Tapas beach bar to open in former Bethnal Green toilet block

Tapas ‘beach bar' Chiringuito is set to open at the site of a former public toilet in London's Bethnal Green.

The venue opens next month with a rooftop overlooking the area's museum gardens. Loosely translated from Spanish, a chiringuito is an all-day beachfront bar and restaurant serving tapas, snacks and drinks.

East Londoner Alex Dehayen, who is a director of 5dproperty and real estate investment company Pisoria, as well as his own consultancy Vemos Consulting, is behind the project.

The food offering will be overseen by Peruvian head chef Marco Padilla, who has created a sharing menu inspired by Hispanic and Latin American flavours, featuring classic tapas dishes such as padron peppers, patatas bravas and gambas al ajillo, as well as more South American-influenced dishes such as seabass ceviche in leche del tigre.

The bar will specialise in gin and tonics, showcasing a selection of Spanish gins, while the cocktail menu will put Latino twists on classic cocktails such as the ‘Bloody Maria', with a kick of tequila or mezcal.

Chiringuito will also have a list of cavas and Spanish wines, and craft beers from east London breweries such as Truman's and Redchurch.

Dehayen said: "I wanted to bring something new and different to the place where I lived, to capture something that I loved from Spain and Latin American countries, which seemed to be missing in London."

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