Vinoteca’s Farringdon location will be transformed into Vinoteca di Sartoria, creating a small plates format of the Italian restaurant brand. Vinoteca City at Bloomberg Arcade, meanwhile, will offer a new Mediterranean menu.
The move comes as Evolv Collection looks to build the Sartoria brand from its original restaurant on Savile Row, that opened in 1990, into a multi-site Italian brand. A second Sartoria will open next month on Launceston Place, replacing the restaurant in the group most recently led by Ben Murphy, with Fiume in Battersea to become Sartoria Battersea.
This will be followed by the opening of a new Sartoria venue that will open in Liverpool Street in January 2026, with Vinoteca di Sartoria taking the portfolio to five sites. The latter will serve a small plates menu inspired by Sartoria Launceston Place’s lunch menu, complemented by Vinoteca’s wine programme.
In 2023 Vinoteca and its five sites were bought out of administration by Breal Capital, which is also an owner of The Evolv Collection alongside partner Calveton. The Vinoteca site in King’s Cross has subsequently become a Harry’s restaurant under the Richard Caring-owned brand while its Borough Yards location is to become the second site for JKS Restaurants’ southern Thai restaurant concept Plaza Khao Gaeng.
Vinoteca’s Chiswick site closed in September this year.
“The acquisition of Vinoteca represents an exciting opportunity to bring together two distinguished brands with complementary DNA,” says Martin Williams, CEO of The Evolv Collection.
“Vinoteca’s expertise in wine and neighbourhood dining aligns perfectly with our vision for Sartoria’s evolution. This strategic move allows us to introduce the elegance of Milanese dining to new audiences across London, whilst honouring what makes Vinoteca special.”
“This is about creating something special – honouring Vinoteca’s legacy whilst writing an exciting new chapter for the Sartoria brand. From intimate wine bars to our flagship restaurant, the Sartoria collection will offer Londoners multiple ways to experience the elegance of Milan.”
Former Rare Restaurants CEO Williams joined The Evolv Collection at the start of the year. Under his stewardship he has sought to develop a number of key brands within the company, which was formerly known as D&D London, including Stories group of restaurants. In September the group changed the name of its high-rise Birmingham restaurant Orelle to 24 Stories, and previously changed the name of its high-rise restaurant 14 Hills London to 14 Stories.
It now operates three restaurants under the Stories name - the third being in Manchester - and it says more skyline locations will open across the UK under the Stories name in the future.