Most restaurants have to close for a few weeks when they do any internal work. But St John, always one to do things differently, has approached its upcoming kitchen refurb as an opportunity to try something new. So while their Smithfield restaurant is shut next month, they'll be decamping to Piccadilly store Fortnum & Mason for a three-week pop-up.
"Smithfield may be closed," says co-owner Trevor Gulliver, "but it is not absent - for these three weeks we must not neglect our duty to provide our community with their vital St John fix, from a flying rarebit and a Fergroni in the bar to rolling courses in the dining room."
To that end, they're taking over the ground floor restaurant at Fortnums, and are even painting the space white "to transform the interiors of Fortnum’s ground floor restaurant into our familiar coat-peg-lined monochrome."
To all intents and purposes, the pop-up will feel very much like the restaurant has been recreated in Piccadilly down to the tables and chairs coming over too. There'll be a separate bar serving up a range of specials from the board with the dining room's menu featuring St John classics like their roast bone marrow and parsley salad and Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese.
More about St John at Fortnum & Mason
Where is it? 181 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1A 1ER
When does it open? 6-22 February 2024
Find out more: Book online here.
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