Your go-to list of the year’s most anticipated launches from the 50 Best family
2023 looks like a bumper year for openings from the chefs, restaurateurs and bartenders of the 50 Best and 50 Best Discovery establishments. We have researched, selected and profiled 29 of the most exciting restaurants and bars coming this year, as well as some key venues that have just opened – so scroll for delicious travel inspiration with offerings from the likes of chefs Gaggan Anand and Daniela Soto-Innes, and bartenders Colin Chia and Simone Caporale.
COMING SOON
Humo, London
Chef Prada will serve signature fish dishes such as scallop and sea bass
Estimated opening: January
Fun fact: No gas or electricity is used to cook at Humo; it’s all about the grill
A four-metre-long grill will sit at the centre of Humo, a new wood-fired concept whose name means ‘smoke’ in Spanish. With Colombian chef Miller Prada at the helm, Humo will serve up dishes like Ikejime trout marinated and smoked in juniper, and hand-dived Orkney scallops grilled on French oak. From the group behind sushi spot Sumi and Endo at the Rotunda, where Prada trained, the restaurant will have strong Japanese influences, as well as elements from Miller’s Colombian background.
12 St George St, London W1S 2FB
instagram.com/humolondon
humolondon.com
Bossa, London
Roasted sweet potato, cured pork, Brazil nut milk and endive stalks
Estimated opening: February
Try this: Seafood moqueca stew
Alberto Landgraf, the chef-owner of Rio de Janeiro restaurant Oteque, is bringing a taste of Brazil to the UK capital with a casual spot below the Brazilian consulate, off buzzy Oxford Street. A departure from his fine-dining-focused flagship, Bossa will serve an à la carte of classic Brazilian dishes centred around fish and vegetables, with highlights including grilled coalho cheese, and tapioca with mixed mushrooms. Oteque head chef Nilson Chaves will relocate to London, while sommelier Laís Aoki will collaborate with London wine legend Honey Spencer.
4 Vere St, London, W1G 0DH
instagram.com/bossa_uk
bossa.co.uk
Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
Handshake Speakeasy's take on an Old Fashioned
Estimated opening: February
Drink this: Sencha, featuring sake, brandy, yuzu and green tea
The team behind Mexico City speakeasy Handshake are opening a second Handshake in a secret location within the same hotel, the NH Reforma. The new bar has 60 seats, double the capacity of its older sibling, with a new menu featuring cocktails on draft. There’s also a laboratory hidden within the bar.
1. Amberes 65, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Mexico City
instagram.com/handshake_bar
handshake.bar
Joia, London
Tapas including scallops with black garlic and Iberico ham croquetas (image: Charlie McKay)
Estimated opening: February
Try this: Salted cod esqueixada
Henrique Sá Pessoa, the Portuguese chef behind Alma in Lisbon, is opening his first London restaurant within the long-awaited new Battersea Power Station development. Joia will showcase the chef’s culinary heritage, with influences from Catalonia and Portugal alongside the best of British and Iberian produce. Head for a drink at the 14th-floor bar before dining in the 15th-floor restaurant overlooking the iconic power station.
1 Electric Boulevard, London SW11 8BJ
joiabattersea.co.uk
instagram.com/joiabattersea
A new pastry shop by Pía Salazar, Quito
Salazar was voted Latin America’s Best Pastry Chef 2022, sponsored by República del Cacao
Estimated opening: March
What to expect: Desserts made from vegetables including white onion
After winning Latin America’s Best Pastry Chef Award 2022, Pía Salazar and her husband Alejandro Chamorro are set to open a patisserie in the Ecuadorean capital, serving traditional sweets and savoury dishes to eat in or to go. Later in the year, the team behind Nuema also plan to open a casual, family-style restaurant in Cumbayá.
