Looking at what’s on offer across London’s foodscape this month, it’s fair to say spring has more than sprung. These are the London restaurants to book in March 2026.
There is a run of some seriously exciting new openings – Mediterranean kitchens travelling confidently from North to South, sultry new Italian venues and the return of one of London’s true grand dames of dining – silver carving trolleys and all.
Fitting for International Women’s Day, there’s a clear thread of female talent running through this month’s openings. From chef-led debuts in Hackney to collaborative menus and special celebrations across the capital, women are firmly at the helm.
These are the top tables to book this month.
The Wolseley Hospitality Group Marks International Women’s Day across the capital
This March, The Wolseley Hospitality Group is marking International Women’s Day with a limited-edition menu created by its female chefs and bar team members, once again supporting Women for Women International. Across its restaurants, including The Wolseley, Brasserie Zédel and Colbert, dishes including Anna Karolina Staniszewska’s courgette and lardon quiche, Gaya Gayatri’s poached rhubarb sabayon, and Theodora Pantiru’s roast lamb cutlets will be available. A selection of celebratory cocktails will also be on offer. For every limited-edition dish or drink sold, £1 will be donated to Women for Women International, supporting female survivors of war and conflict. At Crazy Coqs, located within Brasserie Zédel, a parallel Women in Music series is also running from 6-8 March, with performers including British jazz vocalist Zara McFarlane.
Simpson's in the Strand London’s ‘grand dame’ returns
Few restaurants in London carry the weight, or the lore, of Simpson’s in the Strand. First opened in 1828 and established at 100 Strand since 1904, it reopens this March under the stewardship of Jeremy King, who has described it as the last of the capital’s true “grande dame” restaurants still retaining original décor and features. Restored with the intention that, aesthetically at least, it should look as though nothing has changed, the Grade II-listed building will house two restaurants, two bars and a private ballroom. At its heart is Grand Divan, an iconic Edwardian dining room where silver-domed carving trolleys will return to glide between tables, Master Carvers preside over roasts, pies and game with quiet ceremony, and diners will be witness to the theatre of English dining in full force. Upstairs, Romano’s is set to offer a more relaxed, all-day grand café setting, serving lighter British dishes beneath faux-marble columns and theatrical flourishes that nod to the building’s literary and chess-playing past. Guests of Simpson’s Bar will be able to enjoy a pre-dinner aperitif or post-theatre nightcap surrounded by Art-Deco elegance, while Nellie’s Tavern is being positioned as the decadent late-night, hang-out for the theatreland fabulous, with a 3am closing time, notably late by usual London standards.
Temaki The Brixton handroll bar moves to Mayfair
After earning a devoted following in Brixton, Temaki returns to London this month with a new, larger home on Maddox Street. Created by A.M. Dupee and originally inspired by California’s handroll bars, the cult spot reopens with a sophisticated new Mayfair style. Whilst their signature temaki remain central, the new site expands the format to include a broader selection of Japanese small plates designed for sharing. Expect crispy rice topped with premium cuts of fish, A4 wagyu sliders, rotating sandos and toro, alongside the precise, freshly rolled handrolls that built its reputation. A curated wine list, Japanese sake and a concise cocktail offering complete the picture.
FENIX Mayfair From Manchester to Mayfair
A restaurant that built its name in Manchester heads south this month as FENIX opens on Piccadilly, bringing its contemporary Greek Mediterranean energy to Mayfair. Executive chef Zisis Giannourous draws on his upbringing in Greece and time spent in the Cyclades to shape a modern Aegean menu designed for sharing. Expect dishes like Aegean beef with bone marrow, Athenian tartare, langoustine orzo and slow-cooked Wagyu stifado, alongside a refined interpretation of the house moussaka. The drinks programme, led by Will Meredith (formerly of Lyaness), is set to mirror the kitchen’s charcoal-fired depth, shifting from brighter and lighter early-evening serves to more indulgent late-night pours. Interiors by Studio WYZE balance Mediterranean warmth and Mayfair polish. Given the popularity of its Manchester venue, this is an exciting landing, just in time for brighter seasons.
