It’s a triumphant time for anyone who embarked on Dry January and a more promising month for hospitality as Valentine’s Day brings a flurry of bookings; February has arrived and there are plenty of new restaurants to visit, whether it’s for heart-shaped puddings or otherwise. In the UK, there’s the arrival of a fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of London and a new 16-seat restaurant on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales from a chef previously at The Ritz. In Paris, you can share one of the world’s finest pies at the new Public House, while there’s a feast of small plates at a Venice-inspired opening at Potts Point in Sydney.
Read on to discover the best new restaurants in February.
NEW RESTAURANTS TO VISIT AROUND THE WORLD IN FEBRUARY 2024
Gaia
London, UK
At the cross of Dover Street and Piccadilly, Gaia brings Greek fine dining to the heart of London. The menu centres around a fresh fish counter, while an admirable cellar yields an impressive wine list. There are also intriguing cocktails, incorporating olive oil-infused Tequila, mastika (resin liqueur) and Mediterranean herbs. This London outpost follows the openings of similar enterprises in Dubai, Monte Carlo and Doha, so there’s no expense spared when it comes to luxurious lunches.
Open now, gaia-restaurants.com
Snack Kitchen
Sydney, Australia
Potts Point is a long way from Venice but Snack Kitchen is bringing its guests closer to it. Plates of carpaccio and crudo, fritto misto and polpetti are served alongside cheese and cold cuts. You can drink ‘grows together, goes together’ bottles from Umbria, Tuscany and Piedmont, or pair with Aussie wines: a crémant from Macedon Ranges, for example, or a Syrah from McLaren Vale. But first, aperitivi: start with the bar’s hall-of-fame Specialista (Cynar, Rosso Antico, Cocchi Americano, Fino Sherry, Verjus, Crodino) to get you in the mood for the food to follow.
Open now, snackkitchen.com.au
Pollini
London, UK
The award-winning Emanuele Polini heads up the kitchen at Ladbroke Hall for a 65-seat restaurant celebrating the best of Italy. A multi-course feast is on offer with anchovies from Cetera, Sicilian prosciutto and Polini’s ode to his mother’s lasagne all to be sampled. On Fridays, a ticketed dinner is accompanied by live jazz and for those with a lighter appetite, there’s a reasonable two- or three-course lunch of antipasti, secondi and house-made gelato.
Open now, ladbrokehall.com/restaurant
Grand Restaurant at the Carlton
St Moritz, Switzerland
Sicilian chef Salvatore Frequente has designed a menu inspired by the Engadine forests for a new concept at the Carlton St Moritz. A new tasting menu elevates simple dishes of beetroots, risotto with herb pesto and Jerusalem artichoke soup, while handmade pasta dishes show off Swiss shrimp and local cheeses. All this in the renovated dining room: warm light shows off new furnishing by Carlo Rampazzi.
Open now, tschuggencollection.ch
Bellazul
London, UK
New on Blandford Street in Marylebone, this Mediterranean restaurant is a new outlet for Cecconi’s chef Simone Serafini. Ranging from Italy to Morocco, the menu is packed with hearty home-style dishes like lobster spaghetti and lamb tagine given an upscale approach. Plus, the restaurant has its own bar upstairs – Azul – with highlights including a focaccia-infused gin Martini.
Opens 1 Feb, bellazul.co.uk
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Hansom
Bedale, UK
With just 16 seats for its tasting menus, this intimate new restaurant in Bedale, North Yorkshire, brings fine dining to a remarkable location. Chef Ruth Hansom trained at The Ritz before running kitchens in Pomona Notting Hill and The Princess of Shoreditch but has now moved closer to her native Darlington. The menu favours local, seasonal produce in contemporary classic British dishes, and for those passing through there’s a wine bar with delicious bar snacks to stop in for too.
Open now, hansomrestaurant.co.uk
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Public House
Paris, France
Surely there’s nothing more patriotic than catching the Eurostar to the City of Lights, only to go straight to a menu full of sausage rolls, pork pies and pasties. Calum Franklin, who made his name as executive chef at Holborn Dining Room, has been persuaded to hop over the Channel for a new venture in Paris. His menu will focus on classic British dishes (and lots of pies) in a three-storey restaurant with interiors by Laura Gonzalez (the interior designer behind Cartier stores, Hotel Saint James and Noura).
Opens 29 February, instagram.com/publichouse.paris
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Langdale Chase Hotel
Lake District, UK
Local dishes and British ingredients get specialist treatment in the dining room at the newly opened Langdale Chase Hotel. Dinners of Lancashire guinea fowl, beef fillet in stout and Orkney scallops are followed by a course of award-winning local cheese. On the shores of Windermere, the dining room gets prime views of the lake and mountains in this 19th-century hotel. It’s an area beloved of the Romantic poets and ideal for a memorable Valentine’s Day if you’re after an excuse for a weekend break.
Open now, langdalechase.co.uk
