Thomas Straker’s restaurant hit by kitchen fire

The Staff Canteen

Thomas Straker has outlined plans to keep business ticking at his eponymous London restaurant Straker’s, which is currently closed after a kitchen fire.

The incident occurred on Saturday night (May 3), after an issue with the extraction system, which damaged part of the restaurant. Thankfully, nobody was injured.

Thomas is now in the interim looking to launch a new cold bar concept at the venue.

A statement released via Instagram read: “Dear Customers, Patrons, and Friends,

“We want to share an important update with you. On Saturday night, we experienced a fire in our kitchen extraction system. Thankfully, no one was injured and the damage was contained to the rear section of the restaurant, specifically around the kitchen’s extract fan and KP area.

“We’re still investigating the cause of the fire and expect to have more clarity by the end of the week. In the meantime, our team has rallied together - as creatives do - to find a way forward.

“Our top priority is to support and retain all of our full-time staff during this time. With that in mind, we’re working quickly to reconfigure the restaurant space and adapt our offering.

“We’re excited to announce that we’ll soon be launching a cold bar concept, featuring a vibrant and evolving selection of dishes, think beautiful salads, crudos, and carpaccios - all prepared with the same seasonal

flare from our kitchen.

“Of course, we’ll also continue serving our full, exceptional wine list curated by Callum, so you can still enjoy the best of what we do in a new and exciting format.

“We’ll share more details soon, and we can’t wait to welcome you back.

“With gratitude,

“Thomas Straker and all the Straker’s team”

all things butter

Thomas has become a social media sensation, with over five million followers across Instagram and TikTok, led by viral videos of his butter creations.

Straker’s opened in 2022 and was his first restaurant, described as “serving a neighbourhood vibe with great music, cocktails and food you, and Thomas, love to eat”.

It is situated in Notting Hill’s Golborne Road and serves Modern European food.

Thomas, who trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School and has a background working at the likes of The Dorchester, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Elystan Street, also this week released a cookbook called Food You Want to Eat.

Straker’s is the second high profile London restaurant this week to hit the headlines due to a fire, with Thai restaurant Som Saa in Spitalfields also suffering significant damage due to a problem in the kitchen extraction system.

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 9th May 2025

Thomas Straker’s restaurant hit by kitchen fire