The 12 best new London restaurants opening in April 2026

There are more openings than we can shake a very large stick at this month, with some of our favourite London kitchens launching spin-offs (Acme Fire Cult’s new Acme Taco venue, Jikoni’s Café Jikoni, and Padella’s third pasta joint) or finally getting their own permanent sites (hello to Cue Point’s excellent Afghan BBQ).

Which is great news as there’s been a run of closures over the past few weeks, with Flat Earth Pizza in Bethnal Green, Marceline in Canary Wharf and The Silver Birch in Chiswick all shutting up shop, alongside chicken and caviar bumps joint Bébé Bob in Soho.

Pour one out for the London’s fallen foodie soldiers, but raise a glass to the dozen amazing openings below. 

The best new London restaurants that will open in April 2026

1. The new school pizza bar

Bar Etna, Newington Green

Four Legs’ quiet domination of north London continues apace with Bar Etna, a pizza bar from The Plimsoll and Tollington’s main man Ed McIlroy alongside Joe Beddia of the Bib Gourmand-rated Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia (which was also once named the Best Pizza in America by Bon Appétit). As well as pizza there’ll be red sauce Italian restaurant classics, including aubergine parmigiana, caponata, and meatballs. 

Address: 47 Newington Green, Newington Green, N16 9PX

Opens: Late April

2. The taco spin-off

Acme Taco, Walthamstow

Dalston’s Acme Fire Cult is branching out. Head chef Andrew Clarke is heading to 40ft Brewery off Blackhorse Road with a Ciudad de México-inspired taco stand. Expect suadero tacos with confit ox cheek, beef sausage, and heart & tongue, with smoky bone marrow and salsa roja; a shrimp taco with shrimp bechamel, avocado and clamato; and a Quesabirria (half quesadilla, half taco) with Wagyu chuck. Acme Taco will be available Thursday and Friday evenings, as well as all day Saturday and Sunday lunch.

Address: 10 Lockwood Way, Walthamstow, E17 5RB

Opens: April 3 

3. The Italian job 

Auguste, London Fields

Once home to Papi, this bijoux space is now in the capable hands of chef Michael Bagnall, who is currently cooking at his Elm pop-up at Peckham’s Montpelier pub, alongside GM Dylan Walters, formerly of nearby Bambi. Dishes will be inspired by Bagnall’s time living in Abruzzo, with skewers of cull yaw, liver and wild boar on offer, as well as stuffed cappelletti pasta in lamb brodo.

Address: 373 Mentmore Terrace, London Fields, E8 3DQ

Opens: April 1

4. The classy museum caff

Café Jikoni, Stratford 

The team behind very good Marylebone restaurant Jikoni is opening a restaurant and cafe at the brand new V&A East Museum in Stratford. Café Jikoni will launch on the same day as the 7,000 square metre V&A East Museum, and sees wife and husband team Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany sharing Ravinder’s ‘no borders kitchen’ global fusion cookery, with the likes of macaroni dhal and turmeric and ginger chicken pie on the all-day menu. 

Address: East Bank, 107 Carpenters Rd, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, E20 2AR

Opens: April 18

5. The ye olde British bistro

Tavern, Old Street

Named in honour of the classic pub, Tavern isn’t actually a boozer, nor is it a gastropub. It’s a bistro! The site used to be home to British tasting menu spot Nest and it’ll be the same team (who also run Restaurant St Barts) relaunching the space. It’ll be more casual and a la carte than Nest, with the focus on nostalgic British dishes, butchery and seasonal produce, with Victorian-sounding hogget scrumpets, sausage and curry sauce on the menu, as well as Welsh Wagyu with marrow and Dorset snails. Tankards of beer will, naturally, be available.

Address: 374-378 Old St, Shoreditch, EC1V 9LT

Opens: April 28

6. The one-stop sandwich shop

Mondo To Go, Deptford

Mondo Sando, the team behind the casual Camberwell diner and sandwich shop Cafe Mondo, are opening a new outpost with a 50-seater outdoor terrace. Try their cult sarnies as well as house pickles and potato latkes. Oh and pints! Lovely pints. 

Address: Arch 5, Deptford Market Yards, SE8 4BX

Opens: April 10

7. Another cool Italian 

Ornella, London Fields

The trio behind Highbury’s classy Roman trattoria Lupa – that’s Ed Templeton, Naz Hassan, and Hollywood actor Theo James – are launching their second spot on cutesy Hackney street, Wilton Way. A tribute to northern Italy, where head chef Naz was raised, it’ll offer Milan-inspired dishes. Named after the late Milanese singer Ornella Vanoni, Ornella promises to deliver serious risotto, cotoletto (veal cutlets) and meatballs. 

Address: 51 Wilton Way, E8 1BG

Opens: End of April

8. The family affair

The Latimer, Latimer Road

The Spiteri dynasty behind Rochelle Canteen, St John, Caravel and more are launching Notting Hill gastropub The Latimer. Jon Spiteri is an original partner at The French House, St John and Sessions Art Club while his ex-wife Melanie Arnold is a co-founder at Rochelle Canteen. Their daughter Molly is a business development lead at Koya while their sons Lorcan and Fin were behind now-shuttered boat-based resto Caravel. Fin will be in the kitchen here, cooking comforting pub grub such as black pudding confit potato, oxtail with mash and horseradish and masala monkfish with tartare sauce.

Address: 274 Latimer Road, W10 6QW

Opens: April 21

9. The Slavic vinyl bar

Sova, Notting Hill

With a record collection curated by Rough Trade and regular DJ appearances, this new listening bar’s soundsystem is in good hands. As well as music, Sova’s thing is Central and Eastern European wines accompanied by Slavic snacks, such as slow-roasted peppers with anchovies & dill oil, beef tartare on Borodinsky bread with horseradish mayonnaise. 

Address: 9 Blenheim Crescent, London W11 2EE

Opens: April 8 

10. The posh cocktail bar

Brutes of Mayfair, Mayfair

Brutes is dead set on making the best martini in Mayfair. Served dry, wet, dirty or ‘brutal’, if you’re new to the complex world of martini-making then Brutes’ self-described 'martini shop' will help you out. Included are printed cards and a barometer which allow you to choose the base spirit and style of your martini. Garnishes include blue cheese olives, pickled onion Monster Munch, gildas and chicken scratchings. (Other cocktails are available.)

Address: 34A Bruton Place, Mayfair, W1J 6NR

Opens: End of April

11. A new Padella

Padella, Soho 

Joining the pasta perfectionists’ Borough and Shoreditch sites comes Padella 3.0. The terrific Trullo offshoot will do what Padella does best; fresh pasta such as their legendary pici cacio e pepe and pappardelle with 8-hour Hereford beef shin ragu.

Address: 2 Kingly Street, Soho, W1B 5PB

Opens: April 24

12. The big beautiful BBQ 

Garden Bar Grill and Smokehouse by Cue Point London, Latimer Road

Cue Point has been a Time Out favourite for years now, and after various residencies, the British Afghan BBQ kitchen from Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney is finally opening its first ever permanent restaurant. Come for smoked Sunday roasts, Wagyu cheeseburgers, black lime and pepper chicken bites with caviar, oak smoked lamb shank and Kabuli pilau, and a vast 200-seater garden. 

Address: 41 Bramley Road, W10 6SZ

Opens: April 22

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