Friday Five: the week s top news This week s main hospitality news stories include the launch of the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2021; speculation on when lockdown will end; and Mercato Metropolitano s global expansion plans.
- London restaurants
Core by Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught have both been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2021. This week s virtual event to commemorate the launch of the latest edition of the red book saw a total of 22 restaurants receive new star ratings, with three new two-star restaurants announced and 17 new one-star restaurants recognised. Chef Andrew Wong s flagship restaurant A Wong in Victoria became the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to achieve a two-star rating; while Tom Brown s Hackney hotspot Cornerstone was among the list of restaurants receiving their first star. A further
Mercato Metropolitano eyes global expansion as it prepares to launch three new London sites Food market Mercato Metropolitano is to open three new sites across the capital this year as part of a global £35m expansion plan.
The group, which currently operates two London markets in Elephant & Castle and Mayfair, is aiming to open a total of 10 new sites around the world by 2025, with US locations in Atlanta, Boston, Miami and New York planned alongside Berlin, Lisbon and Milan in Europe.
Longer-term, further markets are planned for secondary cities in the UK and globally.
Mercato Metropolitano expects the expansion drive to create around 2,000 new jobs.