Address TBC
instagram.com/nuema_restaurante
Rubra, Nayarit
Chef Soto-Innes will open Rubra in Nayarit, Mexico, in 2023
Estimated opening: Spring
What’s the vibe: Beach-meets-jungle
Former Cosme chef-partner Daniela Soto-Innes returns to her native Mexico with Rubra, an à la carte restaurant showcasing her signature Mexican fine dining inside the beachfront W Hotel Punta de Mita. In an open-air space surrounded by beach and jungle, Soto-Innes will present what she is calling ‘tropical cuisine’, with plenty of corn-based dishes and bold, bright flavours.
Km 8.5, Carr. Federal la Cruz de Huanacaxtle - Punta de Mita, Desarrollo Costa Banderas, 63734 Nayarit
instagram.com/rubra.mx
marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/pvrwh-w-punta-de-mita
Amado Grill, New York 
Chef Ignacio Matto's Amado Grill will open in the centre of New York City
Estimated opening: Spring
Behind the name: Amado means ‘beloved’ in Spanish
Chef Ignacio Mattos and the hospitality group behind Estela are opening their first fine dining restaurant at the stunning new Nine Orchard Hotel in downtown Manhattan. Serving a refined and elegant seven-course tasting menu in an intimate space, Amado Grill will draw inspiration from the Neo-Renaissance opulence of the address in a series of sophisticated dishes. Mattos handles all food and beverage at the hotel, which also includes the Corner Bar, a bistro serving duck à l’orange and fruits de mer, and Swan Room, an elegant space offering oysters, foie gras terrines and cocktails.
56 Canal Street, New York, NY 10002
instagram.com/ignaciomattos
amadogrill.com
Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at the OWO, London
Mauro Colagreco's Mirazur was named The World's Best Restaurant in 2019
Estimated opening: Spring
Don’t miss: Colagreco’s legendary bread service
The iconic hotel group that began in Singapore in 1887 is now opening its first London location at the historic Old War Office building, which once housed the office of prime minister Winston Churchill. The hotel will include two restaurants and a chef’s table experience from Best of the Best star Mauro Colagreco, whose flagship Mirazur topped The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019. Expect glitzy service and sophisticated food and beverages from the group that served as the birthplace for the Singapore Sling cocktail and was the training ground for 50 Best chefs including Guillaume Galliot of Caprice and former Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Cheryl Koh.
Whitehall, London SW1A 2EU
theowo.london
instagram.com/theowo.london
Frantzén Group restaurants, Singapore, Shanghai and Dubai
Aged duck served at Zén in Singapore
Estimated opening: May (Shanghai), August (Brasserie Astoria, Singapore), late 2023 (Dubai)
Style of cuisine: Japanese-inspired Nordic
Following the openings of Studio Frantzén in London and Villa Frantzén in Bangkok in 2022, world-renowned chef Björn Frantzén has more expansion planned for 2023, with three confirmed restaurants and ongoing discussions for further Asian franchises. First up is a super-premium opening in Shanghai, with an à la carte menu to differentiate it from the group’s Stockholm and Singapore tasting menus. Then there will be a Brasserie Astoria in Singapore’s former Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, a second branch of the large power-dining brasserie that is already in Stockholm. Finally, the group will make its Middle East debut with two concepts in the Atlantis The Palm property, set to open by year-end. See details.
Various addresses
instagram.com/frantzengroup
frantzengroup.com
Tuju, São Paulo
Chef Ivan Ralston is re-opening Tuju in São Paulo (image: Adriano Pellegrino Perna)
Estimated opening: Spring/Summer
Having entered Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2016 and won multiple awards, Tuju temporarily closed as a result of the pandemic, while chef Ivan Ralston opened the more casual Tujuína in its place. After closing Tujuína at the end of 2021, Ralston now makes his grand comeback with a new, more intimate Tuju in a different neighbourhood, serving his own style of São Paulo-inspired cuisine in a tasting menu with seasonal ingredients.
