If you love pasta, the Big Apple (as in New York City, not just large fruit), and celebrity dining spots, then you’re no doubt already familiar with Carbone. The lauded New York institution has become the stuff of legend amongst foodies around the world. Well, last year the team winged its way across the Atlantic Ocean to open up as Carbine London – and it has since been named one of the best new restaurants in the world.
The glitzy American-style Italian eatery opened up in (where else?) Mayfair, just last year. And it’s since garnered no end of attention. The restaurant was recently included in Condé Nast Traveller’s “The best new restaurants in the world: 2026 Hot List“. The list also included restaurants from as far afield as Lima, San Francisco, Taipei, and beyond.
The same article also singled out a restaurant in Kent as one of the best new restaurants in the world. Despite being tucked away in the commuter town of Sevenoaks, Shwen Shwen won praise from the likes of the MICHELIN Guide, among others. And it’s less than an hour away from London!
But if you’re keen to stick within the confines of the city, then Carbone London is apparently the restaurant for you.
What makes Carbone London one of the best new restaurants in the world?
Carbone’s story started in New York City back in 2013. It quickly became synonymous with some of the city’s most indulgent Italian fare, with prices to match. The restaurant’s now-iconic spicy rigatoni vodka quickly became a must-eat dish.
Carbone also became a legendary celebrity-sighting spot, as well as one of the hardest reservations to get in the city. Including the recent opening in London, Carbone now counts a whopping 8 locations around the world.
Writing for Condé Nast, Connor Sturges notes that “the signature spicy rigatoni vodka is on the menu, though the gargantuan melt-in-the-mouth meatballs are not to be missed either.” But it’s the ‘main event’ that people should look forward to – dishes that “[glow] under the light of an Art Deco table lamp”.
Ultimately, a meal at Carbone London is for indulging and luxuriating. As Stuges writes, “This is the kind of restaurant where you can lose hours in a mesmerising, sweet-scented crimson blur and still wish for the night to continue”.
🍽️ Book a table at Carbone London here.
📍 30 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, W1K.
🚇 The nearest stations are Marble Arch and Bond Street.