Record growth in London restaurant scene, reports Harden's
London boasted its highest rate of restaurant openings in almost a quarter of century, according to the latest edition of Harden's eating out guide, published tomorrow.
The Harden's London Restaurants guide, which has tracked new openings since 1991, recorded 148 restaurant launches in its 2015 edition.
The ratio of openings to closings stood at 3.1x, a ratio beaten only once in the guideʼs history, in 1996.
Peter Harden, the guide's co-founder, said: "This exceptional level of growth is a fabulous achievement for the capital, but raises questions about its sustainability.
"It underlines London's continued emergence as the greatest restaurant city on the planet, but - in the 24 years in which we have tracked openings - such highpoints have also often heralded more competitive times ahead."
Highlights in the guide, which questioned more than 6,250 regular restaurant goers, included a new name at the top of the best gastronomic experience list as Brett Graham's the Ledbury toppled Le Gavroche, which moved into second place.
Meanwhile Bruce Poole's neighbourhood restaurant Chez Bruce, in Wandsworth, was voted London's favourite restaurant for the 10th year running. Both Chez Bruce and the Ledbury are backed by restaurateur Nigel Platts-Martin.
Harden's top 10 notable openings of the year:
- Chiltern Firehouse
- City Social
- Fera at Claridge's
- Kurobuta
- Lyle's
- Merchants Tavern
- The New Angel
- The Palomar
- The Typing Room
- UNI
