It's been a long, long year for the restaurant industry, and while hospitality workers get ready to reopen and go back to work, we're all eager to go out to eat, drink and celebrate the lifting of restrictions come April 12th.
Here is a list of the restaurants across the UK and in London to keep an eye out for this spring and summer:
Jöro's Luke French and Stacey Sherwood are opening a fine dining concept in Sheffield and a Japan-inspired restaurant in Liverpool
Operated by chef Luke French and his wife and business partner, Stacey Sherwood-French, the restaurant and bar, Konjö, will be located on the rooftop of the Cambridge Street Collective food hall, which will also feature a cooking school and a broadcast studio.
The Cambridge Street Collective is run by The Milestone Group, which is also behind Cutlery Works - The North's largest food hall - as well as The Milestone pub, a suburban gastropub located around the corner from Jöro.
Though it is planned for this year, an exact date has yet to be set for the launch.
Alongside this, the culinary couple are opening a Tokyo izakaya-inspired restaurant in Liverpool, Nama.
The drinking and dining concept will be located in the city's MetQuarter, and will use sashimi grade fish and responsibly-sourced ingredients from the UK, the EU, and Japan to offer Sheffield diners a selection of sashimi and nigiri.
Thomas Straker, formerly of Elystan Street and The Dorchester to open first solo restaurant in London, Acre
The chef, whose former positions saw him work in the kitchens of The Dorchester, Dinner, Casa Cruz and Elystan Street, had been planning his own restaurant prior to the pandemic, but naturally had to put it on hold for a year. The launch is back on track, but the only information as to when it might open is that it is 'Coming Soon'.
Thomas' food at Acre will reflect his Herefordshire upbringing, his love for hunting and foraging in the Black Mountains and his respect for ethical, sustainable, quality farming.
In the meantime, the chef is offering a preview of what to expect at his Carousel pop-up, Right Then, on Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm – 4pm, with tickets on sale every Wednesday at 10.
Danny Parker will open Fern Restaurant at Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in May
The former head chef at House of Tides, Masterchef: The Professionals 2014 finalist and Great British Menu 2017 and 2018 contestant promises a contemporary and parred-down menu - dishes like hand dived scallops with blood orange beurre blanc; pan-fried monkfish, creamed Yukon Gold potatoes, sauce vierge & Shetland mussels; and chocolate terrine with poached cherries.
El Pastor Soho to launch in June 2021
The restaurant, run by Harts Group, also behind Barrafina and Quo Vadis, will be located on the former site of Mark Hix's restaurant, featuring both familiar dishes and additions to the East London flagship's menu, and the addition of live entertainment in the building's basement.
The Pony Chew Magna team to open sister bistro, the pony North Street, on 19th May, and The Queens pub with rooms in Chew Magna
With the fifteen year-old, Michelin-starred Bristol flagship (formerly The Pony & Trap, now The Pony Chew Magna) set to reopen as a community interest company in the spring after putting on socially-distant pop-ups at Breaking Bread Bristol between lockdowns, the Eggleton family-led team is launching a sister pub in South Bristol, The Pony.
Another pub in Chew Magna, The Queens, has been in the works since before Covid, and will also be launching this year.
Glynn Purnell to open a cafe and pizzeria at Charterhouse in Coventry and a small plates restaurant in Knowle
Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell is opening several offshoots this year.
The former, a partnership with the Historic Coventry Trustwill be located on the site of a 14th century former Carthesian monastery in Coventry, and is it is set to open for al fresco dining in April-May.
The latter, also yet unnamed but set to be located in Knowle, a village in the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, will be a small-plates venue and will launch in mid-2021.
The Dorchester to offer rooftop food, drink and live entertainment throughout the summer
Opening as soon as the first smidgeon of fun is allowed in April, the rooftop venue will be host to a series of pop-ups led by executive chef Mario Perera, featuring a British summertime menu by head chef Tom Booton and modern and informal French dining by exec chef of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Jean-Philippe Blondet.
Adam Handling to open restaurant, pub and rooms in Old Windsor: The Loch & The Tyne
Set to open on May 17th, the venue will be the celebrated chef owner of The Frog group's first venue located outside of London. The chef's vision for The Loch & The Tyne is for it to be a local favourite, and a destination restaurant for UK and international travellers to the Royal Borough.
Steven Kerr, his group executive chef, and Jonny McNeil, head chef at Adam Handling Chelsea, will be taking the reins.
The pub snacks menu will be an exercise in luxurious sustainability, showcasing Adam’s commitment to minimising food waste and creating quintessentially British zero-waste dishes, while the restaurant menu will feature his signature dishes, including ‘Mother’, ‘Lobster Wagyu’ and The Frog E1’s legendary ‘Mac & Cheese’, as well as some new additions from Steven and Jonn utilising the vegetable gardens on site.
