Off-duty somms in the capital could be set to lose some of their favoured drinking dens, with news that 28-50, the wine bar/bistro brand created by chef Agnar Sverrisson and sommelier Xavier Rousset MS, has been put up for sale.
Two of the 28-50 restaurants, in Marylebone and Mayfair, are on the market, while the Fetter Lane venue has just been bought by Cliffords Restaurant Ltd, following a ‘great offer’. The Open Table website lists it as ‘permanently closed’.
Sverrisson’s Michelin-starred restaurant Texture (also in Marylebone) is not up for sale.
With its wide-ranging wine lists, reasonable pricing and sizable by the glass range, the various 28-50 venues have been a go-to destination for wine lovers and curious sommeliers since the first one opened in 2010.
Xavier Rousset MS left 28-50 in 2015, going on to set up Blandford Comptoir and Cabotte in 2016 and Comptoir Mayfair in 2017.
The sale highlights continuing uncertainty in the restaurant sector, which has seen a string of high profile closures over the last few months from the likes of Cote, Strada, Prezzo, Jamie Oliver and Carluccio's.
Increased rent, rates and goods costs coupled with generally weaker consumer demand are frequently blamed as reasons for the closures, though over-expansion in the last decade could well be a factor, too.
Read Imbibe’s feature on the restaurant market here
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