February is the shortest month – but London’s chefs and restaurateurs managed to squeeze a lot into its 28 days. Here are 17 new places Broadsheet covered, running from a new Irish pub to a fine diner’s spin-off bar, a cafe upending expectations of Wales and more.
• Bara is the new Peckham bakery and cafe that wants to show Wales beyond the cliches, from a punny Caerphilly cheesesteak to a leek bubble and squeak sandwich.
• A trolley stocked with open-faced rye sandwiches loaded with classic Scandi toppings like pickled fish, egg and dill roams Fitzrovia’s glamorous new Brasserie Angelica.
• Hidden behind a leather-good shop in Mayfair is Automat, doing mid-century American classics like lobster rolls in brown butter and a towering caesar salad.
• Actor Jenny Rainsford – who played Boo in Fleabag – has opened a not-for-profit cafe in East Finchley. (And yes, there are guinea pigs.)
• An unsung American hero of the cocktail world is celebrated at Cato in Covent Garden, a new bar shining a spotlight on the Mint Julep.
• Hoppers is loved for its Sri Lankan dining – but with its fourth restaurant, in Shoreditch, it’s looking to south India.
• Bowls of wonton noodles start at £10 at Hoko Wonton Noodle Bar, the central London follow-up to Brick Lane’s Hoko.
• A sequel to Holborn’s Fred Bakery has opened in Covent Garden, with Italian sandwiches, pizza by the slice and standout buns filled with pistachio cream.
• Guinness goes for £5.50, there are rotating supper clubs and packets of Hunky Dorys fly off the shelves at new Irish pub Moyletts, in Clapton.
• Bambi reopened in February after a renovation that doubled its size; now it has a bigger kitchen, turning out a fire-driven menu, plus it’s hosting DJs every night it’s open.
• Below two Michelin-starred Pimlico fine diner A Wong is Forbidden City, bringing the same quality food at a more accessible price point – including a £55 multi-dish meal with a cocktail.
• Caribbean culinary traditions are remixed at Dalston’s The Good Front Room – think jerk chicken dressed with lemongrass and house-made plantain jam, and coconut curry imbued with chef-founder Dom Taylor’s own flair.
• Mexican coastal dining has arrived on Charlotte Street in the form of Cometa – where meals start with spicy Margs and ceviche and continue with lobster flautas and crab rice.
• At new Chinatown diner San Hao, the noodles are experimental, and include creamy “cappuccino” spicy chicken noodle soup.
• The coffee maestros at Watchhouse have opened a striking new flagship next to Millennium Bridge.
• The aubergine and kofta sandwich at newly opened Logma in Hackney has gone viral – but the diner is about so much more than what’s between the bread.
• There are no phones and dancing till 6am at Palais, a multi-level club with a cocktail and listening bar, and 500-capacity dancefloor.
