The Priory, London
Tucked away on a quiet, cobbled square in Clerkenwell, this new gastropub - the City seems awash with them these days - promises traditional British dishes with a focus on seasonal ingredients as well as home-brewed ales. The … la carte menu changes every month, lunch daily, and brunch is available on the weekends.
Look out for comfy sofas on the mezzanine floor with a view of drinkers, diners, bar staff and chefs below.
Opened: 12 May
Owners: Lee Bradshaw and Sarj Choatia (the people behind the Angelic, Islington)
Head chef: Pablo Scalise (formerly at the Angelic, the Eagle and the Anchor & Hope)
Food: starters include asparagus with blood orange hollandaise, while a side of baked ham with spiced apples and parsley sauce is among the mains. Favourite pudding is the banana upside down tart.
Capacity: 250 (seats 80)
Crowd: media types, trendy Clerkenwell, mixed
Average spend: £25 (including wine)
Address: 53 St John's Square, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 4JL
Tel: 020 7490 2333
Exmouth Grill, London
Yet another eaterie opens in Exmouth Market: this time it's a bar and bistro open from "breakfast to bedtime". The menu is mixed British, Continental and beyond, but the place's USP is the way the food is served.
A wide variety of grilled fish and meats is available from which customers "create their own dish", choosing how the food is cooked and which sauces or side dishes they want with it. Accompaniments include bitter strawberry and black pepper relish, chilli jam, and saffron chutney, and there are 12 different-flavoured mashes to choose from among the side orders. At lunch and dinner a different menu is also available serving up more normal fare, including steak and ale pie or smoked haddock and onion fishcake.
Opens: 10 June
General manager: Fran MacMillan
Head chef: Sheila Henry
Food: Euro fusion
Seats: 40
Crowd: yummy mummies, media types and young professionals
Average food spend: £20 (including wine)
Address: 55-57 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QL
Tel: 020 7837 0009
Tabernacle, London
This latest addition to the East End bar scene occupies an original Victorian warehouse and features an airy ground-floor bar, large late-night basement lounge bar (with weekend late licence) and a 60-seat restaurant.
Designed in collaboration with Benjamin Summers (ex-Paul Daly - the Elbow Room N1, Lab), Tabernacle is big - 6,500sq ft - but decor is subtle.
Cocktails are courtesy of ex-Trailer Happiness barman Angus Winchester, while music is from a playlist designed by Mat Anthony and Peter Herbert of Pussyfoot and Fabric fame.
Opened: 31 May
Owner: Russell Manley (also owns Tommy Guns hairdressers)
Head chef: Ian Graham (formerly at Fifteen and Cru)
Food: modern Italian
Capacity: restaurant 60, ground-floor bar 220, basement bar 260
Crowd: City boys and cool Hoxtonites
Average food spend: £25
Address: 55-61 Tabernacle Street, London EC2A 4AA
Tel: 020 7253 5555
Yatra Lounge, Manchester
A new lounge bar and restaurant just off St Ann's Square that combines formal and relaxed dining with drinking opportunities from wine to cocktails.
It's the second bar of this name after the London venue on Dover Street but this time the bar-restaurant aims to focus on simple decor with just hints of Eastern style. Yatra means "the journey" in Sanskrit so, in theory, a sense of calm should rule.
Opens: 23 June
Owner: Sonu Lalvani, managing director
Head chef: John Kingston
Food: look out for orange-dusted scallops with crab bisque sauce and salad for starters and duck breast braised in soy sauce with quick-fried veg and noodles for mains. Not sure about the avocado ice-cream for pudding.
Crowd: footballers - Sven is apparently a fan of the London version
Capacity: 100
Average food spend: £15-£20
Address: 2 Old Bank Street, off St Ann's Square, Manchester M2 7PF
Tel: 0161-831 9991