Sally Abé has waited the better part of twenty years to open a restaurant of her own. On 26 March, she finally does. Teal by Sally Abé opens at 52 Wilton Way in Hackney, on the former Sesta site, as a neighbourhood British bistro built on provenance, community and a deliberate effort to revive dishes that fell out of fashion before most of her guests were born.
"Opening Teal by Sally Abé feels incredibly personal," Abé said. "It's the first restaurant I've built entirely on my own."
The Career Behind the Opening
Abé's CV is one of the more complete in the London kitchen. She cooked at Notting Hill's The Ledbury, one of the city's benchmark Michelin-starred restaurants, before moving to The Harwood Arms in Fulham, where she served as head chef and steered the gastropub to its Michelin star — retaining it and steering the venue to the top of the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list in 2020, the year it was named the best gastropub in the country.
She is also the author of The Female Chef, and has been a consistent voice in conversations about gender in professional kitchens.
The Concept
Teal takes its name from Abé's favourite game bird, and the cooking is rooted squarely in British food history. The menu reaches back to Victorian-era dishes that have largely disappeared from restaurant tables — lockets savoury among them — alongside a broader programme of seasonal British produce and straightforward, ingredient-led cooking.
Opening snacks include angels on horseback and devils on horseback. Starters feature Dorset crab royale. Mains run to haunch of deer with pickled walnuts and cavolo nero, and Cornish mussels with Jersey Royals. Desserts include a penny lick — priced at £1, an intentional nod to nineteenth-century street food, with proceeds going to Hackney Food Bank.
The Team
Co-owner Abe Drewry takes responsibility for the wine list, with a focus on champagne and French selections. Head chef Abbie Hendren joins from Sam's Waterside in Hammersmith, where she held the same role.
Teal by Sally Abé opens 26 March 2026. Bookings are open at 52 Wilton Way, Hackney, E8 1BS.