New York celeb chef Jody Williams is opening a branch of her French-inspired Buvette in Covent Garden next week.
She has taken over and extended the former St John Bakery in Neal’s Yard to create an 80-seat space that will be open from 8am every morning until 9pm (Sun-Wed) or 10pm (Thurs-Sat) – so not quite as late as in Manhattan’s West Village.
Buvette bills itself as a “gastrotheque” combining the elegance of an old-world café with the relaxed feel of a neighbourhood eatery – somewhere you can eat and drink well at any time of the day, from fresh croissants and croque madames in the morning, via steak tartare with a glass of champagne in the afternoon, to an evening of coq au vin and late digestifs at the bar
Jody opened the original Buvette in 2011, and followed up with branches in Tokyo and Seoul. She also runs the nearby rustic Italian Via Carota – said to be a favourite of Taylor Swift’s when in New York – with her wife and business partner Rita Sodi.
Born in California, where her father had a hotdog stand on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, she gained first-hand knowledge of European cuisine while cooking American food in Italy in her 20s.
This is a second run for Buvette in London; a branch opened in Notting Hill’s Blenheim Crescent in 2021 before closing three years later.
