Tavern, a British bistro on Old Street in Shoreditch, has opened in the former space of Nest, earning a three-out-of-five-star review from Time Out. The restaurant, run by the same team behind Restaurant St Barts, underwent a swift rebranding and stylistic revamp after Nest's tasting menu approach failed to draw sufficient crowds.
Atmosphere and Design
The dining room features warren-like spaces with high ceilings, crisp clapperboard walls, and stunning Victorian floor tiles preserved from the Nest era. The new branding leans into a dark, medieval aesthetic with gothic fonts, imagery of lairds drinking mead, ragged sheepskins, and pewter tankards used for serving smoked cod's roe dip with puffed pig skin.
Standout Dishes
Tavern's menu blends contemporary global fusion with quirky touches. The best dishes are impeccable: the 'chunion puff' is a tennis-ball-sized choux pastry filled with creamy confit onion and cheesy custard, topped with parmesan snow. Fire-cooked bread is slightly claggy but saved by tomato and miso house butter. The standout is a juicy pork and cuttlefish sausage, served with a dank chutney and sauerkraut instead of the listed mustard, maintaining a perfect skin snap.
Weak Points
Some dishes fall short. A salad of French beans, BBQ peach, and ricotta is over-pickled and difficult to find the ricotta. A mushroom main with roasted yeast and barley suffers from an over-astringent quality. Dessert strawberry sorbet offers a nice sweet-tart balance, but mini brown butter cakes are tough.
Drinks and Vibe
The drink menu features great wines by the glass and pickleback martinis described as 'utterly filthy.' The vibe is that of a British bistro on busy Old Street, with global flavors funneled through British ingredients.
Final Verdict
Time Out recommends ordering the chunion puffs and pork and cuttlefish sausage. With a few tweaks, Tavern could improve from its current three-star rating. The restaurant is located at 374-378 Old Street, Shoreditch, London EC1V 9LT.
