One of London’s most anticipated new restaurants opens this month as Clare Smyth of Core fame gives the capital her take on the ‘luxury bistro’. There’s more fresh fine dining to be had in the city thanks to Ben Murphy’s new spot in Fitzrovia and a refined take on Turkish in Mayfair from Serdar Demir.
Elsewhere, there’s the arrival of a long-awaited seafood specialist in Los Angeles and a New York-inspired restaurant makes its home 10,000 miles away from the Big Apple in a fashionable suburb of Sydney.
Read on to discover the most exciting new restaurants to visit this December.
The best new restaurants to visit in December 2025
74 Charlotte Street
London, UK
Chef Ben Murphy ended seven years at Launceston Place in Kensington in 2024 and this is his new home with his own name ‘above the door’, a restaurant that inhabits what used to be Monica Galetti’s Mere in Fitzrovia. Murphy has worked for Pierre Koffman, at Michel Guérard’s restaurant in the south of France and at Epicure in Paris, so the modern and at times playful fine-dining menu at this new venture has its foundations in classic French cooking. The soft, pillowy milk bread served with a glossy cube of ‘noisette butter’ and pumpkin seed hummus is the only way to begin a meal here, with a ‘fish and chips’ taco, containing a chunk of cod tempura, also a pleasure. A starter of chicken liver parfait comes with more exquisite bread in the form of a brioche wheel incorporating a layer of black olive tapenade, before the aforementioned classical style hits full swing for main courses of venison, Iberico presa, cod, monkfish and the like. A special mention must also be reserved for the side called ‘Ben’s Chip’, squares of laminated confit potato that have been fried and dusted in a Michelin-grade interpretation of peri peri seasoning.
Open now, 74charlottestreet.com
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Joe’s Tavern
Sydney, Australia
The hip neighbourhood of Newton is home to several restaurants run by Paisano & Daughters in the H. May Building and their latest addition is Joe’s Tavern, a New-York inspired restaurant focusing on many of the old diner classics. As well as prawn cocktail, burgers, steaks, chops and cheesecake, an ethos of whole-animal eating means there’s a frequently changing section called ‘parts and labour’ that features dishes that make the most out of other cuts not considered ‘prime’ – think braised and pressed slices of belly, leg and shoulder. There’s also a short offal section on the menu and specials like pig trotter stuffed with sweetbreads; signs that there’s a love for serious flavour as much as the comforting favourites. Much attention has also been lavished on the cocktails too.
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Corenucopia
London, UK
After opening Core in 2017 and winning three Michelin stars at the restaurant, Clare Smyth is now firmly one of Britain’s most celebrated chefs. Corenucopia is her take on more casual, bistro-style dining but don’t expect the level of refinement or precision to drop just because the dishes look, at least on paper, less complex. Snacks include oysters, venison salami and fried chicken adorned with caviar, while crispy veal sweetbread, lobster bisque, game terrine and scallop are among the starters. Various grilled pieces of fish, chops and steaks are available as main dishes, as well as ‘fish and chips’ (actually a deep-fried piece of dover sole with a lobster mousse inside), Chicken Kiev and a mushroom pie. Surely the star of the show at opening – and coming to many Instagram stories imminently – is a standalone potato menu offering spuds done ten different ways.
Opens 4 Dec, corenucopia.com
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Maset
London, UK
Anyone fond of Basque-inspired Lurra and Donostia in Marylebone may be excited to learn that this new spot in the same area is from the co-founder of those two existing restaurants. For her follow-up, Melody Adams is turning her attention away from northern Spain to the southern coast of France and all the other Mediterranean and north African influences that involves. Signature dishes include bouillabaisse croquettes, basil linguine, seabass crudo, monkfish served on the bone and côte de boeuf. As you might expect, the wine list is largely French with a smattering of Italian bottles, while a concise cocktail menu of six house serves includes a saffron Margarita, preserved lemon Martini and a Spritz aux Olives.
Open now, maset.london
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Corridor 109
Los Angeles, US
It’s been in the works for some time but chef Brian Baik’s Corridor 109 is now open, serving an 11-course tasting menu focused on Japanese and Korean seafood. The restaurant in the Melrose Hill neighbourhood has space for just 10 at a tim with the seats at a counter facing the open kitchen, and there’s initially one service per evening only. Dishes include aji toast – horse mackerel on a piece of toasted homemade milk bread – ikura tartlet and rockfish in fish bone broth. Michael Engelmann MS oversees the wine offering and is focused on wines from smaller, family-owned estates as well as sake pairings.
Open now, corridor109.com
Chargal
London, UK
Another new opening in Mayfair, this time from Serdar Demir, the man behind Turkish fine-dining restaurant The Mantl in Knightsbridge. Chargal is more refined Turkish food, this time predominantly cooked over open oak-charcoal fires, with signature dishes including wagyu İskender, red bream ceviche, lamb tartare and pulled lamb hummus. The ground-floor dining room will be the most formal space, while a Mezze Bar on the first floor is intended for casual snacks and small plates. Chargal’s basement is billed as the restaurant’s Lounge, offering cocktails before and nightcaps after dinner.
Opens 11 December, chargal.com
