The July Hit List: Bao Noodle Shop, Bodega Rita’s, Catalyst Roasters, and More

After the success of their Kings Cross bakery and café, the Bao team are on a bit of a roll. Their sleek new restaurant on Redchurch Street (across from Brat and Smoking Goat) focuses on niu rou mian, the legendary Taiwanese beef noodle soup; expect versions with a rich short rib and beef cheek broth, or a lighter broth with a signature aged white soy and rump cap. Cocktails will be excellent and new bao editions unique to the restaurant will be on offer; there’ll also be a karaoke room with food available at the push of a button. It opens on 6 July — get excited.

If ever a type of restaurant typified the kind of place many of us missed this past year, it was Big Mamma’s maximalist Italian restaurants like Gloria and Circolo Popolare. Ave Mario, their third restaurant – said to be a Florentine-inspired affair in Covent Garden, through the group’s inimitably OTT lens – is a three-storey, neon-lit pleasure palace designed for celebratory dinners and excitable hangs. Extravagant décor and knowingly silly menu items like carbonara ravioli and a 60cm tall stracciatella cake are just part of the fun – prepare to be very, very hung over.

Attached to Hoxton’s Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye), this outstanding new bistro comes courtesy of the team behind lauded gastropubs The Anchor and Hope and Clarence Tavern – so, expect the food to be excellent, and to be well-looked after. There’s a colourful, chic dining room and sun trap of a terrace for glorious long lunches and summer evenings; expect comforting dishes like Swaledale porchetta with rosemary potatoes, potted shrimps and toast, and duck confit with warm lentils, with vegetables from the restaurant’s garden. Also open for breakfast.

Not satisfied with merely opening a brand new Soho restaurant later this month, Gabe Pryce and Missy Flynn have injected a welcome dose of fun to Clerkenwell with a brand new deli and sandwich shop delivering the duo’s legendary sandwiches, cocktails, snacks, and more. Grab lunch to take out or grab a bar stool to eat in; early highlights include a king oyster mushroom bánh mì, Chicago-style Italian beef with provolone and pangrattato, and suadero and carnitas tacos paired to natural wines, horchata and chocolate milk, or cocktails. Open Tuesday to Friday, 11-4pm.

Since the first diners at Mr Ji returned brandishing pictures of burnished soy chicken and a fried chicken sandwich for the ages, the restaurant has shot to the top of many insiders’ personal lists — unsurprising, given the menu was developed with the zeitgeist-creating duo of TĀTĀ Eatery. Several weeks later, and the restaurant is still packing them in, with creative small plates and drinks, and outstanding fried chicken dishes. A moody, neon-lit dining room evocative of Taipei’s late night is a fitting setting to experience Cyan Wong’s superb cocktails, and playful Chinese-inflected dishes.

Natural wine seems to have conquered many parts of London, but Soho has only a smattering of the kind of chic, laid-back spots more common in Shoreditch or Borough. Having found success in Spitalfields, it made sense for Crispin’s owners to set up shop on Kingly Street, with a 150-strong wine list, plush interiors, and a terrace and private dining room for gatherings and monthly tastings. Food-wise, expect relaxed, laid-back dishes perfect for enjoying with wine; charcuterie, native oysters, white beans with green sauce and Le Coste olive oil, and smoked mackerel with tangy sourdough and butter. Perfect for escaping the central London crowds.

As the story goes, Imad Alarnab fled war in his native Syria, arriving in London via Calais before finding success via supper clubs and raising thousands to aid the refugee crisis. This, his first permanent restaurant, has a tide of goodwill to buoy it along. The Soho restaurant more than stands on its own merits; excellent Syrian fare offers colourful mezze, slow-cooked sharing plates, and bright salads perfect for sharing. In particular, the falafel is cooked to perfection, roast okra comes slicked with extra virgin olive oil and creamy labneh, and tender chicken thighs are uplifted with cinnamon-scented bulgur wheat and a kick of chilli.

Who do London’s best look to for inspiration? Some of the most interesting food in the capital can’t be found at an edgy Hackney wine bar or a splashy new opening, but at this unassuming café on Grays Inn Road. Ignore, for a second, that it serves some of the best coffee in London (worth a visit in itself) – those visiting for dinner during the week can expect creative, thoughtful ‘bar’ plates that blend owner Alex Gkikas’ Greek roots with chef Dimitris Blachouras’ deft touch. Recent dishes have included a breathtaking cardamom chicken flatbread with yoghurt and coffee sriracha, a moreish plate of sweetcorn with uni butter, or 50 day-aged dairy beef with preserved lemon and salsa verde.

El Pastor’s tacos and tequila always slip down a treat. Their newest restaurant is a welcome addition to Soho, taking over the former site of Hix while delivering a considerable amount of the brand’s inimitable joie de vivre while staying true to the spirit of the original restaurant. Hand-pressed tortillas are the star of the show, accompanying classic and new dishes like a fresh scallop tostada, or a large format spiced duck to share with salsas and plenty of sides. Shimmy downstairs afterwards, where the former Mark’s Bar has been converted to an intimate mezcal bar – perfect for a nightcap.

As the Vietnamese bánh mì has gone mainstream, this family-run restaurant and others have stepped up to offer their own takes, with a variety of lesser-seen combinations; for example, bò bít tết  (steak, char siu, beef meatballs, fries) or a house special with shredded chicken, onions, and marinated chicken ovaries, plus an outstanding classic loaded with charcuterie and spicy mayo, sandwiched between perfectly crisp rolls baked in-house. There’s also a good eat-in menu too, with northern-style dishes and drinking snacks for those wishing to linger. A standout new addition to Kingsland Road’s Viet eateries.

Having hustled through lockdown, the reopening of this acclaimed Dalston cafe came as welcome news. Owner Freddie Janssen is stepping it up a notch this July, though, with a series of parties worth planning your weekends around. First up, on Sunday 4th July, Tacos Padre’s Nick Fitzgerald is popping up for a taco party with plenty of carne asada, frozen margaritas, fish tacos and more. On 18th July, Wander’s Alexis Noble will be barbecuing in Snackbar’s beautiful garden; and the restaurant will host a party on the 25th as part of Tabasco’s summer brunch series, with live bands and a stellar brunch menu infused with Janssen’s creativity.