Stratford

Michelin-starred chef Chris Galvin reveals his favourite pubs, cafes and restaurants close to home in Stratford.

YolanDa Brown's Soul Mama in Stratford has proved to be a big hit - so much so that she's opening a second Soul Mama in the area. This one will open on Westfield's The Street and will once again be part restaurant, part music venue.

The new location will also have a slightly larger menu alongside dishes from the original. So expect slow-cooked Caribbean curries, one-pots with rice and peas and sharing dishes like Soul Arepas and the Jerk Wings Pit, with wing flavours including rum BBQ and scotch bonnet and mango. 

As for the music, there will be a stage front and centre,

You may recall a few weeks ago we reported on the changes afoot at South Bank restaurant Hannah which was morphing into a claypot offering Donabe at the same time as moving their sushi operation to Stratford in the form of Kokin.

Now we can reveal exactly what they have planned for their foray into East London.

The new Stratford Cross development is resulting in adding some very interesting new food options to the area. We've recently had the opening of Templar from the

There have been some very interesting developments in Stratford recently and the good news is that there are more on the way. The team behind Jikoni in Marylebone, Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany are taking on a new restaurant, this time one that is launching as part of the V&A East Museum.

What they have told us about

One of Stratford's most popular restaurants, Darkhorse, now has a sibling. Modern European wine bar and restaurant Templar has opened in Stratford Cross, one of the area's newer developments. It's all part of what they're calling Stratford's new "cultural hub" with Sadlers Wells and the V&A also opening there. 

Heading up the restaurant is chef Richard

Around this time last year, we were championing a new North London venue from YolanDa Brown OBE DL called Soul Mama that, thanks to some exuberant Kickstarting, was fundraising itself into record-breaking existence. Well, in terms of location, it now turns out that Islington’s loss

It's been almost a year since the huge Haugen restaurant closed its doors in Stratford. But now it's set to have a new lease of life under Gordon Ramsay. The chef and restaurateur announced that he's turning the space into one of his biggest Bread Street Kitchens yet.

The pavilion-style building, complete with massive roof terrace, will now be taken over by Ramsay for his sixth BSK restaurant. The

The team responsible for summer pop-up Between the Bridges are getting ready to open their own permanent place in Stratford, taking over a big space in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 

A key part of Riverside East will be their cafe, which will be pretty big, seating 300. The menu for that is being designed by Lulu Cox

Updated 13/10/23 with opening date

The egg-based dining concept that has induced sniggers and second-glances at its name since launching in London is asking for your attention again. Eggslut is opening a branch in Stratford, its fourth in the capital and the biggest so far.

Originally starting life as a gourmet food truck in LA in 2011, Eggslut now has 16 locations worldwide

Having opened just in time for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, Mama Chen's is a new dumpling-based popup at The Gantry in Stratford.

It began life as a delivery service during lockdown - the Mama Chen in question is founder and chef Michelle Liu's grandmother. Since then it's gone from strength to strength popping up with supperclubs and residencies across town.

Liu's latest endeavour is a

Somewhat out of nowhere, a brand new STK steakhouse has arrived in London. It's the latest opening that's part of The Gantry Hotel in Stratford, which already has Hermano coffee bar, Union Social, Coupe Bar and a roof terrace on the way soon. 

As for what to expect from STK Stratford - it's a similar vibe to their restaurants on the Strand and in Westminster - part steakhouse, part party venue

Taking over The Print House site in Stratford is urban gin distillery Jim and Tonic who have a lot planned for the space on Sugar House Island. The gin company has not only opened a coffee shop, bar and restaurant on the site, but they've also got big plans for their riverside courtyard there.

At the restaurant, the menu covers pizzas, burgers and Middle Eastern dishes. But it's outside that's maybe the

3/11 - Updated with the opening date and details about the menu

Given Five Guys' fairly massive rollout across the UK. it was only a matter of time before more US chains started heading this way. We already have had the return of Wendy's, and joining them soon will be American

Updated 15/10/21 with menu and opening date

With Allegra at The Stratford getting such good reviews, the owners of new Stratford spot The Gantry London will be hoping for similar success.

Their new hotel is part of the Curio Collection (a Hilton offshoot that also includes The Trafalgar and Lincoln Plaza). The 18 storey building was built by Ardmore who also did The Ned and Corinthia