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Brexit Is ‘Softening’ the Number of Restaurant Openings According to New Survey

Marianne, The Araki, Chez Bruce and Kiln are recognised in Harden’s annual survey

Masterchef finalist Marianne Lumb, who left eponymous Notting Hill restaurant Marianne in August, leading to the restaurant closing
Marianne Lumb among those gold-starred by the Hardens restaurant guide’s survey
Marianne Official

The effect of Brexit on investment in the UK restaurant industry is “a softening,” rather than anything catastrophic, according to the just-released Harden’s survey, which also finds that the rate of independent restaurant launches has barely slackened over the past twelve months, though number crunching indicates that net openings were lower by 12%.

The survey, which quizzes 7,500 respondents, gold-starred recently three Michelin star-winning The Araki, Notting Hill’s tiny Marianne, Wandsworth’s Chez Bruce, Mayfair Indian restaurant Jamavar and Ben Chapman’s northern Thai-inspired grill bar Kiln. As interesting were a series of booby prizes, doled out to River Café (too expensive), Ivy Café (crap [sic] food) and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (slipping).

In contrast with the tradition-fearing yeomen of the 2018 Good Food Guide, which ignored everywhere, other than Bermondsey’s Restaurant Story, east of Mayfair, Harden’s — now in its 27th year — more than acknowledges the gastronomic shift eastwards, noticing that 39 out of 109 independent restaurant openings in central London this year sprang up in an E postcode. The survey also points to the growth of the restaurant scene in south London — typified by many recent openings in Peckham, Camberwell and Brixton.

Story

199 Tooley Street, , England SE1 2JX 020 7183 2117 Visit Website

Kiln

53 Foy Lane, , NSW 2000 (02) 8099 8799 Visit Website

Jamavar

8 Mount Street, , England W1K 3NF 020 7499 1800 Visit Website

River Café

Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London, W6 9HA

The Araki

12 New Burlington Street, , England W1S 3BF 020 7287 2481 Visit Website

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

66 Knightsbridge, , England SW1X 7LA 020 7201 3833 Visit Website

Chez Bruce

2 Bellevue Road, , England SW17 7EG 020 8672 0114 Visit Website

Marianne

104 Chepstow Road, , England W2 5QS 020 3675 7750 Visit Website