London's most-watched new hospitality and retail concepts (search data 2021-2026)
What the UK actually searches for, ranked - and, below it, what OpenStreetMap's recorded venues can and cannot say about physical growth. The risers are not the ones you would expect.
What people search for, 2021-2026 MODELLED
Google Trends yearly mean interest index per keyword, United Kingdom, rescaled across batches against the shared anchor "restaurant". An ESTIMATED index of attention, not shops or sales - but unlike venue records it is not affected by mapping coverage. Ranked by absolute rise since 2021, keywords above 0.4 on the index.
| # | Search term | 2021 | 2026 | Rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gym | 41 | 57.7 | +16.7 |
| 2 | pilates | 2.7 | 9.1 | +6.4 |
| 3 | matcha | 1.1 | 7.4 | +6.3 |
| 4 | bakery | 8.8 | 12.4 | +3.6 |
| 5 | ramen | 2.8 | 5.2 | +2.4 |
| 6 | tacos | 1 | 3.3 | +2.3 |
| 7 | sushi | 8.1 | 10.1 | +2 |
| 8 | brunch | 8.1 | 10 | +1.9 |
| 9 | smoothie | 2.2 | 3.7 | +1.5 |
| 10 | bagel | 1 | 2.2 | +1.2 |
| 11 | smash burger | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| 12 | gelato | 1 | 1.9 | +0.9 |
The story in one line: gyms and Pilates keep climbing, matcha went from niche to mainstream in two years, and bakery, ramen, tacos and sushi all grind upwards while legacy formats like kebab and fish and chips fade.
Recorded venues added, 2017-2026 OBSERVED READ WITH CAUTION
Every venue in each category recorded inside the same Greater London bounding box this site's map uses, counted at 1 January each year from the OpenStreetMap full-history extract (ohsome API, HeiGIT). These are additions to the map, not audited openings. Over the same window, all mapped amenities in the same box grew from 73,723 to 202,021 (x2.7) and mapped shops from 24,265 to 47,830 (x2.0) - much of every rise below is better mapping, not more venues. That is why we show absolute additions only, no growth percentages: against a coverage baseline growing that fast, percentage growth is meaningless. Two categories we dropped entirely: coworking spaces and gyms, where the relevant tags barely existed in 2017 (1 recorded coworking space in all of London), so their series measure tag adoption, not businesses.
| # | Category | 2017 | 2026 | Added to the map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grocery & food shops | 6,166 | 11,930 | +5,764 |
| 2 | Restaurants | 5,447 | 9,623 | +4,176 |
| 3 | Fast food | 2,941 | 6,741 | +3,800 |
| 4 | Cafés | 4,057 | 7,252 | +3,195 |
| 5 | Pubs & bars | 4,801 | 5,201 | +400 |
| - | Baseline: all mapped amenities | 73,723 | 202,021 | x2.7 |
Read against the baseline, every category here grew slower than the map itself - pubs and bars are flat to shrinking in share terms, and even grocery's +5,764 only just tracks the shop-mapping baseline (x2.0). The search-interest table above is the better guide to what is actually rising.
Sources: Google Trends, yearly mean weekly interest index per keyword, geo GB, 5-year window, rescaled across batches against shared anchor 'restaurant', fetched 11 Sep 2026. ohsome API (HeiGIT), OpenStreetMap full-history extract, Greater London bbox (same coverage as this site's map), counts at 1 Jan each year, fetched 11 Sep 2026.
How this ranking works
One fixed concept is scored against every one of the 2,480 London street segments in the Location Potential dataset: station entries and exits from TfL Annual Station Counts 2025 (National Rail: ORR 2024-25), recorded venues within 250 m from OpenStreetMap, Census 2021 residents for the local LSOA, business crime from data.police.uk, and rent context from Valuation Office Agency rateable values. Scores and revenue figures are MODELLED planning estimates with fixed, published rules, not observed takings. The full method, sources and limits are on the Method page.
Use this ranking to shortlist, then verify with on-street counts, agent enquiries and a licensing check before signing a lease.
Change the ticket, hours, audience and priorities and the whole of London re-ranks live.