A new bar and restaurant opens in London this week, with a 1950s-60s West Coast America theme.
Fugitive Motel takes up residence opposite Bethnal Green Gardens, offering food and drink all day, and welcoming Londoners looking for a place to work. Don't bring your PJs though — despite the name, there's no overnight accommodation.
Pastries and Climpson & Sons coffee are available for breakfast (from 8am Monday-Saturday, 10am Sunday), before the menu segues into beer and sourdough pizza from noon.
Craft beers are a speciality, with 14 offerings from local East London breweries on draft. Low- and no-alcohol beers are also available on draft, along with kombucha on tap. Natural wines, spritzes and other drinks feature on the menu too.
Decor is kept to the pastel-hued end of Americana — from what we've seen so far, it's all a bit Accidentally Wes Anderson. Plants and greenery take centre stage, with the pizza lounge area offering a more industrial feel. Each booth has its own motel-style 'vacancy' light, which diners can switch on or off depending on whether they're open to being joined by other groups.
For summer days, a 25-seater terrace runs along Cambridge Heath Road, with plants featuring heavily here too. In one corner of the bar, a shuffleboard is available to use, with plans for a community league to run once the venue is open.
Fugitive Motel, 199 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, E2 OEL. Opens Friday 7 June 2019 —- every visitor from 5pm-9pm on that day gets a free opening drink. No website yet but follow on Instagram and Twitter for updates.
