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<\/p>\nIn London, September is when restaurants stop coasting and start competing again. The holidays are over, the locals are back, and suddenly the best new places in town feel impossible to book. Unless you get a little help from me first, that is.<\/p>\n
While London has no shortage of restaurant openings, few that you can actually get a table at cut through the noise. These five do: they\u2019re places that feel worth your money, your time, and your Tube journey across town (arguably the hardest box to tick of all). This month\u2019s standouts take you from a hi-fi listening bar with Singapore-by-Lebanon small plates in Shoreditch to a Japanese heavyweight lighting fires in Stratford, plus a Michelin-starred Athenian cameo, Claridge\u2019s new kitchen supper club, and a Scandi sequel in Victoria.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re after the next cult favorite, a special-occasion dinner, or just a perfect open-faced sandwich for lunch, here\u2019s where to go now.<\/p>\n
1. Mad Cats, Shoreditch<\/p>\n
Tucked into Redchurch Street behind a bronze jaguar handle (\u2018cos, you know, why not), Mad Cats is the kind of place that feels like a discovery even when you\u2019ve been time and time again. The menu threads Singaporean and Lebanese influences through small plates \u2013 lamb dumplings in yoghurt, crab brioche with gochujang aioli, short rib glazed in house mole \u2013 while the bar turns out za\u2019atar martinis and rare olive-fermented sake poured into hand-blown glassware (made from shards salvaged after the Beirut explosion. By the time the DJs take over, the room shifts into a vinyl-fuelled cocktail bar powered by 22 custom speakers. It\u2019s Shoreditch at its best: undeniably cool, layered, and obsessive about the details.<\/p>\n
107 Redchurch St, London E2 7DL<\/p>\n
2. Kokin, Stratford<\/p>\n
Chef Daisuke Shimoyama has swapped Hannah\u2019s kaiseki intimacy for a sprawling 140-seat stage at The Stratford, with woodfire at the centre of everything. Apple wood and Binchotan charcoal shape Kokin<\/a>\u2019s menu: tuna collar lacquered with smoke, Iberico pork brushed with miso, wagyu paired with wild mushrooms and onsen egg, et al. Sushi comes on smoked rice \u2013 a London first \u2013 while the starter sampler (oyster, one-bite tofu, tuna skewer, saba sushi and chawanmushi) takes indulgence, quite literally, to new heights. And in a city already packed with omakase, Kokin\u2019s whole bluefin deconstructions give it a point of difference: theatrical, yes, but underpinned by real craft. Quite simply, I haven\u2019t had better Japanese food in months.<\/p>\n The Stratford, 20 International Wy, London E20 1FD<\/p>\n 3. Makris Athens at Carousel, Fitzrovia<\/p>\n Makris’ Hellenic Blue Crab Tartlet<\/p>\n Makris<\/p>\n For a few days only, Carousel<\/a> will play home to Athens\u2019 Makris, the Acropolis-neighbored restaurant that landed a Michelin star within months of opening. From tomorrow, guest chef Petros Dimas will bring a five-night tasting menu (over 2\u20136 September) to the venue, weaving Greek heritage with London seasonality: olive oil from his family\u2019s farm near Ancient Corinth, seafood sourced here, and technique sharpened at some of Europe\u2019s best kitchens. It\u2019s storytelling cookery with Athens\u2019 soul stitched throughout.<\/p>\n 19-23 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RW<\/p>\n 4. Claridge\u2019s Kitchen Supper Series, Mayfair<\/p>\n Claridge’s, London<\/p>\n Claridge’s<\/p>\n Forget the afternoon tea and perfect-for-people-watching dining rooms, the best table at Claridge\u2019s right now is in the kitchen itself. Their new Supper Series<\/a>, in partnership with the Good Food Guide, seats just 14 people in L\u2019Epicerie overlooking the marble pass. Each night a different chef takes over: Hrishikesh Desai has already brought his Cedar Tree finesse (so well, in fact, I\u2019m now trying to find time to visit the Cumbrian OG), and on 29 September, Merlin Labron-Johnson will carry Osip\u2019s hyper-seasonal Somerset cooking to Mayfair. Five courses, thoughtful wine pairings, and the rare chance to watch Claridge\u2019s kitchen run in real time.<\/p>\n Claridge’s, Brook St, London W1K 4HR<\/p>\n 5. ScandiKitchen, Victoria<\/p>\n ScandiKitchen Victoria, London<\/p>\n ScandiKitchen<\/p>\n