All the best new London restaurant openings in May

Something of a restaurant superbloom is about to hit London, with more new openings this May than we know what to do with. Plan things carefully (and rob a bank) and we’re pretty certain that you could eat dinner at a brand new restaurant every night of the month.

If you don’t quite have the belly nor the budget for that, then use this guide to choose the cream of the crop. Fans of chains are in lucky too, with a new burst of openings from some of the best high street-adjacent spots, with a new Mildred’s opening on May 7 in Victoria – perfect for the vegan faithful – while pasta people Noci come to Richmond Village on May 6, and there’s a fourth spot from Mr Bao gang on the cards, as Master Bao is set to launch in Westfield Stratford City on May 23.  

1. Fine dining with finer views

Kioku by Endo, Whitehall 

Endo Kazutoshi isn’t one to rest on his laurels. While his acclaimed west London restaurant is closed for remodelling, the sushi master is taking on a project in the sprawling and somewhat confusing OWO building on Whitehall. Kioku by Endo will be on the rooftop, and sees culinary director Endo drawing inspo from time he’s spent living in Spain. So expect Med twists on traditional Japanese cookery. There’ll be a small, eight seater chef’s table, but the real draw is the 55-cover outside terrace. Open from May 15. 

Whitehall, SW1A 2EU

2. All-day vegan in a historic spot

Café Petiole, Somerset House

Rishim Sachdeva of Tendril is branching out from the cloistered confines of Mayfair to bring this veggie-friendly café to Somerset House. Like Tendril before it, Cafe Petiole won’t be totally vegan (a smidgen of goats cheese might sneak onto the menu), but anything that’s not fully plant-based will be signposted, and you’ll be able dine-in or take-out dishes such as toasted banana bread with agave, baked courgette, feta & honey swirls, blue corn tostadas with smoked artichoke and lime puree and mushroom focaccia with daikon pickle. 

South Wing, Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA

3. The extremely posh pub

The Hero, Maida Vale 

From the same team as Notting Hill’s Pelican comes The Hero, a second bougie west London boozer with chicly distressed Victorian interiors, lots of wines, and not one but two restaurants within its four-storey shell. On the ground floor it’s all trad pub grub, with the likes of cheese and onion pie on the menu, but upstairs in the Grill Room things get a little more lavish, with everything (lamb chops, cod etc) cooked over an open fire. There’ll also be a cocktail bar called The Library, and a private hire space on the top floor. It’s set to open at the end of May. 

55 Shirland Road, W9 2JD

4. The controversial carbonara joint

Cafe Britaly, Peckham

You’ve got to respect a spot that flies in the face of received carbonara wisdom. Cafe Britaly has no bones about whacking cream in theirs, and though we can hear the Italian nonnas weeping, we’ve no doubt that this new all-day spot is going to do well. Start the day with the ‘Full Britalian’ of fennel sausage, back bacon, black pudding, fried egg, beans and fried pizza dough, or come in the evenings for chicken milanese, green veggie lasagne or a porchetta roast on Sundays. They open the first week of May and Negroni sbagliatos are an extremely reasonable £5.50.

191 Rye Lane, SE15 4TP 

5. The slick celebrity chef spot 

Chez Roux, Marylebone

You’d think that after closing Le Gavroche in January, Michel Roux Jr might want to put his feet up for a bit. The superstar chef however is straight back at it, with Chez Roux opening inside the lush Langham hotel on May 22. It’s a fancy affair indeed, with dishes inspired by what his celebrated father Albert and uncle Michel Snr cooked in posh private homes in the 1950s before opening Le Gavroche in 1967, and will mix high-end British and French classics. 

The Palm Court at The Langham, 1C Portland Place, Regent Street, GB W1B 1JA

6. The super sandwich festival

Sarnie Party, Kentish Town

Some of London’s foremost sandwich purveyors are coming together for this celebration of stuff between bread. Taking place from May 17-19 at Camden Town Brewery, the likes of Dom’s Subs, Mondo Sandos, Rogues Sandwiches, The Black Pig, Ruben’s Reubens, and Deeney’s – as well as sweet ice cream sando slingers Happy Endings – will all be coming together and creating brand new carby combos for your delectation. 

55-59 Wilkin St. Mews, NW5 3ED

7. The glammy Italian joint

Fellini, Chelsea 

There are a bunch of new vintage-feeling London restaurants out there that make you feel a bit like you’re in a Fellini movie – mainly Josephine and The Dover – but this new Chelsea Italian has made things even more obvious by naming itself after the iconic Italian director. Opening on May 6 and coming from the man who opened celeb-y Mayfair spot the Paparazzi Café (which shut back in 2012), Fellini promises big La Dolce Vita energy, and, we imagine, not a jot of cream in the carbonara. 

149 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AB

8. The grand reopening

Julie’s, Holland Park

On May 8, Julie’s flings open the shutters once again, after being shut since 2022. A legendary institution among A-listers, with the likes of Kate Moss, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and even Princess Diana frequenting the brasserie and champagne bar, the new owners have got chef patron Owen Kenworthy of Brawn and The Pelican to whip up a new menu, and you can expect the razzle-dazzle likes of lobster soufflé with buttered leeks and gruyère. Cocktails are also a big draw; sign us up for the cassis pepper sazerac, and the opening of the terrace should sync up perfectly with the arrival of spring (please). 

135 Portland Rd,  W11 4LW

9. Turkish delights in town

The Counter, Soho

Following his popular Notting Hill grill spot, chef (and six-time Turkish national champion windsurfer) Kemal Demirasal is opening The Counter Soho and cocktail bar Under The Counter, too. On May 14, the double whammy will hit Kingly Street, with an epic Aegean menu stacked with whipped tarama and fish roe, cheese saganaki with pistachio and honey, grilled octopus with mashed fava and regular seafood specials. Save space for the baklava cheesecake.

15 Kingly Street, W1B 5PS

10. The risotto hotspot 

All’onda, Fitzrovia

A restaurant dedicated to risotto might not be everyone’s cup of tea – or pan of rice – but All’onda is all about the classic Italian dish, with a whole host of variations on the theme available. There’s spring green risotto primavera, squid ink risotto, risotto alla Milanese, pumpkin and shiso, seaweed, bottarga and white asparagus and sweetbread and artichoke available on the launch menu from May 2, and apricot, honey and rosemary tarte for dessert (what, no rice pudding?!)

67 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PH

11. The branching-out cocktail bar 

Dona, Stoke Newington

Stokey’s premiere female-run basement mezcal bar is stepping up, taking over the space upstairs and turning into a fully-fledged restaurant. Officially opening on May 24, it’ll serve Latin American fusion food, with a weekly-changing plato tipico (the national dish of Honduras), alongside plantain crisps with spicy mango salad, empanadas, cassava fries, totopos and mezcal drenched chicken skewers from head chef Karla Zuniga. It’ll be open Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm. 

92 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7NY

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