The Wet Fish Cafe – which was recently namechecked by Oscar-winner Emma Thompson as her favourite place to eat with friends – has been a staple in West End Lane for 22 years.
Now, the indie restaurant is about to expand into the affluent celebrity-packed north London neighbourhood with a fish cafe and pizzeria in Gloucester Avenue.
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Posting on Instagram it showed a sign promising the new venture would be “shaped by the same care and spirit you know” and assuring fans that the original cafe is staying open:
“Don’t worry at all — West Hampstead isn’t going anywhere! 😊
“Primrose Hill will simply be our second home, and we’re very excited to bring The Wet Fish Café to another neighbourhood while continuing to look after our lovely West Hampstead community just as we always have.”
The Wet Fish Cafe takes its inspiration from the site at 242 West End Lane which was one of London’s original ‘wet fish shops’.
When long term West Hampstead resident André Millodot took over the former sandwich shop in 2003, he stripped back decades of paint and plaster to reveal the 1930s Art Deco wall tiles beneath – revealing the original shop sign and evidence of three fishmongers trading from the shop.
Serving the likes of mussels in a creamy fennel sauce, seafood pasta, and wild Cornish cod in batter, the cafe also runs music dinners and sells fresh fish to cook at home.
On its website it says it wanted to create “a humble neighbourhood café with good food and a welcoming atmosphere”.
“No Michelin stars, no pretension—just a place where people could feel at home, where we could follow our passions, and where everyone could indulge their senses.”
The new corner site was formerly the Sweet Pea jewellery shop in Gloucester Terrace and news of the opening was greeted with excitement on Instagram with one posting: “So happy to read this! You were one of the first restaurants I visited when I moved here 10 years ago and my regular now, so I’m glad you will be staying put in the WH community!”
While another wrote: “Welcome to the neighbourhood.”
