The Best London Restaurant Openings This June
By Something CuratedHighlighting this month’s most promising restaurant launches, Something Curated takes a closer look at what to try, as well as the founders and proprietors behind the openings.
Sambal Shiok || Mandy Yin (12 June)
Earlier this year, chef Mandy Yin announced on Instagram that she had found a permanent home for her Malaysian restaurant and laksa bar in Holloway. Sambal Shiok began as a street food trader at markets in London in 2013 and subsequently launched a series of pop-up restaurants — at the Newman Arms in Fitzrovia; in Finsbury Park; Soho; then, finally, a six-month residency on Green Lanes, which closed last year.
171 Holloway Rd, N7 8LX
ROVI || Yotam Ottolenghi (21 June)
ROVI is the third brand from the London chef, following his eponymous chain of cafe-restaurants and his more formal a la carte site, Nopi, in Soho. Comprising a dining room, counter seating, 16-cover cocktail bar and deli, ROVI will serve lunch and dinner initially before introducing a breakfast offering in July. Heading up the kitchen will be former Grain Store head chef Neil Campbell and Ottolenghi’s development chef Calvin von Niebel.
59 Wells Street , London , W1A 3AE
Bancone || Louis Korovilas, William Ellner & David Ramsey (18 June)
The head chef at Bancone, Louis Korovilas, has cooked at both Locanda Locatelli and Pied à Terre, Michelin-starred Italian and French standard-bearers, respectively. Bancone’s menu will include dishes such as: pappardelle with slow-cooked kid goat and rosemary ragù; and garganelli, salsa Genovese, alongside tagliolini, clams, seaweed and purslane; or lamb neck ravioli with spring vegetables.
39 William IV St, WC2N 4DD
Henrietta Bistro || Sylvain Roucayrol (1 June)
Head chef, Sylvain Roucayrol takes the helm at Henrietta Bistro serving a menu inspired by southwest France and Basque country featuring snacks alongside larger, family style dishes. The bar serves up French pastis and cocktails accompanied by a late night snack menu. Paying tribute to the former gardens of Covent Garden, a glass roof encapsulates the mezzanine of Henrietta. Terracotta, oak and marble sit alongside verdant foliage to create a lush setting.
14-15 Henrietta St, WC2E 8QG
Akira at Japan House || Shimizu Akira (22 June)
Named after Chef Shimizu Akira, the restaurant presents an authentic Japanese dining experience based on Akira’s ‘trinity of cooking’ principles – food, tableware and presentation. Visit for lunch or dinner to experience Japanese-style omotenashi hospitality and the theatre of cooking as chefs prepare dishes reflecting Japan’s diverse food offering, using seasonal ingredients over a robata grill.
101-111 Kensington High Street, W8 5SA
St Leonards || Jackson Boxer & Andrew Clarke (4 June)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgqWNG_Ammt/?taken-by=stleonardsec2
Chefs Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke will open their new restaurant in Shoreditch this month. The duo have worked together for a number of years at Boxer’s first restaurant, Brunswick House, the canteen inside the antique and architectural salvage yard, Lassco in Vauxhall. As well as the English south east, the restaurant will also take inspiration from the French south west, the region that has informed a number of dinners that Clarke has hosted under the brand Bastien.
70 Leonard Street, EC2A 4QX
Jones & Sons || Kieran Hope & Andy Jones (14 June)
Jones & Sons, the British restaurant and cocktail bar founded by Andy Jones in Dalston in 2013, will open a second site in Angel this June. Head chef Kieran Hope, who counts Bistrotheque, Le Pont de la Tour and Hix among his previous employers, will move over to the new site in Angel. He is expected to create a similar offering as in Dalston, with brunch and lunch offerings, bar snacks and plates, as well as a la carte and set menus.
Unit R7, 35 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS
St John at Hackney Brewery || Luke Scanlon & Brewer Ryan Robbins (16 June)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjNYNFyBDuJ/?taken-by=sjah_brewery
St John at Hackney Brewery, not connected with Fergus Henderson’s restaurants, will focus on beer and small plates. The brewery, helmed by Luke Scanlon and Brewer Ryan Robbins, takes over one arch on Bohemia Place, with the bar and kitchen taking over another. The interior will feature a hand crafted wooden structure that provides the framework for the ceiling, creating “a church-like ambience.”
16 – 17 Bohemia Place, Hackney, E8 1DU
Cora Pearl || Tom Mullion, Tim Steel & Oliver Milburn (18 June)
Named after one of the 19th Century’s most notorious party girls, Cora Pearl is the second restaurant from the team behind Kitty Fisher’s. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, the 60-cover restaurant sits over two floors of a historic Henrietta Street townhouse, decked out in parquet flooring, upholstered wall panels and vintage lights. The menu draws inspiration from both British and French cuisine – the countries where Cora spent most of her life.
30 Henrietta St, WC2F 8NA
Brother Marcus, Angel || Alex Large, Arthur Campbell & Tasos Gaitanos (June)
Brother Marcus, the colourful Balham brunch spot popular for its daytime dining offering, is opening a second restaurant in Angel’s Camden Passage this month. Daytime service at the new cafe will continue in much the same vein, but there’s a notable addition to the repertoire – for the first time, Brother Marcus will be launching an evening menu, serving a range of Mediterranean small plates firmly rooted in chef and co-founder Tasos Gaitanos’s Greek heritage.
37-39 Camden Passage, N1 8EA
Feature image: Wagyu steak at Akira (via Japan House London)