The top line: Karan Gokani has opened a Hoppers restaurant within the former Lyle’s site in Shoreditch’s the Tea Building, bringing the JKS Restaurants-backed brand up to four London locations. The design reimagines palaces and traditional homes of South India through a contemporary Shoreditch lens, while the menu introduces a new line of regional South Indian dishes alongside Hopper’s signatures.
The menu: Describing itself as ‘where Sri Lanka meets South India’, Hoppers Shoreditch’s new line-up spotlights dishes from Southern Indian states including Chettinad, Madurai, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai. Highlights include crab kari omelette with nool paratha; crisp benne dosa topped with pulled lamb; and Dindigul-style beef short rib biryani, slow-cooked with short-grain rice. Alongside these regional additions, the menu retains Hoppers’ signature dishes, including its namesake bowl-shaped pancakes. Drinks feature a selection of ‘Shoreditch-only’ cocktails such as Rose + Milk Punch and Young Monk - a twist on an Old Monk rum and cola - while a concise wine list ranges from £37 to £106, topping out with a 2018 Barolo from Serralunga d’Alba.
The vibe: The space takes inspiration from the ancestral Chettiyar homes of Chettinad, including The Bangala and Meyyappan family houses. Details include carved timber, patterned Athangudi tiles and tropical textures, as well as custom-made pieces, sculpture, art and photography from artists in Chennai.
And another thing: Hoppers has not opened a new restaurant since its King’s Cross site in 2020. The Shoreditch launch comes roughly a decade after Hoppers launched its debut restaurant in Soho.
56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