From history-steeped bars and designer-inspired brunches to luxurious new hotels and the ultimate lazy lunch spots, here’s where to find seven of London’s hottest openings this autumn
1 Brunch here: Drunch, Fitzrovia
If you’re partial to brunch, you can’t miss a session at this new Fitzrovia opening. Expanding their hugely successful London portfolio, Drunch are opening a new restaurant and speakeasy – featuring a delectable menu of breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner in addition to an extensive wine menu and cocktail selection. Interiors will offer marble-topped tables and chic contrasting colours – whilst downstairs awaits Kave, an exciting new hidden club lounge for those that want to continue the party.
Valerio Vivetti is set to helm the kitchen, who, during his 20 year career, has worked at leading hotels and Michelin starred restaurants across Europe and the USA. Highlights include Fairmont Hotel, California, Doppio Zero in San Francisco, Somma in Norway, Convivium Fulham and The Lanesborough.
Foodies can feast upon an all day dining menu filled with Mediterranean influences for the 40-cover restaurant. Order from the bespoke a la carte menu, featuring Chef Vivetti’s signature dishes, such as Red Mazzara Prawns Carpaccio; Wagyu Toast; Alaskan King Crab and Ravioli Ricotta and Black Truffle.
Ideal for something secretive, located below Drunch will be Kave, a hidden area which guests can enter through a mysterious unmarked door on Great Titchfield Street. The speakeasy has been beautifully restored from what was originally a Victorian baker’s kitchen and more recently – an illegal gambling den where pet 10ft python snakes were kept. Luckily for guests, the reptiles are long gone. Instead, an extensive cocktail menu, live named DJs, sharing style menu with Mediterranean touches and a late licence awaits fun-loving visitors.
Where: 71 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 6RB
How: Find out more and make a booking via visiting drunch.co.uk/fitzrovia or phoning 020 3161 8322
2 Drink here: The Libertine, The Royal Exchange
Calling all City slickers. This October will see the launch of The Libertine, an impressive 400-capacity venue opening at The Royal Exchange. Nestled in the historic vaults under The Royal Exchange, this stunning opening will comprise a large destination bar, lively drinking and dining spaces, two private dining rooms including a whiskey vault for paired whiskey experiences, and a main restaurant. Under vaulted arches which once housed the spices, silks and gold that enriched London in years gone by sits a newfortune worthy of the modern City.
Steeped in history, The Royal Exchange was first opened by Queen Elizabeth 1st in 1571, who awarded it the ‘Royal’ title and granted it a licence to sell alcohol and expensive goods. As the first venue to serve alcohol in London with a Royal Licence, expect a place of celebration and generous hospitality, paying homage to its rich, fruitful history – with a dose of frivolity alongside.
The drinks menu has been created in partnership with some of the city’s finest distilleries, breweries and wine merchants. The wine list consists of a house list offering quality wines from respected world vineyards and a reserve list displaying finer vintages for special occasions. Sitting alongside the wine list and array of well-loved beers will be a cocktail menu with twists on the classics, including a Smoky Thyme Old Fashioned and a Pink Peppercorn Negroni, as well as a full menu of classic cocktails.
On the food front, bite into a menu consisting of snacks for the table, starters, seafood dishes, a selection of dry-aged steaks and grande cuts alongside traditional mains and desserts. The list of grande cuts will include chateaubriand, cote de boeuf and porterhouse steaks available from 500g upwards, while the steak tasting board, suitable for four people, will present dry aged prime cuts including fillet and Wagyu picanha. As well as steaks, guests can expect to sample Jersey oysters, a Welsh Rarebit crumpet, Lobster gratin, Cornish cod & chips, Pot-roasted cauliflower and a Bearnaise burger. If you like to keep it classic, this new opening is bound to impress.
When: Opening October 2022, exact date tbc.
How: Find out more via libertinelondon.co.uk
Where: 1A The Royal Exchange, Cornhill, London, EC3V 3LL
3 Lazy lunch here: The Holland, Kensington
Fan of The Long Lunch? We’ve got just the ticket. The Holland, a new pub and dining room from chef Max de Nahlik, has just opened on Earl’s Court Road in Kensington. The space has been entirely refurbished to create a homely, welcoming pub on the ground floor and an elegant, intimate dining room upstairs. Good news for gourmands – Max’s seasonal, British-ingredient-led cuisine will be served across both floors.
Run by general manager Richard Banks, a hospitality veteran of twenty years’ experience who Max met by chance just a few weeks before the opening and, he says, “came to my rescue”, The Holland aims to be both a friendly local for the W8 community and a culinary destination in its own right.
Max has honed his cooking style over a decade-long career working in high-end restaurants and food-led pubs, notably his three years as chef and co-founder of the peripatetic pop-up Oxalis and, most recently, working at the Duke of Cambridge in Islington, the country’s first organic-certified pub.
Committed to ethical production and sustainability, Max sources all meat used at The Holland from The Ethical Butcher; fish and seafood from Celtic Fish & Game and Henderson’s; and flour for the slow-ferment, country-style sourdough which he bakes in-house from Wild Farmed.
Ideal for a laidback dining experience, sample dishes include the likes of Spiced brown crab on toast, Tomatoes, peach, chilli, pangrattato, smoked tofu, Pork collar steak, greengage chutney, kohlrabi & beetroot and Hake, piperade, fennel salad. On the dessert front, don’t miss the Almond tart, double cream. Sunday lunch will see a selection of traditional roasts served, including beef rump with Yorkshire pudding and beetroot horseradish, as well as a vegan option.
The mostly-European winelist, which has been put together for The Holland by wine consultant Matthew Cocks, starts at an affordable £5 a glass or £20 a bottle, while a regularly-changing roster of cask ales starts at £5.75 a pint.
