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Acclaimed Shoreditch wine bar closes
Wine bar and restaurant Leroy, located on Phipp Street, closed its doors for the final time at the weekend after six years in business.
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Leroy opened in 2018, shortly after the closure of Michelin-starred Hackney restaurant Ellory, with owners Jack Lewens and Ed Thaw telling Eater London that their new project in Shoreditch was “to take advantage of cheaper rents”, with Leroy setting up shop in what was once Edwin’s Wine Bar.
Leroy offered what The Guardian‘s Grace Dent called, shortly after it opened, a “dark, noisy, naughty wine bar with a pleasing menu” that she would be happy to visit “any day”, with the restaurant describing itself as exhibiting an “ethos of simplicity and flavour, food that is thoughtful but not showy”.
However, an Instagram post from the bar announced that, as of “last Saturday” (16 November), it is “no more”.
“We would have been seven in March, and indeed our previous incarnation Ellory opened nine years ago,” the caption explained. “It has been quite the ride but sadly nothing lasts forever. We fought hard against the dying of the light but sometimes there is a time to let go. In that time we’ve experienced some incredible highs and lows. It has been, joyful and painful. Everything that makes life worth living. We could not have done it without brilliant staff and suppliers and customers. Our heart breaks not to be able to continue the journey but we can leave knowing that we did all we could.”
The caption then cited the factors which have contributed to Leroy’s closure, especially in the post-pandemic context.
“Despite what our government may think, this is a noble profession and indeed any small business owner has our enduring respect. Only those who run a business, much less a hospitality business post-Covid, know how tough it is. Use your restaurants or lose them. They need you now more than ever. Out of the blue. Into the black and eventually out the other side. Leroy is dead. Long live Leroy.”
The UK restaurant scene has been racked with closures this year, with the hospitality industry concerned that time may be running out.
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