Many of the restaurant openings in the last few months have had a French theme but October sees a diverse range of cuisines and styles represented in our monthly restaurant round-up. In London, chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton has opened one of several new restaurants for 2024, bringing his refined take on British cuisine to a brasserie setting, while in Maida Vale, a popular pub gets a first-floor restaurant focused on meat, fish and fire. And if you’re still keen for a fresh taste of France, there’s a new venue from the team behind Maison François in Borough Yards.
Elsewhere, a glamorous spot for Japanese food arrives at a Miami hotel, a trattoria with a large, all-Italian wine cellar opens in Edinburgh, and there’s a sophisticated taste of Mexico in Brighton, as well as a hyper-trendy haunt for American classics in New York. There may be drab, monochrome skies in abundance as we head into autumn in the northern hemisphere but October’s dining scene feels vibrant and eclectic.
Read on to discover the most exciting new restaurants to visit this October.
The best new restaurants to visit in October 2024
Sael
London, UK
Sael in St. James’s Market, just south of Piccadilly Circus, is one of several new openings this year from Jason Atherton and his wife Irha. In the kitchen is the head chef from Atherton’s now-closed, one-Michelin-star restaurant Pollen Street Social; several classics from the old place have survived the transfer, including a deeply savoury snack of marmite tart topped with caviar (pictured) and refined takes on jam roly poly and bread and butter pudding. The move to a more casual brasserie hasn’t dumbed down the modern British cooking; the ingredients, ideas and techniques employed for many of the dishes on the menu demonstrate that the highest Michelin standards are still in mind. A plate of beautiful raw Cornish mackerel fillet, dabbed with jalapeño relish and served with a brown sauce made in house using grilled pineapple, is unmissable, while a chicken ‘pie’ for two to share is in fact an elegant pithivier. The wine list is long and has plenty of options at £50 or less, as well as wines conspicuously available ‘by the pint’, which will feel pleasurable or painful, depending on your politics.
Open now, saellondon.com
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Teddy
Sydney, Australia
New for the buzzy Potts Point area of Sydney, this bistro is focused on retro comfort food to match the 1980s music and design. Starters include a king prawn cocktail, crispy potato skins with whipped cod roe and salmon caviar, rock oysters and grilled lamb chops, while swordfish and a minute steak are currently two of the dishes on a short selection of main courses. Wine lovers will enjoy ‘Raid the Cellar’ Thursdays, where guests can buy bin end bottles for just $50, but the everyday list features excellent bottles from New Zealand and Australia. Seven house cocktails accompany the classics.
Open now, teddypottspoint.com.au
Café François
London, UK
The clue is in the title here, as the team from the Maison François brasserie in Mayfair open a more relaxed, all-day affair in the Borough Yards development near London Bridge. Set over two storeys, Café Francois has a deli and bakery on the ground floor and dining space with an open kitchen upstairs. Breakfast is served alongside pastries and cakes in the morning, followed by the introduction of the all-day menu, which contains plenty of French classics: crispy frogs legs, escargots, pâté en croûte, steak frites and moules marinière, to name just a few. A rôtisserie section offers fish du jour, steak and roast chicken, and one of the sharing plates for two includes half a lobster. The wine list is predominantly French with exceptions made for favourites from elsewhere but there is a mix of modern and traditional styles that should cater to all tastes. Three house wines made by a biodynamic producer especially for the restaurant are available, as well as some more ‘serious’ picks from a cellar selection (fancy a Château Lynch Bages from 2000 for your prime rib?) and magnums for big groups or thirsty small ones.
Open now, cafefrancois.london
Sotto
Edinburgh, UK
This is the first venture from Edinburgh-born sommelier James Clarke, who has previously worked at The Palmerston and Divino Enoteca in the city. Over the past decade, he has ‘fallen in love with Italian food, wine and culture’ and the results is a trattoria with a 200-reference wine cellar beneath (sotto means ‘under’ in Italian) and a wine bar above. Italian chef Francesco Ascrizzi has created a concise menu of snacks, antipasti, starters and mains, which include beef carpaccio; tagliatelle and porcini mushroom with truffle; shoulder of lamb with aubergine; and sole with caper butter and salsa verde. The restaurant will regularly hold wine events and tastings and this combined with the extensive, entirely Italian list makes it difficult to envisage a better destination in Edinburgh, if not Scotland, for a lover of Italian wine.
Opens 4 Oct, sottoedinburgh.com
Japón
Miami, US
The Setai Miami Beach hotel is host to Japón, a Japanese restaurant that celebrates the traditional flavours of the country’s cuisine while using modern twists and techniques. Dishes will include Chilean sea bass with charred tomato miso, wagyu katsu (pictured), miso black cod and prawn tempura, as well as sashimi and sushi. Signature cocktails incorporating Japanese flavours and ingredients are complemented by an impressive selection of rare, high-quality sakes, while a private dining space called The Kyoto Room has its own bar and discreet entrance for those after the most ‘immersive’ version of the dining experience.
Opens early October, thesetaihotel.com/japon
The Grill at The Hero
London, UK
After success with The Pelican in Notting Hill, the same team recently opened The Hero in Maida Vale and its popularity has made reaching the bar virtually impossible all summer. Life should prove more relaxed in the new restaurant upstairs called The Grill, largely due to the space and comfort afforded by a dedicated place to sit. The focus of the food is speciality meat and fish cooked over an open fire, so there is a decidedly rustic menu that promises powerful, primal flavours and lists ‘forequarters’ of cod, pork T-bones and bone-in-sirloins. A single-bottle selection supplements the standard wine list and is updated every month, featuring classics from Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Tuscany and California.
Open now, theherow9.com
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The Corner Store
New York, US
Nostalgia is always popular and this restaurant in New York’s SoHo district is cashing in, serving classic all-American fare surrounded by old-school-New-York-dining-room decor; there are cosy booths, velvet banquettes, candlestick lamps and vintage photos crowding the walls. Much attention has been lavished on the food to avoid accusations of style over substance; the menu includes a raw section dedicated to crudo, tartarte and the like, while mains include a selection of steaks, lobster frites, chicken paillard and a whole roast dover sole. A list of seven different Martinis should cater to most preferences and guests can even opt for a tableside Martini service for two. A 13-seat bar is available if you just fancy a cocktail but a reservation for dinner is reportedly essential – this has already established itself as a place in which to be seen.
Open now, thecornerstoresoho.com
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El Bolillo
Brighton, UK
The chef Greg Clarke, who has experience working in numerous kitchens at Michelin-star restaurants, including now-closed Pidgin in Hackney and Midsummer House in Cambridge, is opening a Mexican restaurant with his partner Matty Salvetti. The focus is tostadas, tacos and live-fire cooking but expect some fine-dining tweaks to take dishes beyond the traditional. Dishes on the sample menu include snacks of oysters, lamb belly skewers and smoked pork jowl; pork cheek tacos with eel and meco OX sauce; and rib of beef with smoked marrow and chipotle salsa. There are Mexican beers and cocktails on the drinks list, as well as wines by the glass and a ‘collector’s list’ of harder to find bottles. The dining room is a minimalist, designer sanctuary full of muted stoney tones, so those wary of red-hatted Tequila and sombrero-festooned walls need not fear – El Bolillo promises a classy, refined take on Mexican dining.
Opens 8 October, elbolillo.co.uk
