London Fields' Il Cudega joins the list of 2018 restaurant closures

Owners Giovanni and Luca posted on the restaurant’s blog, confirming that Il Cudega, which opened in 2015 following a successful crowdfund campaign, has been left with “no option” but to close its doors.

The pair say that despite having given it their all to make the enterprise viable, they have been unable to recover from heavy losses incurred during a battle with Hackney council over the site’s evening licence.

The restaurant was granted the licence in June 2017, by which point it had been trading for a year and a half, losing out on the evening trade.

These losses, combined with a difficult trading environment has left the business unsustainable.

Giovanni and Luca wrote that it was with a “heavy heart” that the Westgate Street restaurant will cease trade on 18 February, and that they are taking action to allow the restaurant to close in a “responsible” manner, giving priority to the staff.

Described as “exceptional” in a four-star review by Fay Maschler, the dishes served at Il Cudega are dedicated to the produce and culinary traditions of Italy’s Lombardy region.

Il Cudega joins a long list of London restaurants to have closed this year.

Yesterday saw the only non-regional site of Red’s True Barbecue close down. Initially intended as a base for the company to grow from in the capital, owners have halted expansion plans, blaming “current market forces”.

Other notable closures this year have included Hackney’s Michelin-starred Ellory, the Galvin brothers’ Bistrot de Luxe, and 12 Jamie’s Italian restaurants.