London’s New Flavors

Taverna Ermou opened its first London outpost at 38–40 James Street in Marylebone on 21 March 2026, occupying about 2,500 sq ft and seating roughly 120 covers. (hot-dinners.com) Maza, from the team behind Notting Hill’s Mazi and Suzi Tros, launched on Bruton Place in Mayfair in March 2026 as a 90-cover Athenian-style taverna with an open-fire kitchen and an upstairs vinyl listening bar. (londontheinside.com) Maza’s wine list runs to more than 150 exclusively Greek bottles, and the menu promises dishes like spit-roasted lamb shoulder and tableside gyros as part of its 1980s-Athens theme. (londontheinside.com) Trade-watchers flagged the openings as part of a wider spike in Mediterranean newcomers this spring, with Harden’s noting a cluster of new tavernas arriving in central London. (hardens.com) JinLi has added a new Chinatown branch at 16 Newport Place (WC2H 7PR), billing itself as a modern Sichuan restaurant inspired by Chengdu street food and listing full service hours and a Chengdu-rooted menu online. (chinatown.co.uk) Taste of Chongqing, operating at 40–42 Woburn Place in Bloomsbury, is promoting Chongqing-style hotpot and grilled-fish dishes as part of a small but growing wave of Chongqing/Sichuan concepts in the capital. (bloomsburylondon.com) Noodle & Beer in Spitalfields is staging a month-long Paws & Bowls pop-up with dog-friendly dining on Sundays from 15 March to 5 April 2026 at 31 Bell Lane, underscoring experimental programming at several recent Sichuan-focused venues. (theupcoming.co.uk) Industry trackers say London recorded an unusually high number of new restaurant launches in 2025 — about 146 openings reported by Harden’s data cited in roundups of 2026 openings — supporting the wave of targeted regional entries like these Greek and Sichuan spots. (luxurylondon.co.uk)