‘We’re sad to say arrivederci’: London’s Café Britaly closes after eight months of trading

Café Britaly in London’s Peckham has closed after eight months of trading due to “challenging” economic conditions.

Co-owners Richard Crampton-Platt and Alex Purdie launched the British-Italian (‘Britalian’) restaurant in May 2024 as their first venture together.

It was described by the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa as a “sensitively rendered, keenly priced, modern rewiring of the neighbourhood bistro and a perfect showcase for the bravura intensity of Purdie’s cooking”.

Café Britaly also received a lot of attention for its Britalian carbonara (pictured above), which was – somewhat controversially – topped with a fried egg.

In a statement, the owners said: “We’re not going to pretend that this is a ‘relocation’ or a ‘pause’; we have very sadly but pragmatically decided to close Café Britaly. We knew that trading conditions for hospitality were tough, and went into business with our eyes open to the risk of trying to create our own ‘Britalian’ niche, but the unforeseen additional cost pressures created by the autumn budget came at the wrong stage of our business cycle. We just couldn’t make the numbers add up to continue trading into 2025.”

They added: “We’re sad to say arrivederci but we have loved our eight months in Peckham. Café Britaly drew a wonderful crowd, eager to try – and in some cases, determined, but failing, to hate – our Britalian food. We’ve made some great friends, both regular customers and in the local business community, and we’d like to thank everyone who’s been part of the Café Britaly story. Our passion for hospitality remains undimmed.”

It comes soon after Scottish chef Tom Kitchin announced he will be closing Kora in Edinburgh at the end of the month due to the “current economic climate”.