Forget hibernation – 2026 is off to a bumper beginning, with a kaleidoscope of new bars, restaurants and bakeries to seek out. Here are 16 new spots Broadsheet covered in January, from a star baker’s first London location to an east London diner doing a memorable prawn toast.
• Richard Hart, the London-born baker behind Copenhagen’s beloved Hart Bageri, returns home to open a bakery in Claridge’s with his famous sourdough and a slew of British classics.
• At Vincenzo’s in Shoreditch, founder Tom Vincent is doing thin-crust pizzas that fuse New York and Napoli styles, with classic toppings like pepperoni as well as less-traditional spanakopita and vodka sauce takes.
• Hidden behind recently opened noodle soup bar Wonton Charlie’s is Cafe Kowloon, which brings the dynamism of Hong Kong’s dining scene to east London.
• Also hidden – below a new Italian restaurant and behind a secret door – and also in east London is The Devil You Know, a sultry new speakeasy with truffle Martinis and a mezcal spritz.
• Beloved Vietnamese restaurant Song Que has opened a spin-off in Spitalfields, where it’s serving pho, Vietnamese-accented cocktails and vermicelli noodle bowls.
• Za’tar cruffins, chai orange buns and coffee ganache praline buns are drawing queues at new Middle Eastern bakery Farha.
• Martinis are demystified at The Prince, an alluring new bar on Old Street by a pair of drinks doyens.
• Head out of London for Bar Vita, an Italian-inspired bar at beloved getaway Updown Farmhouse, just outside Deal in Kent.
• A new Thai restaurant takes over the former Singburi spot in Leytonstone, doing classic dishes like grilled pork skewers, as well as seafood buckets and spicy, limey hotpots.
• Visit new Islington record shop and bar One Eighty One for coffee in the mornings, £10 cocktails later in the day, and buzzing weekend parties.
• The team behind Goodbye Horses and The Dreamery has launched another spot for wine lovers: Stable Wines, a cavernous cellar bar where the drops are low-intervention and the toasties are thick-cut.
• Filled flatbreads, hand-folded khinkali (dumplings) and plenty of wine is on the menu at Daka Daka, a central London celebration of Georgian cuisine and culture.
• Welcoming new bistro Ruth’s is a win for Putney – think £4 G&Ts, an exceptional lemon tart and The Hero’s ex-executive chef on the pans.
• A good-looking new Southeast Asian diner in Bethnal Green is hopping across borders to serve dishes like prawn toast with a zippy green chilli emulsion and slow-cooked aubergine in a splodge of whipped tofu.
• Clare Smyth goes casual-ish at Corenucopia, her new bistro reworking British classics – including a menu with 10 potato dishes.
• A major moment for those who are gluten-free in London comes in the form of Parisian bakery Copains, where everything – from the croissants to the babka – is sans gluten.
