The end of 2019 saw some of the world’s top culinary talent launch fine-dining projects across the capital. Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm created an instant classic with the Davies and Brook restaurant at Claridge’s; The Fat Duck’s star chef Jonny Lake and sommelier Isa Bal upped sticks from Bray to open their own restaurant, Trivet, at London Bridge; and Tom Aikens, who became the youngest British chef to be awarded two Michelin stars in 1996, opened his second location in Chelsea with Muse. And, London being London, 2020 is already looking just as promising for the capital’s epicureans.

Manzi’s, W1

When it comes to restaurants, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King have repeatedly proved they have the Midas touch, from Le Caprice and The Wolseley to recent openings such as Soutine. Manzi’s is set to be one of their largest projects to date. Opening in spring 2020 on Bateman Street, Soho, the 240-cover restaurant will span two floors and be flooded with natural light, serving as an homage to Old Soho. The menu is devoted to seafood and the interiors will evoke timeless nautical scenes. As with any Corbin and King opening, expect the critics to gush and the punters to book in advance.

Scheduled to open Spring 2020

Fallow, W1

Regarded as the premier site for high-concept pop-ups, 10 Heddon Street has earned a massive following, with chefs Chris Leach and David Carter dishing up superlative Italian food during their residency. Shaun Presland was next to take over, offering Japanese just so with his Pacific residency. The next chapter for the venue in 2020 will be Fallow, due to open in March, captained by Jack Croft and William Murray, who worked together at Dinner By Heston. Sustainability will be the lifeblood of the restaurant, which looks to elevate humble produce to lofty new heights.

Scheduled to open March 2020

Louie, WC2

Louie has all the hallmarks of an epochal opening. Guillaume Glipa (Chiltern Firehouse, Coya, Zuma) has partnered with top French hospitality group Paris Society for a joint venture that will launch Slade Rushing’s first site outside of the US. Famous for Brennan’s in New Orleans, Rushing has been showered with accolades for his cooking, which splices trad Creole cooking with French techniques and New York attitude. Louie will launch in the multi-floor townhouse that formerly housed L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon on West Street, Covent Garden, with a design executed by French duo Dion et Arles, who are leaning into The Great Gatsby and Coco Chanel for inspiration.

Scheduled to open March 2020

Noble Rot Soho, W1

Noble Rot co-founders Dan Keeling and Mark Andrews excel at launching new projects, from the industry-beating Noble Rot alt wine mag to their Bloomsbury wine bar, which has become a must-visit destination for gastronomes and oenophiles alike. For their sophomore Rot venue, they’ve taken over the historic site of the Gay Hussar on Soho’s Greek Street, which infamously served as the hotbed for many a political plot. For anyone unversed in what Noble Rot offers, it pairs one of the most enviable wine lists on the planet with exceptional modern British cuisine.

Scheduled to open Spring 2020

Kol, W1

Santiago Lastra had firmly cemented his reputation as a world-class chef long before creating his first permanent restaurant. Picked by René Redzepi to helm the Noma Mexico pop-up in 2017, he foraged ingredients and created meals in 27 countries over two years, wowed critics with a weekly supper club at his Acton residence and garnered a cult following with a varied array of pop-ups. My mind was blown when I sampled his lamb asador tacos during a barbecue at the Slobodné Vinárstvo vineyard in Slovakia. Using local foraged ingredients, Lastra shines a light on Mexican cuisine as both a deeply delicious and deeply dynamic platform for seasonal locavore-inspired cooking. If his bricks-and-mortar opening at Marylebone’s Seymour Place is in the same league as his other endeavours, which it almost surely will be, London is in for a treat.

Scheduled to open May 2020