Rua Frei Galvão, 151. Jardim Paulistano
instagram.com/ivanralstonb
tuju.com.br
Yannick Alléno at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, London
Chef Alléno's French fare will land in London in summer 2023
Estimated opening: Summer
What to expect: French technique, originality and serious attention to sauce
From one world-class hotel to another, the chef behind Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen is bringing his modern French cuisine to one of London’s most prestigious addresses, the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane. Yannick Alléno’s restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, with contemporary and creative plates using French techniques and British produce. Alléno also has restaurants in Dubai, Seoul and Marrakech.
Hamilton Pl, London W1J 7DR
instagram.com/yannickalleno
fourseasons.com/london
A new bar by Gimlet, Melbourne
Andrew McConnell's new bar will feature classic gimlet cocktails (image: Jo McGann)
Estimated opening: Summer
Expect: Classy cocktails and light bites
Chef Andrew McConnell and the team behind Gimlet are planning a new, intimate bar with just 30 seats. With no kitchen, the space will serve freshly shucked oysters, sea urchins and just-sliced jamón, alongside superlative cocktails. The décor will be done by Sydney design house ACME, who worked on Gimlet at Cavendish House, just a few doors down.
165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
instagram.com/gimlet.melbourne
gimlet.melbourne
Gaia, London
The interior of Gaia in Dubai, UAE
Estimated opening: Mid-year
Drink this: Santorini Spritz
Nigerian-born, London-raised and Dubai-based celebrity chef Izu Ani, who trained at La Petite Maison, is opening a London branch of Gaia, the Greek-Mediterranean restaurant of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants fame with locations in Dubai, Monte Carlo and Doha. Expect colourful salads, Mediterranean-influenced cocktails and plenty of seafood in a multi-level restaurant within the swanky One Berkeley Street development.
gaia-restaurants.com
instagram.com/chefizu
Long Chim, London
Prawn salad with chillies and basil
Estimated opening: 2023
What to expect: Modern Thai that doesn’t scrimp on spice
Chinatown will be the setting for chef David Thompson’s long-awaited return to the UK capital, where he closed his acclaimed Nahm in 2012. Thompson, whose Bangkok branch of Nahm topped the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2014, plans to open a branch of his casual Thai Long Chim, which is popular in Sydney, Perth and Dubai. Expect top-notch classics like Pad Thai and beef massaman in a low-lit and laidback setting.
instagram.com/longchim
longchimsydney.com
JUST OPENED
Ramenhead, Cape Town
Shoyu ramen (image: Peter Tempelhoff)
Eat this: Tori Chintan with a Shoyu Tare
After fine dining restaurant Fyn made its debut onto The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and won The Best Restaurant in Africa Award in 2022, chef and restaurateur Peter Tempelhoff and his team have now opened Ramenhead, a casual ramen spot beneath Fyn. Tempelhoff and executive chef Ashley Moss use the only Yamamoto noodle machine in Africa to make their noodles from scratch, with the machine sitting in full view of diners. Ramenhead is walk-in only, and there are halal and vegan options for ‘those who don’t dine on the swine’.
37 Parliament St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000
instagram.com/ramenheadcapetown
ramenhead.co.za
GohGan, Fukuoka
Chefs Gaggan Anand and Goh Fukuyama
What to expect: Raucous nights, fun-focused dining and never a dull dish
After many years in the making, the collaboration between two of Asia’s favourite chefs, Gaggan Anand and Takeshi ‘Goh’ Fukuyama, finally opened in Fukuoka, Japan. An amalgamation of both their names, GohGan blends Bangkok-based Anand’s signature playful Indian fine dining creativity with the more classic French-Japanese cuisine that Fukuyama was known for at his now-closed La Maison de la Nature Goh. GohGan is located in the 010 Building, a new culture hub that also houses bars, fashion designers and immersive theatre. Anand’s flagship restaurant, Gaggan Anand, has also reopened in Bangkok after a series of pop-ups.
