Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

AJ Records

Published: 09 October, 2026

The brainchild of actress Josephine Garreau and former Hakkasan Group director Alexandre Santamaria (pictured) and touted as London’s first ‘urban culture dining club’, it will bring together a 160-cover southern French restaurant, a late-night cocktail bar, a live performance venue and a recording studio, all in the heart of Fitzrovia. With a menu including premium grill cuts, seafood platters and a dessert trolley, AJ Records will be infused with the warmth and generosity of southern French hospitality, while providing a home for artists working across music, spoken word, slam poetry, dance and other forms of live creative expression. Along with interiors inspired by the glamour of 1920s art de vivre, the atmosphere will be aided by party dining on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with food included in the evening by a kitchen that runs until midnight.

Lokal

Published: 06 May, 2026

Quality Turkish food is a hallmark of the London dining scene and Harpers hopes long may this continue. Step in Lokal – the new restaurant from the team behind Fred Bakery and Faros – to enhance this already burgeoning offer. Head chefs Salih Serden and Akacan Agir draw inspiration from across the vast nation to craft reinterpretations of classics such as lamb tandir, served alongside a lush array of mezze and salads. The cocktail menu offers some head-spinning curiosities. Take Mesopotamia, a blend of padrón pepper-infused tequila, rosé wine, Campari and rosehip cordial. The 110-cover indoor-seating restaurant is supported by 14 outdoor covers to allow patrons to observe the goings on of Fitzrovia while dining on Anatolian delights. A dedicated cocktail bar rounds out the offer.

Gambit Bar

Published: 14 January, 2026

Dovetailing with the opening of The Newman Hotel, spiffy new cocktail destination Gambit Bar is due to open its doors on 1 February. The 60-cover subterranean venue is spearheaded by the new hotel’s head of food and drink, Eder Neto. ‘Creative yet understated’ is the modus operandi of Neto’s cocktail menu, an exciting twist on the Picante leading the charge. This combination of tequila, lime, bird’s eye chillies, blood orange and smoked salt is a standalone treat but clearly demands pairing with Gambit’s array of bar snacks, concocted by executive chef Christian Turner. Flatbreads, oysters and rullepølse (Danish cold cuts) can be enjoyed amid the bar’s stylish geometric interiors, inspired by the art of Fiztrovia’s very own Percy Wyndham Lewis.