As we bid farewell to 2019, we look ahead to the top five restaurant openings to watch out for in 2020.
This year has been, to say the least, eventful – some might even say “bumpy”. But as we leave the year behind, we look aheead to what the next twelve months has to offer the London eating scene. We’ve curated a list of the top five most anticipated openings of 2019:
Eataly
Already established in America, Japan and Brazil, Eataly, an enormous Italian food hall is finally coming to London and will call the City its new home.
To be based in Broadgate, Eataly will be 42,000 sq ft (or 3,900 square metres) of Italian food and drink, making it the largest stand-alone food hall in the country. Its predecessors have been a combination of food stands, bars, delis, coffee shops and restaurants.
There are even plans for an Italian cooking school with live demonstrations.
Key Information:
Name: Eataly
Opening: 2020
Cuisine: Italian
Neighbourhood: Liverpool Street
Le Cordon Bleu
The celebrated French cooking school founded in 1895, Le Cordon Bleu, will be opening a second school in London this year but this time, with a restaurant open to the public. It will sit on the former site of Lutyens Restaurant and meals will be prepared by the students.
With such a revered list of alumni, we expect some great food to be served here by the next generation of Michelin starred chefs.
Key Information:
Name: Le Cordon Bleu
Opening: 2020
Cuisine: Modern European, French
Neighbourhood: The City
Chyna / Yau Grilling
Founder of such giants such as Hakkasan and the Wagamama restaurant chain, Alan Yau is set to return to London to open up two new restaurants in Canary Wharf – Chyna and Yau Grilling.
Chyna will be a high-end seafood restaurant looking over Canary Wharf’s South Dock whereas Yau Grilling will be a more relaxed, and smaller, diner-style restaurant.
And if that wasn’t going to keep Alan busy enough, he will also be launching a second site for Yamabahce, his Turkish restaurant, in Westfield, and Mozzasando, an Italian-influenced katsu sandwich bar in Kensington.
Key Information:
Name: Chyna / Yau Grilling
Opening: 2020
Cuisine: Chinese
Neighbourhood: Canary Wharf
H.O.M.E
H.O.M.E (a working name only we are told) will be the next brainchild of Jason Atherton, the man behind Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social.
The new restaurant will be right next door to Pollen Street Social, a spot that is currently rented out for pop-ups, and it will be an intimate eatery, only serving 16. Atherton told Squaremeal it would be a “purely creative outlet”, serving a set menu.
This will be his eighth London restaurant and sixteenth across the globe.
Key Information:
Name: H.O.M.E (final name TBC)
Opening: 2020
Neighbourhood: Mayfair
Kol
Santiago Lastra, the chef behind the Mexican pop-up launch of the iconic, Noma, is opening his own restaurant in London.
Kol, from the Spanish word for ‘cabbage’, will explore the cuisine of Mexico but all the food will be made from British produce. The restaurant has had its house wine tailor-made for them by Slovakian winemakers, Slobodne.
The restaurant will be divided into two floors. The main floor will seat 56 with an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work at a tortilla station, and the lower floor will house a mezcal bar and a chef’s table that will seat twenty.
Key Information:
Name: Kol
Opening: 2020
Cuisine: Mexican
Neighbourhood: Marylebone
