Nest to relaunch as Tavern this spring

The team behind Nest in east London has announced they are to close at the end of March, with the site relaunching as a new British bistro concept, Tavern, in April.

Opened in Hackney in 2018 before relocating to Shoreditch in 2023, Nest was the first restaurant co-founded by Luke Wasserman, Toby Neill and Johnnie Crowe.

Speaking of the relaunch, Crowe said: “Nest has been a hugely important part of our story for nearly a decade. We are incredibly proud of what it became, first in Hackney and then in Shoreditch. Tavern is about taking everything we believe in about British produce and translating it into a fun way of eating that we all personally love.”

Unlike Nest, which focuses more on tasting menus, Tavern is said to be taking its cue from the spirit of the traditional British pub but positioned as a bistro with more informal dining.

The menu centres on British dishes, beginning with snacks such as puffed pig skin with smoked cod’s roe, and lamb scrumpets with mint, while larger dishes including turbot with English sparkling wine sauce, and lamb or hogget with anchovy and gem lettuce.

Kirsty Easterbrook, previously sous chef at St Barts in London’s Smithfield, steps into the role of head chef and will work alongside Brendan Appleby, formerly head chef at St Barts, who takes on the role of executive chef overseeing the kitchen with Crowe.

Crowe’s wider group includes St Barts, which opened in late 2022 and has since been awarded both a Michelin star and a Michelin green star for sustainability.

The team also launched Nest Farmhouse in Norfolk in May 2024, which closed permanently in December last year as it was "no longer viable to run", according to its owners.