Covent Garden to welcome flurry of F&B brands

Shaftesbury Capital’s is set to welcome a flurry of new food and beverage brands to its Covent Garden estate in London, accounting for just under 10,000 sq ft of space.

Heading up the new entrants is contemporary Chinese restaurant Noodle & Beer, which will open its second restaurant in London’s West End at 25 Catherine Street. Occupying 1,625 sq ft, the operator’s new space offers authentic Sichuan-style noodles alongside a curated beer selection and a wine list. It also features a private dining room.

In addition, Italian artisanal sandwich brand bread&truffle is set to open its West End flagship store in an 810 sq ft space at 7 New Row.

These new signings will join several operators that have opened recently across the neighbourhood, including Bubala, which opened this week at 14 Garrick Street, and Experimental Cocktail Club, which launched its Halloween-themed exclusive pop-up bar ‘The Haunting’ at 9 Russell Street, which will transition into its ‘Miracle Bar’ concept when the festive season begins, running until the end of the year.

Lenny’s Apizza is also set to open its a permanent venue in a 2,140 sq ft space spanning two floors at 23-24 Henrietta Street in October, closely followed by Heard, which is due to open a 4,000 sq ft space at 33-35 Wellington Street for its flagship location in London. Schofield’s Bar will open in November at 1 Earlham Street, alongside Puffy Cookies, while Junk Burger will join the neighbourhood in December.

Emma Matus, head of restaurant leasing at Shaftesbury Capital, said: “These signings and openings build on a strong year of F&B leasing, reinforcing Covent Garden’s position as a leading dining destination under our stewardship. The area’s continued appeal is reflected in brands such as Noodle & Beer and Heard choosing to expand across the Shaftesbury Capital portfolio, and demonstrates the strength of our partnerships, our commitment to supporting brand growth, and the quality and diversity of Covent Garden’s F&B offer.”

Xiaoxiao Wang, founder of Noodle & Beer, added: “Signing in Covent Garden was a natural choice, given our success in Chinatown. We continue to target prime destinations to expand our presence in London, so Noodle & Beer will be right at home in this iconic neighbourhood, which is both community-focused and world-class, with a top-quality mix of F&B operators.”

This news follows a period of sustained leasing activity over the last year, with Shaftesbury Capital bringing a number of new F&B concepts to Covent Garden. These include Cassette, the contemporary French dining concept at Maiden Lane, Inception Group’s flagship Mr Fogg’s Market Tavern in the Market Building, and a central London first for Sourdough Sophia in Neal’s Yard.