Billed as a ‘hidden’ aperitivo bar, Bar Lina will inhabit the space that was once home to the Brewer Street deli’s fresh pasta kitchen.
The 28-cover space is inspired by Italian design from the late 1960s to 1980s with a monochrome, dark red colour scheme.
Design details include moody lighting, velvet banquettes, chrome accents and a curved oxblood-red marble bar that seats 10.
The cocktail menu will offer creative twists on classic Italian serves with drinks including the Syracuse Martini with Sicilian tomato, Rinomato Americano Bianco Vermouth and Sapling Vodka; a Basil Gimlet with Villa Ascenti Gin, BVB Vermouth Bianco, basil and lemon.
A classic Negroni, amari and spritz list will make the selection complete while the wine menu highlights select wines from independent, low intervention growers from both famed and lesser-known wine regions throughout Italy.
The concise menu will pair a selection of freshly sliced cured meats, formaggi and antipasti that the delicatessen is renowned for with a variety of Italian bar snacks, including beef crudo and truffle crostini and fried gnudi with Calabrian chilli marmellata.
The upstairs delicatessen will also undergo an evening transformation, becoming an intimate wine bar with 12 covers, serving Italian wines by both the bottle and the glass along with meats, cheeses and antipasti from the delicatessen counter.
Lina Stores started out life as a deli on Brewer Street in Soho back in 1944, and only moved into the restaurant space in 2018 after securing finances from venture capital business White Rabbit Projects and appointing Rener to help develop the menu.
It now operates restaurants in Soho, Kings Cross, the City, Marylebone and Clapham.
In 2021, the group launched its first overseas location in Tokyo, and now has two restaurants in the Japanese capital.
