Jason Atherton’s Little Social to relaunch as No.5 Social

The Maddox Street venue will close this Friday (19 April) and undergo a refurbishment before reopening on 8 May as No.5 Social.

The 60-cover site will be overseen by executive chef Kostas Papathanasiou, who previously worked as senior sous chef at Atherton’s Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social. He will be joined by restaurant manager Nils Cassignol.

“Kostas has been an important part of The Social Company for the past three years and [Jason’s wife] Irha and I felt it was time he was given his own project to run,” says Atherton.

“We are sad to say goodbye to Little Social. It has been a hugely successful restaurant since its opening in 2013, however, we felt it was time for a new direction and know Kostas and Nils together, will make a great team and success of No.5 Social.”

The regularly changing menu will draw from Papathanasiou’s experience, which also includes stints at The Ledbury and The Fat Duck. Dishes will include English heritage tomato salad with goat’s curd, almonds and fennel; poached Hebridean halibut, celeriac truffle emulsion and purée with pickled mushrooms and a black truffle beurre blanc; and roasted Herdwick lamb chop and cannon fillet served alongside crushed Jersey Royal potatoes, spring peas, cucumber and mint.

Little Social’s longstanding Canadian head chef Cary Docherty left the restaurant last year and is now cooking at Gough’s on Gough restaurant in Hong Kong.