D&D London Announces New Rooftop Restaurant in the City

One of the city’s biggest restaurant groups, D&D London, today announced that it will open a new restaurant on the 14th floor of a new development in the City — at 120 Fenchurch Street.

The company has signed an agreement with Generali Real Estate; the restaurant, which is expected to open in the spring next year, will operate on the floor below a “public sky garden,” offering views of key London landmarks, including the River Thames, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and The Shard.

The building, adjacent to Leadenhall Market, off Bishopsgate, has been designed by Eric Parry Architects and will also include new office accommodation across 13 storeys, plus new retail space at ground level. Tapping into a growing market for rooftop bars and restaurants, the new development is also expected to attract City workers from neighbouring offices, as well as tourists.

120 Fenchurch Street [Official Photo]

Des Gunewardena, chairman and CEO of D&D London said:

After a series of regional UK openings...and the announcement of our international expansion with Bluebird opening in New York later this year, 120 Fenchurch Street represents a return to London for what will be our largest new venture here since Aster [at the Nova development] in Victoria.

London continues to be a significant part of D&D’s growth strategy and the project also reflects our continuing commitment to the City. 120 Fenchurch is a remarkable building and I hope that we can create a restaurant to match.

The news of the opening at 120 Fenchurch comes a month after the company announced it would close four restaurants at the nearby Royal Exchange, where it had operated for 15 years.

Tina Paillet, Generali Real Estate said:

From the outset, our focus as a long term real estate investor has been to carefully curate the retail and restaurant offer...to create a vibrant hub for this part of the City. We are confident that D&D is the perfect fit for our building and look forward to them creating one of London’s most exciting roof top restaurants.

D&D runs over 30 restaurants in London, Leeds, Manchester, Paris, New York and Tokyo, plus the South Place Hotel in the City of London. The group’s restaurants in London, many of which were formerly operated by the Conran company, include famous names such as Le Pont de la Tour, Coq d’Argent, Bluebird, Quaglino’s and Sartoria.

• Where to Eat and Drink on a Roof in London [ELDN]