The founders of London Cocktail Week – Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhán Payne (pictured) – have acquired both the London Cocktail Week and London Wine Week brands from previous owners Speciality Drinks Ltd.
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Bonhams’ online auction of well-known Italian restaurant Locanda Locatelli’s wine cellar is now over, having sold all lots.
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A recent string of restaurant closures associated with chef Victor Garvey has revealed the potential for improvement in the wine trade to avoid being stung by rogue actors.
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The third iteration of Brazilian restaurant Beleza Rodizio is due to open in the West Midlands in November. Beleza translates to ‘beauty’ in Portuguese, and to many a carnivore, the sight of flame-grilled meats carved tableside will inspire feelings of wonder. The meaty fare is served rodizio-style, with wait staff visiting hungry patrons to carve meat off of a large skewer. Balancing the protein bonanza will be an array of fresh Brazilian salads, specialities and other sides. The drinks menu will serve a series of Brazilian-style cocktails, with cachaça-based Caipirinhas likely to buoy many an evening meal. The more than 550sq m venue will host to up to 147 guests, while a heated outdoor terrace will ensue an alfresco option could be on the cards year-round.
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For the 15th anniversary of its original opening in Fulham, self-pour wine bar Vagabond has opened a new location in Paternoster Square. The business has had an impressive lifespan – serving over 3.25 million guests and stocking more than 9,800 wines since 2010. Its £6.5m acquisition by Majestic Wine last year has entailed significant investment – this being the first of several new sites planned over the next 12 months. Customers are once again invited to ‘tap and pour’, with the new bar boasting 110 wines by the glass, the most to explore of any Vagabond. There will also be a seasonal selection of small plates, designed to share.
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Founded in 2021 by chefs Hari Shetty and Ori Geller, this is the second Nela restaurant now open outside of Amsterdam, following a recent launch in Ibiza. Nela means pure, which emphasises its philosophy – high-quality hand-picked ingredients, cooked with fire. Along with flame-cooked dishes, there are also standout cured and raw offerings, such as yellowtail with burnt aubergine and pickled turnip. Expect an extensive and diverse wine list plus a line-up of innovative cocktails. Nela will welcome guests for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday and for lunch from Friday to Sunday. The 175-cover restaurant also features elevated banquette seating, along with pillars that emulate water droplets throughout, all of which work towards creating an atmosphere of elegance and style.
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I recently read that the UK is on the verge of a sake boom. The trade press article reported “a healthy increase in popularity”, with the St James’s wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd noting “a 1,000% increase in sales between 2023 and 2024” and “heaps of coverage in the press”. Normally sake gets next to no coverage in the press so this was news to me. I thought then that I should check and see if there really is a breakthrough, or if, like previous claims for Riesling or Muscat, the hype outweighs the evidence.
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Walk into any pub or bar in the UK and you’re likely to find at least one decent non-alcoholic beer on offer. It’s great news for those off the booze, but with a range of innovative options now available, from kombucha to adaptogenic spirits and CBD soft drinks, bars relying on beer to satisfy the growing demand for low & no may be missing out.
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New research from Drinkaware and Anglia Ruskin University can reveal that approximately 2% of UK adults have been a victim of drink spiking in the past year.
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A recent report by Zonal and CGA by NIQ Insights has revealed that the average preferred time for dinner bookings now is 6.12pm, which suggests that for every group sampling a set menu at 7.30pm, another is sharing small plates and a mineral water at 5.00pm.
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Fresh analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) jobs data by UK Hospitality can reveal that more than half of all job losses since the Autumn Budget have been in the hospitality sector.
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A new survey from leading hospitality trade bodies has revealed that 69% of businesses queried are operating at or below 85% capacity.
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Agave spirits remain something of a bright spot in an otherwise challenging environment for the wider spirits category, with tequila and mezcal continuing to excite an often younger cohort of drinkers, encouraging experimentation and driving excitement of discovery. And thirst for tequila and mezcal remains on the up, albeit with sales growing more slowly in these economically challenging times. But unlike the gin and rum booms, which appear to have run their course, agave drinks are still engaging, with premium and artisanal options increasingly vying with – and being launched by – the bigger established mass-market brands.
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Bence Karpatfalvi, head sommelier at the recently awarded three Michelin-starred Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, talks challenges and triumphs for our summer series of Q&As.
Research from Zest, the employee benefits technology provider, and Opinium has highlighted that almost one-in-five hospitality businesses (18%) are planning redundancies this year due to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) rises.
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A fresh residency is on the menu at Islington Arts Club, where Pied à Terre alumni Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare and Louis Korovilas will serve up a modern take on French and Italian culinary traditions. Running weekly from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, the chef duo will showcase a rotating menu which will include the delectable-sounding broad bean orzotto with glazed chicken wing and French seasonal financiers for dessert. Adopting a nose-to-tail ethos, the pair will utilise lesser known breeds and cuts for their culinary creations. Limited to just one sitting per evening Friday and Saturday at present, competition to get a seat will be stiff, though more covers per night are expected later this summer.
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On-trade heavyweight JKS Restaurants has announced a stateside expansion with two new launches set to open.
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Campanelle is the latest eatery from restaurateur Ninai Zarach. The large, 180-cover venue will play host to Italian cuisine inspired by Zarach’s travel across the peninsular nation. Reflecting the country’s epicurean diversity, the venue will begin the day serving up Italian coffee alongside the likes of eggs benedict with prosciutto di Parma. The day’s later offerings will include the aubergine-filled Parmigiana di Melanzane and the venue’s showstopper, salt-crusted wild seabass. The wine menu will chart a journey across Italy’s heterogeneous wine landscape, alongside a number of classic Italian serves including Sharona, Negroni Bianco and Nutty Velvet.
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Fresh data from the Hospitality Market Monitor from CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners can reveal that the UK hospitality sector saw 62 net closures per month in the first half of 2025. This figure equates to approximately two closure per day.
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The closure of the three M Restaurant sites in London in May is, perhaps, as good a metaphor for the UK’s beleaguered restaurant trade as any. The first venue opened in 2014 as a big steak, big wine bling-fest for flush City workers, expanding with further venues pre and post Covid. It was plush, premium and successful. Now, following a huge rent increase from its landlord, it’s no more.
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