Monty’s Deli — London, UK

The Jewish delicatessen has long occupied a comfortably cosseted space in gastronomic popular culture, evoking as it does impressions of big servings of protein-rich and carb-heavy platters served in an equally homey setting.
In many ways, the newly opened Monty’s Deli cleaves close to that ideal, not the least of which is its name, which almost springs right off a ‘Seinfeld’ episode.
Architects Dan Marks Studio have imbued an old bakery in London’s East End with a comforting mix of old and new – the slick counter and banquette seats are perfectly set off by black and white harlequin floor tiles, globe lamps, linoleum tables and faded remnants of the original Victorian tiled walls.
As with any delicatessen worth its salt, the best seats in the house are on the high stools at the counter, watching the line cooks carve whole joints of hot pastrami and salt beef onto rye bread slathered with mustard and pickles, and bagels baked on hessian wrapped cedar planks. If there is a slight sense of dislocation, it’s not just because the setting is so perfectly judged, but also because owner Mark Ogus is an American who cut his teeth, as it were, on Jewish delis across the pond and so, knows his latkes from his cholents.
An unexpected bonus is that Monty’s serves a Shabbat dinner every night comprising chopped liver, challah, chicken soup and lokshen. Oy vey.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
227-229 Hoxton Street
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
This Andre Agassi-backed sports club in Philadelphia might be the most stylish athletic facility we've ever seen
At Ballers in Philadelphia, you can play tennis, take a dip and have dinner beneath one soaring roof. Here's a look inside
-
The best dinner party in San Francisco is thrown at this bistro and vinyl bar
A new chapter begins in Mission Creek as Side A opens in the former Universal Café space
-
Gaetano Pesce’s quirky trullo becomes the backdrop to playful furniture by Vero
A new series of photographs celebrates Vero’s latest furniture, shot at Gaetano Pesce’s ‘Pescetrullo’, the architect and designer’s distinctive take on a traditional Apulian house
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?
A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
Legado brings a bold Spanish legacy to Shoreditch
Michelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s second venture marries design-led interiors with regional Spanish flavours rarely found in London
-
The Macbeth, an icon of indie sleaze, goes from grotty to gastro
An East End legend meets Portuguese small plates in Jamie Allan’s ambitious revival of a beloved Hackney watering hole
-
A complete collection of Phaidon’s ‘Contemporary Artists Series’ is on display in London
A 30-year project reaching 100 volumes is being celebrated with an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel, including limited-edition works by Kaws and Dana Schutz
-
London’s best pizza restaurant gets a new home in Mayfair
Secure a slice of New York-style pizza in central London as Crisp Pizza teams up with the Devonshire pub to set up shop in the relaunched The Marlborough
-
At this east London listening bar, mezcal-fuelled cocktails hit as hard as the basslines
In Bethnal Green, Little Fires pairs vinyl grooves with mezcal margaritas and Oaxacan sharing plates
-
Harry Nuriev’s Noisy Oyster London bistro isn’t quite finished – and that’s the point
A futuristic, work-in-progress aesthetic forms a striking backdrop for a new, sustainably focused seafood bistro in Shoreditch
-
Head to Lupa for a taste of Rome in the heart of Highbury
Ed Templeton, Theo James and Naz Hassan unveil an intimate 28-seat restaurant that balances a cosy, candlelit atmosphere with Roman-style dining