10 of the Best New Restaurants to Open in 2026 — These Worldwide Eateries Raise the Style Bar for Design-Conscious Diners
Calling all interiors-savvy epicureans: these are the foodie destinations to pin on your maps ASAP
New restaurants seem to open and go viral overnight. And while the abrupt rise of many of them is largely due to their truly mouthwatering plates and Michelin-star-recognized culinary prestige, others — read: the kind we are most interested in here at Livingetc — owe their popularity to the minds behind their atmospheric dining rooms.
To help you put the right names on the map ahead of your upcoming getaways, we have compiled a list of new restaurants worth fighting for a reservation over wherever you'll be. But don't worry: although decor is, of course, a top priority when it comes to selecting our favorite eateries, you can rest assured restaurant design isn't the only reason for visiting.
Spanning multiple continents and defying preconceived genres, the new restaurants gathered in this listicle have got great taste to spare, whether in their room decor or their tantalizing menus. Enjoy!
New Restaurants 2026 — A Worldwide, Anti-FOMO Design Edit
1. Yiaga. Melbourne, AUS
More than a restaurant, Melbourne's Yiaga stands as a sculpture inside of which you can mingle, dine, and linger.
Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia
What was once a derelict 1960s park pavilion tucked inside Melbourne's historic Fitzroy Gardens has been reborn as a 44-seat fine-dining hotspot at chef Hugh Allen's recently unveiled Australian restaurant, Yiaga, where a commitment to seasonal ingredients and creativity extends to every object inside — furniture, glassware, and the cellar all contributions from local makers, largely crafted from native materials — in an interior scheme that gathers cues from the surrounding environment and celebrates its textural essence; a glassy box with a flat pyramidal black slate roof from the outside, indoors it unfolds as a maze of rounded, interconnected, backlit spaces where more than 13,000 individually hand-pressed terracotta tiles, designed by John Wardle and ceramicist Robert Gordon to evoke the bark of the 100-year-old Scottish elm trees enveloping the address, curve along the full length of the walls for a cave-like atmosphere, floor-to-ceiling glazing dissolving the boundary between dining room and garden while concrete and iron-oxide flooring stands in for red-dirt soil.
While it technically launched in 2025, this year's prizes and nominations confirm its ongoing stylistic relevance, as does Lanza Atelier's recently unveiled Serpentine Pavilion 2026, where wavy terracotta architecture in a similar spirit lends itself to cultural gatherings and conversation on the lawn of Kensington Gardens in an open-air design exhibition. To try this at home, consider color-blocking the walls of your dining room, or commit to a single shade across all of its furniture and decor for an even bolder effect. Have a garden-facing dining room? Commission a single statement cladding material for one wall and let the views do the rest.
Chunkily beautiful, this 4-seat dining table by Cult Furniture has got Yiaga written all over it.
For a less finances-demanding dining room makeover, pick an earthy, muted tone from Farrow & Ball or similar, and give your hosting location a grounding feel.
It's almost as if the brand knew what they were doing with this banquette seating design, leaving you excuse not to replicate Yiaga's cocooning booths at home.
2. Langosteria Private Restaurant. Milan, IT
Heard that downsizing might be the chicest thing to do if you own a restaurant at the moment? Well, we have. It makes the dining experience more intimate, exclusive, and highly covetable.
Via Savona, 10, 20144 Milano MI, Italy
19 years after Enrico Buonocore first opened Langosteria at this Tortona address in a leap of faith, the world-acclaimed group — fresh off launching its first London outpost — marked a new chapter earlier this year with a whole-space private dining room for up to 16 guests, conceived by architect Giuseppe Porcelli as a domestic sequence of vestibule, double salon and cocktail lounge rather than a conventional eatery, anchored by a bespoke cherry-wood dining table with amber-glass legs, wide red fabric lanterns lending the lounge an Asian-inflected glow, and bordeaux velvet club seating built for lingering. To bring the look home without commissioning original murals, try coral-red rugs and antique-looking framed artwork against contemporary colourful touches like this rechargeable H&M table lamp or a similarly priced bouclé-weave alternative — and don't forget to weave in some reflective surfaces.
