And this one will feature a speakeasy-style basement
Parisian restaurateur and WSET-certified wine expert Carole Bryon opened Lady of the Grapes in Covent Garden back in 2018, as a place to champion organic and natural wines and female producers. Now she’s expanding, opening a second Lady of the Grapes bar inside the Menier Chocolate Factory by Borough Market.
The Grade-II listed Victorian building is an epic space and Lady of the Grapes SE1 is taking up a ground-floor site with windows along two walls, room for 60 in the main restaurant and 20 on the terrace. The 400+ wine list, with many available by the glass, will carry the same Lady of the Grapes ethos of showcasing natural, organic wines and bottles made by female producers, with Head Chef Matyáš Plzák (ex-Frog by Adam Handling, Frenchie and Mãos) cooking up modern French bistro fare to go with it. Expect dishes like:
- smoked eel tartelette with Jerusalem artichoke
- comté soufflé with summer truffle
- pork terrine
- clams with pastis broth and fennel
- poached Bresse chicken with vin jaune sauce and morels
- lamb chops with mint Grenobloise, peas, artichokes and lamb jus
- canard aux olives
- whole plaice with sauce choron
- madeleines
- Paris-Brest
There’ll also be the 45-cover speakeasy-style Forbidden Fruit bar in the basement, where you can get a charcuterie menu alongside the Lady of the Grapes wine list.
Speaking about the opening, founder Carole Bryon said: “We are so excited about this new chapter for Lady of the Grapes! We’re looking forward to launching a bigger space to welcome more people, bring joy through good honest French cooking and, most importantly, continue to support the talented women making delicious wine all over the world.”
Key Information
Opening date | Mon 15th June 2026
Address | 53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU
For more information | @lady_of_the_grapes_se1
