Polpetto restaurant to return to Soho with Florence Knight at the helm
The co-founders of Polpo, Spuntino and Mishkin’s have agreed heads of terms on 11 Berwick Street, previously the site of Chinese restaurant Joy Food.
The restaurant will open in November and will feature a 70-cover dining room with open kitchen as well as an an aperitivo bar.
Polpetto
Acclaimed Italian restaurant Polpetto originally opened on the first floor of the French House pub in Dean Street in 2010. Led by upcoming chef Florence Knight, the restaurant quickly gained a critical following and a large number of foodie fans.
However the 23-cover venue proved too small and the restaurant was always over-subscribed so Norman and Beatty closed Polpetto down in May last year.
Norman, who will star in his own TV show - The Restaurateur - later this year, said he had been searching for the right location for Polpetto's return for more than a year.
“We have had almost daily enquiries about the return of Polpetto since we left the French House last year and we have been incredibly particular about finding the right Soho location for the restaurant and for Florence," he explained.
Knight will become executive head chef of the new venue not long after the publication of her first book - ONE: A Cook and Her Cupboard - which is published in July.
"To be able to relaunch Polpetto in old Soho and within Berwick Street fruit and veg market represents our dream scenario. And to have Florence Knight back at the forefront of the London restaurant scene is just wonderful for everyone," he added.
Russell Norman
Polpetto's return will once again expand Norman's restaurant empire - the restaurateur currently owns five restaurants with Beatty, including three under the Polpo brand, and will open his first pub later this year.
Speaking to Restaurant magazine in December last year, Norman explained he had big plans for the next twelve months and also had a desire to open a pizza restaurant:
"I have a strong urge to open a pizza restaurant. It won't reinvent the wheel, but there will be plenty to make people smile," he said.
