And so another year has flown by at breakneck speed: 2025 saw gildas appear on menus nearly everywhere, the resurgence of the martini, the rise of Ozempic and a flurry of new openings (Marylebone being a particular hub of enterprise). Meanwhile, tech investors got drunk on AI only to face the spectre of that bubble bursting, Trump was sworn in again and began ludicrous tariffs, and the Labour government ignored requests to reduce VAT and business rates and instead applied sugar tax to milkshakes. There were very sad losses of high-profile individuals in the world of culture (starting with David Lynch) but also in the hospitality industry, most notably the visionary and inspirational Skye Gyngell who tragically passed away in November aged 62.
And if we thought 2024’s decimation was shocking, 2025’s restaurant closures really took the biscuit. In the introduction to this roundup last year we had an Oscars-style ‘in memoriam’ segment but there are simply too many restaurants to list this year. Some ventures only lasted a few months (e.g. Victor Garvey at The Midland Grand and Voyage by Adam Simmonds, though both of these were arguably misguided from the start). Celebrity chefs have not been immune either: Rick Stein said sayonara to his Marlborough branch, Clare Smyth announced she will close Oncore in Sydney early in 2026 and Gordon Ramsay’s group reportedly made a pre-tax loss of some £15 million last year (though you’d need an ear trumpet the size of Cornwall to hear any violins playing there).
Some, of course, have been reborn in another form (e.g. Locanda Locatelli closed but Giorgio Locatelli now has a new restaurant at The National Gallery), some are on hiatus (e.g. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons) or the chefs parted ways with the owners (e.g. Caravel), but whatever the specific reasons the same old contributory factors are still blighting hospitality (and discussed in more detail below).
On the brighter side, 2025 saw some very exciting new openings. And this is where we announce Palate’s most promising new restaurant of the year award and – a new feature for 2025 – the bar of the year.
Palate’s most promising new restaurant of 2025
Making the shortlist this year are the fabulous Maset, Michael Caines at The Stafford, The Lavery, JIP in Paris and Labombe by Trivet (though there are many more in the longlist – just see any of our published reviews scoring over 16/20 or the discussions by our contributors further below).
There has to be a winner though – one that just has the edge by just a sheath of lardo – and that is 74 Charlotte Street. Congratulations to Ben Murphy on his first solo venture post-Launceston Place. Two Palate writers visited independently and were both impressed. You can read the full review by Amanda David here.
Palate’s best new bar of 2025
This year’s runners up, all excellent in their own way, are Sprout in Earl’s Court, Under The Stairs in Brussels, The Prince in Barbican and Bar De Vie in Paris. These bars are all doing very interesting things, but most importantly, they know how to look after their guests. They all impressed and hopefully have long futures ahead. (We also give a Delicious Honourable Mention to Muse at RSA House, which opened in late 2024.)
But there is one standout winner for 2025 – a bar that just oozes class with meticulous attention to detail and superb service: Waltz in Shoreditch (pictured above). Congratulations to Gento and his team!
Saffron risotto with bone marrow at Town
Gibson with Japanese pickles at Waltz
BBQ monkfish with vin jaune, coco bean and mussels at 74 Charlotte Street
Perspectives from our writers
And now a few regular Palate contributors chime in with their thoughts on the year and hopes for 2026…
Amanda David
Sadly, an ongoing theme for 2025 has been the hurdles still faced by the hospitality industry.
The cost of living squeeze continues to reduce both bookings and spend per head. Highgate’s Don Ciccio wins the 2025 Yellow Bittern Award for Customer Service, closing with a statement thanking locals “for never supporting us”, whilst restaurateurs like Mandy Yin have been transparent about how little of a dish’s price is actually profit.
In addition, the government’s lack of assistance led to a widely-circulated petition to cut VAT, while recalcitrant landlords make opening my laptop in the morning feel like a particularly brutal episode of Game of Thrones. From Claude Bosi’s legendary Bibendum to Faye Gomes’ community favourite Kaieteur Kitchen, nobody is apparently safe from the axe.
Some closures were particularly painful: Officina 00, Lyle’s, Sesta, Norman’s Café and soon-to-close FKABAM, thank you for some amazing memories.
But it hasn’t all been grim news. Among a welcome wave of small indie restaurant openings, Stevie Parle has been busy with two new restaurants this year, Town and Motorino (see my review of Town here), Ben Murphy has opened his first restaurant 74 Charlotte Street, Nieves Barragán Mohacho launched Legado next door to Singburi 2.0 in Shoreditch and Hawksmoor have taken over at St Pancras – thankfully keeping the glorious Gothic Bar as a shrine to the martini.
