In news that is actually not that surprising when you see how many restaurants he's actually opening, Jason Atherton has announced that he's closing Social Eating House in Soho. It's been reported by Restaurant website whose upcoming interview with him (as well as a recent talk at a dinner at Pollen Street Social itself) has revealed just how much the chef is taking on this year.
The restaurant opened 11 years ago in Soho and was the chef's third restaurant in London (coming just after Little Social in Mayfair). It was a more casual opening than usual for the chef and was notable for making a big deal of the bar upstairs, The Blind Pig. That bar is coming to Atherton's next restaurant to open, Mary's which will be taking over from Pollen Street Social in August.
It feels like a year of reinvention for Atherton, who's been moving away from his Social brand to open, in addition to Mary's, at least three new restaurants this year. These include Sael in St James, Three Darlings in Chelsea and Row on 5 in Mayfair. That last restaurant will be the most upmarket of the group, and given that the Dubai version just won two Michelin stars, it'll be the one to watch.
Atherton still has City Social, Little Social and Berners Tavern in London. At the moment, there's no news about their future so, for the moment at least, it's business as usual for them.
Social Eating House will close on 31 July 2024.