Sale e Pepe Mare The Italian Riviera Comes to The Langham
A sister to Knightsbridge institution Sale e Pepe, which has defined Italian dining in the capital since 1974, Sale e Pepe Mare brings a lighter, Riviera-inspired evolution to The Langham. Designed for all-day dining, it moves effortlessly from morning espresso to long, late suppers. A central seafood counter anchors the room, displaying oysters, langoustines and pristine raw preparations, whilst signature dishes include linguine all’aragosta, branzino al sale and clams with bottarga and garlic. Theatrical touches run throughout, Caesar salad and cacio e pepe finished tableside, and a classic dessert trolley circling for a final, indulgent flourish. Blue-hued interiors, a marble bar and soft Riviera lighting set the mood, with a walk-in wine room and champagne trolleys adding to the sense of occasion.
Burro A Solo Venture from Trullo Chef
Conor Gadd, chef co-owner of Islington favourite Trullo, opens his first solo restaurant this month with Burro in Covent Garden. Meaning ‘butter’ in Italian, the name hints at what to expect: generous, ingredient-led cooking rooted in classic Italian principles. The menu is concise and produce-driven, with dishes such as cuttlefish stuffed with breadcrumbs and anchovies, tortellini, lobster acqua pazza (a twist on a classic Southern Italian dish) and almond cake served with a glass of Marsala. An all-Italian wine list curated by William Amherst champions regional producers, alongside classic cocktails and rare Italian spirits. Interiors, designed by Lisa Helmanis of DAY Studio, channel trattoria warmth with a polished Covent Garden edge. One for those who like their Italian cooking simple, considered and quietly assured.
Osteria Vibrato
A new Italian opening with heart
Soho’s newly opened Italian, Osteria Vibrato is quickly garnering a reputation as a must-visit. From Charlie Mellor and fellow sommelier Cameron Dewar, it’s a warm, characterful restaurant built around generous cooking and easy hospitality. Head chef Louis Lingwood (Quo Vadis, Toklas) leads the kitchen, with a menu shaped alongside Gaia Enria of Burro e Salvia. The cooking draws confidently on Italy’s regional diversity, moving from Liguria to Valle d’Aosta and Lazio through a familiar structure of antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci. Expect ever-changing small plates, fresh pasta rolled daily, whole grilled fish and seasonal arrosti (roasted meats), before warm amaretti baked to order. The wine list has, unsurprisingly given the owners, been carefully curated, and will feature around 250 references, combining classically styled, minimal-intervention bottles from Mellor’s own personal cellar. For those looking for a punchier liquid refreshment, an intimate cocktail bar, The Green Room, is also on hand to serve up ice-cold martinis and house Negronis.
El Siete from El Pastor Seven New Reasons to Head to Soho
Much-hyped and quietly taking shape beneath El Pastor, El Siete, meaning ‘The Seven’, opens mid-March to bring some agave-led mischief to the heart of Soho. Guests enter via a discreet pink door on Brewer Street before descending into a low-lit cocktail lounge designed by Macaulay Sinclair, the studio behind Hawksmoor and Dishoom. The drinks list is structured, fittingly, around the number seven: seven margaritas, seven agave cocktails and seven reworked classics. Highlights include the 777 Margarita, served ice-cold in a stainless-steel flask; a frozen melon Cantalupo poured into a whole cantaloupe; and a trio of escalating spicy margaritas marked by traffic-light heat levels. A tightly curated back bar of around 60 mezcals and tequilas, including El Pastor’s own limited-edition batch, anchors the programme. With traditional late-night snacks on hand including mini tostadas made from house-nixtamalised (a traditional process that enhances flavour) heirloom corn tortillas and chile popcorn and low-slung banquettes built for settling in, El Siete brings a flash of Mexico City after dark to Soho.
Holy Carrot Spitalfields Award-winning plant-based cooking heads east
Founded by Irina Linovich and executive head chef Daniel Watkins, the award-winning plant-based restaurant, Holy Carrot expands from Notting Hill to Spitalfields this month. The East London site continues its creative, vegetable-forward cooking, shaped by seasonality, live fire and a near-zero-waste ethos. New dishes include fire-grilled koji flatbread, pizzettas and a rotating pie du jour, sitting alongside the restaurant’s established favourites. An on-site fermentation vault signals an even deeper commitment to preservation and flavour. Interiors by Studio Toogood draw on Spitalfields’ trading history, layering texture and colour against the kitchen’s bold, produce-led identity.