010 Building, 812-0018, 1-4-17 Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ward, Fukuoka City
010bld.com/gohgan
instagram.com/gohganfuk
Rosita, Hong Kong
Chefs Chaneton and Balbi's signature chicken dish at Rosita
Perfect pairing: The tasting menu is accompanied by South American wines
A little piece of Latin America has come to Hong Kong from Venezuelan chef Ricardo Chaneton of Mono and his Argentine peer Agustin Balbi of Ando. The first co-venture from the two friends, Rosita blends their Latin American cuisines with Japanese and French influences in a six-course tasting menu with dishes like lobster stew and ceviche.
1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai
instagram.com/rosita.hkg
rosita.hk
Fizzy Dayz, Singapore
The Fizzy Dayz Highball
Signature tipple: Fizzy Dayz Highball
Still buzzing from winning the Roku Industry Icon Award for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022, Colin Chia and his team from Nutmeg & Clove have now opened a casual diner bar serving highball cocktails and diner-style bites. Take your pick from a list of spirits then make it a highball, or choose from a list of cocktails including the Gin Fizz. Pair with a Nashville chicken waffle burger or grilled cheese brioche from the comfort food menu.
24 Purvis Street, Singapore 188601
instagram.com/fizzydayzsg
fizzydayz.sg
Antonio's at PGA Cars, Mandaluyong City
The interior of Antonio's in Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Eat this: Salted cod pilpil
Chef-owner Antonio ‘Tonyboy’ Escalante and his partner Cyrille Soenen have opened the latest in a group of Antonio’s restaurants, this one within a luxury car showroom. Dishes on the fine dining mezzanine menu include roasted veal bone marrow, dry-aged steak tartare and pickled ox tongue, while the lounge bar area offers classic cocktails alongside cheeseburger sliders and empanadas.
202 EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
antoniosrestaurant.ph
instagram.com/antoniospgacars
Glass by Sips, Madrid
Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale will open Glass by Sips in 2023
Drink this: Negroni by Sips
Not long after their Barcelona bar Sips was voted No.3 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez have opened Glass by Sips, bringing their winning combination of cocktail magic to Hotel Urban in the Spanish capital. Open every day from 5pm to 2am, Glass by Sips serves creative and classic cocktails in a wood-panelled space that nods to 1920s Madrid.
Carrera de San Jerónimo, 34, 28014 Madrid
instagram.com/glassbysips
hotelurban.com/en/glass-bar-by-sips
Alajmo Cortina, Cortina d’Ampezzo
Artichokes with puréed parsnips and roasted vegetable sauce
What to order: Head to the terrace or veranda for wild smoked salmon
After a successful pop-up in winter 2020, Raffaele and Massimiliano Alajmo – the brothers behind Le Calandre – have opened a permanent home in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a ski resort in northern Italy. Located inside a historic restaurant that had been shuttered for many years, Alajmo Cortina serves lunch, dinner and après-ski over three floors, with stunning views over the mountains. It’s a cosy, informal spot with typical Alajmo-brother charm.
Località Ronco, 123, Cortina d'Ampezzo (BL)
instagram.com/alajmo
alajmo.it/pages/homepage-cortina
Cycene, London
Oyster with cucumber and Oscietra (image: Rebecca Dickson)
Don’t miss: Scallop with brown butter and caviar
After the closure of Mãos, the team at the Blue Mountain School have redesigned the intimate space in London’s Shoreditch to house Cycene, a multi-sensory, 10-course experience where diners enjoy dishes in the bar, kitchen and dining room. At the helm is chef Theo Clench, formerly of Portland and Akoko. Cycene means ‘kitchen’ in Old English.
9 Chance St, London E2 7JB
instagram.com/cycene.bms
bluemountain.school/cycene
Tán, New York
A selection of Tán's signature dishes, including sea scallop ceviche, prawns and tostadas
Try this: Yucatán pork belly
Jonatán Gómez Luna, the chef behind Le Chique in Cancún, has teamed up with chef-restaurateur Richard Sandoval for their first New York City collaboration, a restaurant serving the food of Mexico’s Yucatán region. Located in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighbourhood, Tán has a unique Tulum vibe with elaborate wall hangings and woven sunscreens, and serves hyper-modernist, seafood-focused fare. Later in the year, the team will also open Lúm, a Tulum-inspired basement cocktail lounge.
