Two of Central London’s Most Popular Restaurants Are Opening in King’s Cross

Bao, the Taiwanese bun shop and essential London restaurant, is planning to open its fifth location, alongside Hoppers — at the base of the Universal Music headquarters in Pancras Square, King’s Cross. MCA reports that Bao will open at the new development, following a licensing application for a two-floor site. Documents seen by Eater, however, indicate that in addition to Bao, its parent company JKS Restaurants will also open a third Hoppers restaurant, the Sri Lankan brand, in one of the location’s two discrete spaces.

Update 3.12.2019: Hoppers will open in February next year.

Planning documents submitted to Camden Council position Bao on the ground floor, with Hoppers taking the first-floor site. The space will share an outside seating area. Combined, the unit — at 6,000 square feet — is significantly bigger than any site in either restaurant’s existing portfolio.

There is no timescale yet for opening, and is subject to the application’s approval.

Bao, which launched as a tiny street food operation in Netil Market, Hackney, in 2013 now operates three full restaurants in London: Lexington Street, Soho (2015); Windmill Street, Fitzrovia (201.); and Borough Market, which opened earlier this year. The group, led by Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung, and Wai Ting Chung, also runs Xu Teahouse in Chinatown.

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Hoppers meanwhile is within JKS Restaurants core restaurant portfolio, alongside the Michelin-starred Gymkhana (currently closed), Brigardiers, and Trishna. That group is also an investor in Lyle’s, Kitchen Table, Sabor, and Berenjak.

More soon.

Correction: an earlier version of this article stated the size of the space was 12,000 square feet.