Short for ‘abuelita’, the Spanish word for ‘grandmother’, Lita is a new Marylebone venture from restaurateurs Daniel Koukarskikh and Dominykas Ramanauskas and the team behind Chelsea’s Wild Tavern. The general schtick is a modern Mediterranean bistro with open-fire cooking, but with the kitchen headed up by Irishman Luke Ahearne, the waters and pastures of the British Isles are just as much of an influence on the sharing-plates menu as the Med. See more new London restaurant openings.
The Mood: Rus in urbe near Regent’s Park
Like visiting the sort of rustic-chic French farmhouse restored by a terrifyingly smart friend, B3 Designers have jumbled together a floor laid with reclaimed Italian terracotta tiles, a timber-clad bar with a red marble-veined top, restored antique tables and chairs by Guillerme et Chambron. The best seats in the house are the green velvet bar stools at each of the three counters, which offer a ringside seat to the open-fire cooking from the roaring grill. The full-length windows are thrown open to the pavement in fine weather; dogs are welcome too if you’ve been for a stroll in nearby Regent’s Park.
The Food: British ingredients warmed up with Mediterranean flavours
Ahearne worked at the two-Michelin-starred Clove Club in Shoreditch before becoming head chef at Corrigan’s Mayfair; here he’s found a happy medium between the cutting-edge and the comforting. So while morels come with wild garlic and lardo di Colonnata to highlight the kitchen’s ultra-seasonal, southern European credo, the dish is essentially the best version of garlic mushrooms imaginable. Small plates such as pan con tomate elegantly draped with Cantabrian anchovies are followed by meat and fish from the chargrill; dry-aged Devon duck, vividly flavoured with Todolí citrus, is the perfection of duck à l’orange.
Lita is located at 7-9 Paddington St, London
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekMuch of our team was in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design this week. For those left basking in the London heatwave, it was architecture workshops, photography exhibitions and two very different performances: ballet and Britpop
-
The best bars in London for bartending greatnessFrom chic hotel cocktail classics to game-changing flavour combinations, our resident drinks correspondent, Neil Ridley, explores ten of the best bars in London
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* teamFrom 20-23 June, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the Italian fashion capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
The best bars in London for bartending greatness
From chic hotel cocktail classics to game-changing flavour combinations, our resident drinks correspondent, Neil Ridley, explores ten of the best bars in London
-
NoMad London’s new restaurant fast-tracks you to New York’s jazz ageMartin Brudnizki Design Studio conjures up old-world glamour at Twenty8 NoMad, where the menu features nearly as many martini variations as main courses
-
Italian-Japanese fusion’s a joy at east London’s Osteria AngelinaA Victorian warehouse in Spitalfields has been given a slick modern makeover to house a unique Italian-Japanese restaurant
-
This Hackney bar is reviving London’s legacy of lesbian spacesDesigned by Studio Popelo and Wet Studio, La Camionera emerges as a vital sanctuary for London’s FLINTA* community, honouring it right down to the details
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
Twin Peaks’ Double R Diner is coming to London (for a day)Mubi marks Twin Peaks’ 35th anniversary with pop-up diner and streaming release
-
Ukrainian restaurant Sino adds to London's diverse food culture with warming traditions that feel familiar yet newPronounced see-no, the new Ukrainian restaurant in Notting Hill, by Polina Sychova and chef Eugene Korolev, is built on the intimate relationship between people and nature – offering beauty in simplicity
-
Art, pasta and maritozzi: this is Locatelli at the National GalleryChef Giorgio Locatelli is the National Gallery’s new Italian master with the latest chapter of his beloved London restaurant
