Hotel Openings

🍴 François O'Neill opens Café François in Borough Market on 11 September—a modern-day French canteen influenced by Paris, California, and Montreal. Executive chef Matthew Ryle and front of house Ed Wyand lead the team. The menu offers affordable French classics and global flavors, with in-house baked bread and patisserie. Located at 14-16 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD (cafefrancois.london). Chef Greg Clarke launches El Bolillo, a Mexican restaurant in Hove with sharing tacos and small plates like Porthilly oysters and lamb belly skewers. Expect to spend £55-£60 per head on food at 60 Church Rd, Brighton and Hove, Hove BN3 2FP (elbolillo.co.uk). Jason Atherton's Sael, a British brasserie, replaces Aquavit in St James's Market, London, celebrating British ingredients and furnishings, led by chef Dale Bainbridge. Located at 1 St James's Market, St. James's, London SW1Y 4QQ (saellondon.com). Selin Kiazim returns with Leydi, an all-day Turkish restaurant in Farringdon, inspired by Istanbul's lokantas and meyhanes, situated at 15 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EF (hydehotels.com/london-city/restaurants-bars). Aaron Potter and Laura Hart unveil Wildflowers, a Mediterranean restaurant in

🍕 Big Mamma to open ‘La Bellezza’, a 150-cover trattoria with a 25-cover terrace in Birmingham’s Chamberlain Square, joining five London venues. The site previously housed Vinoteca, which closed in May due to energy prices and train strikes. Co-founders Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux aim to emulate the warmth of Italian trattorias. Big Mamma also plans a Manchester site and another London location in Canary Wharf.

🏦 The Dead Rabbit, awarded World’s Best Bar in 2016, launched its second venue in Austin, Texas, on July 4. Situated in Downtown Austin’s Sixth Street, the new 5,000-square-foot location seats 50 at the bar and counter, 100 at tables, and has room for more standing guests. The establishment will expand to Washington, D.C., and Boston in 2025. The menu includes exclusive Texas Caviar bowls, alongside Irish breakfasts, bangers and mash, and ribs. The adjacent Neighbourhood Café offers coffee and sandwiches from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., while the bar operates from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. The Dead Rabbit aims to redefine Irish pub culture, avoiding the "McFake" stereotype and focusing on community engagement.

🥞 Milkshake Concepts, founded in 2015 in Dallas, operates eight brands, with Serious Eats most recently opening Aug. 2 in Grand Prairie. Vidorra, launched in 2018, aims to open 10 locations by 2026, including a Nashville venue post-Grapevine launch. Currently, there are Vidorra locations in Dallas' Deep Ellum, Addison, and Grand Prairie, with Rockwall and Grapevine next. CEO Imran Sheikh cites a multisensory experience for Vidorra's success, planning a total of nine DFW locations by 2026, while also considering expansion into Houston, Austin, Denver, and Phoenix/Scottsdale.

🍻 Honey Spencer, a UK natural wine authority, expanded her career after a 2011 encounter with unpredictable natural wine. She authored "Natural Wine, No Drama" and co-founded Sune, a natural wine restaurant in East London. Sune debuted on the UK's top 100 restaurants list in summer. Spencer and her business partner Charlie Sims opened Sune after experiences, including at Copenhagen's natural wine bars and Noma. Sune emphasizes clean, approachable natural wines, avoiding sanctimonious overtones. Spencer also consults for high-profile restaurants and directs wine programs. Sune, which avoids scaring traditional drinkers, plans a terrace addition and Tuesday openings. Spencer supports decanting natural wines for optimal presentation.

🍴 Drew Snaith and Hannah Kowalski will launch their first restaurant, Sesta, in London's Hackney this September, following the closure of Pidgin on 18 August. Sesta, replacing Pidgin, will serve British seasonal ingredients and feature a menu influenced by live fire cooking, British, European, and Southeast Asian cuisines. The founders previously worked together at Brunswick House and Pidgin. The team includes sous chef Ben Ing and general manager Majalis Lundstrom Celedon. Sesta will source produce from Shrub, connecting to Sussex farms. The menu will change seasonally and offer dishes like Doddington cheese scone with rarebit and cured mutton bacon ribs. Natural wines, particularly French, will be curated by Kowalski, while Celedon will craft cocktails with house-made spirits. The 26-cover restaurant will later add counter dining and display local art.

🍕 Led by Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby, Kricket to open a new restaurant in Shoreditch at the former Apothecary East site on Charlotte Road. Kricket's fourth London venue opened this month in Canary Wharf, the first since 2018. Shoreditch's all-day dining from 9am to 5pm and drinks-snack menu post-5pm. The site includes Kricket's first private dining room, aiming to attract customers throughout the day for various activities. Kricket's breakfast menu to compete with Dishoom's Indian breakfast success, featuring items like egg bhurji, 'full Kricket', and Bombay toastie. The original Kricket site launched in Pop Brixton in 2015, becoming permanent in Soho in 2016.

🍣 Hank’s Seafood Restaurant, established for 25 years in Charleston, S.C., expanded with Hank's Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar in Columbus, Ohio. Chef Frank McMahon oversees the culinary team for both Makeready hospitality group venues. Dinner starts at $29, and a new lunch menu launched in June, offering a 45-minute, three-course meal for $35. Signature dishes include she-crab soup and shrimp & grits. Columbus was chosen due to its growth and previous customer familiarity. The new space, designed by Home Studios, features a dining room for up to 158 guests, communal tables, and a private dining area.

🍴 Chef Marc Forgione, after opening his first restaurant in 2008 which later earned Michelin stars, has now relaunched it as Forgione at 30 Hudson St., New York City. The new Tribeca location continues to serve innovative New American cuisine with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients. The menu features entrées at approximately $42, pastas from $22, snacks between $12-$15, wines by the glass starting at $18, and cocktails around $19. The restaurant also includes a private dining room with a separate entrance, adorned with vibrant graffiti and references to influential figures like chef Laurent Tourondel.

🏠 Located in Old Town Alexandria, Va., Hotel Heron's flagship restaurant Kiln opened on June 27, serving wood-fired Mid-Atlantic cuisine inspired by local potter Henry Piercy. Led by Betty Woodward and Matthew Maienshein, the restaurant offers all-day dining and aims to be a community gathering spot. Woodward has a rich hospitality experience in Washington, D.C., and Maienshein has worked his way up from dishwasher to chef de cuisine. The restaurant features an open kitchen and an eight-seat chef’s counter, with entrées priced at around $40.