OMA.

OMA

Nick Molyviatis described the plan before the doors opened as Most of the food will be cooked on sticks, with the seasoning kept to good olive oil, lemon, oregano and salt (Restaurant magazine, 2024).

Why go

David Carter opened Smokestak in 2013 and Manteca after it, and OMA on 16 April 2024 is his Greek room, one floor above the souvla rotisserie at AGORA (Hot Dinners). Jorge Paredes, formerly executive chef at Sabor, runs the pass. The kitchen wraps around the room in the open, so the fire is the dining room's light source. Ten months after opening it took a MICHELIN star, reported as London's first for Greek cooking, and the inspector credited Paredes and his team by name (MICHELIN, February 2025). Cooking on skewers with four seasonings leaves the produce fully exposed, which is why the sourcing shows: Wildfarmed flour in the laffa, native-breed meat on the rotisserie downstairs, Cornish squid over coals.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the breads first, which The Good Food Guide calls a highlight, then the squid-ink giouvetsi and the spanakopita gratin.4 Finish with the olive-oil gelato and fennel pollen.
• Avoid: ordering wine by the bottle without looking at the price column. The same guide found "treasures in abundance" alongside "precious little under £40 a bottle." House pours start at £5.50 for 125ml.

What locals & experts say

• David Carter, founder (Restaurant magazine, March 2024): on what the room is for, I want people to smell our food before they see it, and on the brief, OMA and AGORA are London restaurants inspired by Greece. We are not trying to replicate the food served in Greece.1
• David Carter, on where the room sits (Restaurant magazine, March 2024): I would not say OMA is refined but it is elevated.1
• MICHELIN inspector (one star, announced 10 February 2025): The cooking at OMA is delicious in a big, bold way, and the verdict, Greek in spirit, and utterly brilliant.2
• National Restaurant Awards (2025): OMA made its debut at sixth place on the list, making it this year's Highest New Entry, AGORA came in 51st, and David Carter was named Restaurateur of the Year. On the 2026 list it dropped to around 73rd.3
• The Good Food Guide (rated Very Good, £££): a cavalcade of seriously inventive Greek and Mediterranean flavours.4
• Nick Molyviatis, on the Greek salad problem (March 2024): In Greece it is a very seasonal dish that relies on specific produce, which is why the menu leans on what Borough Market can actually deliver.1
• Local rec: on Jeff's list, his words below.

Good to know

• Timing: Monday to Friday 12pm to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm, Saturday 12pm to 11pm, Sunday 12pm to 10pm.
• Booking: essential, through SevenRooms. Counter seats face the fire and a private dining room is available.
• Downstairs: AGORA is the same operation at a lower price, built around a charcoal souvla turning native-breed chicken, lamb and pork. It placed 51st in the 2025 National Restaurant Awards on its own account.
• Wine: over 400 bins, Mediterranean-weighted.
• Dietary: no allergen, gluten-free, celiac or vegan statement is published by the restaurant or by Borough Market, so ask when you book.
• Hygiene: FSA inspection 12 August 2025, Southwark, listed under the operating company for the building; hygienic food handling Good, cleanliness and condition Very good, management of food safety Good8.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: "Fuschia Dunlop rec, newish resto" REAL. The recommendation could not be traced to anything Fuchsia Dunlop has published, so it is recorded as his provenance rather than as a citation.

Verdict

must-visit — Plan around it. A MICHELIN star inside ten months of opening, reported as London's first for Greek cooking, then a debut at sixth on the National Restaurant Awards 2025 list as Highest New Entry, with David Carter taking Restaurateur of the Year in the same year. The kitchen is a wrap-around open fire and the method is deliberately spare, olive oil, lemon, oregano and salt, most of it cooked on skewers, which is a hard way to cook at this level because there is nowhere to hide. It slipped to around 74th on the 2026 list, and the wine list is expensive, and it is still the most interesting fire cooking in Borough Market.