12 London Openings To Have On Your Radar
HOTELS
Grand Hotel Bellevue, Paddington
Grand Hotel Bellevue is a Victorian residence with a French twist. Launched at the end of September, the hotel is an elegant yet intimate home away from home designed by world-renowned Paris-based designer Fabrizio Casiraghi, who is celebrated for his eclectic mix of past and present. On the edge of Norfolk Square, the hotel aims for a homely touch – you’ll find a roaring fire waiting for you as you enter the reception, where cosy couches set the tone for a timeless stay, which extends all the way to the beautiful bedrooms. One of the most striking spaces in the hotel is The Pondicherry Bar. Drawing from his experience with the innovative Experimental Group, Lucas Beguinot has created a space that feels both exclusive and welcoming, whether that’s for a morning coffee or a well stirred cocktail. We love the little touches throughout – the walls here are covered in bespoke exotic embroideries by BODE, the lacquered bar is a deep cherry red, and the cocktails are served on vintage silver trays.
Hyde London, Farringdon
Hyde London City has opened its doors, marking the debut of Ennismore's Hyde brand in the UK. From the same team behind The Hoxton and Estelle Manor, Hyde has taken on the revitalised Grade II-listed Spiers & Pond building in Farringdon. Of all the bedrooms, the hotel’s Headliner Suite, set in the eaves of the building with a soaring five-metre-high ceiling, is our pick. The space offers striking views over St Paul’s Cathedral and London’s rooftops and is complemented by a private marble-topped bar. You’ll also find Black Lacquer, an atmospheric, subterranean cocktail bar. It pairs slick Japanese-inspired cocktails with vinyl-driven DJ sets. Michele del Negro, formerly of Chiltern Firehouse, curates the drinks menu, offering creations like the lemon sour and tomato paloma. Then on the ground floor, guests will find Leydi, a contemporary Turkish restaurant that brings the vibrant flavours and all-day dining culture of Istanbul to London. With a thoughtfully designed menu by renowned chef Selin Kiazim and Halil Simsek, Leydi serves meze, home-baked pide and mangal-grilled meats and fish, with a focus on communal dining.
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Park Hyatt London River Thames, Nine Elms
As its name suggests, this new Park Hyatt hotel has a prime riverside location. Just a short walk from Battersea Power Station, Buckingham Palace, Battersea Park and Tate Britain, the hotel has 203 elegant rooms, the centrepiece of which is the Presidential Suite. Each bedroom features wallpaper designed by William Morris, while floor-to-ceiling windows ensure every room is filled with natural light, with many rooms offering sweeping views of the River Thames, the Houses of Parliament and the City of London beyond. Elsewhere, the Tamisé Wine Library & Tea Lounge serves rare vintages and artisanal teas, and there’s an impressive wellness floor with more of those panoramic river views.
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RESTAURANTS
Canteen, Notting Hill
On Portobello Road, this walk-ins-only restaurant has fast become the capital’s buzziest spot. Quietly opened by the same team behind The Pelican, The Hero and The Bull at Charlbury, Canteen is a relaxed space with a daily changing menu. Recent hits dishes have included fried olives with sausage; radicchio and rosemary pizza; gnocchi with duck ragu; scallops with cocoa beans and winter tomatoes; and morello cherry frangipane tart. While the pubs aren’t shouting about their involvement too much at this early stage, from the look of the rave word-of-mouth reviews, Canteen is already off to a flying start.
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Cornus, Belgravia
Cornus is a smart new fine-dining restaurant from the team behind Chelsea’s acclaimed Medlar. Set across the top floor of The Ice Factory in Eccleston Yards, Cornus' menu showcases the best of British and European produce. Launch dishes include seared bluefin tuna niçoise; pressed Landes chicken with plum chutney, red endive and toasted pain poilân; cod grenobloise; and echine of Iberian pork with yellow wax beans, tomatoes and smoked almonds. Head pastry chef Kelly Cullen (previously of Michelin-starred Cornerstone) has created a dessert menu that includes vanilla custard tart with blackcurrant and fig leaf or guests can choose from a selection of cheese from Buchanans Cheesemonger.
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Wildflowers, Belgravia
Tucked away in Newson's Yard, Wildflowers is a restaurant and wine bar serving the best of the Mediterranean in a stylish and laid-back setting. Set across two floors in the reclaimed Timber Yard, Wildflowers is a bright, elegantly decorated space filled with vintage furniture. The menu features vibrant flavours and hyper-seasonal ingredients – current dishes include starters such as moules farcies with garlic and parsley butter; lamb tartare with harissa and labneh; and grilled sardine bruschetta with Amalfi lemon, plus mains such as Basque cider house steak for two. For dessert, there's the likes of lemon thyme crema catalana; and fig leaf and cherry ripple choux a la creme. From the drinks list, we’ve got our eye on the Peschiole dirty martini.
