A guide of London’s newest restaurants from the 2026 Michelin Guide
The prestige of a Michelin star is widely regarded as the ultimate, albeit elusive, pinnacle of success in the culinary world, acting as a global hallmark of extreme gastronomic excellence. It functions not merely as a rating, but is transformative, raising a restaurants reputation, boosting patronage and elevating a chef's career to the international stage. The prestige is built on a foundation of intense, secretive, and rigorous inspection, where anonymous, expert inspectors evaluate based on culinary technique, ingredient quality, and, critically, unwavering consistency over time. Unlike a mere review, a Michelin star represents a promise of a superior dining experience, whether it is "very good" (one star)"worth a detour" (two stars), or "worth a special journey" (three stars). Ultimately, it is a rare, hard-earned badge of honour that drives the industry to constantly push the boundaries of flavour, passion, and perfection.
Two new two-star restaurants
Two London restaurants were given Two Michelin Stars, and both made a compelling case for unapologetic opulence in dining.
Bonheur by Matt Abé (Mayfair) is the solo debut of Australian chef Matt Abé, who spent 18 years in the Gordon Ramsay organisation, latterly as chef-patron at Ramsay’s three-starred Chelsea flagship. Abé has taken over the legendary former home of Le Gavroche on Upper Brook Street and made it entirely his own, with muted modern décor, a vibey soundtrack, and intricate cooking that earned two stars within a year of opening, a remarkable achievement.
Row on 5 (Mayfair) is Jason Atherton’s key London restaurant, named after its address on Savile Row and run day-to-day by former Ritz chef Spencer Metzger. Atherton lost his star when Pollen Street Social closed in 2024, but was gunning for the stars from the get go with the opening of Row on 5, a theatrical, immersive dining experience that starts downstairs in the bar and works its way up through the evening, pure modern luxury dining.
Row on 5. Image courtesy of Row on 5
Nine new one-star restaurants
London’s newcomers to the One Star category are a fittingly diverse group, showcasing everything from elevated pub dining to high-altitude chef’s tables:
Legado (Shoreditch) is perhaps the most talked-about opening in the list. Run by Nieves Barragán Mohacho — the visionary chef behind the two-starred Sabor — this Spanish restaurant with a large open kitchen and an all-Spanish wine list has quickly become one of the city’s most exciting destinations.
Tom Brown at The Capital (Knightsbridge) who we recommended for Valentine’s dinner, sees chef Tom Brown — who closed his Michelin-starred Cornerstone in Hackney Wick and Pearly Queen in Spitalfields— reopening in this storied Knightsbridge hotel (past chefs being Brian Turner, Gary Rhodes and Nathan Outlaw) with a seafood-led fine dining menu that has picked up right where he left off.
Ambassadors Clubhouse (Mayfair) is from the JKS group, the team behind Gymkhana and Trishna, and offers bold, generous Punjabi cuisine in an opulent Mayfair setting on Heddon Street.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High (City) is a 12-seat chef’s table on the 60th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, perched higher than any restaurant in Europe. The menu roams the British Isles for inspiration, with the view doing a fair amount of the heavy lifting too. Do watch the Netflix documentary “Being Gordon Ramsey” to find out more about its journey to opening.
Labombe by Trivet (Mayfair) is a sibling to Bermondsey’s two-starred Trivet, from co-founders, Chef Jonny Lake and Master Sommelier Isa Bal. Now relocated to Park Lane on the old Met Bar site, it offers a wine-forward, grill-focused menu in a buzzy setting.
The Kerfield Arms (Camberwell) is a certified neighbourhood pub in South London that happens to serve some of the city’s most outstanding seasonal dishes, and is now London’s newest Michelin-starred pub.
Corenucopia by Clare Smyth (Pimlico/Belgravia) is the three-starred chef’s take on a luxury British brasserie, where classics like fish and chips are reinterpreted using Dover sole and lobster mousse, with an entire menu section devoted to the potato.
Somssi by Jihun Kim (Mayfair) is an intimate 14-seat counter experience inside the Mandarin Oriental hotel, offering a modern Korean tasting menu. Chef Jihun Kim took the helm after his predecessor earned and then departed quickly and has made the space entirely his own.
Michael Caines at The Stafford (St James’s) marks the celebrated chef’s first London restaurant, housed in the elegant Stafford Hotel and drawing on the same philosophy of premium British produce that has defined his work at Lympstone Manor.
Image courtesy of Labombe by Trivet
Notable losses
Only one London restaurant officially lost its Michelin star, Humo in Mayfair, after chef Miller Prada left at the start of 2025. However, a host of one-star restaurants have closed since the last awards, including La Dame de Pic, Bibendum, Lyle’s, Dosa and The Five Fields, with Club Gascon in Smithfield set to shut next month.
13 new Bib Gourmands
The Bib Gourmand, Michelin’s award for excellent food at a genuinely accessible price, was handed to 13 new London restaurants, bringing the city’s total to 32. The newcomers reflect the remarkable breadth of affordable, high-quality dining available and the diversity of cuisines across the capitalcovering some of our personal favourites:
Gina (Chingford), Cálong (Stoke Newington), Oren (Dalston), Cadet (Islington), Goodbye Horses (Islington), Singburi(Shoreditch), Canteen (Notting Hill), Café Spice Namasté (Royal Albert Dock), Akara (Borough Market), Lai Rai (Peckham), Kruk (Peckham), Tamila (Clapham), and SsamSsam (Wimbledon).
The list is a snapshot of London eating in 2026: Gina is the debut restaurant from beloved baker and TV personality Ravneet Gill; Singburi is the relocated cult Thai from Leytonstone; Akara celebrates West African flavours at Borough Market; Kruk serves tongue-scorching Thai food from a Peckham railway arch; and Oren brings vibrant Eastern Mediterranean sharing plates to Dalston.
Image courtesy of Akara
60 new guide additions
Beyond the star and Bib awards, a total of 60 London restaurants were added to The MICHELIN Guide over the past year — a figure that underlines the sheer pace of the city’s restaurant scene. Among the notable new entrants are a raft of Italian openings (Dear Jackie, Cicoria, Canteen, Locatelli at The National Gallery), a wave of East and Southeast Asian restaurants, and ambitious newcomers spanning Filipino, Filipino, Ukrainian, Greek and Basque cuisines.
Taken together, the 2026 awards tell a story of a city at the peak of its powers: unafraid of luxury, fiercely committed to diversity, and still finding new ways to make a great meal feel remarkable — whether in a glass tower above the City or a railway arch in Peckham.
