Dozens upon dozens of new restaurants opened in London in 2023. Our critics visited many of them. Some were unsatisfying — see our round-up of the abhorred — but others were pitched almost perfectly, inciting pleasure abound. Here are the very best of the year.
Kolae
From the creators of hit Thai restaurant Som Saa came another, Kolae, a new Borough Market space focusing on the cooking of the south of the country. A rapturous chief food critic Jimi Famurewa was exhilarated by the flavours and spicing and awarded the new venture five stars. Read the full review.
6 Park Street, SE1 9AB, kolae.com
Mountain
Arguably The Opening of 2023, Mountain arrived in the summer, an infallible shrine to Welsh produce with a Basque accent. Tomos Parry, of Brat fame, has forged something special on Beak Street, and Jimi found the hype to be entirely justified. Sound the alarm. Read the full review.
16-18 Beak Street, W1F 9RD, mountainbeakstreet.com
Bouchon Racine
The year started strongly with Bouchon Racine, then very much the restaurant of the moment. To some end, it still is. Above any old pub is Henry Harris’ reimagining of a road trip to Perpignan: a place bursting with Gallic charm and good cooking. It was the first of Jimi’s five-star reviews and hasn’t faltered since. Read the full review.
66 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6BP, bouchonracine.com
Al Kahf
A basement Somali restaurant in Whitechapel is far removed from the glitzy world of PR agencies, celebrity spotting and Instagram reels, but it is a five-star fixture nonetheless. At Al Kahf, Jimi found a hidden world of East African cooking that “spikes to endorphins and costs next to nothing.” Read the full review.
112-116 Vine Court, E1 1JE, @alkahfrestaurant
Story Cellar
Tom Sellers' Story Cellar is, to be brief, a place for posh chicken. Such a concept is all the rage in London today. Sellers started something — well, that's what the best chefs do. Jimi revelled in the place: detailed driven, deceptively basic. It is a touchstone in new-era dining, a style that is considered but comfortable, progressive but familiar. It earned five stars. Full review.
17 Neal’s Yard, WC2H 9DP. storycellar.co.uk
Chet's
Chet's might be the best-reviewed restaurant of the year you haven't heard of. Sorry, maybe you have. But it is a surprising five-star entry, an informal Thai-American diner in a Shepherd's Bush hotel. To be fair, it is the Hoxton, one of the more expansive and excelling hotel groups around these days. Jimi didn't get Chet's the first time round, but on his second visit, he found a pearl. Full review.
65-69 Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8TX. chetsrestaurant.co.uk
Akara
We don’t deal in half stars at the Standard, but if ever a restaurant review qualifies, it’s here. Call it a four-plus. Jimi loved Akara, a hyper-modern West African spot in Borough Market that encapsulates London today, a city that better celebrates the region and its diaspora. Full review.
18 Stoney Street, SE1 9AD. akaralondon.co.uk
The Devonshire
Ah yes, The Devonshire, that feted oasis of Guinness. A warm cocoon of inebriation; busy every day and rightly so. Upstairs? Former Fat Duck head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts’ triumphant play on classic pub food. Jimi found magic and romanticism here. A strong four stars indeed. Full review.
17 Denman Street, W1D 7HW. devonshiresoho.co.uk
64 Goodge Street
Unlike Jimi, Going Out editor David Ellis is allergic to dishing out five-star reviews. This one is as close as he has ever come to doing so. At 64 Goodge Street, David found a “triumph” of a French bistro; a sleek and stylish new restaurant where the food is executed almost flawlessly. Four stars. Read the full review.
64 Goodge Street, W1T 4NF, 64goodgestreet.co.uk
Hawthorn
David made his way to “Zone 4” earlier in the year, rather shockingly, and found an impressive restaurant in Hawthorn. In the former site of the Michelin-starred Glasshouse is a suburban dining room serving exceptional food; a masterful operation worth the long trip on the District line. Another solid four-star venue. Read the full review.
