Hackney institution The Laughing Heart has closed its doors for the final time. Announced yesterday on Instagram, owner Charlie Mellor confirmed that last Sunday was the final service, saying "All the details of how we arrived here are too long, sad and gruesome to list in this forum. The business has fallen victim to these dark times we live in. Almost saving it almost killed me."
The wine bar and restaurant, billed as a contemporary bistro, first opened its doors in 2016 and was very much at the forefront of the reinvention of Hackney Road alongside The Marksman, Sager & Wilde and others. It combined a notably great wine list that focused artisan producers with a kitchen that was initially led by Tom Anglesea. Its most famous chef, he was there at the launch and went on to win Great British Menu (Head Chef Adam Boon was in place as the restaurant closed).
It was a favourite of chefs and the hospitality industry particularly; a quick glance at the comments on the above Instagram post show just how much love people had for The Laughing Heart, with plaudits from Jeremy Lee, Nuno Mendes, Selin Kiazim and a parade of London's greatest chefs.
It's the latest in a series of London restaurant closures. Pastaio recently closed its Westfield location and over in Stoke Newington, popular neighbourhood spot Wander announced this week that they were in the last few months of operation. The restaurant by chef patron Alexis Noble will close on 8 November. In an email to customers, Alexis said "please don’t be sad, or view this news as negative, I’ve taken a long time to come to this decision, and whilst I will miss this space, I am super excited for the future. The reality is this whole thing has been well beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of."
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