Our latest monthly recap of the hottest new food and beverage openings from around the world on trendhub is live, spotlighting six highlight openings from May here on the blog.
In no particular order, six highlights from the comprehensive foodwatching and drinkswatching new opening reports are:
Little Otto's Big Choc Shop, Busselton
Situated on the Busselton Foreshore, Little Otto's Big Choc Shop is full of sweet treats for kids and adults alike.
There is a dedicated gelato window that also serves coffee. The gelato comes in classic favours, local delicacies and seasonal offerings. There is a range of 20 chocolate products that will be on rotation, including slabs of chocolate sold by the gram. All produced in-house with original recipes by Operations Manager Tess Baverstock.
Bar Brucato, San Francisco
Brucato Amaro has opened its first-ever tasting room, which also doubles as a cocktail bar and restaurant.
The cocktail menu puts Brucato's range front and centre, paired with a dinner menu crafted by chef Chip King. Guests can enjoy small plates with their drinks or opt for a full meal in the dining area.
Currently, only dinner is being served, but lunch service is set to launch soon.
Ocasa, Spinningfields Manchester
Ocasa is a modern Mexican-inspired restaurant, with the kitchen run by Executive Chef Lucie Sainerova.
The menu has robata grilled yakitori style taco skewers called yaki takos, dragon salt wagyu tacos and lobster thermidor nachos. There will be sharing plates and table-side made guacamole, and on a Sunday there will be feasting menus. The bar will have one of the UK's most extensive collections of premium agave spirits and cocktails.
Junebug, Downtown New Orleans
Junebug is a music-filled cocktail bar which pays tribute to New Orleans' musical legacy. The soundtrack comprises 500 funk and soul records and was chosen by the team as they trawled local record stores.
Sophie Burton, bar manager, has designed the drinks programme based around brandy and eaux de vie. The menu is split into three sections with a choice of house cocktails with Side A and Side B, Play the Samples, and the Classics.
Kung Fu Mama, Covent Garden
A Taiwanese noodle bar has been opened by Noam Bar-Chang, an Ottolenghi co-founder and Chris Hsu who is the founder of Kung Fu Mama Retail.
With space for just nine covers inside and four outside, they will serve healthy noodle dishes with oven-baked rather than fried ingredients. Extra-virgin olive oil is used rather than seed oils, and salt, sugar and fat are kept to a minimum. There will also be bao and side dishes including vegetables in different dressings. Dessert will be a choice of one dish: mango shaved ice with passionfruit and lime.
The Beaumont, Brisbane
The Beaumont is Brisbane's latest rooftop beer garden. The venue has a curated cocktail menu, based on local spirits, botanicals, and creativity. For instance, the Outback Blaze Marg has bush tomatoes and chilli-infused agave.
Food is all about modern twists on Aussie classics and uses local produce and native ingredients with an emphasis on quality.
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Every month we compile more comprehensive lists of the most noteworthy openings across both food and drink from around the world over on the tfp trendhub. Subscribers can see these lists for May 2025 in full over on our foodwatching and drinkswatching reports. If you're not yet subscribed but are interested in receiving our regular reporting service, please get in touch.
Image credit - Junebug, New Orleans