The New London Restaurant Openings Worth Knowing
London’s dining scene has a habit of arriving in waves. A quiet patch, then suddenly three or four big openings arrive at once, each one the kind of table people will be trying to book six months from now. This is one of those moments.
The Tables Everyone Is Trying to Book
The best new London restaurants of this season share something beyond quality. Each one has a reason to exist that’s specific to its setting, its chef, and its moment.
Most of what’s discussed below is in Mayfair, less by coincidence than by a reflection of where London’s most considered dining is happening right now.
New restaurants in London Mayfair have reached a concentration unseen in the neighbourhood since the early 2010s, and the standard is higher.
Coreus by Clare Smyth – Waldorf Astoria London, Admiralty Arch
The building alone earns a visit. Admiralty Arch, commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria and designed by Sir Aston Webb (who also designed the facade of Buckingham Palace), has opened as the Waldorf Astoria London with 114 rooms and suites.
It features views over The Mall and St James’s Park, and two restaurants that between them hold a considerable portion of the Michelin Guide’s attention.
Coreus occupies the former home of the First Sea Lord, which says a lot about the setting before you even look at the menu.
Clare Smyth, the only British woman whose restaurants currently hold four Michelin stars, has built her second restaurant around Britain’s coastal heritage: sustainably sourced seafood, rare native produce, and the technically precise cooking that made Core in Notting Hill a reference point.
Alongside it, the Whiskey & Seaweed bar offers a curated collection of whiskies from every UK distillery, plus cocktails inspired by Smyth’s iconic Potato & Roe dish. It’s a bar worth visiting on its own.
Reservations at Coreus open in March 2027. It’s already one of the most sought-after London tasting menu experiences of next year, and the lead time for a table reflects that. This is the opening to move on early.
IGNI by Theo Clench – St George Street, Mayfair
IGNI opened in April 2026 on the former site of Humo. The kitchen runs without electricity or gas: wood is the sole fuel source.
Where the expectation of that setup is smoke, char, and large pieces of meat, Theo Clench has gone the other way entirely. IGNI is delicate. Seafood-forward. A meal that starts with an ember-cooked oyster and cucumber sauce and doesn’t feel the need to announce itself.
Clench’s track record is worth understanding before you book. He won a Michelin star at Cycene within six months of opening. Before that, he worked at The Clove Club, Akoko, and Portland.
IGNI has a 34-cover dining room and a 10-seater chef’s table. The format is set menu only: a three-course lunch at £49, a five-course tasting menu at £135, and an eight-course menu at £185.
The cocktail programme is built using kitchen techniques and treated as a parallel menu in its own right.
For anyone paying attention to where London tasting menus are heading, IGNI is the most interesting room in the city right now.
Automat – Mount Street, Mayfair
The entrance is through the doors of Tanner Krolle, the heritage leather goods shop at 127 Mount Street. There is no sign for the restaurant.
This is a deliberate choice, and one that tells you immediately what Automat thinks of itself: it’s for people who already know.
The concept is American dining reinterpreted for a Mayfair audience, drawing on early- and mid-century Americana, with a menu that includes lobster rolls, steak tartare, chicken pie, and a signature cheeseburger that has quickly built a following.
Tomèf Studio designed the interiors, DJ and producer Chloe Caillet curates the music, and the 67 ground-floor covers fill up fast.
Below the main dining room, a lower-ground Sporting Club is planned: 24 covers, vintage sporting memorabilia, a central viewing screen, and a members-style atmosphere for major sporting occasions.
An invite-only Supper Club is also planned, offering guaranteed reservations within 24 hours, access to events, and a dedicated WhatsApp concierge.
The Season Doesn’t Stop There
Two others are worth adding to the list.
16 Charles Street is Loulou Groupe’s first UK opening: a 25,000-square-foot Grade II*-listed Mayfair townhouse drawing on the spirit of French fashion muse Loulou de la Falaise, with a menu overseen by executive chef Benoît Dargère and a members’ community, Les Amis, at its centre. The Paris restaurant has built a devoted following; the London address should find one quickly.
Simpson’s in the Strand returned in February 2026 under Jeremy King, who has a cleaner record than most of bringing beloved London institutions back to life without simply putting his name above the door. The revival is worth attention for that reason alone.
Getting the Reservation
The tables above range from already open to accepting reservations from March 2027, which means the planning window is now.
London restaurant reservations at Coreus and IGNI, in particular, will be among the most competitive next year.
Blend Group’s Lifestyle Services team works with clients who want to sit at these tables without spending the better part of a morning on hold. Whether it’s a single Mayfair fine dining reservation or a broader London programme across dining, culture, and events, get in touch, and we’ll put together the right evening.
