Pioneering zero-waste restaurant Silo is closing down after 11 years, with founder Douglas McMaster embarking on a “world tour” to spread its sustainable philosophy via pop-ups and collaborations.
Silo originally opened in Brighton, moving in 2019 to its current site in Hackney Wick’s ‘White Building’, above the Crate brewery. It has won consistently high ratings in the annual Harden’s guide, although feedback was strongest in the early years.
Douglas announced the closure in an address posted on social media, saying: “The 20th of December will be our last service. It’s sad but it’s also a miracle and I feel enormously happy when I think about how this shouldn’t have existed.
“The analogy that I like and it’s been bouncing around my head is that it’s like a fish trying to climb a tree. The environment isn’t necessarily the one in which the fish can climb the tree but I feel like by some miracle we have managed to climb a tree.”
He expanded his theme in an accompanying post, saying: “Silo is not just a restaurant. It’s an idea, an artwork, a zero-waste blueprint.
“Behind the scenes, we built a company called ‘Silo Systems’. We opened Baldio in Mexico. We’re developing a new project in Bali. Through Silo Systems – designing supply chains, fermentation programs, and regenerative models across the world – we can make a serious impact. These are the next chapters in shaping the future of food.
“The walls may vanish, but the mycelium keeps spreading. What you saw was temporary. What you didn’t see is permanent.”
