An African Dining Hall's coming to London this year — though a lot of the specifics are tbc.
Back in 2020, New York's chef-restaurateur-opera singer-renaissance man Alexander Smalls opened a temporary African Dining Hall at Expo 2020 in Dubai — a partnership with TGP International (the group behind 3 Henrietta Street in Covent Garden).
Called Alkebulan, the pop up has proved such a draw that all talk of an end date's gone utterly silent. And Smalls and TGP are looking further afield now, with a London opening slated for sometime in 2022.
With a parallel opening planned for Harlem, the London venue is intended to host spaces for 10 chefs, along with an incubator-model remit to help lift smaller hospitality businesses onto a bigger stage.
Disclaimer: most of our expectations for Alkebulan's London landing are pure guesswork — there hasn't been a lot of confirmed info released yet, and even the opening date is shrouded in silence.
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But based on the Dubai concept, we're expecting (or at least hoping for) a multi-experiential space — part artist showcase, part live music venue, part cocktail spot, scattered through with amazing food businesses ranging in prices and flourishes from relaxed quasi-street food pitstops to high-concept high-frills set menus.
Alkebulan — the opening date for London's TBC, keep a watch on their Instagram for more info.
