A historic East End pub will reopen at the end of February after a three-decade break – lovingly refurbished, and with a stand-alone restaurant upstairs.
The Grade II-listed Knave of Clubs, in Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, dates back to 1880 and served traders from the adjacent Club Row bird and pet market. After closing as a pub 32 years ago, it operated as über-funky French restaurant Les Trois Garçons in the 2000s.
It has been rescued by James Dye, co-owner of the Camberwell Arms and Frank’s Bar in Peckham, and former JKS and NoMad director Benjy Liebowitz, with with ex-Midland Grand and Allegra chef Patrick Powell as culinary director.
James says: “We are extremely excited to be restoring a beautiful building, with such a remarkable history, back to being a pub for the first time in over 30 years. With so many pubs closing in London, we felt it was incredibly important to step in and try to save this remarkable building.”
The ground floor will operate as a classic pub, serving oysters, Guinness and rotisserie chicken, along with snacks such as venison sausage rolls, prawn scotch eggs and pastrami sandwich with sauerkraut, plus beers including draught Double Diamond from the revived brewery Allsopp’s – which once owned it. Upstairs there will be a restaurant called One Club Row.
The Knave of Clubs opens on Thursday 27 February.
