Popular Latin American restaurant, Paladar in London will reopen following lockdown on Saturday 4 July in a new ‘al fresco first’ format.
Making use of this Elephant & Castle favourite’s delightful ‘secret’ courtyard garden and front terrace, guests making reservations will be allocated outdoor seating at well-spaced tables, attended to by staff following stringent hygiene measures.
To mitigate for London’s notoriously un-Latin American climate, bookings will only be taken for as many guests as can comfortably and safely be re-accommodated indoors should the need arise.
Inside, only a few tables have needed to be removed to ensure a distance of over 1 metre between those which remain in the airy, well-ventilated dining room. This should ensure that the reduced capacity does not diminish Paladar’s renowned lively vibe.
Chef Jose Rubio-Guevara has refreshed his menu with new, seasonal dishes in his familiar style – bold flavours, dazzling colours and fresh ingredients combining to create dishes which criss-cross Latin America for inspiration.
The simplified menu with a selection of light and summery ‘tapas-style’ dishes allows guests to order as they please in a relaxed way. As always, Jose’s menu and kitchen are completely gluten-free.
While Paladar’s bar counter will not have any seating, the bar staff will be shaking up both classic and creative Latin American cocktails - and the full selection of beers, wines and spirits from the cellar will be available.
To get things off to a good start a new La Hora Loca happy hour will run on weekday afternoons from 5-6 pm with 2-for-1 offers on selected cocktails, beers and glasses of wine – or 25% off food dishes.
The adjoining bodega will continue to sell wines and spirits from Paladar’s all-Latin American list at retail prices, and the Pa’La Casa order-and-collect service for at-home dining, which proved extremely popular with the local community during lockdown, will continue to operate during service hours.
All payments for the restaurant, bodega and Pa’La Casa will be by card, with cash no longer being accepted and a contactless ordering option for in-house dining also being implemented.
Director Charles Tyler said, “After so long not being able to eat out, we wanted to ensure that guests could return to Paladar with confidence and feeling totally relaxed at every stage of their visit.
'The measures we have put in place, along with the ‘al fresco’ seating, should guarantee this, and we’re very excited to start welcoming guests back to enjoy a taste of Latin America in the heart of SE1.”