Teal By Sally Abé Championing British food and female talent
Award-winning British chef Sally Abé opens her first standalone restaurant this month, bringing her produce-led approach to cooking to Hackney. A long-standing advocate for women in hospitality, Abé has built Teal not only as a celebration of British food, but as a space to actively mentor and promote female chefs, working closely with London-born head chef Abbie Hendren and with plans to consciously create opportunities for women in the kitchen. Her cooking is rooted in nostalgia and seasonality, with a spin on British classics such as angels and devils on horseback, Dorset crab royale and baked bone marrow, haunch of deer with pickled walnuts and Cornish mussels with jersey royals. Desserts lean playfully into nostalgia, from raspberry marshmallow teacake to a marmalade ice cream sandwich, whilst £1 ‘Penny Licks’ will raise funds for Hackney Food Bank. Sally worked closely with her sister on the design, which incorporates oak counters, mustard banquettes and artwork honouring historic women’s rights marches. The wine list, curated with Abe Drewery, also reflects her personality, with the bottles chosen all being those they both enjoy drinking themselves, with a particular emphasis on champagne, a favourite of Sally’s.
JUL'S From Ibiza to London
Opening just down the road from FENIX, JUL’S is set to offer its own version of Mediterranean energy – shaped by Ibiza, also grounded in Greek cuisine. Founded in Ibiza in 2018, the restaurant makes its London debut this month, taking over a former bank in St James’s. The grand architecture is set to be reimagined with marble, mosaic floors and textured stone, creating what promises to be a refined yet intimate dining room in the heart of the West End. Executive chef Christos Fotos will present a Greek-inspired menu shaped by seasonality and locality. Expect dishes like octopus xidato (marinated in vinegar), bluefin tuna tartare, slow-cooked lamb flatbreads and lobster risotto. Wine will play a central role, anchored by a dramatic glass wine wall running through the space. Downstairs, No. 11 is conceived as an open bar laboratory, where cocktails developed through distillation and infusion are designed to mirror the kitchen’s flavour profile. JUL’s will bring more than a touch of Ibiza glamour to St James’s.
Cooper’s Cut A modern steakhouse with classic pours
Cooper’s Cut is a new City steakhouse with serious intent and a quality chef at the helm, but we would be lying if we didn’t admit we’re equally drawn to any restaurant launching with a mid-day martini pairing. Set within Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge, Cooper’s Cut brings contemporary steakhouse polish to the historic former Port of London Authority building. Named after its architect, Sir Edwin Cooper, the 72-cover dining room pairs heritage grandeur with a distinctly modern appetite for martinis and dry-aged beef. Executive chef Luke Armstrong joins with a CV that includes Oud Sluis, The Ledbury and L’Envol and has built the menu around exceptional meat – from grass-fed British cuts to Japanese Wagyu, alongside steak tartare, smoked scallops topped with Maison Kaviari caviar and Scottish langoustines. The bar, overseen by Michele Lombardi, puts the martini firmly centre stage. The Three Martini Mid-Day pairing nods to the City’s old-school business lunches, reworked with lighter spirits and refined ratios for a more measured indulgence. With a serious wine list and slick Four Seasons service, this is a place for dining like you mean business.
Impala Egyptian Fire Lands in Soho
Soho has never been short on flame, but Impala promises a different kind. The debut restaurant from former Kiln head chef Meedu Saad will centre around a custom-built charcoal grill designed to dominate the dining room. Saad’s cooking draws on his Egyptian heritage, shaped by influences that stretch from North Africa to North London. Coals are burned down to a soft, steady heat; skewers are held close and cooked slowly. The result is intended to be a gentler, more precise smokiness – think beef ribs with depth, sardines glossed in olive oil and greens cooked low and slow. Rice will arrive from Luxor, yoghurt is set overnight in clay pots by the embers, and much of the butchery will happen in-house. The restaurant has been designed to evoke something between Cairo’s street markets and a late-night Dean Street bar – lively, loose and slightly hypnotic. Designed by Super 8 co-founder Benjamin Chapman (Smoking Goat, Brat) alongside Dan Preston, the room layers collected objects, a serious sound system and an open kitchen intended to draw you into the action. With a wine list led by Penny Vine and Martina Larnach of Mountain, and a clear commitment to long-term farming partnerships, Impala reads as personal rather than performative, a project patiently built over time and set to bring some sizzle to Soho.
