The Countdown To London Restaurants Re-Opening

What seems like an age (100 days and counting) of isolation and thinly enforced lockdown measures is seemingly being greeted with a small sliver of light at the end of the tunnel. Well, a pretty big light in fact. Restaurants are re-opening across the country and the capital in particular.

Whilst we’ve all been getting very familiar with our kitchen utensils and limitations of our cooking skills, there’s been one incessant craving for many. No matter how many homemade sourdoughs we’ve churned out or DIY kits we’ve ordered, there’s no getting rid of the desire to go back to our favourite restaurants. For many, it’s been the main thought of the day throughout lockdown. Where would you eat out first? What would you order?  Oh, the amount of dreaming and wishful thinking that has taken place over the past three months.

So, for many, news that restaurants and pubs can re-open from July 4th were greeted by hallelujah’s and applause all round. For many though, a certain trepidation remains. March 20th was the official date that restaurants were told to close and since then, we’ve been bombarded with statistics, governmental rulings, general confusion and fear. People who previously didn’t really take it seriously are now donning masks and gloves to do their weekly shop, antibacterial gel is a pocket essential for everyone and the new relaxation of distance rulings sees many of us struggling to wrap our heads round the fact that we can hug other family and friends. It’s all just been a bit weird, hasn’t it?

Well now restaurants are re-opening and London will slowly see a return to normal, or a “new normal” as it is often referred to now. Restaurants such as Dishoom that previously operated on a walk-in only basis have had to implement a reservation system which is great for many. 2 hour waits outside huddled over a cup of Masala Chai are things of the past and have been replaced with a set time to arrive with up to 5 other guests. Whilst many restaurants announced plans for re-opening as soon as the government gave them the big okay, many held back. To restructure, plan and ensure their environments are optimal for health and safety regulations. Hawksmoor took a little longer than any other popular London restaurant to announce their plans for re-opening but in their words, “We could perhaps have gone quicker, but we’d rather do it right”.

In the background of the overall excitement and intrigue as to what dining out will look like, there has been some food for thought namely from Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson of St. John. In their open letter, which they are encouraging restauranteurs and chefs to sign, they are urging the government to help restaurants nationwide. Soho, whilst a buzzy central location for restaurants, bars and clubs will now see many establishments unable to open with the new regulations. Distance ruling makes it hard for already small restaurants to open and this news has seen restaurants such as two Michelin star The Ledbury and The Frog Hoxton permanently close.

Over the course of the pandemic, Deja Vu has tried to bring you the best in food news. We've brought you Recipe Guides, Home Delivery Guides on where to nab some of London's most delicious hampers and tried to shine a light on some of the content (TV, Instagrams) we've been loving throughout all of this. Whilst restaurants are re-opening and we will be letting you know what ones you should head to (it feels weird saying that, right?), we do urge you all to stay safe.

The experience of going to a restaurant is great: the buzz, the atmosphere, the friendly service, the food, the drinks, the choice of another cocktail or dessert or both. But undoubtedly, this will all be different. We don’t know whether we’ll be able to speak to the waiter about their personal recommendations or even if there will be the same buzz in the air. What we do know though is that this is a big change for everyone but mainly, the people involved. So if you have a booking in your diary, a reservation you couldn’t wait to make, be sure to spare a moment to think about the hospitality staff that are going to be out there making sure we all get a semblance of normality back. If that involves putting a mask on, sanitising your hands between courses and exercising a little more patience whilst restaurants entirely restructure, that’s really a small price to pay.

And if you didn’t tip before, you definitely should now.