Michelin-starred Bonhams restaurant to close
Bonhams opened at the international auction house of the same name in January 2015, with ex-Hedone chef Tom Kemble in the kitchen.
It won a star in the 2016 edition of the Michelin Guide and was ranked 81st in Restaurant magazine’s Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards top 100 list this year.
The 225-year-old auction house, which was sold to private equity firm Epiris earlier this year, told The Drinks Business the restaurant closure was part of a ‘restructuring programme’ to focus on its core business, but that the Bonhams Café will remain open.
The restaurant’s current head chef Theo Clench took to Instagram to announce its last service will be on 19 December, though the auction house said it will close for good on 21 December.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the closure of Bonhams restaurant,” Clench wrote.
“Due to new owners of the company the decision has been made that there is no room in the big world of Bonhams for our little hidden gem. The cliché of blood, sweat and tears have gone in to this place couldn’t be more true. Me and [Kemble] achieved something way bigger than us or anyone expected.
“I’m a firm believer that when you get knocked down it’s how you get back up that makes people who they are and when one door closes [another] one will open. We will be cooking our socks off for the remainder of our time here and are going to go out with a bang. So please come and enjoy it all for one last time.”
Bonhams offers a £70, seven-course tasting menu and a two or three-course set lunch for £42 or £50 respectively.
Diners can choose from over 200 wines, with many rare bottles available by the glass or 50cl carafe.
