Founded by husband and wife team Liz and Stew Down in 2016, Black Bear Burger first traded at Hackney's Broadway Market but has also worked with Kerb and Streetfeast. Following an appearance on the first series of Million Pound Menu, the pair packed in their day jobs to open their first permanent location at Boxpark, Shoreditch.
The new restaurant will offer the aged beef patties, buttermilk fried chicken nuggets and Mac n’ Cheese topped with herb breadcrumb with which the brand made its name but will also offer other dishes exclusive to Brixton Village. These will include chicken and vegan burgers, brisket spring rolls and smoked BBQ specials.
Black Bear will also be serving up alcohol for the first time, with a small list of cocktails, jugs of beer and ‘shot skis’ taking centre stage. Guests can expect a "buzzing ambience inspired by the founders’ time spent living by the ski slopes of Whistler, Canada" with communal seating.
"When we first moved to London, we regularly ate and drank here among the brilliantly diverse local traders so the thought of now opening our first sit-down restaurant here is a bit surreal,"says Liz.
We love the character of the market – especially the fact that it is a welcoming and supportive hub for small and independent businesses like ours – and we can’t wait to open our doors to the public very soon."