St John restaurant to open site in Los Angeles

London’s nose-to-tail dining pioneer St John restaurant is to open its first site outside of the capital in Culver City, Los Angeles.

Co-founder of St John Fergus Henderson. Image: Sam A. Harris.

The new restaurant is expected to open mid-October 2020 in the in the Platform shopping centre, according to the LA Times.

The site, which is currently under construction, would be “half bar seating and half dining room,” co-founder Trevor Gulliver told the publication.

The kitchen at the restaurant group’s first international outpost will be headed up by Jonathan Woolway who has worked for St John since 2008 and was appointed head chef in 2014.

While no details have been released with regards to the menu and wine list, Gulliver, who oversees the drinks offering at St John, did tell the LA Times that it “would be great fun” to have an all-American wine list.

Founded by Gulliver and Fergus Henderson in 1994, St John is celebrating 25 years in business this year. Operating out of an old ham and bacon smokehouse in Smithfield Market, their success led to the opening of a second site in 2003 – St John Bread and Wine – located in Spitalfields.

Last year St John closed its restaurant on Maltby Street in Bermondsey, instead focusing on expanding its bakery division. It operates a bakery site in Seven Dials, Covent Garden and was reported to be opening another in Fora on Borough High Street. It also has a site on Druid Lane, Bermondsey which is open at the weekends.