Where: The Holland, 25 Earls Court Road, London W8 6EB
How: Find out more and make a booking via thehollandkensington.co.uk
When: Wed-Sat 12-11, Sunday 12-6 (further days and times will be added in the coming months)
Where: 25 Earls Ct Rd, London W8 6EB
4 Get a carb fix here: Charles Artisan Bread, Stratford
Bready to go? Clapton’s popular micro bakery Charles Artisan Bread has opened its second site in Stratford, providing simple, honest and no fuss freshly baked goods to locals and visitors.
Located in front of the Velodrome, the new bakery is a light-flooded relaxed space with rustic elements, inspiring quotes and earthy tones – the perfect place to relax and chill, or to focus and get the work done.
Each loaf and pastry is made with natural ingredients without additives. Using a slow 24-hour fermentation process, the bakery produces a finite number of goods daily, mantaining high quality standards to satisfy its clients’ needs.
Carb-loving costumers can choose from several loafs including the Clapton Sourdough (white), the Charles Wholemeal Sourdough, the Multigrain Wholemeal Sourdough and daily specials, as well as savoury Focacce and delicious Sandwiches for every taste.
Sweet lovers can pick from a magnificent selection of handmade pastries, alongisde an impressive vegan offer with Vegan Almond Danish, Vegan Pear & Almond Danish, Vegan Apple Crumble Danish, and daily specials including mouth-watering Vegan Donuts, to satisfy every need.
Championing its East London’s origin, the bakery also stocks several local products including Honey from Hackney Garden Honey, Vegan Cheese from I AM NUT UK, Chilli Sauces from Dalston Chillies, and other delicatessen.
When: Charles Artisan Bread is open daily from 8am until 3pm
Where: 8 Abercrombie Road, Chobham Manor, E20 1FU.
How: Find out more via charlesartisanbread.co.uk
5 Shop & snack here: RAREBIT, Elephant & Castle
If you’re a fan of the finest produce, it’s time to hop on over to RAREBIT, an all day neighbourhood kitchen, bar and grocery store now open in Elephant Park, Elephant & Castle. RAREBIT celebrates modern British food, working with the finest local producers, serving coffee from Climpson & Sons, bread and pastries from Flor, fresh produce from Natoora, cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy and rare breed meats from O’ Shea’s Butchers.
The restaurant also offers an expansive lunch, dinner and wine menu, as well as a delicious weekend brunch – with a number of exciting dishes courtesy of Head Chef Liv Lionel.
How: Find out more via rarebitfood.co.uk
Where: 11 Sayer St, SE17 1FY
6 Snooze here: Chateau Denmark, Soho
If you’re partial to a property that drips with cool, it’s time to book a stay at Chateau Denmark, a new hotel found on Soho’s Denmark Street. Inspired by the rock ‘n’ roll history of the area, this new hotel is undeniably one of London’s sexiest places to stay.
The new, independent brand is set across 16 buildings, comprising 55 ‘Session Rooms’ and Apartments each decked out with a distinct style. Several of the apartments are housed in the building where the Rolling Stones recorded their first album.
Session Rooms in The Now Building, accessed through Denmark Place, are tiered in Superior, Luxury or Deluxe categories.Interiors are of a provocative nature, featuring gold-trimmed beds with graffitied headboards, sculpted fireplaces and roll-top red-lined bathtubs perched atop a marble plinth.
What’s more, the new hotel also boasts a team of butlers, which they have collectively billed as BTLR, while it also promises that its technology will allow for frictionless service delivery.
On the dining front, head to the top floor of The Now Building, for the first London site of independent restaurant group Tattu, known for its extensive menu of Asian-influenced dishes and Instagram-friendly interiors.
Where: Denmark St, London WC2H 0LA
How: Find out more and make a booking via chateaudenmark.com
7 Workation here: TRIBE London Canary Wharf
With workations on the rise, we’ve found the perfect place to rest your head AND open a laptop. Pioneering lifestyle hotel brand TRIBE has just opened ‘TRIBE London Canary Wharf’ – its eighth property, and first location for the brand in London and the UK.
TRIBE London Canary Wharf, featuring interiors by Ennismore’s design team – the visionary behind The Hoxton locations – the building considers the experience of both those staying within the hotel as well as passers-by observing the unique interiors.
TRIBE is a new type of hotel, with design driven spaces, but functional: a place to work, eat, drink, chill and socialise, it is a hotel made for modern travellers. The concept is inspired by global travel – the demand for simplicity, outstanding bedding, a comfortable sleeping experience and quality bath amenities.
With 320 rooms set across six floors, these are split into three types: TRIBE Comfort – a smaller, well-designed 14sqm space with city views; TRIBE Comfort Atrium – a quiet and cosy, comfortable 14sqm room overlooking the hotel’s atrium; and TRIBE Comfort XL – a spacious 21sqm corner room overlooking Wood Wharf.
Each room benefits from natural daylight, floor to ceiling windows, king-size beds, complimentary high-speed WIFI, stylish yet functional interiors with desks, and well-equipped bathrooms with rainfall showers. TRIBE’S bedrooms have been designed to include everything guests need and nothing they don’t — a personal sanctuary that scores high on the comfort factor and low on fussy frills.
Ideal for squeezing some work in, the ground floor at TRIBE London Canary Wharf is home to the hotel’s free-flowing, 24-hour ‘Social Hub’ with spaces to suit everyone. Flooded with natural light and opening up onto the hotel’s sun-soaked terrace, it’s open not only to those staying at the hotel, but inclusive to all. Comfortable and functional by design, guests can be as connected or disconnected as you like.
Where: TRIBE London Canary Wharf, 15 Water Street, London, E14 9SB
How: Find out more and make a booking via mytribehotel.com or emailing reservations.canarywharf@mytribehotel.com
