Fina Estampa (not) shutting!

I was staggering home late last night and bumped into Richard, who runs the Peruvian Restaurant on Tooley Street. He tells me they are shutting in two weeks!!! Apparently, with all the new office building etc, the rent has been whacked up so high, him and his wife are calling it a day. That's progress I suppose. I thought some of you might like one last chance to enjoy a Chicken Lomo :-(



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 18 March 2006 6.50pm by James Hatts.

This is very bad news. Reminds me of the slow disintegration of small local shops that existed on Tower Bridge Piazza until a few years ago, as rents climbed beyond their reach. As far as I remember, the list of casualties there is as follows:

Riverside Bookshop has become a branch of Starbucks
Stitches and Daughter has become a Cluttons
Essentials Foodstore briefly became a hi-fi store, before succumbing to the might of Sterling Ackroyd estate agency
Cinegrafix closed down, was empty for years before becoming yet another upmarket estate agency
I can't remember what predated Hamptons estate agency.

The price of gentrification it seems.....

It makes you realise how estate agents sap the life out of the very area they are trying to sell. Tower Bridge Piazza is utter lifeless with all those estate agents where there could be useful or interesting shops.

Hm I have walked by Fina Estampa a few times and whenever I looked in it seems quite empty and the menu pricey.....
Is it worth checking out? Any comments on the food?

I've been a couple of times and had a good experience. Must go back before it closes.

Walked past there last night and it is indeed closing on 18th February. Although they seemed to say it was closing because the owners want to retire and they've sold it......apparently there will be a mediterranean restaurant opening.....
so not long to get down there for some fantastic food.... and delicious pisco sours!!

yes.. unfortunately, Fina Estampa is closing on the 25th of this month (next saturday), was there last week and had a wonderful time, the food was amazing and the staff as always were very friendly .. was there until 11:30 drinking some pisco sours and chilling out listening to peruvian music.. it's such a shame that the restaurant is closing but the lovely Bianca is releasing her first Fina Estampa book by the end of the year and for sure i will buy it and learn how to cook those delicious food.. thanks Fina Estampa for those great times.

Pizze Cucina are looking to open their first restaurant and are interested in these premises; that would be an excellent replacement and addition to the area IMO.

Not that I've got anything against Cucina's pizzas (in fact, they are lovely), the LAST thing the area around Tower Bridge needs is yet another pizza restaurant.
Let's see:
La Lanterna, Ask, Zizzi, Pizza Express , Cantina Del Ponte, Captain Toni, Strada ....

So, we lose a lovely unique Peruvian restaurant and gain another pizza parlour. Four Seasons all round!

FINA ESTAMPA IS NOT CLOSING
The restaurant is changing hands, but in the meanwhile
Bianca and Richard will have the doors open as usual,
they have been away on holiday and have decided to
serve up their delicious food until the last minute - they have
been hounded non stop by distraught customers hoping for a
table and some lovely food, please tell everyone you know, they
will probably only be open for a few more weeks so lets make
the last few weeks memorable.