Book your table at Langosteria Private Restaurant, or discover more restaurants in Milan.
A rug is an easy, not-so-expensive way to infuse character and texture into your dining room, and Langosteria Private Restaurant proves that by inserting them in near every corner and contrasting their fuzziness with sleek reflective surfaces.
3. Manko Paris. Paris, FR
Seafood serves as the real protagonist of Bureau Lacroix's Manko Paris stellar renovation, stepping outside of the menu to take over its walls in eye-catching bar mosaics.
15 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France
Hidden beneath the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, this legendary Nikkei address — Peruvian-Japanese cuisine from chef Melio Oriundo Chavez — completed its most ambitious transformation under designer Sophie Lacroix of Bureau Lacroix, the same creative mind behind beloved Paris Mexican restaurant Tio. Rooting the destination is a monumental marine mosaic by master artisan studio SICIS: thousands of deep-blue and gold tesserae suspended above the Ceviche Bar, designed to ripple with light depending on angle. Midnight blue velvet seating embroidered with gold, a golden sun at the bar, and Japanese-inspired openwork screens complete the atmosphere. The lesson for home: invest in one artisan-crafted, light-responsive surface — mosaic, glazed tile, handmade glass — and let it anchor the room, pairing it with plush Art Deco seating, grand Murano glass chandeliers, and shimmering accessories.
Book your table at Manko Paris, or discover more restaurants in Paris.
Lighting fixtures aren't the cheapest living room buy, but they sure make a difference. This reasonably priced Murano-style ceiling pendant lamp adds an instantly glamorous touch to your home atmosphere.
4. Ceintuur Theater. Amsterdam, NL
Industrial interiors have never looked this chic.
Ceintuurbaan 282, 1072 GK Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dutch interiors firm Studio Elèn Letort converted a former 1921 cinema in Amsterdam's De Pijp into an all-day café-restaurant, guided by founder Elèn Letort's stated ambition: "to create something timeless, rooted in traditional craftsmanship, yet playful and expressive." Exposed brick and original structure were left intact across the double-height space, while full-length acoustic curtains on the upper floor soften the industrial quality. A stained-glass arch, a striped cocktail bar, and a plethora of bespoke furniture pieces — including a custom sofa with a cylindrical bolster on a triangle-shaped backrest — introduce color and geometry. For a domestic reinterpretation of the look, use bold architectural color and custom joinery to hold its own against strong heritage bones without competing with them. Opt for tactile paper lanterns and extravagant forms to contrast the rusticness of warehouse-style walls.
Book your table at Ceintuur Theater.
Bespoke designs are exclusive and costly, but if you are looking for soft seating to make your dining room more welcoming and cocooning, Next might have a few options that can do the trick, starting from this boucle armchair.
No tablescape can ever lack a candleholder (or multiple ones, if you're into that). This shiny Ferm Living model stands out for its playfulness while bringing light to every dining arrangement. Pair it with wood for extra brightness.
A crunchy paper lantern is an inexpensive way to let that iconic industrial aesthetic into your dining and living room without having to empty your wallet. This one, specifically, can mimic the look of the unfinished raw cement walls of Ceintuur Theater in Amsterdam.
5. Selene by Kyma. New York City, US
Selene by Kyma spoke loud and clear: drapery is in.
23 Grand St, New York, NY 10013, United States
Designed by KONDYLIS NYC, this 10,000 sq-ft three-storey Greek restaurant in SoHo features a retractable roof atrium that opens to the sky, a distinctive feature linking back to its moniker. Named after Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, at this new eatery in New York, the moonlight literally enters the dining room. Travertine stone, plaster arches, terracotta surfaces, Cycladic curves, and linen drapery give the space its Aegean character, while a lush garden terrace, a bar lounge, and a 250-seat main dining room complete the sequence. Coastal Greek cooking (think charcoaly whole grilled fish, juicy lamb chops, and hyper-fresh crudos) is served up daily by a team renowned within New York's Greek dining scene. To steal the look, explore including plaster arches and terracotta tones in your dining room, or kitchen-cum-living area, to bring Mediterranean warmth indoors without resorting to pastiche. Additionally, revisit our interview with textile artist Mia Sylvia to discover the style tricks that the power of fabric can help you unlock in your home setting.
