Best new restaurants: London, May 2023

Lasdun at the National Theatre, South Bank

Hoping to make the National Theatre a destination for wining and dining as much as theatregoing are the guys behind Hackney’s popular gastropub The Marksman. They've taken over the theatre's House Restaurant, renaming it Lasdun after the architect Denys Lasdun who designed the building in the 1970s.

A formal affair, the 90-cover restaurant boasts a marble oyster counter as well as a separate private dining room, and promises 'brasserie-style dishes brought to life through a classic yet contemporary lens', plus a menu of seasonal pies.

BAO Mary, Marylebone

A new addition to the JKS group's ever-popular BAO franchise, BAO Mary is less about pillowy, Taiwanese buns and more about the country's take on dumplings. The BAO classic, boiled cull yaw dumplings (stuffed with mutton) should be a staple on every order, while boiled prawn; scrambled egg; and pan-fried mushroom Guo Tie dumplings are further must-tries. There's a selection of cold side dishes too, such as soy-braised Lu Wei assorted vegetables, and, naturally, some bao have made it onto the menu too.

Catering for the dine-and-dash clientele, the restaurant on James Street (off Oxford Street) should prove an ideal pitstop for those hoping to eat something a cut above without having to take too much time out of an afternoon dedicated to shopping. Perch yourself on a stool and tuck into platefuls of steaming dumplings while watching the chefs in action.

Giacco’s, Finsbury Park

Just a stone's throw from Blackstock Road's hip bottle shop and wine bar Top Cuvée comes Giacco’s, an equally trendy listening bar and restaurant specialising in coffee, small plates and low-intervention wine. The 20-cover restaurant has been designed by its Italian owner Leonardo Leoncini, and will operate as a bottle shop by day, offering charcuterie, cheeses, coffee and gelato to those who pop in for a bottle. By night, visitors can look forward to a seasonal menu of small plates and fresh pasta, which can be enjoyed with low-intervention wines. Stick around to listen to records from the restaurant's decent vinyl collection, wafted across the dining room by a pair of vintage hi-fi speakers.

The Campaner, Chelsea

Bringing a bit of 'Barcelona Soul' to London, The Campaner is the first international restaurant from Los Reyes del Mango, the group behind Barcelona's Terraza Martinez and Frankie Gallo Cha Cha Cha. The location is a big pull here: the restaurant, which takes its name from the Catalan tradition of every town having its own church bell ringer, is housed in a stylish new building by architect Ben Pentreath that forms part of the Garrison Square complex at Chelsea Barracks.

Look forward to a menu of Spanish flavours made with British produce (seafood specialists Wright Bros, greengrocers Natoora, and cheesemonger Neal’s Yard are among its suppliers). Menu highlights include oyster gratin with Béarnaise sauce, coquelet; and a two-course monkfish and lobster casserole in a nod to Terraza Martinez.

Emmanuelle, Clerkenwell

Restaurateur Yuma Hashemi is on to a good thing and he knows it. Chasing the success of his French-meets-Persian restaurant Tehran-Berlin (formerly The Drunken Butler), he's opening a wine bar, Emmanuelle, on the very same road as his Clerkenwell restaurant. Wine buffs should feel inspired by the extensive list of bottles here and the championing of small-scale producers specialising in natural and biodynamic wines.

Carlotta, Marylebone

Can we ever have too much of a good thing? Not when said good thing is another place to indulge in Big Mamma's OTT Italian food and even more decadent interiors. Except the word on the street is that their latest opening Carlotta, nestled on Marylebone High Street, is all about intimacy and minimalism.

Spread over two floors (a skylit dining room and an 80s midnight-blue basement overlooking an open kitchen) and a ruby-red terrace, the restaurant pays homage to traditional Neapolitan and Sicilian classics, as well as the American twists given to these dishes following their journey across the pond. Highlights from the feasting menu include rosé veal tartare, tempura shrimp cocktail, penne alla vodka with Cornish crab, lamb arrosticini skewers, and a 10-tiered chocolate fudge cake, which already has us salivating.