The Wander(er) returns: Alexis Noble to reopen Stoke Newington restaurant

17-Mar-2023 - Last updated on 17-Mar-2023 at 10:03 GMT

Australian-born chef Alexis Noble is to reopen her Stoke Newington restaurant Wander, less than six months after permanently closing it due to visa issues.

In an Instagram post, Noble confirmed that she would be able to reopen the London restaurant having been granted a new visa to stay in the UK.

“I don’t want people to think I’ve been deceptive about closing/opening because realistically there was a really high chance we wouldn’t reopen, and if that did occur I wanted to have closed Wander properly and with no regrets,” she said.

“However, fortunately my visa was granted a lot quicker than anticipated, I’m back in N16 and ready for Wander 3.0.”

Wander, which has previously ranked on the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards top 100 list, celebrates a nomadic approach to cooking and is partly inspired by Noble's travels through America, Asia and Europe.

Noble launched the restaurant on 8 November 2017, with its final service taking place on the same date last year – exactly five years later.

The decision to close Wander permanently came after Noble was forced to temporarily shutter the restaurant in late 2021 due to issues with her visa.

“I don’t really want to get into everything that has happened in the past 18 months as I only want to be positive and look ahead, but basically… when I announced Wander was closing in Sept, I was 100% ready to go home for good,” Noble wrote on Instagram.

“I’d prepared the restaurant for sale and even showed the property to some agents. However, our final months of service with all our amazing regulars made me realise this restaurant is my home and I was not ready to leave.

“The problem was to go apply [for a new visa] from Australia there would be no guarantee that my visa would actually be granted, the wait time was a minimum of 24 weeks and if I was denied after I left the UK, I was not allowed to return even as a tourist for over two years.

“So coming back to the UK was never guaranteed and was actually a huge gamble.”

Noble adds that she is currently in the process of preparing the restaurant for reopening, including setting up the reservation system and looking for staff.

“When I left I shut down everything in the event that I couldn’t return, so it will take me a few weeks to get up and running.

“I’m really looking forward to welcoming you back to Wander again soon!”