ICHIBUNS rolls into Chinatown London for debut site in Wardour Street
With a commitment to long-term curation and partnership with the Chinatown London community, Shaftesbury has announced that ICHIBUNS, the brand new Japanese-inspired dining concept promising luxury fast food, has opened its debut site at 22 Wardour Street in Chinatown London, one of the West End’s most iconic destinations.
The 3,900 sq ft,130 cover restaurant spread across three floors is designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu of Tokyo’s Studio Glitt. Diners will be immersed in an eclectic Tokyo rock-and-roll interior inspired by 50s and 60s Japanese subcultures and the quintessential American diner. Walls are lined in a variety of Japanese ephemera including Manga comics, vintage newspapers and Japanese fishing flags.
In addition to table service throughout the restaurant, guests can order from a concrete takeaway counter which has been moulded to represent Japanese granite, and on the plant-filled first floor, enjoy views overlooking bustling Chinatown London. On the lower ground floor, a bar area features a wall lined with Japanese pachinko machines and another with Japanese craft beer cans
ICHIBUNS was founded on the principles of providing the best quality produce at affordable prices providing an authentic experience in a modern Japanese environment. The menu offers a selection of Hokkaido-inspired cuisine, including the ultimate Wagyu beef burger, ramen, Coco Whip soft serve, shakes and custom cocktails available until midnight during the week and midnight at weekends. The concept is born by the founders of Nobu and Ping Pong.
Commenting on the news, Julia Wilkinson, Group Restaurant Strategy Executive at Shaftesbury, said: “We are thrilled ICHIBUNS has opened their debut site in Chinatown London, creating a truly unique Wagyu beef experience in an Instagrammer’s heaven. The capital already boasts one of the world’s most exciting gourmet burger scenes, and ICHIBUNS’ innovative and alternative take on a hugely popular food trend, makes them an exciting new addition to Chinatown London’s food operators where the best authentic Chinese and East Asian traditions meet modern dining experiences.”
Benjamin Goldkorn of ICHIBUNS, added: “We are delighted to have opened our first restaurant in such an eclectic and high quality dining and cultural destination. Our focus on Japanese inspired ingredients and prime cuts of delicious beef, meant securing a location popular with food-loving and culturally inquisitive consumers was important to us. We therefore could not have asked for a better site than on Wardour Street, in the beating heart of Chinatown London.”
This news follows the announcement that Korean barbeque restaurant, Olle, has opened on Shaftesbury Avenue. In addition, Shaftesbury have just completed Central Cross, a £15m development at the eastern gateway to Chinatown that will create a 48,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme providing a range of new double-height restaurant and retail units across up to three floors. A key part of the scheme will complement Chinatown’s existing diverse range of F&B choices, with units ranging from 400 sq ft to 4,300 sq ft.