KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar, the independently owned premium casual dining restaurant group, has announced a new flagship restaurant will open in London’s West End in early 2027.

Located at 1a Tavistock Street in Covent Garden within the Shaftesbury Capital Estate, the 210-cover restaurant will become the first central London site and the largest in the group.

As well as the main restaurant, KIBOU Covent Garden will be home to a bar and open sushi kitchen, as well as a private dining space.

The menu will span classic and contemporary Japanese sharing plates, from chicken karaage, spiced pork gyoza and crisp tempura to beautifully presented sushi and sashimi, A5 Joshu wagyu beef, steaming ramen, katsu curry, and teriyaki.

A standalone bar will serve KIBOU’s Japanese-inspired cocktails alongside an ambitious list of Japanese whisky, sake, and umeshu.

Guests can expect bold, colourful, Japanese-inspired interiors that evoke a sense of escapism and stylishly capture the brand’s spirit of discovery and adventure. Design and fit-out will be led by Q&A Interior Design Ltd, who have created every KIBOU restaurant to date, with original hand-painted murals by Gloucestershire-based artist Martyna Sabadasz, a defining element of the KIBOU brand and experience.

KIBOU has an expanding portfolio, with restaurants already open in Battersea, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Clifton (Bristol), Oxford, and Solihull, with a seventh site opening in Birmingham this autumn.

Sam Horswill, Managing Director at KIBOU Restaurants Ltd, says:

“Covent Garden is one of the world’s busiest and most exciting dining destinations, and we’re delighted to be working with the Shaftesbury Capital team to bring KIBOU here. Securing our largest site yet in the heart of the capital is a real statement of intent. This is organic growth built on strong foundations. Our best ever trading year, a brilliant team, and real ambition for what comes next.”

The new openings follow KIBOU’s strongest trading year on record, with double digityear-on-year revenue growth driven by sustained investment in team and guest experience. The funding for the Covent Garden development has been supported by HSBC UK.

Shaftesbury Capital PLC is one of London’s leading West End landlords, with a portfolio concentrated in Covent Garden, Carnaby, Soho and Chinatown