Colin killer: a dragon roll at Inamo Sukoshi
(Picture: Andy Parsons)A third Market Halls is set to open next month as the group finally launch their long-awaited project in Canary Wharf.
Initially announced in May 2019, the opening has been waylaid by both the pandemic and setbacks at its site, which is tied into the Crossrail redevelopment of the area. Initially dubbed Market Place Cargo, it was expected to open in 2021.
The new food hall, set to spread over 20,000 sq ft, will now open towards the end of March and will feature an as-yet unannounced number of restaurants and bars, including Gopal’s Corner by Roti King, DF Tacos and Baoziinn, all of which have a presence at Market Halls’ other two sites, on Oxford Street and in Victoria.
New names joining will include an outpost of Kingly Court Middle Eastern favourite Le Bab, pandemic hit Pasta Evangelists and casual sushi joint, Inamo Sukoshi. The group say more names will be announced closer to opening.
Opening from 8am to, at its latest, 11pm, the space will also offer regularly-held community events alongside the food and drink. These will purportedly include mindfulness sessions, painting classes, book clubs, fashion swaps, and exhibitions from local artists.
Co-founder Andy Lewis-Pratt said of launch: “We couldn’t be more excited to be opening two Market Halls locations which will bring this concept to Londoners who might not previously have been able to visit the existing Victoria site.
“We’re looking forward to diversifying our offering to bring a tailored approach reflecting exactly what our communities want to see from us. These new openings have provided us with the perfect opportunity to expand our events programming and work with even more fantastic food and drinks vendors.”
The news comes as part of a busy year for the group. The Oxford Street site, which has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, has had what the group say is a substantial renovation and refurbishment, and will reopen on March 9, now with eight restaurants (it previously held 12) and three bars (down from four). The Fulham site, which despite reopening in September of last year, is now permanently closed, having shut earlier this month.
Lewis-Pratt also confirmed that more sites are in the planning, with a further four rumoured. One will open somewhere central, due this September, while another is set for early 2023 and will be somewhere in “the suburbs.” Details of the other two have not been announced.
