Ampéli restaurant inspired by the Eastern Mediterranean opens on Charlotte Street

17 January 2020

Ampéli, the new Eastern Mediterranean restaurant from founder Jenny Pagoni, has opened on Charlotte Street in the heart of Fitzrovia.

Taking cues from the modern wine-focused restaurants of Athens, Ampéli serves dishes inspired by both Jenny's native Greece and its neighbouring cultures. The indigenous wine list, curated by Greek Master of Wine Yiannis Karakasis, has a strong focus on the innovative producers creating a stir in the country’s wine scene.

The kitchen is led by Head Chef Oren Goldfeld who has previously worked at Nopi and Tel Aviv’s acclaimed Toto restaurant. Oren has worked closely with founder Jenny to bring her favourite Greek dishes and family recipes to London. Guests can begin with hot or cold social plates such as barrel-aged feta saganaki with cherry tomato jam; spiced potato brik with runny egg yolk, brown shrimp and harissa mayo; and manti with seasonal greens, Naboulsi cheese and yoghurt sauce. For something heartier, there’s pan-fried Welsh lamb sweetbreads with Jerusalem mixed spice served with almond sauce and pickles or a comforting short rib stew with quince and date molasses. The desserts include poppy seed loukoumades, doughnuts with Greek mountain tea syrup.

Jenny’s enthusiasm for indigenous Greek wines, combined with Yiannis’ extensive knowledge, has resulted in Ampéli’s innovative, exciting wine list. A typical evening might start with a glass of Greek sparkling, moving on to new age Retsina before settling on a vibrant Agiorgitiko or elegant Xinomavro. The list also features a wide range of Assyrtiko, a thrilling and intense grape which has boomed in popularity over the past few years. As well as crowd-pleasers, the list also features a section dedicated to new wave natural and low intervention wines from across the country, including skin contact orange wines. Finally, Jenny and Yiannis have included a section of ‘Discoveries’, rare native Greek varieties produced in very small quantities, a treat for the intrepid wine lover.

The restaurant is set across three floors and interiors have purposely been kept simple, with pale green walls as a nod to the olive groves of the Greek islands. The walls will act as a canvas for artworks from a rotating line-up of artists. The first exhibition is from acclaimed watercolourist, Leonie de Lange, and Greek sculptor Vasiliki Maliopoulou, who crafts her works from fossils and reclaimed materials found along the Greek coastline.

Founder Jenny, an established photographer, was born in Athens and moved to the UK in 2004. Missing the hospitality and food of her homeland, Ampéli was born. Front of house will be led by Lorraine Abrahams, who joins after a decade in management at Corbin and King. Prior to this she also worked at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, Caprice Holdings, and General Manager of Mark Sargeant’s Rocksalt.

Jenny says, “After moving to London in 2004, I found that what I missed most about my home in Athens was the food and wines. My grandmother is an amazing cook and a wonderful host, and good food shared with friends and family has been a part of my life since childhood. Greek wine is currently undergoing an exciting renaissance so I’m really looking forward to introducing some completely new wines to London. Ampéli will be a place for people to gather and drink something new they might never have tasted, and share dishes that reflect the diversity of the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Ampéli opened on Wednesday 15th January at 18 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LZ