Legare owner to launch restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop Luna in spring 2025

Restaurateur Jay Patel will launch neighbourhood restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop Luna on Shad Thames in spring 2025.

 

The founder of NinthCollective restaurants will open the new venture opposite his modern Italian restaurant Legare, which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

 

Luna will have 28 covers, including a counter dining bar, with an additional six to eight seats outside on a terrace facing the River Thames.

 

It takes the space previously occupied by D&D’s Le Pont de la Tour’s retail outlet Food Store, which closed in 2023.

 

Patel has said Luna’s wine list will champion classic styles and old-world producers who use ethical farming practices, and biodynamic and organic principles.

 

Food menus will be overseen by Legare head chef and co-founder Matt Beardmore, who has been promoted to executive chef of the group.

 

Legare general manager Alice Sapieka will oversee the launch of Luna before stepping into an operational role across the business.

 

Patel said: “We are really proud of our little corner of the world in Shad Thames and what we’ve created here with Legare over the last five years. There is so much history, from the legacy that Conran [Restaurants] and D&D built with Le Pont de la Tour through to the second wave of Shad Thames with businesses such as The Watch House and ourselves making their mark.

 

“It feels like there is a real resurgence in the area, and we are super excited to finally introduce our new wine bar to our loyal local customers who’ve supported us, and those who travel from across London and further afield to dine with us over the last five years at Legare.

 

"Matt is a phenomenal chef with a pitch perfect palate. We opened Legare together, and he’s been alongside me on this journey from the very start. His cooking honours the integrity of the ingredients, without the need for fussy peripheral garnish or extras that often detract from the actual joy of a simple well-executed dish. It’s this philosophy that we’ve honed together along with our wonderful team at Legare that we now hope to continue at Luna when we open on the Shad Thames cobbles in the new year."