From an Italian-American legend in London to a sushi counter from a Maido alum, these are the most exciting new restaurant bookings to snag this year and beyond.
So far, 2025 has proved to be a vintage year for restaurant openings. In Ecuador, Latin America's Best Pastry Chef 2022 award-winner Pía Salazar has been busy opening Stelma, plating old-school Ecuadorian recipes with modern twists, while across the Atlantic in London, recipient of Latin America's Best Female Chef 2019, Carolina Bazán, made waves earlier this year with Mareida's diverse Chilean menu.
The latter half of 2025 is bringing similarly brilliant spoils. Whether it's a Hong Kong restaurant championing Korean ingredients with an ex-Odette chef at the helm, a Dubai institution expanding to Abu Dhabi's swish waterfront district or an Italian offshoot from low intervention wine-leaders The Four Horsemen there are more than enough stellar restaurant openings across the globe to satisfy every taste.
Ototo, Lima
@ototo_peru
Opened: April
Maido's Marco Palma has left The World's Best Restaurant 2025 award-winner to open his first solo spot. Master of fusing Peruvian ingredients with Japanese technique, Palma is downsizing – there are just eight seats at his intimate new sushi counter, Ototo. The restaurant's concept beats to the same drum as Maido with Nikkei cuisine at its heart, only with a renewed focus on raw seafood. Perched at one of the wooden counter's bar stools, expect to feast on ceviche, nigiri and delightfully crisp seafood karaage.
Comptoir De Vie, Paris
@devie.bar
Opened: April
Comptoir De Vie's launch earlier this year is shaking traditional Parisian dining up, literally: at the restaurant's helm are Alex Francis and Barney O'Kane, previously of acclaimed Parisian cocktail bar Little Red Door. The restaurant-cum-bar is a true fusion – Francis and O'Kane work with ex-Frenchie chef Adam Purcell to create a five-step tasting menu with a signature drinks pairing that's just as much about French artisanal cocktail ingredients as it is produce. Kick back with a De Vie Sgroppino made with apple and sorrel sorbet, Normandy cider and Calvados fizz and an accompanying Fine de Claire oyster with green kiwi granita.
Carbone, London and Dubai
Opening: October
A staple of the New York restaurant scene is landing in London's Mayfair and Dubai, bringing with it the red sauce charm that made it famous. Carbone's first European venue in London will call the impressive former American Embassy at Grosvenor Square home. And in Dubai, it will be opening at Atlantis The Royal (No.9 on The World's 50 Best Hotels 2024 list), with one of the world's largest jellyfish tanks as an impressively striking design feature.
First launched in Greenwich Village in 2013 by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick, Carbone's upscale Italian-American menu with classics like spicy vodka rigatoni, veal Parmesan and baked clams made it a fast favourite with New Yorkers. In its new homes, you'll find much the same, alongside a wine list emphasising Italian vintages and classic cocktails.
3Fils, Abu Dhabi
@3.fils
Opened: July
You won't find stiff service or white tablecloths at Dubai institution 3Fils and the same goes for its new Abu Dhabi location. Named in homage to the Arabic phrase 'two cents', the relaxed fine-dining restaurant took over a space spanning three levels of the Abu Dhabi Edition this July, overlooking the gleaming Al Bateen Marina. The menu will follow the same modern Asian lines as its Dubai sister restaurant, featuring luxe favourites like a wagyu sushi roll with foie gras and truffle, as well as grilled black lime chicken and wagyu claypot as Abu Dhabi menu exclusives.
Comal, New York
@comalnyc
Opened: June
An exciting new Mexican offering from ex-Ikoyi chef Gaz Herbert launched in New York's Lower East Side this June. Previously of Midtown's Jupiter, Herbert grew up between Cuernavaca and Mexico City and cites both his childhood and the diverse London and New York food scenes as inspiration for his first independent project. Riffs on al pastor feature heavily on the menu, which Herbert says is indicative of the restaurant's global style, being a Mexican dish influenced by other food cultures. The cocktail offering takes a similar spin, blending Mexican ingredients and spirits with classic New York cocktail serves.
