Oriole to close due to Smithfield market redevelopment

Oriole jazz club and cocktail bar in London’s Clerkenwell is to close after New Year’s Eve due to the ongoing redevelopment of Smithfield market and the Museum of London.

However, the owners hope to relocate the concept to a new, central location in summer 2023.

Edmund Weil and Roisin Stimpson, founders of Speakeasy Entertainment, announced they had come to a surrender deal with the Corporation of London.

In a statement they said: ‘’It has been a bittersweet moment for us because Oriole has been the jewel in the crown of Speakeasy Entertainment and, while it has been trading really well, this gives us the opportunity to relocate to a place that is a little more suitable for our offering. We want to be able to shift the spotlight to our food offering due to the success of our dinner and show offering, while still cherishing our iconic cocktails. Oriole was the second venue we ever opened and it has been amazing to see our Oriole fly the nest and grow into the success it has been. We see this as a real opportunity to improve things.’’

They said the decision was “not made lightly” and that they hoped to retain “key staff members” for the new site and bring them on as employee shareholders.

Speakeasy Entertainment opened Nightjar in Shoreditch in 2010, followed by Oriole in 2015 and Swift in 2016, which now has sites in Borough, Shoreditch and Soho.