Roast Shoreditch appears to be replacing 45 Curtain Road, the Japanese-inspired chophouse concept led by chef Alex Furusawa-Cadoni that launched within the East London hotel late last year.
The 135-cover restaurant will pay tribute to Shoreditch’s lesser-known horticultural history and its connection to Columbia Road Flower Market.
Rather than recreating its Borough Market restaurant, Roast has developed a design that it says is rooted in Shoreditch.
Decorative ironwork, botanical details and layered planting will nod to the area’s horticultural past, while timber, marble, brass and antique mirrors will “carry over the warmth of the original”.
The space will encompass a main restaurant and bar, a light-filled orangery and a chef’s table.
Founded in 2005 and set above the market halls at Borough Market, Roast says it has built its reputation on generous British cooking, close relationships with farmers, growers and artisan suppliers, and its Sunday roasts.
Its current menu includes braised lamb scrumpets; haggis and pork Scotch egg; 42-day-aged roast beef; slow-roasted pork belly; and beef Wellington with truffled mashed potato and Madeira sauce.
The restaurant also offers a changing programme of daily specials, including honey-glazed ham, monkfish Wellington, steak, ale and bone marrow pie, roast suckling pig, and fish and chips.
Roast was founded by Cinnamon Club co-founder Iqbal Wahhab in Borough Market in 2005 and purchased by current CEO Marc Bevan in 2019.
Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch initially opened as The Curtain hotel and members’ club before being rebranded as Mondrian Shoreditch in 2021.
Reuben Brothers subsequently brought in Virgin Hotels, which rebranded the 120-bedroom property in 2024 as the brand’s first London hotel.
“Opening our second restaurant is a hugely exciting milestone for the business,” says Bevan. “Shoreditch feels like a natural evolution for Roast – a neighbourhood with its own rich history of markets, makers and creativity that closely aligns with our own values.
“From the design of the space to the food on the plate, everything has been created to celebrate seasonality, craftsmanship and the exceptional quality of British produce. We can’t wait to welcome both local residents and hotel guests this October.”
Barry Vera, director of culinary and beverage at Virgin Hotels Collection, adds: “Roast has built a strong reputation around generous British food and warm, uncomplicated hospitality, which makes this partnership feel like a natural fit for Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch.
“We’re excited to bring those two experiences together, with Roast’s breadth of offering, from breakfast and brunch through to afternoon tea, dinner and, of course, its much-loved Sunday roast, complementing the energy and character of the hotel.
“Together, this aims to be a dining experience that feels genuinely at home in Shoreditch; somewhere hotel guests, locals and visitors alike can settle in, spend time and enjoy themselves.”