Several new restaurants are contributing to the effort to drive away the last of the winter chill in March as they fire up their ovens for the first time. In London, diners can go high-end at Mistress, a new luxury dining venue in Mayfair while up in Edinburgh, local and seasonal food is on the menu at a small fine-dining restaurant. Outside the UK, King Clarence gives seafood spice and zing in Sydney, while the Ming Pavilion at the Shangri-La in Hong Kong showcases a ‘tea mixologist’.
Read on to discover the best new restaurants for March.
New restaurants to visit around the world in March 2024
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Arlington
Mayfair, London
One of London’s most famous restaurateurs, Jeremy King, is set to open three new restaurants in 2024 and the first is Arlington, essentially a reboot of the iconic celebrity haunt Le Caprice in the same location near The Ritz. The theme of the menu is European classics, so expect dishes like seared scallops, dressed crab, lobster thermidor soufflé, grilled veal chop and chicken Milanese. There’s a short and sharp cocktail list to pick from before dinner and a classical wine list – fans of natural wines will feel left out. Arlington promises to be an alluring mix of nostalgia and glamour, and getting a table is likely to prove difficult; if you want to eat in the restaurant to be seen at this year, making the effort to acquire a reservation will be worth it.
Opens 11 March, arlington.london
Theodora
New York, US
Following Miss Ada and Nili, Tomer Blechman is now onto his third Mediterranean-inspired restaurant. Eat family-style with half-chickens and whole fish or fill the table with grilled veg salads, falafel and fresh stuffed breads. To pair with the seasonal food, Blechman’s wine list showcases natural wines from both Old and New World producers. The cocktail menu is just as much of a delight: artichoke, tomatoes and caperberries are served in Martinis and there’s even a Tequila concoction with a dash of feta.
Open now, theodoranyc.com
Mistress of Mayfair
London, UK
Underneath St James Street, Francophiles can have their fill at this luxurious new French spot. Lobster, caviar and oysters are served alongside plates of steak. Dinners this rich wouldn’t be complete without cocktails, and Mistress has a handful of signature drinks as well as dozens of good mezcals and Japanese whiskies. There’s also a super range of wines by the glass, including Krug and Ruinart Champagne. If this doesn’t make you want to fly a tricolore, nothing will.
Open now, mistressofmayfair.com
Cardinal
Edinburgh, UK
The first restaurant from homegrown chef Tomás Gormley, Cardinal is an intimate spot for a tasting menu in the Scottish capital. Delicacies come off the barbecue onto the plate to meet Gormley’s own ferments and pickles: menus also showcase plenty of Lothian seafood. The wine list celebrates eco-conscious producers and covers Old World producers exclusively – a glimpse of the philosophy that drives the restaurant as a whole.
Open now, cardinal.scot
Ming Pavilion
Hong Kong
At the heart of the hotel Island Shangri-La, Ming Pavilion serves up hokkien dining to locals and tourists alike. Alongside Chef Lam Yeung’s approach to the style, a ‘tea mixologist’, Tiffany Chan, is on hand to recommend the right pairings between food and drinks. For something a little stronger, these’s a short and sharp wine list, plus baiju and cocktails. Look out for the special list of Hong Kong and mainland gins to try something a little unexpected.
Open now, shangri-la.com
King Clarence
Sydney, Australia
On the corners of King and Clarence (see what they did there?), the Bentley group’s latest opening serves a menu inspired by Chinese, Korean and Japanese ingredients. In a raw, concrete dining room full of natural light and warm wood, many of the dishes showcase the effects of the restaurant’s charcoal grill – diners can also pick dinner from the live seafood tank that’s a feature on the floor. Head sommelier Polly Mackarel has put together a wine list with more than three dozen by the glass, as well as a range of Australian wines by the bottle.
Open now, bentleyrestaurantgroup.com.au/kingclarence
