The Best New-Look Restaurants In London

One of D&D London’s original sites, this Marylebone spot has always combined high-end classic French cookery with a relaxed neighbourhood vibe. Now, it can add super-sleek to the list: grey tones, smart leather seating and copper embellishments have brought the restaurant right up to date. Thankfully its floor-to-ceiling oval windows remain, as does its famously well-stocked cheese trolley. Our picks from the new menu include Dorset crab with mango and wasabi, followed by rosewater panna cotta with pear sorbet. Come summertime, you’ll find us on the plant-filled terrace.

55 Marylebone High Street, Marylebone, W1U 5RB

Visit Orrery-Restaurant.co.uk
 

The group’s original meat temple spent January undergoing a facelift courtesy of interior designer Macaulay Sinclair. The spirit of the flagship remains: vintage elevator signs, tables made from old chemistry lab tops and parquet flooring reclaimed from a sanatorium are a nod to its quirkiness, while antique mirrors, forest-green leather booths and stained-glass partitions add a touch of elegance. The menu that we’ve known and loved for 12 years remains intact, but Exec Chef Matt Brown has also added a relaunch dish: 12-hour beef short-rib, slow-cooked with claret, bone marrow and Roscoff onions. Throw in the refreshed wine list and you can guarantee we’ll be paying a visit in no time.

157A Commercial Street, Shoreditch, E1 6BJ

Visit TheHawksmoor.com
 

This year, Searcys is celebrating the 150-year anniversary of St Pancras Station by unveiling a fresh new look for its St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar within the station. The Brasserie, an art-deco all-day restaurant, has been reconfigured to create flexible spaces for informal group dining. Elsewhere, there’s also a chic new 12-seat Tasting Room, which can be booked for parties and champagne fizz masterclasses. The menus have been overhauled too – expect a focus on seasonal British produce, such as Lyme Bay scallops with slow-cooked pork cheek, followed by venison loin with salsify and whipped roast cauliflower. Don’t forget – the restaurant also plays host to the UK’s longest champagne bar. That’s definitely worth celebrating.

Grand Terrace, St Pancras International Station, Kings Cross, N1C 4QL

Visit SearcysStPancras.co.uk
 

After years of renovations, legendary Soho landmark Kettner’s finally reopened its doors at the start of the year. Now part of the Soho House Group, the townhouse – which dates back to 1867 – has been given the full Ned works: opulent furnishings, metallic detailing and a razzmatazz nod to the 1920s. We suggest kicking things off in the Champagne Bar for a glass of fizz among mosaic tiles and French-glass lights, before retiring to the bright main restaurant for the likes of smoked eel omelette and truffle-roast Banham chicken. Thirty-three bang-on-trend bedrooms complete the offering.

29 Romilly Street, Soho, W1D 5HP

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