Thai brand Busaba is to open its first restaurant in Wales—in a 4,000 square feet unit at the Brewery Quarter development in Cardiff.
Island Poké has confirmed two new openings in London over the next few weeks: on Upper Street in Islington and Richmond in October. Two more new sites will follow in Clapham and Notting Hill early next year, and the brand plans to open around four new sites a year over the next five years.
The Real Greek has reached the milestone of 20 restaurants after opening a site in Norwich. It has launched on Chantry Place in the former Giraffe restaurant.
Competitive socialising concept Flight Club has submitted plans to open in both Glasgow and Cheltenham, according to local media. It is taking over two units in the Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham, and will be located on George Street in Glasgow.
Five Guys opened at the Jarman leisure park in Hemel Hempstead this week.
Several new brands have just launched as part of Hawley Wharf Camden, the major new 580,000 square feet mixed-use development in north London. Openings at the canal-side venture include south east Asian concept Ekachai, Chinatown’s Bun House, Greek dessert specialists Stilvi and Italian on-the-go concept A’do’re Fritto. Hawley Wharf Camden also includes The Spread, a market scheme with 4,000 square feet of outdoor trading space for around 40 independent operators.
Chinese restaurant and bar brand Tattu is opening its first site in London, at the Now Building on Denmark Street. The 220-cover site is scheduled to launch in early 2022. Tattu’s first site was in Manchester, and it has since opened branches in Birmingham, Edinburgh and Leeds.
TOCA Social, a football-based entertainment and socialising venue, has just opened its first site at the O2 in London. The 30,000 square feet venue has various football games on 17 playing spaces, alongside a food and drinks menu.
Japanese noodle restaurant Marugame Udon is opening a second site at the O2 in London in mid-September. The 4,500 square feet, two-floor restaurant will have 150 covers and takeaway and click-and-collect facilities. Marugame Udon launched in the UK at Liverpool Street in July, and has more openings planned for the UK and Europe.
Viva Italia, the group behind the Tony Macaroni brand among others, plans to open at Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow. The unit there was previously occupied by Zizzi.
The Ego restaurant group is opening in Lymm in Cheshire. It will be the 24th site in the group and is likely to launch in early November.
Turtle Bay is opening a new restaurant at the Riverwalk leisure development in Durham in mid-October. It has taken a two-floor, 4,850 square feet unit there.
Pizza Punks will open its fourth restaurant and bar on Bond Street in Leeds in the next few weeks. It has taken on the old MOD Pizza unit in the city. It becomes a fourth location for Pizza Punks, after Belfast, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Scotland’s Buzzworks group just opened The Bridge Inn in Linlithgow.
American chicken wing concept Wingstop has just opened at the Bullring in Birmingham—its 14th location in the UK so far.
Leisure and entertainment company Gravity is opening an 80,000 square feet venue at the Southside shopping centre in Wandsworth. As well as competitive socialising elements like a go kart track, bowling alley, trampolines and crazy golf, Gravity Southside will have a Japanese noodle restaurant and high-end cocktail bar. The group has 16 sites around the UK.
London Indian restaurant group Gunpowder is opening on Greek Street in Soho in mid-October, on a site previously occupied by PizzaExpress. It joins restaurants in Spitalfields and Tower Bridge.
Three new independent dining concepts have been unveiled for the new Hilton Woking. They are the seventh-floor bar and coffee concept Glow Lounge & Terrace, all-day restaurant OXBO Kitchen on the 21st floor, and sky bar LOFT on the top floor. Hilton Woking is part of the wider Victoria Square regeneration scheme in Woking, a joint venture between Moyallen Group and Woking Borough Council.
A Japanese robatayaki grill restaurant called Yatay is opening on Wardour Street in London’s Chinatown later this year, Shaftesbury has announced. It will span 3,900 square feet over three levels.
Vasco & Piero’s Pavilion, the Italian restaurant that operated in its previous London home for around 50 years, has signed for a new location on D’arblay Street in Soho. It has secured a 2,400 square feet unit previously occupied by Ceru, in a deal brokered by Shelley Sandzer.
Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant group is opening a branch of its Bread Street Kitchen & Bar concept on St Andrew Square in Edinburgh. It has taken on a site that was previously occupied by Drake & Morgan’s The Refinery. It is the first Bread Street Kitchen & Bar opening outside of London, joining sites in St Paul’s, Southwark, Ealing and the City.
To read last week’s new openings round-up, click here.
