Licensing restrictions force Vinoteca to close Soho site

12-Sep-2018 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 16:18 GMT

Wine bar and restaurant group Vinoteca has closed its premises on Beak Street in Soho due to licensing restrictions, and is looking to relocate to a new site.

Vinoteca, which operates five other sites in central London, acquired the Soho site back in 2012, its third site at the time.

“We were no longer able to serve drinks to customers without them having a full meal, and this doesn’t fit with our brand and what customers are used to at other Vinoteca branches," says Charlie Young, co-founder and director at Vinoteca.

“It was a tough decision as Vinoteca Soho has been a cracking site for us, but we are now looking for another location with no licensing restrictions.”

The company has sold the lease to Turkish operator Yeni Lokanta. Founded by chef Civan Er it currently has a restaurant in Istanbul and MCA understands it is looking to open the site in Soho as early as November.

Vinoteca will open a site in Birmingham’s Paradise next year, its first regional wine bar.

The company is still in legals on the site, but Young says that it is likely to be handed over in September/October 2019, with a view to opening in early 2020.

This story first appeared on BigHospitality’s sister website MCA. To subscribe to its breaking news feed, click here