Pied à Terre owner to open "proper pub" off The Strand

05-Mar-2019 - Last updated on 27-Apr-2021 at 12:13 GMT

Restaurateur David Moore is making a move in to the London pub sector after acquiring his next project, The Devereux.

Moore, who launched Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in Bloomsbury in 1991, has secured a 20-year lease on the former Greene King pub at 20 Devereux Court, just off The Strand.

He has teamed up with business partner and publican Tony Bennett for the project.

Moore says they want to reopen the site as a "proper pub with excellent food and drink, but without any pretence".

The Grade II listed building dates back to 1676 as the Grecian Coffee House, and was remodelled as a pub in 1843.

It has been closed since 2017, and Moore and Bennett plan are planning to revamp the 3,000 sq ft site - which has A3/A4 planning consent - while paying homage to its history and location.

”I have always loved the idea of owning a traditional pub with a proper publican at the wheel”, says Moore. “Having been an iconic London pub since the 17th century, Tony and I feel obliged to honour the history and tradition of The Devereux."

Moore was also behind French restaurant L’Autre Pied in Marylebone, which closed in 2017, and the One Sixty restaurant group – which was no sites remaining.

Specialist leisure property advisers Davis Coffer Lyons acted for the landlord of the Devereux, Marsa Holdings.