Restaurants confirmed for new Victoria developments
Tapas concept Ibérica, which has two sites in Canary Wharf and another in Marylebone, will take 5,340 sq.ft of dining space spread over the ground and first floor of the Zig Zag Building, which will comprise 190,000 sq.ft of commercial offices and 35,000 sq.ft of retail space when it opens in May 2015.
Under the guidance of executive chef Nacho Manzano, the new restaurant is expected to follow the same style as the other Ibérica sites; with a menu of tapas is designed to mix both traditional and modern elements of Spanish gastronomy.
Director of Ibérica Restaurants Marcos Fernández Pardo explained the Victoria opening is the beginning of 'ambitious expansion plans' for the group. "The success of 2013 across our existing portfolio and the subsequent cash generative state of the business has allowed us to take the next major step in Ibérica’s development," he said.
62 Buckingham Gate
Meanwhile, Land Securities has attracted two more dining destinations to the burgeoning area of Victoria, with restaurant, cafe and contract catering group Benugo and healthy fast-food chain Leon securing ground-floor units at 62 Buckingham Gate – the new, 11-storey mixed-use development which opened in the spring.
Benugo, which operates 10 cafés in the capital and a number of restaurants in public spaces, has taken a 1,450 sq.ft unit, while Leon has taken 1,250 sq.ft as part of the group’s plans to double the size of its 12-strong estate.
The restaurants will join boutique cinema chain Curzon at the new development, with a five-screen complex set to be unveiled in the basement of the property early next year.
Vibrant Victoria
Colette O’Shea, head of development in London at Land Securities, said: “I am pleased to welcome this exciting mix of eateries and to play host to London’s latest boutique cinema from film buff favourite Curzon.
“Victoria is fast making a name for itself as a place for people to dwell and spend quality time from morning to night, offering everything from fantastic breakfasts to trendy nightcaps and off-the-beaten track theatre and arts.
“We continue to work with the local community and are committed to providing a vibrant retail and leisure offer which makes Victoria a place where people want to live, work, shop and socialise.
“The new restaurants and cinema will be a great addition to the cultural mix of Victoria, which was recently boosted by the signing of Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italian and Little Waitrose.”
The property developer owns and manages more than 26 million sq.ft of office, retail and residential space, with plans to invest a further £2bn in Victoria over the next decade.
Earlier this month, BigHospitality reported that Trinity Leeds - Land Securities’ £350m, city-centre shopping and leisure development, is pioneering ‘a new take on eating out’ with the launch of a new food hall, housing street food vendors, pop-up market stalls and emerging high street food brands. Read more here.