The Porter’s Table For St. Patrick’s Day
If you haven’t yet visited The Porter’s Table at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, St Patrick’s Day provides a very good excuse, with a special celebratory menu on offer. Overseen by executive chef Pip Lacey, (formerly of Murano and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay), the seasonal, grill-led restaurant leans into Irish comfort classics, unsurprisingly laced with Guinness throughout. The menu moves from raisin and caraway soda bread to poached salmon and Guinness-braised beef stew, finishing with a triple-layered Guinness cake (a personal favourite!) served with malted milk ice cream. Whilst stout naturally features, this is far from a one-note drinks list. A quirky cocktail list includes drinks such as Toucan Coladas and Espresso Stoutinis alongside a well-curated international wine selection. The Porter’s Table offers up a polished way to mark the often-raucous occasion without veering into cliché.
Lanes of London A Storybook Afternoon for Spring
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Lanes of London launches a family afternoon tea inspired by the beloved children’s classic Guess How Much I Love You. The celebratory experience is designed to bring a gentle touch of nostalgia to a refined spring setting, equally suited to a special Sunday or an Easter treat with little ones in tow. Sweet highlights nod playfully to the story’s Little and Big Nutbrown Hare, from a whisker-tipped biscuit to a wildflower meadow of rhubarb confit, honey panna cotta and cocoa soil. The savoury course offers classic finger sandwiches, duck terrine on brioche and prawn cocktail pastry puffs. And of course, there are scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam. Children leave with a Nutbrown Hare soft toy and a copy of the book, extending the magic beyond the table. A charming springtime spin on a British classic.
Cubitt House Eats With Series - Culinary Tastemakers For One Night Only
The popular Cubitt House Eats With series returns this March for its fifth edition, pairing chef director Ben Tish with some of the UK’s most exciting culinary talents for one-night-only collaborations across the group’s London pubs. This series opens on 12 March with award-winning chef and author Marie Mitchell at The Princess Royal. Known for her celebrated debut cookbook KIN, Mitchell brings vibrant Caribbean flavours and a deep sense of storytelling to the table, a fittingly joyful start to the series. Later editions see Swedish fire-cooking pioneer Niklas Ekstedt of Ekstedt at the Yard join at The Orange, Roti King founder Sugen Gopal at The Alfred Tennyson, and Persian food authority Sabrina Ghayour at The Grazing Goat. These evenings promise thoughtful menus, collaborative cooking and signed cookbooks to take home, all set within Cubitt House’s contemporary yet classic pub interiors.
The Palomar Guest chefs Take the Soho Pass
Adding to this month’s collaborative spirit, The Palomar is, for the first time in its decade-long run, inviting guest chefs into its kitchen with a new one-night-only series spotlighting rising culinary talent. Kicking things off on 9 March is chef and cookbook author Millie Lagares, who splits her time between London and Tokyo and was recently named one of Time Out’s ‘Best Young Chefs in London’. Known for translating the Asian soul food of her childhood into something modern and accessible, Lagares will present a selection of specials alongside head chef Dan Murray’s à la carte menu. Expect raw tuna with ponzu and shiso flowers, shio koji-marinated chicken thigh, and a bright mizuna salad with blood orange. Dessert is a toasted vanilla and malt ice cream with hojicha biscuit and a bespoke kumquat martini is also on offer. In a restaurant long defined by its open kitchen and counter seating, inviting guest chefs into the fold for a shared experience feels entirely fitting.
Alta A Basque-Style Sunday in Soho
Perfect for a Sunday when we’re trying to coax the spring sunshine along, ALTA trades seated service for something looser. On Sunday 8 March, the Soho dining room will transform into a standing Northern Spanish pintxos bar in partnership with Sera. Led by chef Rob Roy Cameron, whose CV includes time at El Bulli, ALTA is rooted in open-fire cooking and the food culture of Northern Spain. For this one-off event, guests can move freely between live cooking stations, ordering directly from chefs as dishes are prepared in front of them. A menu of freshly made pintxos will be served across the afternoon, designed to be eaten standing at the counter with Spanish beers, vermouth and wine in hand. The service runs continuously from 2pm to 5pm: arrive when you like, graze at your own pace, and let the afternoon unfold. This is less a formal lunch booking, more and energetic Spanish-style Sunday, without leaving Soho.
Sarah Jackson is a dining contributor at Citizen Femme. A Londonophile, she has previously lived in Dubai and Copenhagen, building her career in international communications. When not discovering the capital’s hottest new restaurants and bars, she loves to jet off for a European city break, always with the next meal in mind.
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