Spring is officially here and the start of lighter evenings, along with rising temperatures, only increases the appeal of evenings spent out and about trying new places to eat. A Scandinavian influence can be felt across menus in three new restaurants in the UK and New York this month, while Greece is the word in Melbourne and a restaurant in Monte Carlo pays tribute to British gastronomy.
Read on to discover the most exciting new restaurants to visit this March.
The best new restaurants to visit in March 2025
Marlow
Monte Carlo, Monaco
The intention for Marlow is to create the feel of an ‘English private members club’, which despite impressive efforts may be difficult given the Mediterranean warmth and sunshine that will be diffusing its way inside from the restaurant’s French Riviera setting most of the year. Nevertheless, in keeping with that theme, architect and designer Hugo Toro has created a beautifully designed interior, which is the scene of all-day, British-inspired drinking and dining. The restaurant serves English breakfasts and Champagne, lunch and afternoon tea before a dinner menu that includes tartare, beef wellington, fish and chips, and Guinness and chicken pie. There are 10 signature cocktails, including a Vesper Martini (naturally), as well as a range of classics. A selection of whiskies, Cognacs and aged rums makes even more sense when you notice the restaurant’s cigar cellar.
Open now, montecarlosbm.com
Voyage with Adam Simmonds
London, UK
Chef Adam Simmonds, who has previously worked at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Ynyshir Hall and Danesfield House, now has his own restaurant at The Megaro hotel opposite Kings Cross station. Simmonds cites Scandinavian influences and dishes are generally characterised by delicacy, refinement and freshness: an oyster comes dressed with apple, raw white asparagus and sorrel oil; the lobster dish that follows demonstrates the same lightness of touch. Flavours get deeper and earthier as you move through the seven-course tasting menu (an a la carte option is available), which currently culminates in venison with beetroot and a spinach, parsley and juniper puree (pictured), before two dessert courses. The wine list is skewed towards lighter styles to complement the food and while it’s currently dominated by big-name producers, there is an intention to build the cellar as the restaurant becomes established. The area around Kings Cross-St Pancras now boasts plenty of familiar names, including Dishoom, Lina Stores, Barrafina, Caravan and El Pastor but none are serving food like that on offer at Voyage, nor do they offer the same level of service.
Open now, voyage-adamsimmonds.com
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Kynd
Hampton-In-Arden, UK
Country house hotel Hampton Manor, just south of Birmingham, already has a Michelin-starred restaurant on site in the form of Grace & Savour but this, its second dining venue, is intended as a more casual alternative. Chef David Taylor is behind the menus at both, creating dishes that incorporate ingredients from the estate’s kitchen garden using his experience in Scandinavia and the US. Dinner at Kynd starts at £75 for three courses, which include starters of Cornish crab, salted turnip and pickled fennel; hand-dived scallops with pumpkin and apple; and mains of Gurnard with bisque, fennel and Sopressata, and flat iron steak with miso butter and rainbow chard. A selection of wines are served from kegs, complemented by a list of low intervention bottles. A restored greenhouse and terrace are available for al fresco dining when the weather permits.
Open now, hamptonmanor.com/kynd
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Hildur
New York, US
This new restaurant in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood, under the Brooklyn Bridge as it starts across the East River to Manhattan, is focused on Scandinavian cuisine ‘with a nod to French bistro classics’. The menu includes plenty of familiar favourites but with twists delivered by pickled, fermented and herbal additions: oysters with an aquavit mignonette, pickled herring, Swedish meatballs au poivre and steak frites. There’s an exciting list of cocktails, including the mouthwatering Le Grand Électrique, a mix of mezcal, peach, earl grey, walnut and pepita, and four different Martinis, plus natural wines, as befits a place as hip as this. The interior design is minimal but warm and designed to show off the building’s period features.
Open now, hildurbk.com
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Taverna
Melbourne, Australia
Restaurateur Angie Giannakodakis has found a permanent home for her pop-up Greek restaurant in the Brunswick East suburb of Melbourne. Taverna serves classic Greek dishes, many of which are Giannakodakis’ own family recipes for keftehes, moussaka, kleftiko and more. The name is a clue to the restaurant’s style; dishes are rustic and simply presented, the focus on the quality of the ingredients rather than complex techniques or ostentatious frills. The restaurant belatedly received its alcohol licence in the last week, so diners are now free to order from a 300-bottle wine list that features predominantly Greek bottles and female-owned labels.
Open now, ourtaverna.com
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The Brave
London, UK
The number of London pubs incorporating or effectively existing as high-end bistros or grill restaurants seems to climb with every passing month and one of the latest is The Brave in Islington. The pub’s chef is James Cochran, a previous winner of Great British Menu and the man behind the now-closed 12:51 restaurant – he has created a menu that elevates the food above standard ‘pub grub’; an initial section entitled ‘canapes’ is the first indication of that. Small plates include scallop with tikka masala sauce, roe and coconut, as well as beef shin with potato dumplings, miso mayonnaise and cheddar, while there are more substantial plates of Brixham hake and venison loin. The wine list consists of around 25 whites and 25 reds, plus some excellent sparkling, including Bollinger PNVZ, Billecart Salmon Rosé and Dom Pérignon.
Open now, thebravelondon.co.uk
