Leading sustainable restaurant Cub won’t be reopening after lockdown

After leading conversations around sustainability and dining – and providing plenty of good times along the way – Hoxton restaurant Cub has announced that it won’t be reopening after lockdown.

The restaurant was launched in 2017 as part of the Mr Lyan group and under the expertise of world-leading mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) and champion sustainable chef Doug McMaster. Its aim was not only to challenge ideas around supply chains and food waste but also blur the boundaries between food and drink – especially as it took over the site of Chetiyawardana’s award-winning London bar, White Lyan. 

The restaurant and its no-choice, plant-heavy menus (food and drink!) earned a prestigious five stars from Time Out after its launch, and was described as more of ‘an experience’ than a restaurant. It even had a ‘fermentation lab’ in the basement.  

Chetiyawardana announced the news on Instagram saying that, ‘Cub will live on where it can, we really believe in the values and systems it represented, and now more than ever, that seems to be a blueprint of how we want to change things.’

‘Cub was named as the baby of the group – it was precious and important – and it is incredibly sad to see it go,’ added Chetiyawardana in a statement.  

The Mr Lyan team will keep the venue as its creative headquarters and say that Cub will live on in the future form of pop-up parties and events. Mr Lyan’s other London venue, Lyaness bar is yet to reopen after lockdown. 

See all of the London restaurants and bars that won’t be reopening after lockdown. 

Support London’s restaurants through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. Here’s a handy map of participating venues.