We celebrate the best fine dining restaurants welcoming guests back now

The UK is easing lockdown restrictions from Saturday 4 July, allowing hotels, pubs and restaurants to begin serving guests where they – and venue staff – are safe to do so. Despite the need to maintain social distancing, it’s a step towards true celebration. Here, Tempus celebrates some of the finest dining establishments in London ready to open their doors to discerning dinner guests. 

45 PARK LANE: CUT RESTAURANT AND BAR 45

The famed CUT restaurant and grill at 45 Park Lane will open for dinner service until the 17 July, offering guests a fresh new menu of stunning steaks and refined favourites. From 18 July, the restaurant will progress to offering lunch and dinner service, as well as introducing weekend brunch with live entertainment. On the hotel’s mezzanine floor above, the Art Deco inspired Bar 45 will be open for booking from 4pm until close until 17 July, 12pm until close thereafter – the perfect spot for a glass of champagne or famed Negroni.

45 Park Lane’s sister hotel, Coworth Park – also part of The Dorchester Collection – will also reopen one of its restaurants, The Barn, as well as the Drawing Room for Elevenses and After Tea. 

DALLOWAY TERRACE

London’s most photogenic – and Instagrammable – restaurant is back promising a glamourous dining destination in Bloomsbury. The indoor/outdoor concept of the Terrace will ensure guests experience al fresco dining no matter the weather, and enjoy a new summer menu and dazzling cocktails. Also available is Dalloway Terrace’s Summer Afternoon Tea from 3pm – 5pm each day, with the sweets taking inspiration from British favourites including Chocolate & Chantilly Choux Bun, a Summer Strawberry & Pistachio Tart and Cherry & Almond Bakewell.

IKOYI

Ikoyi will once again bring its hyper-seasonal British produce, combined with bold spice and rich umami flavours to hungry diners, thanks to a new menu that has been reimagined to include new dishes that exude comfort and familiarity, as well restaurant favourites. Dishes such as Fried Half-Chicken with Hot Sauce or Nasu Eggplant & Pumpkinseed Miso can be paired with Smoked Jollof Rice, Creamed Spinach Ehuru or Namayasai Organic Salad and finished with Benne & Chocolate Chip Cookie. 

BENARES MAYFAIR 

Fine-dining Indian restaurant located on Berkeley Square has reopened its doors for lunch and dinner, offering its acclaimed a la carte menu of Indian classics, as well as innovative signature dishes, cocktails and fine wines. The restaurant’s collection and delivery service, Benares@Home is still available via Supper, Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats, as well as through its private delivery service, covering all areas of Greater London within the M25.

THE CINNAMON CLUB

Set within the grand Grade II listed Old Westminster Library, The Cinnamon Club is Vivek Singh’s eponymous flagship restaurant. Its book lined shelves and traditional features have been updated and elevated with dashes of colour and contemporary furnishings. Vivek Singh and Head Chef Rakesh Ravindran Nair have developed a stunning refined menu of dishes that combine Indian flavours with modern cooking techniques. A roaming gin trolley offers cocktails to clink from lunch through to supper. >>

“Reopening after the lockdown, meant we had to rethink how we could work practically , while still offering our guests the very best experience they have come to expect at Ikoyi. With these extra measures we hope everyone feels comfortable, secure and relaxed when they spend time with us. Thankfully we are now in a position to look forward and are excited to get going with our new look menu and welcome our guests back.” –– IKOYI

THE READING ROOM

Just outside of London, luxury boutique hotel The Roseate Reading has announced that it is opening a brand new fine dining concept, The Reading Room. The restaurant will offer modern, seasonal cuisine using British produce, by executive chef Rajesh Maharjan. Try the tasting menu, also available as a vegan or vegetarian option, or opt for the all-day à la carte menu.  

ANGELINA

This stylish restaurant in quirky Dalston is reopening on the 16 July with a new 10 course tasting menu. The restaurant has been committed to giving back to the East London community during lockdown, designing a sell-out seven-course takeaway menu, developing a retail offering to provide hard-to-come-by ingredients to customers, and serving the Hackney community more than 30,000 free meals. Booking is essential to enjoy this adventurous evening.

NOVIKOV

Mayfair rejoice! Novikov Restaurant & Bar will reopen both its Italian and Asian Restaurants and Lounge Bar from 4 July to resume operations almost as normal. The fabulous street food stalls that have been delighting visitors and residents will also remain stationed outside Novikov for the summer, and the restaurant will also continue with its hugely successful takeaway service. 

AMAZONICO

Amazónico on Berkley Square will also reopen on 4 July, ready to take guests on its 1,000-strong waiting list on a sensory journey through Latin American cuisine. Digital menus will be employed to protect staff and diners, but the party atmosphere will continue as the resident DJ returns to their decks. 

HOT STONE

Japanese restaurant, Hot Stone, in Islington’s Chapel Market, has a selection of razor-sharp maki rolls, new-style sushi and sashimi and hot dishes, including a beautifully flaky, 48-hours marinated black cod and a moreish grilled aubergine in saikyo miso.  The menu is rich with fresh and beautiful produce, including the rare and sought-after certified Kobe beef – in fact, Hot Stone is only one of seven restaurants in the UK to have it on its menu. Add to this an interactive dining experience, courtesy of the restaurant’s signature Ishiyaki menu – the ancient Japanese art of cooking on a searing-hot stones – and dining in this North London gem is a genuine delight. 

MARIAGE FRÈRES

A taste of summer comes to Covent Garden with the arrival of a chic Iced Tea Terrace from the world’s most exclusive purveyor of luxury teas and France’s oldest tea house, Mariage Frères. With French savoir faire, the Iced Tea Terrace on King Street is a first for Mariage Frères and is possible as part of the new summer pedestrianisation scheme to allow for outdoor drinking and dining in the wake of lockdown.

XIER, MARYLEBONE

Serving innovative modern European cuisine, Xier | XR is a dual concept restaurant on Marylebone’s Thayer Street, and the first solo venture by Italian chef Carlo Scotto. Upstairs, Xier offers fine-dining in the form of an inventive and exploratory 10-course tasting menu (as well as a three or four-course lunch á la carte offering) inspired by Scotto’s extensive travels in Scandinavia and Japan. On Xier’s menus, Chef Scotto showcases exciting flavour combinations and theatrical dishes, with unique pairings such as rose cured salmon with foie gras, mandarin, hazelnuts and apple; and British organic beef with Muscat grapes, blueberry salsify, ceps and onions hash – perfect for a special date night, or to impress a client or colleague at lunchtime.

ORMER MAYFAIR 

Located at luxury boutique hotel Flemings Mayfair, Ormer brings expertly executed seasonal dishes and impeccable service in a beautifully elegant setting. Led by Executive Chef Kerth Gumbs (BBC Two’s Great British Menu 2020 finalist), the menu is busting with a wonderful bounty of British fare that is simply prepared and cooked to perfection. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday – Sunday.