{"id":167501,"date":"2026-03-18T18:26:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/167501\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T18:26:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:26:22","slug":"a-new-soho-pub-will-serve-stargazy-pie-guinness-and-english-wines-no-reservations-required","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/167501\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Soho Pub Will Serve Stargazy Pie, Guinness, and English Wines \u2014 No Reservations Required"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new British pub, Dean\u2019s<\/a>, joins a collection of UK-leaning restaurants<\/a> in New York that showcase excellent British fare. Do you need a reservation? No, because what kind of pub would it be if you did? Instead, it\u2019ll be a casual spot that\u2019s equal parts focused on drinking and dining.<\/p>\n

Hitmakers of King<\/a> and Jupiter<\/a>, chef Jess Shadbolt and beverage director Annie Shi, will open their no-frills British seafood pub, Dean\u2019s<\/a>, on Tuesday, March 31, at 213 Sixth Avenue, near King Street, in Soho.<\/p>\n

\u201cDean\u2019s<\/a> doesn\u2019t demand a lot from you,\u201d Shadbolt says. \u201cThe beauty of a pub is that it is unassuming; it\u2019s the backdrop to all of these different moments. That energy echoes New York\u2019s sensibility.\u201d The restaurant\u2019s namesake is Dean Fryer, a dayboat fisherman from Aldeburgh in Suffolk, where Jess is from.<\/p>\n

Most of Dean\u2019s 38 seats will be saved for walk-ins, with banquettes, bar stools, counter seats, and even standing room for \u201cvertical drinking,\u201d per Shi, \u201ca very big part of pub culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jess Shadbolt and Annie Shi at Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

Shadbolt (a genius when it comes to comfort foods) and Shi (the wine geek) opened King and Jupiter with co-partner Clare de Boer (the vibey scene-setter) in 2016 and 2022, who broke off and now runs Hudson Valley\u2019s Stissing House<\/a>. Shi also runs Lei<\/a>, a Chinese American wine bar in Chinatown, which opened in 2025.<\/p>\n

Dean\u2019s joins restaurants like April Bloomfield\u2019s Sailor<\/a>, Ed Szymanski and Patricia Howard\u2019s Lord\u2019s<\/a>, and its older fish and chips sibling, Dame<\/a>; as well as UK-leaning spots like Hawksmoor<\/a>, in expanding New York\u2019s British food scene.<\/p>\n

Shadbolt and head chef Angeles Chavarria \u2014 who had worked at King since 2018 \u2014 have assembled a seafood-leaning menu with the crown jewel that is the stargazy pie. The Cornish baked fish dish is made with mackerel and hake instead of the typical pilchards (a type of sardine), because they\u2019re not available here. Its pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance: fish heads peek out of the crust \u2014 it\u2019s a visceral food that\u2019s hearty and comforting.<\/p>\n

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The oysters at Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

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The Scotch egg and pork scratchings at Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

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The brandy snaps at Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

But if fish heads are off-putting to you, don\u2019t worry, Dean\u2019s offers other, more familiar dishes to pub fans. Look for beer-battered fish and chips with triple-cooked fries, tartare sauce, and optional mushy peas. Pork scratchings (crispy pork skins) come with a quince and apple orchard jelly. Shadbolt\u2019s favorite is the boiled ham, paired with mashed potatoes and a fava bean-parsley sauce.<\/p>\n

No pub is complete without desserts, and the ones at Dean\u2019s span the range of British sweets from stick-to-your-ribs to lighter takes, by pastry chef Fiona Thomas. The sticky steamed ginger pudding is, according to Shadbolt, \u201cdelicious, nostalgic, and slightly \u2014 and I mean this in the best way \u2014 should remind you of a school meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other end, the brandy snaps are \u201cthe sweet kiss\u201d at the end of a meal. Shadbolt describes them as \u201cBritish cannoli,\u201d where thickly rolled crispy wafers are filled with a boozy cream and chocolate cremeux.<\/p>\n

I predict your first order at Dean\u2019s will be one or two of the perfectly poured 20-ounce Guinness draft pints<\/a> \u2014 requisite for any place calling itself British. The stout makes an appearance in cocktails like the Black Velvet cocktail, mixed with sparkling wine; as well as Guinness bread with butter and Marmite<\/a>. Even the tap spillover is made into a syrup for drinks.<\/p>\n

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The sloe gin Sbagliato at Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

The 100-bottle wine list, under Shi\u2019s purview, extends the pubby thread, with an emphasis on English wineries. \u201cIt\u2019s probing deeply all over Europe for things that are just delicious and bringing value to guests in a time when it feels very expensive sometimes,\u201d Shi says. She\u2019s particularly excited about the Dumaine Hugo, a biodynamic sparkling wine from Wiltshire: \u201cThe wines are just really pure and vibrant; they remind me of Champagne a decade ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurel Delany, who had been the head bartender at King, moved over to Dean\u2019s. Delaney highlights kitchen ingredients in many of her cocktails. Look for a drinkable take on the English dessert Eton mess, with a strawberry syrup, or using up carrots and lemon peels. The Navy Strength Plymouth gin martini features olives stuffed with Stilton cheese.<\/p>\n

For the space, interior designer Jason Chen<\/a> made the small space feel bright, casual, and pub-like, with Douglas fir wood-paneled walls, terracotta-tiled floors, and pewter accents such as candlesticks and table tankards for utensils. There\u2019s some vintage furniture, too, to bring \u201ca little patina into it,\u201d Shi says, \u201cbecause pubs should feel a little bit loved and worn-in, although ours will start more shiny and new.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The bar at Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

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The dining room of Dean\u2019s. Matt Russell<\/p>\n

The open kitchen features the centerpiece Aga British enamel stove that\u2019s dear to Shadbolt, which will be visible from the street through the Dutch doors.<\/p>\n

To cultivate Dean\u2019s regulars, they\u2019ll have a never-ending drinking game. People can enter to see if they can drink 500 pints over the course of many visits, which they will track on a visible leaderboard. Those who win will get their own engraved pewter tankard that they can drink out of.<\/p>\n

Dean\u2019s had felt like a long time coming for Shadbolt and Shi: the two had actually always had their eyes on the address (which has gone through many iterations, including an Italian restaurant<\/a>), ever since they were working on opening King next door. \u201cIt feels really right because that corner\u2019s home for us,\u201d Shadbolt says. And the two restaurants work in tandem: King offers a refined full-service dining experience; Dean\u2019s is more casual with small plates starting at $8 and wines by the glass at $14.<\/p>\n

Dean\u2019s will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight, Tuesdays through Saturdays.<\/p>\n