Imad’s Syrian Kitchen announces second site

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen will open its second permanent restaurant in London on 18 November, bringing Imad Alarnab’s Syrian cooking to Blossom Street in Shoreditch’s new Norton Folgate development.

The 71-cover restaurant marks a return to East London for Alarnab, whose London journey began with the first Imad’s Syrian Kitchen pop-up on Columbia Road in 2017.

Designed to reflect the chef's personal connection to Damascus, the new restaurant draws inspiration from the city’s historic homes, souks and intricate tilework. With a background in textiles, Alarnab has personally shaped the interiors, sourcing materials, objects and furnishings from Syria, including hanging lanterns, bar lamp shades, a sofa and a collection of paintings by Syrian artists.

“My journey in London really began on Columbia Road in East London, where I launched the first Imad’s Syrian Kitchen pop-up in 2017," he says. "It feels very special to be returning to East London now, almost a decade later, with a permanent home for Imad’s Syrian Kitchen. There’s a real sense of coming full circle, but this time we’re bringing everything we’ve learnt and everything the restaurant has become to a new generation of Londoners.”

What's on the menu? 

The new location will offer the same approach to Syrian cooking established at the original Kingly Court restaurant, with a menu rooted in home cooking, traditional ingredients, techniques and flavours, interpreted through Alarnab's own cooking style.

The menu combines classic Syrian dishes with a contemporary twist suited to a modern London restaurant, including Jawaneh, crispy cauliflower with pomegranate glaze; Shish Tawook, grilled chicken with spiced potato and harissa mayo; and a selection of traditional dips including baba ghanoj and hummus topped with crispy chickpeas. The restaurant will also have new and exclusive dishes at the East London site.

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