Adding a splash of colour to the grey landscape of central London, Great British Fish and Chips is an unapologetically patriotic homage to one of the UK’s best-loved dishes. With traditional cuisine and a bold, quintessentially British design, the 100-cover restaurant stands out among some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks. The eye-catching interior has been created by Camden-based interior design studio, Avocado Sweets.
Situated in County Hall – nearby iconic landmarks such as the London Eye and the London Dungeon – Great British Fish and Chips offers the ultimate London dining experience. With a striking interior – and a warming menu to match – the restaurant offers a sense of fun and vibrancy that appeals to tourists and locals alike.
“Fish and Chips is a down-to-earth dish, hot and comforting, with a long British tradition,” says Evros Agathou, creative director at Avocado Sweets. “To reflect the food’s comfort, tradition and quality (the cod is frozen at sea as soon as it is caught and served with fresh chips), we came up with a bespoke, original design that combines warm colours with enduring British icons and original artwork.”
The restaurant’s design was crafted with a British street party in mind – think rows of tables, union jack bunting and a jovial, celebratory mood. “Humourous touches, such as the printed bunting and red, white and blue tables, create a British street party atmosphere,” Evros enthuses. “The original wall graphics bring to life some of Britain’s most iconic designs – from the Double Decker bus to the Mini Cooper.”
As well as providing a nod to Britain’s heritage, the bold colour scheme has a surprising effect on the dining experience. “The dominant red colour is designed to increase appetite, and enhances the enjoyment of the dish,” Evros explains.
As well as taking care of the aesthetics, Avocado Sweets closely collaborated with the client to make sure that the design was as functional as possible. “Once we’d agreed the overall concept,” Evros says, “we provided layout, three-dimensional visuals and graphics so that our client could see at each stage how we were embodying their business needs in the design. With 17 million annual visitors to the area, we anticipated customer need with adequate cooking equipment and a layout with plenty of room for customer flow.
“County Hall is an extremely well-visited building, housing an array of occupants from hotel guests to sea-life in the aquarium. We had to meet stringent health and safety requirements to mitigate any potential risk in our design and build. We provided complete project management, and acted as the main liaison point with the building’s management company to ensure a safe design and build project that didn’t face unnecessary delays from the bureaucratic requirements.”
Overall, Great British Fish & Chips has brought a haven of vibrancy and comfort to central London. The space undoubtedly embodies what the designer set out to achieve: “a colourful celebration of British design, icons, quirk and fun, which makes eating out an attraction in itself”.
