Restaurant openings in London rise, but more are shutting their doors

The number of new restaurants opening in London last year was almost back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, 253 new restaurants were opened in the capital, 4% more than in the previous year and 13% more than in 2021. For comparison, 281 new eateries opened their doors in 2019, according to data compiled by Hot Dinners, a London restaurant website, and property adviser Robert Irving Burns. The vast majority of new openings were upmarket, expensive establishments, with almost half in the W1 postcode. However, a raft of high-profile restaurants have been forced to shut in what experts say is the worst start to a year they have seen. The closures have been blamed on “huge rent and overheads”, with Manchester’s nightlife tsar, Sasha Lord, warning that this was the “tip of the iceberg”. The Times (£)and The Times (£)