on Hanover Square, every inch of Mazarine is designed to entice, from its warm, contemporary interiors to its attentive and welcoming hospitality.
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Published: 12 November, 2025
This is Amy Poon’s first permanent venue, continuing but evolving the legacy of her parents’ famous Chinese restaurants. The idea is to serve high-quality dishes that are often unfamiliar in the west yet are cooked regularly in Chinese homes – Poon says it’s “where you come if you don’t have a nice Chinese friend who will cook for you at home”. Fundamental to this is a focus on steam cooking, alongside some Poon’s staples, such as claypot rice (first introduced to the UK by Bill Poon, Amy’s father) and both traditional and experimental presentations of Poon’s wind-dried meats (created by her grandfather). The wine list will demonstrate the versatility of wines with Chinese dishes, focusing on cool-climate wines, family-owned producers, biodynamic practice and female winemakers.
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Published: 10 November, 2025
Luca Dusi, founder of the original Passione Vino in Shoreditch, is celebrating over 20 years in London by opening his latest venture. Part shop, part bar and restaurant and located in a former Italian tattoo parlour, this new location will continue to reflect Dusi’s passion for Italian wine producers – he even designed the bar himself. To pair with the wines, a series of bold sandwiches has been created by chef Pascal Lazzarotto from carefully chosen Italian ingredients such as oxtail, smoked trout, cotechino and sardines. Each guest will have a pairing individual to them, as there is no wine list at Passione Vino – instead, Dusi and the team recommend their favourite bottles.
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Published: 10 October, 2025
The third iteration of Brazilian restaurant Beleza Rodizio is due to open in the West Midlands in November. Beleza translates to ‘beauty’ in Portuguese, and to many a carnivore, the sight of flame-grilled meats carved tableside will inspire feelings of wonder. The meaty fare is served rodizio-style, with wait staff visiting hungry patrons to carve meat off of a large skewer. Balancing the protein bonanza will be an array of fresh Brazilian salads, specialities and other sides. The drinks menu will serve a series of Brazilian-style cocktails, with cachaça-based Caipirinhas likely to buoy many an evening meal. The more than 550sq m venue will host to up to 147 guests, while a heated outdoor terrace will ensue an alfresco option could be on the cards year-round.
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