Book your table at Selene, or discover more restaurants in New York.
6. Bánh Bánh Brixton. London, UK
A Livingetc favorite, this Brixton hotspot perfectly encapsulates how design, art, and hospitality are totally merging into one right now.
326 Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8QH
Artist duo Joseph Losper and Tomio Shota of London-based studio house of baby reimagined long-running Vietnamese Bánh Bánh Brixton as "a single, immersive artwork", turning it into one of the artsiest foodie addresses in London. Guests move through a calm entrance corridor toward an illuminated pink-tiled Vietnamese shrine before arriving in a main dining room inspired by Vietnamese modernism: curved glass-block walls, cool concrete, deep wood tones, and ceiling frescoes hand-painted by Shota over several weeks using iron oxide, metal leaf, sand, and powdered shells set the scene for an unforgettable meal. Wool tapestries and ceramic landscape sculptures extend the material palette. Chef AP Nguyen's menu centers on home rice and mẹt sharing platters. An intricate room divider sourced from an antiques reseller or vintage furniture shop, together with hand-painted tapestries hanging from the ceiling and a palette of contrasting pastels, could help you achieve a similar aesthetic, along with layered, softly glowing lighting.
Book your table at Bánh Bánh Brixton, or discover more restaurants in London.
Lighting was one of the most important aspects in the making of this Brixton restaurant: multiple layers, all warm and suffused, ensure guests never feel spotlighted, but softly absorbed in a golden glow. Plus, sculptural lamps like this one add to the eatery's charm.
It's not a hand-painted mural, but this affordable and beautifully crafted tapestry echoes the Asian-infused atmosphere of the South West London restaurant without breaking the bank.
Needless to say, a series of mismatched vases, better if boasting different textures and multiple organic nuances, are the perfect way to bring life to every dining table and room. This H&M option, available in three colorways, costs you less than a meal, and adds structure and vibrancy into your hosting game.
7. Mitsu. London, UK
One of the most exciting new restaurants in London for both culinarians and design enthusiasts, Mitsu raises the bar for Japanese design in the capital.
10-50 Willow St, London EC2A 4BH
Barcelona-based Astet Studio designed Mitsu — an izakaya and robata restaurant in Shoreditch and one of the best new restaurants to discover in London — around the Japanese concept of utsuroi: gradual change over time. In classic Nipponic style, here, backlit shoji screens, reinterpreted as panels integrated into walls and above dining booths, radiate a soft, sensual red glow. In order to experience it, guests need to walk past the thriving courtyard garden that forms the restaurant's entrance. Adaptive lighting shifts color temperature from day through evening, the red intensifying to evoke Tokyo's neon-lit nightscape as day hours make room for dinner service. The layeredness of Mitsu's interior scheme might look tricky to mimic in your own home setting. But it doesn't have to be as intricate and money-demanding as it seems: simply play with tunable warm-to-cool lighting on a single dimmer circuit, shifting color temperature (not just brightness) to reflect the move from daytime to evening, and start from the tiniest accents, like the mushroom-shaped table lamps, to imbue your space with a bit of Mitsu's transportative essence.
8. JouJou. San Francisco, US
Mint green plays a key role in the fairytale-y scheme of this new San Francisco eatery.
