FOUND favourites, spring ‘26
Plus most anticipated new restaurants
Welcome to the FOUND LDN Spring Report. Ahead: our favourite London restaurants, cultural finds, and getaways of the first few months of 2026 — plus our most anticipated restaurants for the season ahead.
Paid subscribers, keep your eyes open for links to Spring Reports from our other cities in this week’s newsletter.
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Favourites
Favourite new restaurants we visited in late winter/early spring of ’26.
→ CRISP PIZZA (Mayfair), New York-style pizzeria inside The Marlborough pub
→ DAKADAKA (Mayfair), modern Georgian food and wine on Heddon St
→ GINA (Chingford, above), relaxed neighbourhood bistro from celeb chef Ravneet Gill
→ KHAO BIRD (Soho), Rowdy crowds, strong drinks and delightfully intense Thai
→ MARTINO’S (Chelsea), glitzy, old-school Italian with eyecatching bar
→ NORA (Canary Wharf), stylish modern Turkish spot
→ PLAZA KHAO GAENG (Borough Market), banging Thai with an emphasis on fun
→ TIELLA (Hackney), permanent Italian trattoria following successful residency
RESTAURANTS • Recent Notables
In March, FOUND published its first ever themed issue, Oyster Week, including:
A shucking great Routine with Bobby Groves, head of oysters at Marylebone hotspot Chiltern Firehouse
Visits to two of the best oyster spots, in London and beyond
Custom platters and other unique oyster-themed gifts for that special someone in your life
Plus seafood intel from restaurateurs Roberta Hall McCarron, Masaki Sugisaki and Madina Kazhimova, and bartender Max Venning
RESTAURANTS • One-Year Club
Favourite FOUND restaurants that recently turned one year old, for your perhaps easier-booking pleasure.
BAR VALETTE (Shoreditch), Basque meets French meets British, book. BONUS: chef-owner Isaac McHale is offering the tasting menu at his flagship The Clove Club at pre-Covid prices from Tue-Wed until the end of May, book
DON’T TELL DAD (Queen’s Park), bakery by day, restaurant by night on one of London’s foodiest streets, book
DOVE (Notting Hill), formerly Orasay, neighbourhood spot from Jackson Boxer serving limited-edition burgers and seasonal fare, book
THE LAVERY (South Kensington, above), bright, airy, elegant restaurant ideal for a pre- or post-museum meal, book
HIMI (Soho), neo-izakaya with counter seating off Carnaby St
LUNA OMAKASE (City), 12-seat counter serving Japanese cuisine with a Mexican twist, tucked inside Los Mochis
THE FAT BADGER (Notting Hill), surprise set menu served on the top floor of a renovated pub at the north end of Portobello Rd
THE KNAVE OF CLUBS (Bethnal Green), East End pub revived by hospitality pros, serving oysters and rotisserie chicken, book
BARS • Recent Favourites
→ GORDON’S WINE BAR (Covent Garden, above), London’s oldest wine bar, with an impressive selection of sherry and port
GOODS & SERVICES • Recent Notables
No croissants here – Claridge’s Bakery (Mayfair) celebrates all things British, from Bakewell tarts to Marmite cheese straws.
If you prefer yours Continental, Pavilion Bakery (Victoria Park) has the (baked) goods.
A mini museum within a shop, Sway Edit delivers on Japanese design, from chopstick stands to delicate sake cups.
What to gift the wordsmith in your life? A fountain pen from Stuart R. Stevenson (Farringdon).
April showers? Bring outdoors indoors with a blown-glass plant paradise from London Terrariums (Whitechapel).
GETAWAYS • FOUND Favourites
When Madonna goes to Margate, she can’t get enough of the tiny neighbourhood Italian diner BOTTEGA CARUSO.
Also in Margs, consider THE WELLINGTON (above), a new food-forward pub serving excellent Sunday roasts.
Speaking of margs, MARGO is one of the most compelling reasons to check out Glasgow’s thriving food scene.
For the more wine-focused, a vinotherapy break at SOUTH LODGE HOTEL might be just the ticket.
Like a tasting menu? In Bristol, WILSONS offers unbeatable value.
Epping Forest dwellers know all about the delights of OYSTER SHACK & SEAFOOD BAR, come rain or shine.
For oysters by the sea, THE SPORTSMAN is still one of Kent’s finest after more than 20 years.
NINE NINES • Distilled Lists of the Best in London and Surrounds
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants, most anticipated
The new London spots we’re most looking forward to the in the coming months
MA/NA (Mayfair), high-end modern Japanese from Luna Omakase’s Leonard Tanyag, opens soon, book