Two iconic east London restaurants have announced their shock closure

Two much-loved east London restaurants, P Franco and Bright, have announced their immediate closure. 

The Broadway Market wine shop Noble Fine Liquor, which was run by the same team, has also shut down with immediate effect. The shock news was announced via P Franco’s Instagram account with a statement which reads: ‘Our hearts are broken, and we are devastated to be making this post. In short – our time in the sun has come to an abrupt and sudden end, we have closed the doors at Noble Fine Liquor, P. Franco and Bright for the final time and they will not be re-opening.’

No specific reason was given for the three closures, but the post adds: ‘There are many complex ins-and-outs that have resulted in the position that we’re in, we don’t feel this is the forum or time to go through those things in detail. Our focus at this stage is to try to do right by our staff and suppliers whilst we try to navigate our way down a path we never thought we’d have to walk.’

Since opening in 2014, P. Franco had become a fixture of Lower Clapton Road, a popular wine bar known for its dining table which invited a changing rota of chefs to take over the small kitchen. Bright followed in 2018, opening at the bottom of Netil House on Westgate Street near London Fields and offering a more formal dining experience as well as serving low-intervention and natural wines. 

Upon opening, Bright received a five-star review from Time Out. We called it the ‘best thing to hit the neighbourhood since sliced bread’. 

Thank you for your service, P. Franco and Bright, you will be missed.

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