Jago

Please note that tables must be vacated after two hours. Thank you for your understanding.

Around the corner from London’s busy Brick Lane, down Hanbury Road, you’ll find a curious, ramshackle building housing Jago, a restaurant taking its name from the former slum area in which it stands. Jago is the Ashkenazi-influenced brainchild of architect duo SelgasCano, and their simple, delicious offering and drinks menu must be bitten into to be believed. It’s all put together by former Ottolenghi had chef Louis Solley, but the Jago ethos prompts their dishes to speak for themselves – there’s no need to make a fuss about certifiably fine food.

Jago’s beautifully minimalist website sums it up. On paper, Jago is a bar and restaurant with Ashkenazi influences. What does this mean for diners? Well, firstly you can find Jago close to Brick Lane along Hanbury Street in London. More importantly, Jago’s somewhat coy self-description means beautiful, minimalist dishes that take inspiration from the cuisines of the world’s diverse Ashkenazi Jewish communities. A serve of grilled challah, labneh and honey – something you might breakfast on in Israel – leaps out at you from the menu, as does the veal cheek goulash, orzo and sour cream – a hearty dish that alludes to Eastern European tastes.

The drinks selection again refuses to make much fuss, allowing the list to speak for itself. Besides well-curated reds, whites, sparkling, sweet and fortified wines, Jago features a selection of fino wines: refined, dry, pale Spanish sherries. A stone’s throw from the madding crowd of Brick Lane, Jago’s Hanbury Street location and laconic presence communicates confidence and calm. Come see and taste for yourself. However, it should be noted that Jago’s head chef is Louis Solley, formerly head chef for Ottolenghi in Notting Hill. Evidently a modest chap, his fresh and unadorned young restaurant, Jago, is open for bookings.