The Poet will see Charlie Sims, Honey Spencer and Spencer Large collaborate with former Aulis London head chef Charlie Tayler.
The venue will initially open as a “traditional yet contemporary” British pub and dining room spread across the building’s ground and first floors.
Further elements will follow during the first half of 2027, including Envoi, an ambitious 10-seat chef’s counter restaurant led by Tayler, and Shambles, a standalone cocktail bar in the attic.
Sims, Spencer and Large launched Sune on Broadway Market in 2023, positioning it as a canal-side neighbourhood restaurant offering seasonal European cooking and a progressive wine list.
All three of Sune’s founders have held senior front of house and management roles in some of London’s best known restaurants.
The Poet’s menus will be overseen by Tayler, who recently left his position as head chef at Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred Aulis London after six years. His previous experience also includes The Ledbury and The Westbury.
The Poet’s ground floor will pay homage to the classic Victorian pub, drawing on the maximalist aesthetic of the era with high ceilings, elaborate joinery and richly textured surfaces.
A double-height bar will be surrounded by alcoves and snugs positioned beneath the mezzanine.
It will serve beer, “real wines” and spirits alongside a playful menu that riffs on familiar pub snacks, including house pork pie with piccalilli and a Scampi Fries-inspired Scotch egg.
Upstairs, The Poet Dining Room will offer what the team describes as “elevated dining within the charm and ease of a timeless pub”.
Its menu will draw on London’s cultural diversity and restaurant heritage, reimagining British pub classics alongside a Sunday roast served each weekend.
The dining room will feature wood panelling, a rich colour palette, leather seating and large windows running the length of the space. An open kitchen will allow diners to watch Tayler and his team at work.
Spencer - one of London’s most prominent natural wine sommeliers - will oversee an extensive wine list encompassing both renowned appellations and lesser-known regions.
Scheduled to open during the first half of 2027, Envoi will offer a markedly different experience from the pub and dining room.
The intimate 10-seat chef’s counter takes its name from the poetic term for the concluding passage or stanza of a poem, while its 14-course tasting menu will be structured around the form of a sonnet.
Located on the mezzanine within what is described as an immersive, conceptual art gallery-style space, Envoi will be the most ambitious expression of Tayler’s cooking at The Poet.
Shambles, meanwhile, will be located in the attic and take inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century, around the time the building was completed.
Its name references a Middle English term associated with butchers’ stalls and the meat trade, providing a link to Smithfield’s history.
The Poet will be the first business to open within one of six ‘Houses’ built into the perimeter of Smithfield’s Victorian General Market. The retail and hospitality spaces are being revived as part of London Museum’s 10-year restoration of the site.
The museum is scheduled to move into the General Market on 28 November, bringing the historic building back into public use for the first time in more than three decades.
“We’ve wanted to open a pub together for years; pubs are one of our finest institutions and hold such a deeply rooted and important place in British culture,” Sims, Spencer, Large and Tayler say.
“The Poet will be a pub first and foremost, honouring everything we love about a great traditional boozer, while also giving us the opportunity to bring together exceptional dining and cocktails under the same roof.”