Harriot, Melbourne
@harriot.melbourne
Opened: June
The team behind acclaimed Melbournian Italian spots Tipo 00 and Osteria Ilaria has turned to French bistro-style dining for its latest opening. Harriot is under the steer of ex-Lyle's chef James Kelly, who is championing Victorian produce with a classic French lens. Think: Great Ocean duck aged and prepared in three separate ways, Goulburn River rainbow trout cured in salt and lemon zest and pig's head terrine – just to keep the purists happy. Plus, a wood-fired oven in the kitchen is ripe for punchier projects like game and quail dishes to share.
Sol, Hong Kong
@solrestaurant.hk
Opened: July
A new culinary space housing a Korean restaurant recently opened in Hong Kong to much buzz. The multi-concept culinary hub is also home to Uncle Quek, a casual southeast Asian spot, and a cookery studio kitted out with Gaggenau appliances for aspiring chefs. In the kitchen at Sol, you'll find former Odette chef Gwanju Kim and pastry chef Kylie Yang crafting traditional Korean dishes with modern vibrancy and European inflections. On offer is an eight-course menu with two optional additional courses which include jeonbok made with abalone seared in brown butter, two types of Korean seaweed, bamboo shoots, garlic aioli and mussel beurre blanc. For dessert, diners may find a rice panna cotta with peach compote, grapefruit and topped with fennel and peach sorbet celebrating the significance of white rice in Korean culture.
I Cavallini, New York
@cavallinibk
Opened: July
Any opening from the team behind cult New York favourite The Four Horsemen was going to be an instant hit, so it's no surprise new neighbourhood restaurant I Cavallini is already popular with Brooklynites. Nick Curtola, executive chef, resides over the new spot, which takes an Italian flavour. I Cavallini, which means 'little horses' in Italian, will offer seasonally changing plates alongside menu staples like house-made pasta, focaccia with whipped ricotta and a Florentine-style tiramisu. Four Horsemen wine director Flo Barth has curated a low-intervention, Italian-leaning wine list and, as ever, music and sound design are front and centre.
Legado, London
@legado_london
Opened: August
A new opening from Sabor's Nieves Barragán Mohacho is adding to the wealth of quality restaurants in London's Shoreditch. Legado, meaning 'legacy' in Spanish, will take the form of a more personal expression of Spain and its rich regional food culture. Barragán Mohacho will use a wider range of ingredients to offer lesser-known dishes, showcasing Spain's diverse landscape. An all-day bar and terrace called Taberna will serve traditional tapas, pintxos and wide array of sherries, while the main restaurant menu will feature dishes like Andalusian prawns with a fried egg, paprika-rubbed suckling pig from just north of Madrid and classic crema Catalana.
Imperial Treasure, Tokyo
@imperialtreasurejp
Opened: April
Earlier this year, Chinese fine-dining stalwart Imperial Treasure made its debut in Japan with a beautifully designed new restaurant offering in Tokyo. The Singapore-based restaurant first launched in 2004, with each of its locations focusing on premium ingredients and traditional techniques alongside exceptional service. Located in Tokyo's Ginza district, the latest iteration of Imperial Treasure will showcase an array of authentic Chinese cooking, including Cantonese, Shanghai, Teochew, Huaiyang, Steamboat and dim sum. The restaurant's world-renowned Peking duck will be served tableside, along with Ginza menu specialties like sautéed egg white with sea urchin.
Kraken, Dubai
@krakendubai
Opening: October
The latest addition to Dubai's culinary lineup is set to be Kraken, a modern seafood restaurant with grand ambitions. The concept, led by Ossiano's Grégoire Berger, is the spoils of the Arabian Gulf meets charcoal grilling with global touches. Kraken's menu will lean heavily on locally-caught seafood, sourced using the restaurant's very own fishing boat and crew. Dishes will flow from vibrant raw preparations to bold, live-fire creations. Signature ocean-sourced dishes will include octopus glazed in chilli, smoked tomato jam and seaweed mole, while land-based fare will feature roasted quail with black garlic and local mushrooms.
Discover more fantastic hotels, restaurants and bars with 50 Best Discovery and start planning your next adventure.
