Shoreditch restaurant Apothecary East to close
Launched in 2021 as Apothecary on the former site of Merchant’s Tavern by Dominic Lake, Rohit Chugh and James Williams, the venue offers Japanese small plates alongside music and DJs curated by Lake’s bar and live music brand Spiritland.
No reason has been given for the impending closure of the restaurant, which occupies a prime site just off Great Eastern Street on Charlotte Road.
Ahead of the launch, Lake - who was also a co-founder of Merchant’s Tavern - said the 130-cover site would ‘reflect a contemporary Tokyo-style tavern through a Shoreditch lens’, combing the site’s exposed brickwork with wooden screens to create a dining room that is ‘simultaneously intimate and connected’.
The food menu was initially overseen by Chugh, whose previous projects include Indian restaurants Roti Chai and Chai Ki.
“We have loved our time in East London and the opportunity to develop signature dishes such as our acclaimed miso charred aubergine, black sesame cauliflower and kakuni pork belly,” Williams says. “We first took on the Charlotte Road site after lockdown for a year-long pop up to test out ideas for a permanent location. Thanks to the wonderful support of our guests and landlord, we’ve been fortunate enough to extend our stay to three years."
Williams - who is the former head of finance for burrito chain Tortilla - says he is planning a new restaurant under the Apothecary brand. A site has yet to be disclosed but the new restaurant ‘will have 50 covers and offer both a la carte and omakase menus as well as a drinks list celebrating haiboru hi-balls, sake and artisan spirits’.