Three Darlings, Chelsea & Sael, St James’s
Husband-and-wife team Jason and Irha Atherton recently opened Three Darlings on Pavilion Road. Like Social Eating House before it, the 85-cover restaurant embodies Atherton’s dedication to exceptional dining, seamlessly blending innovative cooking techniques with sustainably sourced ingredients. The neighbourhood bistro has an outdoor terrace and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. The menu includes oysters of the day, served with Three Darlings fermented chilli sauce and horseradish mignonette; ‘nduja, cacklebean egg and Piquillo pepper; Dorset clams with garlic butter; Cornish cod with flamed mussels and grelot onion; and spatchcock partridge with chicken fat butter; and a mini rack of English lamb. The launch follows the opening of Sael a month earlier, which saw Atherton assemble the entire team from his now-closed Pollen Street Social restaurant. The brasserie offers inventive dishes such as a hearty Cumbrian lamb hotpot and a hundred-layer heritage snail and ox cheek lasagne. For those with a sweet tooth, Sael’s dessert menu brings back beloved classics from Pollen Street Social, including a comforting jam roly poly with Jersey milk and a creative twist on bread-and-butter pudding.
Fonda, Mayfair
Michelin-starred Kol in Marylebone has been a firm SheerLuxe favourite since it opened in 2020. Now its owner Santiago Lastra has launched pretty-in-pink Fonda on Heddon Street. At this fresh hotspot, Santiago is putting his own contemporary take on the street foods and different masa preparations that are integral to Mexican eating culture, served alongside wines from smaller, quality-driven producers and agave based-cocktails (a special shout-out here for the alcohol-free Plum & Pine Paloma). Many dishes are cooked in the restaurant’s clay comal and current hits on the menu include authentic quesadillas stuffef with Oaxaca cheese, Wiltshire black truffle, salsa verde, and crème fraîche; melt-in-the-mouth confit XL scallop with gooseberries, sesame and burnt habanero salsa (a true must-order); lobster al pastor with Spenwood cheese and flour tortillas; and an excellent autumn-ready twist on a tamal – corn steam cake with date, walnut and butterscotch.
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BARS & CLUBS
Mark’s Club, Mayfair
Mark’s Club, the historic private members’ club and the cornerstone of the Birley portfolio, reopened its doors at the end of September, following a thoughtful, elegant refurbishment. The Mayfair institution’s redesign has been overseen by Richard Caring, retaining its quintessentially British feel while expanding its offering. The Old Master works synonymous with Mark’s Club have been redistributed throughout the townhouse and the ground floor’s new open-plan layout has turned the adjacent Living Room area into a light-filled sanctuary, without compromising its sense of privacy. Moving further inside, the Dining Room and newly added Greenhouse forms the backbone of Mark’s Club’s updated silver-service offering. Various club favourites will be central to the menu, such as the chicken pie and prawn curry, while the Loch Duart smoked salmon and dover sole will be carved on a trolley in front of guests.
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Tramp, Mayfair
Iconic members’ club Tramp has reopened its doors under the stewardship of Italian lifestyle entrepreneur, Luca Maggiora. Today, the establishment possesses an old-world elegance which has been imaginatively re-envisioned by the award-winning design studio Campbell-Rey and the spaces throughout showcase a vibrant uptown-downtown mix, where antiques are complemented with contemporary pieces. The menu features a fusion of modern British and Mediterranean cuisine: think pan con tomate, plus caramelised black cod with a vegetable stir fry and miso relish. The infamous Tramp Burger had also made a comeback. Ideally paired with a glass of Krug, the Tramp Burger is available to order from any room, at any time during the day or night.
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Ambassy, Mayfair
Ambassadors Clubhouse is the newest venture from restaurant behemoths JKS. Now it’s launched Ambassy, a Punjabi club night taking place every Friday and Saturday from 10pm-2am. Here, the lower ground floor comes alive as global DJs play music until the early hours, offering something completely new to Mayfair’s late-night scene. Led by designer and curator Sukh Sohal (of Punjabi club night Jawani4eva), Ambassy curates a line-up of resident and global DJs who blend Punjabi, UK dance and underground music in a bold, intimate space.
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