Speaking of martinis, the trend of mini cocktails looks like continuing into 2026. As someone who suffers from acute food and drink FOMO, this suits me fine; I rather like the option of a flight of three different “marteenies”. It also works for Gen-Z moderate drinkers as well as school-night drinking, and could be used by bars like pre-theatre pricing, to fill up early time slots.
Next year I think we’re going to see more fixed price offerings, from set lunches to group dining menus. Uber’s superpower over London’s black cabs is that you can see the full price in advance and make an informed decision according to your budget; being able to do this with an evening out could be the deciding factor between making a booking or staying home.
Standout dishes of the year: the apple crumble soufflé at 74 Charlotte Street; the day boat crudo with tomato water and Todoli grapefruit at Town; and the lobster ramen from Robin’s Ramen.
Rachel Naismith (Paris correspondent)
JIP, South Korean chef Esu Lee’s first solo venture, opened early in the year and remains one of my standout visits of 2025. Everything about it felt refreshingly different (the menu, the mood, the decor) from what’s saturated Paris lately. I’m eager to try his second restaurant, Orson, which opened in November in the 6ème.
It’s been a good year for fish. I ate fabulous mussels twice at Les Enfants du Marché this year — once in a piping hot garlicky Gorgonzola sauce on a bleak January lunchtime, then again in late summer with spicy ‘nduja and crusty bread to mop everything up.
My meal of the year wasn’t in Paris but in Trouville-sur-Mer, next to Deauville — what some call ‘the 21st arrondissement’ — a well-heeled weekend escape just two hours from St-Lazare. Bar à Vin Affiches is a ramshackle seafood-heavy spot almost on the beach, filled with chatty locals. The oysters were, of course, excellent, being in Normandy, but the tartare with apple, dorade, and kiwi was the star of the show, the best I’ve had in years. An outrageous profiterole stuffed with Normandy vanilla ice-cream and topped with a warm chocolate sauce rounded everything off tremendously. Priced well with scarcely any online presence, it’s a little hideaway I’m already planning to revisit before year’s end.
My hope for next year? Less limp press copy for new openings, more honest work highlighting places without PR budgets and more restaurants marching to the beat of their own drum, like my spot in Trouville.
Standout dishes of the year: the duck and red wine pierogi from Przegryz Bistro in Warsaw; mussels with ‘nduja and kefir lime at Les Enfants du Marché in Paris; a Parmesan and asparagus flan from Ristorante Diana in Bologna; and the laminated brioche with mirabelle and whipped vanilla custard from Juno Bakery in Copenhagen.
Vicky Morrison
I spent the first half of this year living in Rio de Janeiro and one of my most memorable moments was my first spoonful of raw, pure açaí from Tacacá do Norte in Rio de Janeiro. It was my third day in the city, and five hours into a food tour where we tried every variety of deep-fried, braised, rich Brazilian dish — plus innumerable sugary caipirinhas — and I was ready to pop. Still, we perched on stools spilling out of the busy snack bar and into a quiet neighbourhood street, tucking into little bowls of thick, inky purple açaí topped with a scattering of granola and tapioca flakes that resemble Rice Krispies. The meeting of sorbet-like creaminess and that punchy, earthy fruit was a palate cleanse I didn’t know I needed. It’s leagues away from the sugary, artificial açaí we’re exposed to in the UK and beyond. In fact, I learned that in the Amazon the traditional way to eat açaí is with fish. This pure stuff is neither sweet nor savoury, but a little bitter – and unfeasibly refreshing.
Another memorable moment was on Boipeba, a tiny island reachable only by boat, which itself comes after a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Because it was the Easter holidays, Boipeba – largely unspoiled even at its peak – was practically abandoned. Imagine endless stretches of beach with no company apart from a dizzying number of electric-blue crabs skittering across the sand. At a beach bar, we ordered prawn pastéis. Each pastel was stuffed to bursting with tiny red prawns swimming in a creamy, bisque-like filling. The flavour was so rich, so deep, that we were a little lost for words. Paired with the backdrop of turquoise water and the sound of Gilberto Gil’s reggae-tinged rhythms drifting in the background, this was a moment of pure, present, umami bliss.
Returning to London reminded me of some of the UK’s most cherished assets: really good pubs and wine bars. Even in paradise, there were times when I longed for a snug bar serving chunks of focaccia and goblets of organic wine in ultra-thin glasses. Casual half-pints in Rio’s brightly-lit street bars are fantastic, but it was the je ne sais quoi of the perfectly manicured pub – The Pelican or The Marksman – that I missed. While neither of these are new, long may this generation of tasteful pubs continue into 2026.
As a South East London resident, I’m excited to try the 2025 openings Plaza Khao Gaeng (Borough), Norbert’s (East Dulwich) and Folde (Clapham), which add some culinary clout to the south of the river.
