More details on David Carter's next site

The founder of Smokestak and co-founder of manteca will open the doors to Agora in London’s Borough Market this month.

Meaning ‘market’ in Greek, Agora takes its cues from the street markets and restaurants of Athens by way of London, and is situated downstairs to its fellow Greek counterpart, Oma, which David Carter is also opening later this spring.

"This site is completely unique in that the infrastructure completely warrants and demands two concepts," Carter says. "While Oma will be more elevated, Agora is designed to mirror the bustling vibe of the market it opens out onto, heavily influenced by the lively streets of Athens, with our two-metre souvla rotisserie being the focal point.

"We want Agora to be high energy and lively, somewhere you’re welcome and at ease for a unfussy lunch on the counter among the vibrance of the market, or as a larger group wanting to get stuck a whole spit-roast pig. Frozen green chilli margs to wash it all down and extra napkins at the ready."

More about the new restaurant

Located on street level, guests to Agora will enter through the Crittall shopfront on Bedale Street and be greeted by the two-metre charcoal rotisserie souvla that the menu will revolve around, using whole animals such as native breed pork, lamb and chicken from Somerset and Cornwall.

Nick Molyviatis will be working alongside Carter to develop the menu for launch, while Eyal Schwartz, the founding head baker at E5 Bakehouse, will be developing the bread programme for the onsite bakery for Agora and Oma upstairs.

The menu begins with wood-fired flatbreads made with wild-farmed British grains, to go with house spreads including a spinach tzatziki with crispy garlic, or strained yoghurt blitzed with feta, oregano and Aleppo chilli oil.

Hot from the wood-burning rotisserie will be a rotating selection of different cuts of meat, including rolled lamb shoulder marinated in garlic, lemon zest and oregano; native breed pork shoulder ‘kontosouvli' (marinated then roasted), brushed with rosemary and pork fat; or pasture fed Somerset Saxon chicken.

On weekends, Agora will serve whole animals such as spit-roast lamb and native breed pork with crackling and salsa verde.  

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