Pyro

 Greek open fire concept

Coal-seared prawns, Greek salad

Pyro is the kind of restaurant that immediately gives you something to talk about. Set around the London Bridge area, this open-fire Greek restaurant takes a familiar Mediterranean idea and pushes it towards something more contemporary, theatrical and deliberately visual. It makes Pyro an interesting addition to London's ever-changing restaurant scene, particularly for diners who enjoy Greek food but want something that feels a little removed from the predictable taverna format. The restaurant has a confident, modern personality, and there is a sense that the team wants you to experience Greek cooking through a more refined and imaginative lens rather than simply reproduce the classics.

Hopers' Base London

Hong Kong cuisine in London

 

Stir fry king prawns in XO sauce

There is something inherently nostalgic about a Hong Kong restaurant opening in London, particularly when the story behind it begins not in London at all, but thousands of miles away in Hong Kong. Hopers' Base arrives with the promise of bringing a slice of Hong Kong dining culture to the capital, carrying with it the flavours, memories and cooking traditions of its original home. The restaurant’s journey from Hong Kong to London gives the place a sense of identity that goes beyond simply being another Chinese restaurant. For anyone who has spent time eating in Hong Kong, there is an immediate familiarity to the menu. The dishes are rooted firmly in classic Hong Kong-style cooking rather than the more generic Cantonese fare that can sometimes dominate overseas Chinese restaurants.

Ibai

 London's Benchmark for Grilled Food

Beef tartare with smoked Espelette pepper and truffle

There are restaurants that attract attention because they are fashionable, and then there are restaurants that generate genuine excitement because the cooking gives people a reason to keep coming back. Ibai, tucked away on Bartholomew Close between St Paul's Cathedral, Smithfield Market and Farringdon, belongs firmly in the latter category. Since opening in 2024, this Basque-inspired grill restaurant has generated considerable media attention, with critics praising its ambitious menu, exceptional beef and ability to deliver serious cooking without the stuffiness often associated with expensive London dining. More recently, its reputation has received another significant boost: in the 2026 World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants ranking, Ibai was placed No. 7 globally and among the highest-ranked steak restaurants in the UK. That is a substantial achievement in a city with no shortage of ambitious steakhouses, and one that feels justified after repeated visits. I have been to Ibai more than 20 times, which perhaps tells you more about my feelings towards the restaurant than any headline or industry ranking ever could.

Zylia

 Greek-Cypriot Charm, but Not Quite the Full Mediterranean Experience

SHEFTALIA

Greek restaurants have been enjoying renewed attention in London, with diners increasingly drawn to charcoal-grilled meats, generous sharing plates and fresh salads. Into this landscape comes Zylia, a Greek-Cypriot restaurant in Covent Garden, just off the Strand and within easy reach of Covent Garden's theatre district. The restaurant is part of the wider Arcade development, a modern food-hall destination, although Zylia has its own entrance and a distinct identity rather than simply operating as another counter within a shared dining space. The menu follows a recognisable taverna structure, with small plates and dips, salads, grilled classics, larger sharing dishes and a handful of desserts. Sheftalia, pork souvlakia and lamb chops sit alongside Greek salad, grilled halloumi, aubergine dip and other staples. The restaurant's inclusion in the 2026 Michelin Guide also suggests that its ambitions have attracted attention beyond the usual tourist crowd. Yet a strong concept and an appealing backstory are only the starting point. What matters is how well the kitchen translates that idea onto the plate, and whether the food delivers enough character to distinguish Zylia from the many Greek restaurants scattered across London.

Chez Rose

French themed social 

Red prawn, tomato, amalfi lemon

Chez Rose is the sort of restaurant that feels as though it has arrived in Mayfair with a fairly clear idea of what it wants to be. Located on Pollen Street, in the former Little Social site, this is a French restaurant with a distinctly London sense of polish, combining the familiarity of classic French cooking with the quality of ingredients and level of refinement you would expect from a serious Mayfair address.  It is also a deeply personal project for chef Spencer Metzger, who created Chez Rose in partnership with Jason and Irha Atherton and named the restaurant after his late grandmother, Rosemary. Metzger spent 12 years cooking classical French food at The Ritz before becoming executive chef at the two-Michelin-starred Row on 5.