65 Division St, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
David Barzelay of two-Michelin-star Lazy Bear and partner Colleen Booth describe JouJou's 6,500-square-foot Design District space as "French Riviera but with 1970s party vibes." Jon de la Cruz, the interior designer behind it, crafted multiple interconnected rooms with distinct characters: glass-enclosed bar Menagerie, intimate dining space the Rose Room, and a Calacatta Viola-clad main room dotted with banquettes and booths throughout. Cane-backed bistro chairs, a zinc-topped bar, and dark-veined stone surfaces make for an indulgently moody atmosphere. On the menu, you'll find French brasserie-style towers of shellfish, sole meunière, and tarte tatin. For an at-home LouLou feel, try pairing Swiss mountain chairs as quirky as the mint green ones featured in the eatery with patterned wallpaper, Art Deco lighting, and one-off collectibles, breaking the maximalist tension of the scheme with pared-back tables and surfaces. Or go full whimsy with a kaleidoscopic checkerboard floor in green and purple hues like in the address' main dining room.
The vague similarity between JouJou and alpine style eateries we've spotted inside the best ski resorts in Europe and beyond largely stems from its choice of decor. Gold-framed mismatched artworks dot the different rooms, and we're especially into the botanical artwork. If you happen to be, too, Wilko has got your back.
9. Tavola di Masseria. Copenhagen, DK
More drapery inspiration is coming courtesy of this new Italian-inspired bistro in Copenhagen.
Flæsketorvet 50, 1711 København, Denmark
The 2026 relaunch of Masseria in Copenhagen's Kødbyen turns the raw industrial bones of the former meatpacking district into the setting for a convivial, flat-price Italian all-day restaurant. The 120-seat interior and 90-seat terrace retain the neighborhood's characteristic exposed brick and structural honesty, letting the architecture carry the atmosphere rather than layering over it. Daily house-made pasta (carbonara, risotto Milanese with Danish veal) and a changing blackboard keep the menu as flexible as the space. At home, resist the urge to finish every surface: exposed brick, concrete or plaster left in their honest state often create more atmosphere than any applied finish. And yes, there is no need to go crazy with palette to make a statement: sometimes, god is in the details, including your monochromatic choices.
Book your table at Tavolo di Masseria, or discover more restaurants in Copenhagen.
10. Uchi DC. Washington DC, US
The mind behind New York's capsule-chic boutique hotel Now Now Noho is back with another brilliantly executed design project, Uchi DC.
1700 M St NW, Washington, DC 20036, United States
New York–based Islyn Studio brought its signature "neo-noir urbanism" to Washington, DC, for the latest Uchi outpost from chef Tyson Cole and Hai Hospitality. The concept, in this case, was rooted in two reference points: the nearby New Formalist architecture of Edward Durell Stone (particularly the National Geographic Society headquarters) and the neon-lit, electrifying atmosphere of late-night Tokyo. Two-tone wood paneling replicates the strict vertical rhythm of Stone's facades. Marbled dark-green stone was sculpted to form the main bar, and completed by a globe-like, expansive paper lantern floating right above it. Straight-stack clay tiles wrap columns, while dark stone flooring accompanies guests from the moment they walk in till they are ready to leave. A private dining room features burl-like ceiling patterns echoed in the rug below. For a similarly styled dining room, go with dark-veined green stone and warm wood paneling in a scheme that's grounded, rich, and unambiguously contemporary.
From the sets of Hollywood productions like A24's The Drama to hotel and restaurant design, table lamps have never been more ubiquitous in interiors, and Uchi DC proves why that is. The perfect way to inject an extra layer of warmth into a room's atmosphere, pieces like this West Elm one are right what you need.
Glazed tiles are having a moment, too, and not just at fancy gastropubs across the UK, but implemented anywhere from next-generation fast foods to Michelin-star destinations. This is your chance to get on the trend before it skyrockets.
Not everyone can afford or has space for the banquette seating that makes many of these design-forward new restauants an unmissable place to experience. If that isn't the case with you either, linearly cut modernist chairs like these brown leather one will give your dining room a similar aesthetic without taking up too much space.
Now that you've got the best new restaurants on your agenda, craft your summer 2026 itineraries further with our curated edit of must-know hotel openings, or pack like a true tastemaker with our selection of travel-fit design buys for design-discerning globetrotters.
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