How to find newly opened restaurants in the UK
Published 24 October 2026
OpenSoon finds these venues for you: a list of new, opened and closed UK restaurants, cafés and pubs every Monday.
The earliest reliable source is the council food register. Every UK food business has to register with its local council at least 28 days before it starts trading, and the councils' registers are published through the Food Standards Agency (FSA). A new restaurant usually appears as "Awaiting inspection" weeks before it opens. It gets its first hygiene rating once a council officer has inspected it.
Companies House, licensing notices, planning applications and "coming soon" posts can add detail, but each of them misses most new venues or catches them at the wrong moment.
The sources compared
| Source | When a venue shows up | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| FSA food hygiene register | At registration, at least 28 days before trading | Councils that register and inspect on the same day, so the venue appears already rated |
| Companies House | When a company is incorporated, which can be months before opening or after it | Sole traders and partnerships, which run most independent venues, and the venue's address (a company's registered office is often an accountant) |
| Premises licence applications (England and Wales) | When the applicant applies for an alcohol or late-night licence | Venues that don't sell alcohol or open late |
| Planning applications | When a change of use or new shopfront is applied for, often months ahead | Sites already in food use, which need no permission |
| Instagram, Google Maps and local press | Usually in the last week or two before opening | Venues that don't announce themselves |
Why the register is hard to use directly
The register is the best source, but it isn't a list of new venues. It's a snapshot of every food business in the country, and finding the new ones in it is the hard part:
- It doesn't say what's new. Each council's register shows who is registered today. Finding new venues means keeping earlier copies and comparing them.
- It's split across more than 350 councils, each publishing on its own schedule, so a weekly check of a few areas misses venues that arrive between updates.
- Most new records aren't hospitality. Childminders, care homes, schools, market stalls and home caterers register too, and make up a large share of new entries.
- A "new" record isn't always a new venue. When someone takes over an existing pub or café they register again, so a change of owner looks like an opening unless you know what was at the address before.
- It has no contact details. It gives the trading name, address and business type, but no owner, phone number, email or company.
What OpenSoon does
OpenSoon checks every UK council register daily and turns it into a list of what changed. Each Monday you get the hospitality venues that registered, opened or closed that week. Each one comes with its stage (registered, open or closed) and any earlier business at the same address. It also includes the company behind the venue where we can match one, plus the website and business contacts where the venue has them. A region costs £99 a month, and there's a free sample.
Get next Monday's new venues for your region
We check every UK council food register daily. Each Monday you get the venues that registered, opened or closed that week, with their stage, address, and the company behind them where we can match one. £99 a month per region, cancel any time.
Questions
Is there a free list of new restaurants in the UK?
Not as a ready-made list. The FSA publishes every council's food register free, updated daily, but it shows the current state of each register. To see what is new you have to keep copies and compare them over time.
How early does a new restaurant appear on the register?
Food businesses must register with their council at least 28 days before they start trading, so many appear as "Awaiting inspection" weeks before they open. Some councils register and inspect on the same day, so those venues appear already rated.
Does Companies House show new restaurants?
Only those run through a limited company, and only by the company's registered office, which is often an accountant's address. Most independent venues are run by sole traders or partnerships, which aren't on Companies House.
Does this work in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Scottish councils publish under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme and Northern Ireland's under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, both through the same FSA open data service.