Standout dishes of the year: my first spoonful of raw, pure açaí from Tacacá do Norte in Rio de Janeiro; the golden house brioche and smeared with salty homemade butter at Vila Santa Teresa (quite possibly the loveliest boutique hotel that ever existed); and the prawn pastéis on Boipeba.
Daniela Toporek
This year brought a sobering series of closures across the UK. Acclaimed restaurants like Kora by Tom Kitchen in Edinburgh, 64 Degrees in Brighton, Kala in Manchester and more have fallen to rising rents and produce costs, new VAT regulations on alcohol, labour shortages caused by stricter immigration policies and a decline in sales from the cost of living crisis.
It feels like unless you’re a chain giant or have created the best pizza in the city and traded your humble location for a posher clientele (looking at you, Crisp, but you’re too good to stay mad at), it’s a mental, physical and fiscal risk to work in restaurants.
This doesn’t even include the Elephant and Castle vendors, Daddy O’s Suya Spot, El Guambra, Original Caribbean Spice and Kaieteur Kitchen, who went viral after being locked out of their restaurants overnight after misleading accusations of not paying bills by Savills and Get Living.
So as 2026 approaches, critical questions remain: how can restaurants strengthen their resilience? How can they be protected from greedy property practices? How can the industry attract new domestic talent while supporting immigrant workers who have long sustained it? How can independent venues survive when deep pockets show no mercy? I wish I knew…
But with death came life in some great openings that offered moments of hope in 2025 like Comalera and Dove. But my favourite this year? The Filipino phenomenon, Belly Bistro run by chef Omar Shah. Who would have thought that a fancy fillet-o-fish could cause such a culinary ruckus. Let’s hope their rent doesn’t go up.
Standout dishes of the year: the käse and spätzle at The Spärrows in Manchester; the cured scallop ‘Bicol Express’, tempura cod pandesal and ube tiramisu at Belly Bistro in Kentish Town; and Comalera’s taco paisa and flautas.
J A Smith
Despite the constant worry of not knowing which restaurant will close next it has been a very good year with high standards across the board (indeed, making it hard to find fault when reviewing). From Wildflowers earlier in the year to new opening 74 Charlotte Street, I feel London’s dining scene is in a golden age (even if I loathe that Trumpian expression). As for my best overall experiences though, a lot of these weren’t necessarily new restaurants or in London: it was wonderful to return to The Angel at Hetton in Skipton and The Box Tree in Ilkley, and to finally get round to The Suffolk in Aldeburgh for a late summer lunch (sipping oyster martinis on the terrace overlooking the sea was a magical experience). Alouette in Copenhagen was truly memorable but the meal of the year was probably Lakeside in Hamburg – a phenomenal restaurant. On a personal note, I was overjoyed when Brutto added Campari Shakeratos to the menu after asking for them on nearly every visit. Interestingly, this simple drink (literally shaken Campari) seems to have taken off a bit this year.
A couple of experiences were less than impressive, notably Locatelli at The National Gallery and One Club Row. Despite the pleasant service at the latter, my steak was surprisingly poor and my dry martini as wet as a bream’s handshake. And whilst Tom Brown at The Capital was generally good, it was as quiet as a morgue when I visited. I wonder if it will still be open this time next year.
As for next year, it’s always tricky predicting trends – for every publication that says customers are all dining early these days, another says night owls are leading the way – but I suspect (and hope) more bars will embrace sustainability too (not just restaurants). I’m particularly looking forward to Simpson’s in the Strand finally re-opening after a number of setbacks (Jeremy King perhaps following his own advice in Without Reservation that a restaurateur should never announce an opening date).
I also echo Rachel’s hope that we will see more honest commentary, which is ultimately in the consumer’s interest. With social media feeds awash with undisclosed invites and vested interests, independent voices have never been more important. The revolving door of openings and short-term frenzy over the next soft launch is a concern in itself: as influencers move from one glitzy celeb-magnet to another claiming their free meals, or just to get a selfie by a graffitied door (and we all know these are triumphs of marketing over taste), the flavour of the month keeps changing while your hard-working local bistro or pub puts up its shutters. That’s perhaps a rant for another day…
And I will continue the campaign I started last year: bread is an accompaniment, not a course.
Standout dishes of the year: the bouillabaisse croquettes at Maset; the scallop with celeriac and spruce at Roots in York; and the beguiling trout with hollandaise and blackcurrant at Alouette in Copenhagen. I also second Amanda’s choice of the apple crumble soufflé at 74 Charlotte Street – what a dessert!
This roundup was published on 1 December 2025 and reflects the writers’ views at that time.
Editorial introduction by J A Smith. Photos by the contributors.
