Arbutus, Anthony Demetre and Will Smith’s Soho restaurant, is to move to a new location at the end of 2016.
After a successful decade on Frith Street, the restaurant, which has held a Michelin star since 2007, will reopen in not only a new home but also in a new form. Full details on the opening will be announced shortly, and while it will retain the essence of the original Arbutus, it will be in a new incarnation with new menus and a fresh approach.
“We have loved every minute of our time in Soho but after ten years, the time feels right to bring a new lease of life to Arbutus and start its eleventh year in a new home,” says Anthony Demetre. “Moving Arbutus to a new location allows to have an entirely fresh start, with new menus and ideas; we’re both looking forward to revealing the next chapter of the Arbutus story,” adds Will Smith.
Pioneers of the Parisian ‘Bistronomy’ movement in London, Anthony and Will opened Arbutus in 2006 to rave reviews from critics including Fay Maschler, Giles Coren, Jay Rayner, and AA Gill who described it as ‘pretty damn perfect’. Winning praise for its seasonal dishes, affordable fixed-price lunch menu, and innovative approach to wine, with sixty available by the carafe, it quickly became one of London’s best-loved restaurants and was named BMW Square Meal Best New Restaurant in Autumn 2006.
The venue is projected to open by the end of the year, and further details on Arbutus’ closing date and future location are soon to be released. Anthony and Will’s second restaurant, Wild Honey in Mayfair, will continue to operate as usual.
