Stevie Parle says Joy’s return to Portobello Dock ‘isn’t happening’

Chef-restaurateur Stevie Parle has said his restaurant, retail space and music venue Joy will not be returning to London's Portobello Dock as hoped.

Parle said earlier this month that he had hoped to reopen the concept, however he has since posted on Instagram that the leaseholder and landlord “have taken another direction”.

“So, looks like this isn’t happening. @joy_joy_joy__ will not be returning to Portobello Dock. Despite our best efforts and to our surprise the current leaseholder and new landlord have taken another direction and are progressing a deal with an international group,” he said.

The chef launched Joy in partnership with designer Tom Dixon in the summer of 2020 but had to vacate the space to make way for another operator in 2021.

Joy briefly returned in a temporary home on Marylebone High Street during summer 2021 and also ran a pop-up at Sotheby's.

Parle opened his first restaurant, Dock Kitchen, at Portobello Dock in 2009 when he was just 24 years old. It traded for eight years until it closed in 2017.