Where to Eat in London Now

London’s restaurant scene gave advisors plenty to sell in 2026. The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland, announced in Dublin on 9 February 2026, added two new two-star restaurants and nine one-star restaurants in the capital. Most are small rooms that book out weeks ahead, so the useful job for advisors is matching the right table to the client early in the planning. One of the nine, Somssi by Jihun Kim, is now listed by Michelin as closed and is left out here.

New two stars

Bonheur by Matt Abé, Mayfair. On the old Le Gavroche site at 43 Upper Brook Street, run by the Australian chef who led Restaurant Gordon Ramsay‘s kitchen, with Gordon Ramsay holding the lease. Business Traveller reported a five-course tasting menu at £195, a longer seven-course menu, an à la carte, and a six-seat chef’s table, Petit Bonheur, at £1,350 for the table. It suits clients who want the grand Mayfair dinner without a hotel dining room.

Row on 5, Savile Row. Jason Atherton and chef Spencer Metzger’s tasting-menu room, entered from the street down to a fireplace lounge, then up to counter seats and tables. Michelin describes a classical European base with Japanese influences, and its sommelier, Roxane Dupuy, won the guide’s 2026 Sommelier Award. Book the counter for food-focused clients.

New one stars worth the trip

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, City of London. A 12-seat counter on the 60th floor of 22 Bishopsgate with a surprise tasting menu. Michelin calls it Europe’s tallest restaurant and advises allowing extra time for building security. A strong special-occasion pick, and seating is communal.

Corenucopia by Clare Smyth, Chelsea. The three-star chef’s “luxury bistro” of reworked British classics, with Gary Mundi as chef. A more relaxed way into the Core style than Core itself.

The Kerfield Arms, Camberwell. On Grove Lane in south-east London, chef Jay Styler’s pub became the second London pub with a Michelin star. Pitch it to clients who want a Sunday lunch away from the centre.

Legado, Shoreditch. Spanish cooking from chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho. A good fit for clients staying in east London.

Also starred in 2026: Michael Caines at The Stafford in St James’s (his first London restaurant); Labombe by Trivet at COMO Metropolitan London; Tom Brown at The Capital in Knightsbridge; and Ambassadors Clubhouse, a classical Indian dining room off Regent Street.

The three-star benchmark

No London restaurant gained a third star in 2026, and every existing three-star in Britain and Ireland kept its rating. That leaves London with five: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, CORE by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, and Sketch’s Lecture Room & Library. For clients collecting three-star meals, these remain the bookings to secure first, and the new two-stars are the natural second night. Clare Smyth now has three London addresses at three price points: CORE, Corenucopia and, from the Waldorf Astoria at Admiralty Arch, Coreus, which Hilton lists among the hotel’s restaurants ahead of its opening.

The 2026 openings to know

Simpson’s-in-the-Strand. Jeremy King, of The Wolseley and Le Caprice, reopened the Edwardian dining room at 100 Strand in March 2026 after five years closed. The roast beef carving trolley is back, with roast rib of beef at £39.50 a head according to Londonist, plus a cocktail bar, a tavern and a café. Classic London for first-time visitors.

Hot Dinners’ round-up of 2026 openings gives a wider short list, including:

• Teal by Sally Abé, Hackney (March): contemporary British from chef Sally Abé.
• Igni, Mayfair (April): a fire-led tasting menu from Theo Clench, formerly of Cycene.
• Oudh 1722, London Bridge (May): Awadhi cooking from Birmingham chef Aktar Islam.
• Tresind, Mayfair (May): Indian fine dining led by chef Himanshu Saini.
• Vesper, Clerkenwell (June): contemporary European from Jackson Boxer.

Plan it

• Book starred tables at the same time as flights. Small counters like Gordon Ramsay High (12 seats) and the chef’s table at Bonheur have the least availability.
• Mix the map. Pair one Mayfair tasting menu with a neighbourhood meal in Camberwell, Hackney or Clerkenwell.
• Brief clients on format. Counters mean fixed start times and shared seating; let late-running clients know before they go.
• Watch for: the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2027 ceremony, expected early in the year, which can change availability overnight.

Sources

• Michelin Guide, new London stars 2026
• Michelin Guide, every starred restaurant in GB & Ireland 2026
• The Drinks Business, 2026 new stars and chefs
• Michelin Guide, Row on 5
• Michelin Guide, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High
• Business Traveller, Bonheur by Matt Abé
• Morning Advertiser, The Kerfield Arms
• The Caterer, Corenucopia by Clare Smyth
• Londonist, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand reopening
• Hot Dinners, best new London openings 2026
• Hilton, Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch release, Coreus