Levi Roots to open first London restaurant

20-Jul-2015 - Last updated on 21-Jul-2015 at 09:23 GMT

Levi Roots and Las Iguanas co-founder Eren Ali have developed the new concept

Eight years on from his Dragon's Den appearance Reggae Reggae Sauce creator Levi Roots is to open his first restaurant at Westfield Stratford City later this year.

Developed in partnership with Las Iguanas co-founder Eren Ali, Levi Roots' Caribbean Smokehouse will serve authentic, accessible Caribbean cuisine.

The duo has brought in Steve Philips, previously of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, as head of operations.

With the Levi Roots brand now spanning over 50 grocery products, Roots said the public appetite for Caribbean food was clear.

“Since the initial success of Reggae Reggae Sauce on Dragon’s Den I’ve wanted to bring the tastes of the Caribbean to as many people as possible,” he said.

“Now that we have built such a strong reputation for the Levi Roots brand, it feels like the right time for me to open a restaurant to give even more people the opportunity to enjoy genuine Caribbean cooking.”

He added that creating the concept with Ali had been the ‘perfect partnership’.

Ali said: “I’ve been relishing the idea of working with Levi. We are bringing something unique back from our Caribbean travels together to Levi’s adopted home town of London.”