Salt Yard Group has confirmed that Ember Yard on Berwick Street in Soho will relaunch in May following a full refurbishment that began in January. The restaurant — which has occupied the site since 2012 — is reopening with a refreshed menu that returns to the wood and charcoal cooking philosophy that gave the restaurant its name, alongside an updated interior and a revised bar programme.
The refurbishment covers the full footprint of the two-floor site, including the ground-floor bar and the basement dining room. The kitchen has been rebuilt around an enlarged charcoal grill and new wood-burning equipment that the group says will allow a broader range of cooking techniques than the previous setup permitted.
"Ember Yard has always been about fire," said the group's culinary director. "We wanted to give the kitchen the equipment to really commit to that — to do more with live fire across the whole menu rather than having it as one technique among several."
Menu Direction
The relaunch menu will draw from the same Spanish and Italian influence that has defined Salt Yard Group across its portfolio — which includes Salt Yard in Fitzrovia, Opera Tavern in Covent Garden and Dehesa in Carnaby Street — but with fire as the central organising principle rather than the charcuterie and small plates format the group is best known for.
Dishes at the new Ember Yard will include whole fish and aged cuts cooked over charcoal, fire-roasted vegetables and smoked preparations featured across the menu alongside the group's signature charcuterie and Spanish cheese offering. A longer, more produce-led menu is planned for evenings, with a shorter sharing menu available at lunch.
The wine list has been developed in consultation with the group's buyers to reflect the food direction more explicitly, with a focus on producers from regions associated with fire-cooking traditions — coastal Spain, southern Italy and the Basque country.
Bar Programme
The ground-floor bar at Ember Yard has been redesigned with a standalone identity, offering the full food menu alongside a cocktail programme built around smoke and wood-influenced spirits. The group has indicated that the bar will operate as a destination in its own right in the evenings, with an abbreviated walk-in menu available until late.
Salt Yard Group acquired Ember Yard as part of a broader portfolio move in the early 2010s and has operated it continuously since, with the exception of the COVID-related closure period that affected the whole estate. The May relaunch will be the first significant change to the site's format since a partial update in 2018.
Reservations for the relaunched Ember Yard will open on 14 April. The restaurant is expected to reopen on 8 May.