Dominic Hamdy and Oliver Hiam, founders of Spitalfields’ all-day restaurant Crispin, have announced they will launch brand new concept, Bar Crispin, - a natural wine bar with food, on Kingly Street, Soho, this summer.
Located right behind the iconic Liberty store, Carnaby Street, Bar Crispin will offer 42 covers in total - encompassing 20 seats in the main bar, 12 in the downstairs private dining room (PDR) and a further 10 on the outside terrace.
The site will open from early morning until late seven days a week - serving up breakfast pastries and specialty coffee (from Assembly Roast) first thing, through lunch service and into the evening where an ever-evolving natural wine list will be served along a concise bar snack menu, offering small plates, cheese and charcuterie, and weekly house specials.
The bar will be a 150-strong natural wine list, curated by Crispin in-house sommelier Stefano Cazzato (ex-Londrino, Hakkasan, Dalla Terra), with a focus on old world and indeginous grape varietals, and small indie producers, akin to its namesake sister site in Spitalfields.
Cazzato will host monthly wine events at Bar Crispin, such as natural wine tastings or wine and food pairings in the PDR ‘tasting room’ below the main bar, which will also act as private dining space for group bookings up to 12.
The food menu is curated by Crispin head chef Naz Hassan (ex-Anglo, Stem, Clipstone), in collaboration with consultant executive chef Tom Cenci (Joël Robuchon, Loyal Tavern, Stoney Street).
The menu offers an all-day bar snack menu using simple well-sourced ingredients, with options such as ‘Secret smokehouse salmon & house pickles’, ‘White beans, green sauce & Le Coste olive oil’ and the famous ‘Fish in a Tin’ for which Crispin has become known (smoked mackerel tin, with sourdough & butter), alongside smaller bites such as Gordal olives, native oysters and truffle crisps.
Hamdy commented, “We’ve always had a strong wine offering at Crispin, with a focus on natural wines and small indie producers, led by our in-house sommelier Stefano who brought with him a wealth of wine knowledge, drive and experience when he joined the team. Then, during the lockdowns we saw a huge increase in wine sales both in person to take home and via our online shop, Crispin Stores.
'We also launched the Crispin wine club in late 2020, which has been a real hit with our customers, so it seems fair that our next site should continue this focus on the wine, alongside a knock out bar snack menu. We are super excited to open Bar Crispin this summer.
'We are right behind the iconic Liberty, just off Carnaby Street on Kingly Street, which is a great location for our first real central London site. And after such a shocker of a year for hospitality, and the country in general, we hope we can offer some much needed positive vibes and bring the fun back to dining and drinking out, Crispin-style.”
Julia Wilkinson, Restaurant Director at Shaftesbury, commented, 'Bar Crispin, the brand-new wine bar with food coming to Kingly Street will become a new and popular spot in Carnaby.
'We are looking forward to the all-day menu from breakfast bites, specialty coffee, through to low intervention and natural wines, seasonal small plates and some great bar snacks.
'This is a brilliant new concept with a versatile offering from morning until evening and we look forward to the opening this summer.'
