Updated 2/12/23 with new opening date
When is a pub not a pub? When it's a wine pub of course. That's the distinction a new East London business is making when it opens its doors this month. Alfi is being billed as a wine pub and restaurant by experienced hospitality folk Ben Hodges and Alex Lewis and it's taken over the old Leon space inside Spitalfields market.
The pub will be the first part to open and, as per the description, will be serving up wines on tap from across Europe. In total there will be 10 wines on tap to start including a 100% certified organic & biodynamic Riesling, an orange wine and a range of different fizzes (perfect for the festive season) incuding Cava, Prosecco, Pet Nat and Champagne.
There will still be the odd draft lager and IPA on offer too but wines are very much the focus with another 40 on offer by the bottle when they launch. In addition, they'll offer a bar snacks menu too with small plates like grilled courgette with goat’s cheese and fried basil and charred charlotte potatoes with chive crème fraîche.
Following the pub's pre-Christmas opening will come the restaurant. For this, they've brought in chef Lorenzo Brigandi who's worked at The Waterside Inn, the Hind's Head in Bray and Restaurant Story among others. Lorenzo's kitchen will focus around a lava stone robata grill that you'll find outside on the pub's terrace. It's from here that the team will serve up larger dishes like scorched polenta with girolle mushrooms and mornay sauce alongside cauliflower served with Bagna Cauda and hazelnuts.
"We are really excited about bringing something different to Spitalfields," say Ben and Alex who add that they're "enjoying turning the wine to beer tap ratio on its head."
More about Alfi
Where is it? 3 Crispin Place, London E1 6DW
When does it open? 2 December 2023 (the restaurant opens February 2024)
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @alfi_spitalfields
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