Peg in Hackney to permanently close

Hackney restaurant Peg, from the team behind P.Franco and Bright, will close this week after more than three years of trading.

In an announcement, the team said the decision was made due to staffing pressures, as well as a difficult period enduring the pandemic and its successive lockdowns.

‘It’s been a tricky past couple of years to say the least,’ said a statement.

‘When we were forced to close at the beginning of Covid, we had no idea what the future had in store for us… put simply, the strains on staffing at this current point are such that something has to give.’

Peg, very much a neighbourhood restaurant, served a daily à la carte menu inspired by seasonal produce.

It proved a popular space in the East London dining scene, with an emphasis on provenance, natural wines, and serious but pared-back food.

The group said the focus will now be on its other restaurants, as well as its wine shop Noble Fine Liquor, though hinted Peg might yet reopen sometime in the future.

‘In earnest, we don’t know if/when our doors will open again and for sure it saddens us, but we’re also super proud of all that we’ve achieved,’ the Peg announcement added.

‘We definitely want to continue but unfortunately closure is a requirement for us to strengthen what we have elsewhere and really push to realise the visions that we’ve always had.’

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