Natural Wine Bar Rawduck in Hackney Will Close After 6 Years

Hackney restaurant Rawduck has announced that it will close at the end of this week, on 22 April.

The restaurant, which opened at its current location on the edge of London Fields in 2014, is owned by Clare Lattin, Rory McCoy, and Tom Hill; the trio also owns the group’s original restaurant Ducksoup in Soho and Littleduck The Picklery in Dalston. The brand was known for its simple, seasonal Mediterranean food, natural wine, fermentation, and drinking vinegars.

In an Instagram post this morning, the owners announced that the restaurant will close “due to challenging market conditions,” in an area which has seen an increasing number of new restaurants open in the past 12 months.

Rawduck originally opened in a small room next to Hackney Central station in 2013 — named because the premises had no kitchen. It served tinned fish and tapas-like plates from a small plancha behind the counter. It closed abruptly, before its relocation the next year, because of structural concerns with the building.

“Six years ago Rawduck opened on the corner of Hackney Central - a tiny cafe cum wine bar without a kitchen (hence its name), practicing the art of fermentation and serving up joyful plates of seasonal produce - most of it cooked on a tiny plancha behind the counter,” the post said this morning. “Moving on to a bigger space in London Fields, our kitchen grew, our fermentation expanded, and with that so did our customers. So it’s with a heavy heart that today we announce the final week of Rawduck.”

“Due to challenging market conditions we have taken the difficult decision to close the restaurant here in London Fields. It has been a great love of ours, and we have enjoyed every moment, but it is the right time to reflect and refocus. We want to thank each and everyone of you our customers, suppliers and staff for making our journey together a memorable one...

“We do hope that you will continue to delight in what we do at both our other restaurants where you can enjoy our cooking and wine as always. Our last day of trading here at rawduck is 22nd April for brunch from 10-4pm. Thank you and good bye from Clare, Rory & Tom.”