Biggest Barrafina yet among three new restaurants planned by Harts Group

Harts Group, the restaurant business behind Barrafina, Quo Vadis and El Pastor, is to open two restaurants and a wine bar at a new retail development in London later this year.

All three sites will launch at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross.

In addition to a new Barrafina (the firm's fourth and biggest so far under the brand), Harts Group will also open Casa Pastor as a larger sister restaurant to El Pastor in Borough, as well as a new wine bar called the Drop.

All three are scheduled to open at the canal-side retail quarter by autumn 2018.

The business hopes to raise £750,000 on crowdfunding website CrowdCube to finance the project in exchange for a stake in the business.

Investments are set to start from £10 and in addition to a small stake, the business also promises "experiential rewards".

The campaign is due to launch "in the coming weeks".

Barrafina will have 34 covers, with an additional 60 on an outdoor terrace, as well as a private dining room accommodating 20 people.

Casa Pastor will have room for 80 covers inside and another 80 on the terrace.

And the Drop will have 55 covers and 24 outside.

Coal Drops Yard has been developed out of what was a Victorian coal store, made up of a series of warehouses and built to handle the eight million tonnes of coal delivered to London each year.

Sam Hart, who runs Harts Group alongside brother James Hart and Crispin Somerville, said: "This is an incredibly exciting project for Harts Group.

"When we saw the site plans we immediately fell in love with Coal Drops and since then we have been relentlessly planning how to create amazing places specific to the area.

"We are progressing these with enthusiasm and look forward to opening in October."

Jeremy Hall, project director at Coal Drops Yard developer Argent, said: "We are delighted that Harts Group will bring their signature touch to Coal Drops Yard.

"Already becoming established as a hub for forward-thinking retailers, ranging from fashion to design, the quarter will now play host to one of London's best culinary offerings, with King's Cross as a whole now boasting a restaurant line-up to rival Soho and Shoreditch.

"Coal Drops Yard will be lively both through the day and late into the evening, a real destination for shoppers and foodies alike."

The openings will mark a significant expansion for Harts Group, which runs London restaurants including El Pastor, Quo Vadis in Dean Street, Soho, as well as three Barrafinas in Adelaide Street, Drury Lane and Dean Street (on the same site as Quo Vadis).

It is also due to open its second El Pastor - a tortilla factory and taco bar - in Druid Street, Bermondsey, next month.

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