209 East 49th Street, New York City
instagram.com/tannewyorkcity
tannewyork.com
Ikoyi, London
Co-founders Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale (image: Maureen M Evans)
What’s changed? A new address and a larger space for even greater creativity
The American Express One To Watch 2021 has moved to a new site at 180 The Strand, an emerging London hotspot for the creative industries. The extra space in both front and back of house allows co-founders Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale more room to grow, with a new, extended wine selection and a menu that builds on British micro-seasonality through Chan’s lens of spice and heat.
180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA
instagram.com/ikoyi_london
ikoyilondon.com
Mishiguene, Mexico City
Chef Kalika's restaurant Mishiguene is a regular on the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list
Must-try: Pastrón, the chef’s take on pastrami
Argentine chef Tomás Kalika has expanded into Mexico with his first international branch of Mishiguene, a regular in the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant honours Argentina’s Jewish immigrant heritage by reinventing Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Israeli and Middle Eastern cooking with Latin American twists, in dishes like potato varenikes.
11040, Pedregal 24, 11040 Mexico City
mishiguene.com
instagram.com/mishiguenemx
Lulu’s, London
Beef tartare with artichoke (image: Matt Russell)
What to order: Beef tartare with pickled Jerusalem artichoke on toast
Lasse Petersen, former chef of Amass in Copenhagen and Western’s Laundry and Moro in London, has opened neighbourhood wine bar and shop Lulu’s, a welcome addition to the team’s Herne Hill restaurant, Llewelyn’s. While the store sells sandwiches by day, by night Petersen cooks European, Nordic and Middle East-inspired dishes alongside wines from Slovenia, Georgia, Beaujolais and Tuscany.
291 Railton Road, London, SE24 0JP
lulus.london
instagram.com/lulus.london
Moa, Mexico City
Moa's offering will focus on speciality breads and sandos
Must-eat: Grilled cheese with kimchi
After four years working as a pastry chef at Cosme in New York, Erika Cisneros returned to her native Mexico to open a bakery together with Korean chef JuHee Park, exploring Asian breads as well as sandos and ferments. In Korean, Moa means ‘to bring together,’ and on Friday and Saturday nights it becomes a cocktail bar specialising in sake and anju.
Tabasco 189, Local D, Roma Norte, Mexico City
instagram.com/moa_deli
Cobarde, Oaxaca 
Chef Pako Cortes' dumplings served at Cobarde
Best view in the city: Cobarde overlooks the former Santo Domingo convent
After working in a range of top restaurants including Cosme, Momofuku-Ko and Pujol, chef Pako Cortes has now opened his own place in the centre of historic Oaxaca, with a menu influenced by his work in Mexican and Asian kitchens. Cobarde serves dishes like chicken dumplings and Vietnamese-style pho soup, as well as cocktails by Jaime Cornejo and desserts from Erika Cisneros, another former Cosme staffer whose own restaurant, Moa, just opened (see above).
1. Macedonio Alcalá 505, Centro, 68000, Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca
cobarde.mx
instagram.com/cobarde_oax
Tiara, Rio de Janeiro
The interior of Tiara in Rio de Janeiro (image: Vitor Faria)
Don’t-miss dish: Honey-glazed duck
Rafa Gomes, a former executive chef of Mauro Colagreco’s Grand Coeur Paris who also worked at Mirazur, has opened Tiara in Rio’s swanky Leblon, serving an intricate à la carte and tasting menu based on the finest seasonal seafood, meat and vegetables. The name comes from Itacoatiara, the neighbourhood in Rio where Gomes grew up, which also inspired his Itacoa restaurants in Paris and Rio. Reminiscent of his time at Eleven Madison Park, Gomes’s signature dish is a honey-glazed duck with spices.
Rua Ataulfo de Paiva, 270 - loja 111, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, 22440-900
instagram.com/tiara_restaurante
bfw.group
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