Ember Yard is a seriously sophisticated tapas bar in an off the beaten track part of Soho (in as far as it’s ever possible to get off the beaten track a stones throw away from Oxford Street). The restaurant comes from the same people who brought London Dehesa, Salt Yard and Opera Tavern and serves delicious small Italian-Iberian dishes cooked over smoky coals.
Time Out recently named Ember Yard as the second best restaurant in London – behind only the Chiltern Firehouse which we reviewed last month (3 BBS Ticks) – so it’s a must visit from a style perspective. They described the restaurant as “stunning but little known” which one would assume will not be the case for long now they’ve given it such a high rating in London’s most high profile review mag.
The Guardian’s reviewer was similarly impressed, not just by the food but also by the restaurant’s style, saying that “it looks wonderful, and manages to avoid every Soho boîte cliche, with not a bare brick or filament lightbulb in sight” and adding that the menu is “corset-burstingly swoonworthy”. Looking at dishes such as “Steamed and chargrilled octopus with peperonata and mojo verde” we’d have to agree. The food is brilliant and at a price of £35-40 per head, including wine and service, it’s not bad value either.
There will however be a problem for many less able visitors since the Ember Yard’s toilets are all downstairs from the entrance and none of them have been adapted for disabled users (it may be possible to use nearby facilities, but this is hardly convenient). On a more positive note they do have a portable ramp which can be put in place for anyone who needs it when entering the building as there is one large step at the entrance. The ground floor is accessible but the downstairs level is not.
Ember Yard is not completely accessible and the lack of an adapted toilet is problematic, but it may be manageable for many people and the high recommendation from Londoners earns it a provisional 1.5 BBS Ticks. Fully marks for style but less so on facilities and access.
