Taberna do Mercado to become a wine bar

Nuno Mendes’ flagship Portuguese restaurant, Taberna do Mercado in Spitalfields, is to be turned into a wine bar and bottle shop.

As reported by Eater, Mendes, who is also executive chef of Chiltern Firehouse, announced the news of the restaurant’s closure this week via Instagram.

Though this is not the end of the road for Taberna do Mercado as the casual Portuguese concept will take a stall at The Kitchens collective in Old Spitalfields market.

“2018 brings quiet change, we are excited to announce that Taberna do Mercado will be moving into the Kitchens at Old Spitalfields Market.

“It’s a great opportunity for our brand to evolve and we welcome the chance to be part of the new vision for Old Spitalfields Market – exciting times!” Mendes wrote.

According to Eater, new signage for the wine bar, which will also serve food, will be in place by tomorrow (Thursday).

Mendes posted an honest message on Instagram late last year about the struggles facing London’s restaurateurs.

“I honestly didn’t think we would manage to stay open until the end of the year,” he wrote. “Still, by some miracle and lots of perseverance, we managed to survive.

“There is a lot of uncertainly at the moment so I don’t know if we will manage to stay open to see the end of next year but let’s hope so,” he added.

Just last week we reported that Mendes is to open a 14-seater kitchen table and wine room called ‘Mãos’ in Shoreditch serving modern European cuisine in early April.