10 new UK restaurants to book now

The Lawn, East Lothian

Based at the recently refurbished Marine North Berwick hotel, The Lawn takes its name from the expansive gardens it overlooks. Helmed by MasterChef’s Chris Niven – previously executive chef at The Fairmont in St Andrews – the restaurant will welcome its first diners in September, offering a seasonal menu of freshly caught fish, locally grown vegetables and new takes on Scottish classics. lawnrestaurant.co.uk

Heft, Cumbria

Kevin and Nicola Tickle, proprietors of Heft in High Newton, have ties to the Lake District that date back to the 1600s. Kevin grew up on the coast, where he learned to fish, hunt and forage. This experience, combined with Kevin’s recent stint at the Michelin-starred Forest Side Hotel, have guided the Tickles’ transformation of this 17th-century building into a six-room inn and restaurant. Expect seasonal small plates with a focus on locally reared produce. hefthighnewton.co.uk

Unalome, Glasgow

Glasgow local Graeme Cheevers made his name at two of Scotland’s top venues: Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond and the luxury Isle of Eriska Hotel, at both of which he earned a Michelin star. Having launched in June, Cheevers’ first solo venture makes use of Scotland’s local produce, with menu highlights including Tarbet langoustines, oysters from Cumbrae and Orkney scallops. unalomebygc.com

The Old Pharmacy, Somerset 

Following the success of Michelin-starred Osip, Merlin Labron-Johnson launched The Old Pharmacy in Bruton earlier this year. Initially opened as a weekend grocery store, the chef has since turned his new venture into a wine bar and restaurant, with the first guests invited for dinner this month. The no-frills menu shines a light on Somerset’s local suppliers, while much of the produce – vegetables, leaves and flowers – is sourced from Labron-Johnson’s own farm nearby. @oldpharmacybruton

The Alice, Oxford

As of next month, guests of The Randolph Hotel in Oxford will be able to book into The Alice, a 78-seat restaurant fronted by Chris Emery. Formerly the executive sous chef at Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social, Emery will serve seasonal British classics with a contemporary twist – think chalk stream trout paired with oysters and charcoal mayonnaise. Fans of Oxford University alumnus Lewis Carroll will appreciate the Alice in Wonderland-themed artwork by London-based illustrator John Broadley. thealiceoxford.com

Hackney Coterie, East London

Joining east London’s buzzing list of restaurants this July is Hackney Coterie, a warehouse brasserie and wine bar with a minimal-waste menu. Headed up by Dominic Auger, who joins from Hide in Mayfair, the restaurant spills out onto a large terrace, where sharing plates of cured pork belly and dry aged soy salmon are paired with low-intervention wines and sakes. hackneycoterie.net

Burnt Orange, Brighton 

From restaurateur Razak Helalat – the brains behind two of Brighton’s culinary hotspots, The Salt Room and The Coal Shed – comes Burnt Orange, a 54-cover restaurant set in a 16th-century coach house near the seafront. The focus here is on sharing, which chef Peter Dantanus has made possible with a Mediterranean-inspired menu of wood-fired small plates. Food favourites include miso aubergine, pork belly shawarma and Galician octopus, but make time for the Burnt Orange Martini, a fruity mix of Salcombe gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and grilled orange skin. burnt-orange.co.uk

Garden House, Cambridge

At the heart of Adam Wood’s new restaurant within the Graduate Cambridge hotel is an open grill kitchen. Here, the ex-Perilla chef will serve a flame-focused menu from September. Relaxed dishes such as grilled Norfolk quail and tomato tart will be served alongside a new world wine list, with cocktails taking inspiration from the history of the surrounding city. gardenhousecambridge.co.uk

Sucre, Central London

You might recognise Fernando Trocca from Instagram, where the famed Argentinian chef shares recipe ideas with over 180,000 followers. For his latest venture, Trocca is directing his audience to Soho, to a brand-new outpost of his Buenos Aires-based restaurant Sucre. Accompanied by cocktail maestro Tato Giovannoni – founder of Florería Atlántico, number seven in the World’s 50 Best Bars list – the chef will champion the traditional Latin American open fire technique, demonstrated in dishes such as Iberico pork matambre, monkfish tail with XO sauce and grilled radicchio. sucrerestaurant.com

The Water House Project, east London

After six years of pop-up supper clubs (the first of which was held at his own home), Gabriel Waterhouse has found a permanent home for his “social fine dining” project in Bethnal Green. Each month, a new nine-course tasting menu will be unveiled, which diners can enjoy for £99 a head including wine pairings. Service will kick off in September with a first course of pork belly and plum chutney donut; kipper mousse with shiso; and a cold cucumber soup. thewaterhouseproject.com