
Though buried in a Hammersmith back street, the Brackenbury restaurant has long been a central feature of an area known to the locals as “Brackenbury Village’. No more. Earlier this week, the shutters went up (well, figuratively speaking – actually there's a notice saying the restaurant will be closed for the time being).
It’s very tempting to see this as a sign of tough economic times, as no one would ever choose to close a restaurant just before the usual Christmas rush. And to some extent it may be. But it would also be fair to say that the place – hailed as a backstreet gem in its heyday – had clearly been shown by our survey to have drifted in recent times.
And Hammersmith – arguably the gastropub capital of London – does not exactly lack other options nowadays for good-quality, mid-price dining.
PS. As of last night (17 October) the place was swinging for a private party, so at present it's clearly moth-balled rather than out-for-the-count.