Restaurant openings in London last year hit their highest level since before the pandemic — despite the enormous pressures facing the industry from soaring energy and food bills, transport strikes and home-working.
Analysis shows there were 253 launches in the capital, up from 243 in 2022 and well above the 216 seen in 2021. The record remains the 281 openings seen in 2019, the year before Covid struck and hammered the industry.
The steady recovery over recent years suggests that the London restaurant scene may be in a healthier state than feared, although closures are also thought to be on the rise.
The openings appear to be concentrated towards the top end of the dining spectrum. Luxury venues dominate the list, including Japanese restaurant Aragawa, where diners can pay up to £900 for a wagyu steak.
The arrival of the five star “billion-pound hotels” — the Peninsula on Hyde Park Corner, and Raffles London at the OWO on Whitehall — also boosted the numbers.
Raffles has nine restaurants, including three by three-Michelin star Argentine chef, Mauro Colagreco, right, whose French Riviera restaurant Mirazur was voted best in the world in 2019. The Peninsula’s line-up is led by Claude Bosi, holder of two Michelin stars, who also opened Mayfair’s Socca in January last year. Almost half the openings — 117 — were in the W1 postcode, home to gastronomic hotspots such as Mayfair and Soho.
It was followed by the WC postcodes of Covent Garden and Leicester Square with 53 debuts, then the EC postcodes (30 openings), SE1 (28) and SW1 (25).
But there were also some notable closures last year. These included Plateau in Canary Wharf, Aquavit in St James’s and the India Club at Temple.
The start of this year has been marked by the demise of Copper & Ink in Blackheath, with the trailblazing Mayfair destination Le Gavroche due to shut its doors for the final time this weekend.
The openings data was compiled by London eating out website Hot Dinners with data from real estate consultancy Robert Irving Burns. Gavin Hanly, co-founder of Hot Dinners, said: “While there have been plenty of restaurant closures, our figures show that London’s hospitality scene remains buoyant with openings slightly up year on year.
“Mayfair has been one of the busiest parts of London for new restaurant openings, so the luxe end of the market seems to be faring the best.”
Antony Antoniou, managing director of Robert Irving Burns, said: “Demand for high-quality hospitality spaces in some of the city’s most exclusive postcodes remains strong, despite the current economic headwinds.”
