Eataly to open first UK food hall in 2020

The group, which combines Italian restaurants, marketplaces and bars under one roof, has signed a lease for a two-storey 42,000 sq ft site at 135 Bishopsgate in Broadgate.

Eataly has long held ambitions to open in London. CEO Luca Baffigo announced back in 2014 that the group was lining up an opening in Selfridge’s, but it never appeared.

“Visiting Borough Market before opening our first Eataly in Italy was a source of great inspiration for our concept,” says Baffigo.

“This is why opening a place in London where people can buy, eat and learn is a very important and exciting milestone for us. Being able to bring our model into a place that is so significant for us fills us with satisfaction and stimulates us to create in London a wonderful multifunctional experience.”

Eataly’s London site will feature a cooking school, on-site production laboratories, and offer courses and guided tastings focusing on Italian food.

The opening will form part of British Land’s redevelopment of the 135 Bishopsgate building, which was previously home to RBS.

Eataly was founded in 2004 by Oscar Farinetti and now operates 35 megastores across the world, including in New York, Tokyo and Sao Paulo.

In November 2017 it opened Eataly World in Bologna, a 1,000,000 sq ft hall dubbed the ‘Disneyland of food’ with more than 40 restaurants and bars and two hectares of farmland.