The restaurateur behind London’s Pied à Terre, David Moore, has bought a London pub, The Deveraux off The Strand, with plans to turn it into a “proper pub” without “any pretence”.
As first reported by Big Hospitality, Moore has teamed up with business partner and publican Tony Bennett for the project, having secured a 20-year lease on the former Greene King pub.
The Grade II listed building dates back to 1676 as the Grecian Coffee House, and was remodelled as a pub in 1843.
The pub has been closed since 2017, with Moore and Bennett planning to revamp the 3,000 sq ft site, while retaining its historic features.
”I have always loved the idea of owning a traditional pub with a proper publican at the wheel”, said Moore. “Having been an iconic London pub since the 17th century, Tony and I feel obliged to honour the history and tradition of The Devereux.”
Moore opened the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in Fitzrovia in 1991, and was also the founder of French restaurant L’Autre Pied in Marylebone, which closed in 2017.
An outspoken voice in London’s restaurant scene, last year, Moore accused the UK government of “sitting on its hands” while dozens of businesses collapsed or faced closure in the past year.
