The best openings of the year
The best restaurant openings in London this year: a short list, honestly reviewed, not a press-release summary. What has worked, what has not, where to book.
Every autumn there are forty-odd openings in central London and, as a rule, six of them are any good. Here are the openings from the last twelve months that the Vivi editors have eaten at and would eat at again.
The new names worth booking
- Akoko, Fitzrovia - Ayo Adeyemi, West African, 9 Berners Street. Consistently surprising.
- Mambow, Bermondsey - Abby Lee’s Malaysian restaurant, finally with a permanent home.
- Mountain, Soho - the Tomos Parry follow-up to Brat, much more accessible.
- Spring on Foot, Covent Garden - the new pasta counter from Skye Gyngell’s team.
The re-openings worth a return visit
- St JOHN Marylebone - the fourth branch of the Henderson empire.
The ones we would skip
We will not name names, but: if the entire lead review is about the room rather than the food, that is a tell.
How we review openings
We wait a minimum of six weeks before writing about a new restaurant, because kitchens take time to find their feet. We eat at least twice before writing a full review.
Clara Whitfield
Editor and restaurant critic
Clara Whitfield is the editor and lead restaurant critic of Vivi. She has eaten through the London restaurant scene professionally for over a decade, contributing reviews and features to regional and national food publications.
She writes Vivi's weekly restaurant review and the Saturday essay. She prefers early dinners and a table facing the room.