German restaurant and bar concept Herman Ze German has opened its first site outside London, at Hammerson’s Grand Central development in Birmingham. The 700 square feet restaurant has 42 covers and offers currywurst, schnitzel and traditional German beers. It adds to four sites in London, in Charing Cross, Soho, Fitzrovia and White City. Other recent openings at Grand Central have included @pizza.
FishWorks, the seafood restaurant and fishmonger concept, is opening a third site on Catherine Street in Covent Garden. It joins the other two FishWorks in Mayfair and Marylebone. The Covent Garden opening date is 13 May.
Coco di Mama, Island Poké, Leon and Grind are all joining the Southbank Place development later this year. It is a major redevelopment of the Shell Centre by Braeburn Estates.
The Corbin & King group will open all-day restaurant Soutine in St John’s Wood on 29 April. Reports suggest it will have French food with Russian influences.
Seafood barge-based restaurant London Shell Co, wine bar group Vagabond and healthy eating and drinking concept Pure have all been confirmed to open at Paddington Central in London. It will be a second barge for London Shell Co and a sixth for Vagabond, whose founder Stephen Finch said: “With a compelling density of office workers and residents in the immediate area, set against the lovely Grand Union Canal and adjacent to several major transportation links, we have no doubt Vagabond will smash it right off the bat.
Leon opened its new site at the Cheshire Oaks retail development on Wednesday (10 April).
The Radio Alice pizzeria group will open its third London site in Canary Wharf in July. The 160-cover site joins pizzerias in Hoxton and Clapham.
Japanese noodle, bento and sushi concept Yakinori has submitted plans to open at Halle Place in Manchester, local media report. It would be a third site for the brand, after Birmingham and Bristol.
Shake Shack will open its tenth restaurant, and its second outside London, at the Intu Lakeside centre in Thurrock in the next few weeks. The other non-London location is Cardiff, and there are eight in the capital.
Five Guys is to open on Portobello Road after acquiring a unit previously occupied by Gourmet Burger Kitchen
The team behind Patty & Bun is joining the spring and summer line-up of food operators at The Prince pub in Earl’s Court with a new chicken-based concept called Jefferies. Pizza operator Homeslice is also running an operation there.
US-based fast-casual brand The Halal Guys is to open a second UK restaurant in Earl’s Court. It will launch in the summer, joining the debut UK location in Leicester Square. The team behind the brand say they want to have 20 sites in the UK within a few years.
The German Doner Kebab brand is opening on Lothian Road in Edinburgh soon. It continues a UK roll-out for the brand, which was founded in Germany but now has around 30 sites. Openings in Oldham, Plymouth and Preston are due to follow.
Franco Manca is recruiting for an opening in Exeter, local media report, though the location and date are yet to be announced.
Liverpool restaurant and bar operator Maray is to open a third site in the city, at the Royal Albert Dock. Its other two locations are on Bold Street and Allerton Road.
Frankie & Benny’s has just opened at Bristol airport. It has an all-day menu and joins other recent openings at the airport including Barburrito and EAT. It is a seventh airport location for Frankie & Benny’s.
Retailer H&M has opened a Swedish-style café called It’s Pleat at its Regent Street store. It is a second location for the café brand, after Westfield White City.
PubLove and Ei Managed Investments reopened the White Ferry House pub in Victoria after a refurbishment this week. The partners will also relaunch the Rose & Crown by London Bridge and the Steam Engine in Waterloo in the next few months. The PubLove sites have backpacker accommodation above the bars.
Three Cheers Pub Co has reopened its first pub, The Abbeville in Clapham, after a major refurbishment. New features at the 1,510 square feet pub include a 20-cover terrace, seating booths, communal tables and frontage, plus an overhauled menu. Co-founder Tom Peake said: “We are delighted to have been able to breathe new life into what is a very special pub.”
