Green & Fortune and London Museum have announced the launch of four major hospitality concepts at the museum’s new landmark Smithfield home, opening on 28th November 2026.
Food curator Robin Gill will oversee the culinary direction across all four concepts alongsideGreen & Fortune Chef Director, Dan Rampat, including Clerks House at London Museum, a new all-day dining room; Bartholomew’s, a bar featuring a London inspired beverage programme with cocktails by Mr Lyan Studio; the Temperance Cocoa Rooms, a café open daily with extended 24 hour opening from Thursday to Sunday; and The Roost, a rotating residency space dedicated to showcasing some of the city’s most exciting talent.
Green & Fortune’s Chief Executive, John Nugent comments “The ambition of London Museum will be matched by a hospitality offering and programme unseen in London. The Green & Fortune team, together with our collaborators, Robin Gill and Mr Lyan Studio will collectively create authentic London food and drink experiences for both museum visitors and Londoners alike. Making food and drink, not just part of the experience, but a reason to visit.
We are a proud, deep rooted London business and are embracing the opportunity to develop a selection of new and refreshingly different locations in the museum, that will shift the dial in what galleries and museums offer.
It is a tremendously purposeful project, and we are proud to be playing our part in it. Over the coming months we will share more details about what people can expect, make sure to watch this space.”
The opening of London Museum in Smithfield completes a decade-long restoration of the Victorian General Market, returning the disused historic building to public use for the first time in over three decades. Located throughout the museum, many of the venues also feature street entrances as well as access through the museum. The venues celebrate London’s food culture past and present – from pie shops and oyster bars to late-night cafés, bakery counters and modern street food.
The interiors, designed by Russell Sage Studio in partnership with Green & Fortune, will blend restored original features with contemporary design, creating an interior language for each space that is authentic and rooted, harmonious with the ethos of London Museum and the needs of its visitors. Expected to welcome more than two million visitors annually, London Museum’s new Smithfield site is one of the capital’s most anticipated cultural openings – with food and drink set to play a central role in the visitor experience.
Robin Gill comments “At London Museum, the food alone will be a reason to visit. Working with Green & Fortune we want to curate an experience that reflects the vibrancy of London and tell London’s story through food. We’ll be partnering with the best London producers and nurturing up-and-coming talent in the capital which is an exciting proposition. Bring on 28th November!”
Nathan Lamb, Director of Experience and Enterprise at London Museum, added: “Food is how London meets. Over a table to share plates and opinions, a coffee to catch up with friends, or a drink before the music starts. In the museum, we will offer four distinct experiences that give people both a place and a reason to come together. Working with Green & Fortune, alongside Robin Gill and Mr Lyan Studio, it will be part of how we tell London’s story, drawing on Smithfield’s legacy as a place that has fed and entertained Londoners for close to a thousand years.”
The Spaces
Clerks House at London Museum: A Contemporary London Dining Room
Clerks House will be Smithfield’s new all-day dining room and bistro rooted in London’s culinary history. Located in the heart of Our Time on the General Market ground floor, the 140-cover restaurant will celebrate seasonal produce, craft and skill alongside the cultural influences that define London’s food scene. Serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, alongside weekend brunch and Sunday roasts, the food is nostalgic without being dated. Comforting and thoughtful.
Celebrating the history of the market, menus will feature beef and lamb from Green & Fortune’s own farm and pies curated by Robin Gill. Guests can expect dishes such as such as ‘Mutton stew with barley, root vegetables and fresh herbs’ and a take on the traditional ‘Billingsgate sandwich’ – hand dived scallop, crispy smoked bacon, scallop roe butter’ alongside a weekly changing selection of wines by the glass, showcasing a cohesion of old and new world and skin-contact wines from small growers.
Clerks House will also host a monthly ticketed dinner club alongside other one-off events and will be available for private hire.
Bartholomew’s: A bar inspired by London’s grit & glitter in collaboration with Mr Lyan Studio
Bartholomew’s is a contemporary London bar inspired by the energy of the city, and drawing its name from London’s original summer festival, Bartholomew Fair, held in Smithfield for over seven centuries.
An evolving cocktail menu will be curated by industry pioneer Mr Lyan Studio, riffing on London Museum’s seasonal events and displays. The first seasonal menu will take inspiration from the museum’s inaugural programme London Tastes, celebrating the city’s rich and vibrant food culture, and the history and stories behind it. There will be a permanent London Made cocktail menu which takes its creative cue from the grit & glitter of London’s story, past and present. Plus, a signature seasonal shandy serve and a draught London Museum lager.
Located in a prominent position on Farringdon Road on the perimeter of the museum, Bartholomew’s is set to be a lively street-side destination for after-work drinks and museum pit-stops throughout the day. The bar is designed to be welcoming and approachable, with food focussing on elevated pub classics and snacks.
The interior design captures the changing colours of the day, blurring the boundary between inside and out as it draws inspiration from the movement, energy and rhythm of the London streets. The result is a contemporary interpretation of the classic hostelry that reflects the vibrancy and character of the city.
Temperance Cocoa Rooms: A New Chapter for an Historic Coffee House
A rare historic survival rediscovered during the museum’s renovation, the former Lockhart’s Cocoa Rooms will return to its temperance roots as a sober socialising space for the city. Adding a modern twist to the original menu, the Temperance Cocoa Rooms cafe will serve customisable hot chocolates, a bespoke recipe ginger beer, coffee mocktails, and a late-night float menu.
Open daily, it will operate round-the-clock hours from Thursday- Sunday to echo the 24hr rhythm of the city. It will be a place where early risers, night owls and post-service crowds can converge. A tee-total meet up space, with room to host community clubs, intimate events and talks.
Food will include pastries, hot carved breakfast and lunch sandwiches, toasties and soups. A signature tamarind and date spiced Chelsea bun will nod to the history of London’s spice trade and global flavours that continue to shape the capital. Coffee will be sourced from Peckham’s Old Spike.
Lockhart’s Cocoa Rooms emerged in the 1870s as part of the temperance movement. It was a commercial venture offering an alcohol-free alternative to public houses for working men. Beginning in the north of England, they quickly expanded to and across London. From its corner of the Smithfield General Market, the Lockheart’s Cocoa Rooms served market workers for 40 years.
Architectural features of the space will be retained, including Edwardian Art Nouveau style ceramic tiles with yellow buttercup designs, which were uncovered during the renovation. The design of the two-floor space will take care to reference the tangible and visible heritage of the building, while creating a comfortable modern space for visitors.
The Roost: Incubator Space Showcasing London’s Talent
The Roost is the creative hub, where some of the city’s best street-food concepts will pop-up for up to 6-month periods. Built to nurture emerging talent with a platform and space to bring their ideas, menus and stories to Londoners.
Details on The Roost’s first residency will be released in the coming months. After this, future residents will be chosen through a competitive process, with a judging panel featuring Robin Gill and Green & Fortune’s Chef Director Dan Rampat, alongside guest judges.
Each resident will win the opportunity to use The Roost as a test kitchen for their product which will be a take-away format in the day, transforming into an intimate evening offering for up to 14 diners. While in residence, the successful chef will be given mentorship from Green & Fortune’s John Nugent and Robin Gill to run and develop the business, including menu development, marketing, operational and financial guidance.
This space is designed to be a place of change and exchange, having the flexibility to adapt dependent on the resident at the time, allowing them to add their own identity.
Further information
greenandfortune.co.uk
www.londonmuseum.org.uk
Photo credits
© Secchi Smith
