London resto Dandy to re-launch after crowdfunding campaign

London-based restaurant Dandy is set to re-open in Bermondsey, following a successful crowdfunding campaign which raised nearly £80,000.

Originally founded by Dan Wilson and Andy Leitch, hence the name ‘Dandy’, the first incarnation of the restaurant opened as a shipping container pop-up in East London’s Hackney Fields in 2015.

The team went on to open a permanent venue in Newington Green in 2017, on the site now occupied by Jolene, only to close less than a year later due to issues with investors.

Co-creator Wilson has now joined forces with restauranteur Matt Wells, who co-founded The Dairy and Counter Culture with Robin and Sarah Gill, to re-open Dandy in Bermondsey.

The restauranteurs launched a Seedrs crowdfunding campaign in November 2018, reaching their target of £75,000 within ten days.

Opening on the 2,500 square-foot, three-arch site formerly occupied by Monmouth Coffee in Bermondsey, the re-launched Dandy will offer communal dining tables with an open ten-metre long kitchen and bar.

The menu will feature dishes such as pumpkin tortellini and thyme; a miso cod with sweet ginger; and a pistachio tart with rose and raspberry alongside a selection of Dandy’s original popular brunch dishes.

A twelve tap bar will showcase local London ales and lagers from Bermondsey’s ‘beer mile’ and beyond, with plans for Dandy to launch an in-house brewery on the mezzanine level in late 2019 and the potential to develop a B2B wholesale and retail offer.  As with Dandy’s previous restaurants, the wine list will offer only natural wines.

In their crowdfunding manifesto, the team said: “At Dandy we want to serve the best of what we can find, from beer and wine to turnips and taleggio. We want to keep Dandy’s name front and centre as a restaurant changing the nature of dining in London.”

Opening this Spring, Dandy will open five days a week with an all-day menu.