Ottolenghi opens first restaurant outside of London

Ottolenghi group has opened its first restaurant and retail space outside of London at the luxury Bicester Village shopping centre in Oxfordshire.

The site, which is the brand's ninth overall, seats 85 indoor covers and features a large 60-cover sheltered terrace for year-round al fresco dining.

It is the latest in a string of new openings for the group, which was founded by chef Yotam Ottolenghi in 2002 and runs six delis across London, a successful retail and catering arm, and two standalone restaurants, Nopi and Rovi.

Ottolenghi Hampstead (pictured) launched in late 2023 and in January the group secured planning permission to open its first restaurant south of the Thames in London's Richmond.

Ottolenghi Bicester Village offers a similar menu to other sites in the group. In the morning, breakfast pastries are piled high on the counter and served alongside morning dishes of shakshuka and scrambled eggs.

At lunchtime, the pastries are replaced with large salad bowls, which can be ordered alongside new hot main courses including mac and cheese with za'atar pesto and feta; and baked pasta with burnt aubergine and tahini.

A la carte dinner options include sweet and smoky chicken breast with lemon yoghurt; and lamb kofta with bulgar and caramelised onions, served alongside wines and cocktails such as the new Bicester Spritz.

Ottolenghi Bicester Village also sells Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbooks, tableware, and packed products such as granola and pita chips.

Emilio Foa joined Ottolenghi as group chief executive in 2022 from a role at luxury furniture retailer Oka ahead of plans for "measured" growth of the deli business.