Hoxton’s Favourite Antipodean Cafe Leaves the Street After Five Years [Updated]

Hoxton Street cafe and Antipodean brunch restaurant Embassy East will cease trading (at least under the current management) on Saturday 2 December. The owners — Tom Studholme and Chris Coleman — made the somewhat surprising announcement on Instagram. The cafe opened on the famous Hackney market street in January 2013 and has faced little in the way of direct competition on the speciality coffee front since.

Its local and regular patrons will await the site’s evolution but would be forgiven for mourning the loss of one of the street’s new-wave early adopters as more and creative operators — spearheaded by Monty’s Deli, White Lyan, Super Lyan and now Cub — move in.

“So we have some news....We have (with very heavy hearts) decided not to renew the lease on Hoxton Street. This means that Embassy East will no longer exist in it's current form,” they said in the post.

It is not known whether a rent hike was behind the decision but Eater London understands that the premises out of which Embassy East operated is owned by Hackney Council, not a commercial landlord — and therefore technically less inclined to impose indiscriminate raises.

They added: “We want to say thank you to absolutely everyone who has supported us and shared this epic journey with us. It has been an incredible experience and we feel very fortunate to be in a position to wrap it up in this site at a time when it feels right. We have worked with some incredible people and suppliers and hands down have the best set of customers a coffee shop could ever ask for.”

“Our last day trading will be Saturday December 2nd with Tommy, Coleman, Dave and Adrian on shift. Followed by our final shop party...make sure you watch this space for future developments.

“Thank you for all the good times its been an absolute blast we will miss you all. Jah Bless Big Love The Embassy East Team xx.”

It has been an incredible five years on Hoxton Street and the decision to not renew the lease was a difficult one as Embassy East on Hoxton Street is our baby,” they told Eater London. “It felt like the right time to end our tenure there as we want to focus on refreshing the brand and setting up for growth.”

“We are working on a bigger project that we hope to be able to announce in the new year. We will be scaling it up in a more accessible location with the continued emphasis on great coffee and food. Driven by a focus to share our ethos with a wider audience.

“A new location will allow us to continue and improve with the service/food offerings that are synonymous with Embassy East. This time with a proper kitchen and more space for customers and staff,” they said.

Coleman and Studholme are currently working, as contractors, at the Tileyard Studios, a multi-use space in King’s Cross.