The openings you need to know about this year.

The UK’s appetite for quality restaurants shows no signs of being sated through 2018. The first quarter of the year throws up a heady mix of established chefs and new blood, with more coming from the pop-up breeding ground that speaks to the masses. From fire-kissed meat to classy curry, open your diary and lock in the top tables to book before you’re beaten to the punch.

Opening March

Mr Tom Brown – the supremely talented chef who was two-star Mr Nathan Outlaw’s right-hand man for more than a decade – is set to open his debut restaurant Cornerstone in March. Expect superb, fish-focused seasonal plates delivered from a focal central kitchen. The prime real estate will be the seats at the counter where you can watch the chefs at work.

Opening 9 January

One of the UK’s top chefs, Mr Simon Rogan will be re-opening Roganic in the West End on the former site of L’Autre Pied. The restaurant will pay homage to roots, in Mr Rogan’s typical vegetable-focused style. Expect beautifully crafted plates using produce from his Cumbrian farm.

Opening spring

Chef Mr Tomos Parry is looking to strike gold again with Brat. His first restaurant, Kitty Fisher’s, enlightened London to aged dairy cow steaks, fired over a Robata grill. We’re reliably informed the new site will continue the theme, applying minimal technique to stunning produce.

Opening March

Mr Karam Sethi, the man behind classy curry house Gymkhana and the superb Sri Lankan street food joint Hoppers, ventures into the Bloomberg Arcade dining destination. Detail is thin on the ground, but we’re told it will serve classic Indian barbecue in a room reminiscent of a colonial Indian army mess from the 1930s.

Opening January

Wing Fest founders Messrs Rich Thacker and Andy Watts are now expanding their chicken empire and taking roost for Randy’s second site in Tower Hill late January. Come hungry, leave with sticky fingers.

Opening January

Star baker Ms Isidora Popovic will open her first deli and daytime café on Duke Street. From starting on a market stall, she has risen to fame, baking for everyone from the Prince of Wales to the MR PORTER team.

Opening April

The original darling of Sloanes and the Chelsea crowd, Bluebird takes flight to White City. The 20-year-old original restaurant will be recreated in a 5,000sq ft space with a huge terrace in the old BBC building. Expect quality grills and an extensive, well-priced wine list.

Opening late spring

The Italian family behind Richmond’s Petersham Nurseries introduced the UK to the concept of slow food (meaning fewer food miles and reverence to ingredients’ provenance) and The Petersham will continue the philosophy. It joins Petersham Nurseries Delicatessen in Covent Garden, which opened in autumn 2017 with the same ethos. The menu will be simple and seasonal, with a focus on quality ingredients and Italian flavours.

Opening 12 January

Following a series of successful pop-up supper clubs, chefs Messrs Gerald Mirey and Ko Ito are opening their first bricks and mortar restaurant, Bistro Mirey. The restaurant’s design will be bistro in style, serving French classics, alongside dishes with some interesting Japanese twists, playing to chef Mr Ito’s heritage.

Opening March

The former site of the Truscott Arms will re-open under top chef Mr Henry Harris’s stewardship, serving a menu of French and British classics. Since closing Racine, we’ve all been waiting to see where Mr Harris pops up. There’s no doubt his food here will be superb.

Opening late spring

Caravan will be opening its fifth London site on Great Portland Street. Expect more exposed brick and industrial interiors with a similar menu that will take you from breakfast to dinner with a string of well-curated small plates. It will also be the group’s first site to sell a range of Caravan To Go products to takeaway.

Opening TBC

The bao boom shows no sign of abating. The Taiwanese steamed buns have been one of the biggest trends of the past 18 months and Daddy Bao will bring stuffed buns, as well as crunchy fried chicken and Taiwanese snacks a plenty.

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