GAIA, a ‘refined Greek taverna’ based in Dubai, opens its first London branch next Friday (8 December) on a prominent Mayfair corner site where Dover Street meets Piccadilly. Founded in 2018 by British-Nigerian chef Izu Ani, who grew up in Tottenham, and Russian-born entrepreneur Evgeny Kuzin, the concept already has branches in Monte Carlo and […]
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, the Israeli foodie power couple behind Honey & Co, are to open a new daytime venue in Bloomsbury this September. Honey & Co Daily, in Store Street off Tottenham Court Road, will combine a deli and takeaway with a 40-seat dining room open during the day, which will operate as […]
A pair of former Palomar and Barbary chefs have opened a Middle Eastern-inspired take on a North American diner in London’s Camden Market. Epicurus, from Amir Kraus and Amir Batito, is a follow-up to their steakhouse The Black Cow, also in Camden. The menu ranges from a classic Canadian poutine and a grilled meat sharing […]
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, the tiny West End restaurant founded by a refugee from war-torn Damascus, is expanding into bigger premises to offer a wider range of dishes. Imad Alarnab fled his home in 2015, leaving a flourishing restaurant business behind, and cooked for fellow refugees before rebuilding his career as a restaurateur in London. His […]
An upmarket Armenian restaurant is set to launch in Mayfair later this month. Lusin, meaning ‘moon’, opens its doors in Hay Hill on 31 October and will accommodate up to 100 diners on two floors. The restaurant originated in Riyadh in 2011, and now has three further branches in Saudi Arabia; this will be its […]
John Javier’s Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant The Tent (at the end of the universe) at members’ club 17 Little Portland Street in Fitzrovia will open to the public next Wednesday, 17th August. Ex-Noma chef John Javier launched the restaurant in February, serving tabbouleh, humus and taramasalata to guests sitting on low stools under canvas-hung ceilings, accompanied […]
Israeli chef Eyal Shani is bringing his international pita brand Miznon to London with the launch of his new restaurant in Soho next week, adding to the capital’s booming Middle Eastern dining scene. He opened the original Miznon in Tel Aviv in 2011, and has followed up with branches in Paris, Vienna, New York, Melbourne, […]
Highly rated Middle Eastern vegetarian restaurant Bubala will open a second branch in Soho on Monday 11 July. The original, in Commercial Street, Spitalfields, was opened three years ago by founder Marc Summers and head chef Helen Graham (pictured) to general acclaim – and not just from vegetarians. The current Harden’s guide hails its “Tel Aviv […]
Honey & Co, the small cafe-restaurant in Fitzrovia that helped propel the popularisation of Middle Eastern cuisine in London, is closing down after 10 years following the landlord’s refusal to extend its lease. Israeli-born couple Sarit Parker and Itamar Svrulovich, both alumni of the original Ottolenghi in Notting Hill, launched Honey & Co to general […]
Israeli-born Australian chef Roy Ner opened his first restaurant in Europe this week, Jeru in Berkeley Street, Mayfair, bringing his luxurious interpretation of Middle Eastern cuisine to London. The smart restaurant was designed by Melbourne’s Studio Y and has a downstairs cocktail bar, Layla, along with a bakery at the front producing such delicacies as […]