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It might be the shortest month of the year, but the good chefs of London have managed to pack it out with a thrilling run of excellent new restaurants, residencies and pub openings. You want sandwiches? We’ve got you covered. Pining for pizza? You’ve come to the right place. Want to visit Gordon Ramsay’s lair, 60 floors up one of London's tallest skyscrapers? It shall be done!
1. The returning pop-up champions
Ling Ling’s, Tottenham
It’s been almost a year since Ling Ling’s left The Gun in Hackney, thus depriving London of its greatest Sunday roast . But from February 5, chef Jenny Phung launches a brand new longterm residency at Tottenham’s The Bluecoats pub. As well as that iconic roast, the Chinese-inspired menu will run weekly from Wednesday to Sunday and feature mapo king prawns with chicken and pomelo, and poached smoked tofu and lime leaf wontons, as well as a Spurs matchday menu that includes a Taiwanese chicken burger and the ‘McLing’ fillet o fish with nori tartare and cheese, in a potato bun.
614 High Rd, N17 9TA
2. Perfect pizza goes south
Dough Hands, Nunhead
London’s best pizza (according to us), since last summer Dough Hands have been keeping the dedicated drinkers of London Fields well-fed, thanks to their thrillingly great pop-up at The Spurstowe Arms . From February 13, they’ll be taking over the kitchen of one of the best pubs in south London ; The Old Nun’s Head . Expect ace New York-style pies with spicy tuna, drizzles of hot honey, and soy-roasted shrooms from their second permanent residency.
15 Nunhead Grn, SE15 3QQ
3. Gordon Ramsay’s quintuple threat
22 Bishopsgate, City
On February 3, Gordon Ramsay takes over the world. Almost. The top three floors of the 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper will become Gordon’s foodie playground, with three restaurants, one bar and the Gordon Ramsay x Hexclad Academy, where wannabe cooks can learn tasty new skills. On level 60, you’ll find a new branch of the pan Asian-inspired Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay, with Lucky Cat Terrace bar just above it on the 61st floor. Back on level 60 there’ll be a 12-seater chef’s table spot, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay - High. Go down one floor to level 59 to find the more casual Bread Street Kitchen & Bar by Gordon Ramsay. The Gordon Ramsay x Hexclad Academy will hold pasta making courses and mixology masterclasses. A whole lot of Gordon, in other words.
22 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4BQ
4. The terrifying sports bar
Bloodsports, Covent Garden
About a decade ago, MEATliquor made their name with a run of brash, loud and really quite impressive fast food spots across the city. It’s been a while since they had their hand in any new pies, but Bloodsports sees them getting stuck in again. Taking over the space that was the cabaret-themed Circus in Covent Garden, Bloodsports will show all major sports on their multitude of big screens, which will then switch to gory horror flicks late at night. It’ll also be home to Hideout Coffee if you’d rather sip flat white than watch a slasher movie.
27-29 Endell Street, WC2H 9BA
5. The central London sarnie squad
Crunch, Soho
One of Old Spitalfields Market’s most popular vendors, Crunch are taking their X-rated, crispy sandwiches up west from February 27. Opening up on Dean Street, Crunch’s first bricks-and-mortar sarnie shop will serve up their intense brioche bread based combos, such as a patty melt with truffled beef, the vegetarian ‘umami shroomwich’ with fried oyster mushrooms and miso-marinated veg, and a Korean-inspired bulgogi beef option.
60 Dean Street, W1D 6AW
6. The Proper Pub
The Hand & Marigold, Bermondsey
This beautiful south London boozer has been shut since the pandemic, but is set to re-open this month. New owners Alice and Oli have stated that it will remain a wet-led pub, which means no fancy food – aside from small snacks and decent crisps to aid the drinking of more pints.
244 Bermondsey St, SE1 3UH
7. The Foodie Pub
The Knave of Clubs, Shoreditch
East End boozer The Knave of Clubs closed in 1994, before returning as flamboyant French restaurant, Les Trois Garçons, and then experiencing a short-lived stint as Dirty Bones. This Grade II-listed space will take back its original pub name and feature food from culinary director Patrick Powell, formerly of Allegra in Stratford and the Midland Grand Dining Room in King’s Cross. Downstairs there’ll be a high-end bar menu of prawn scotch eggs and pastrami sandwiches, while the upstairs restaurant, One Club Row, will offer an even more refined dining experience. James Dye, who co-owns the Camberwell Arms and London Fields' Bambi, is behind the operation.
25 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6HT
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