{"id":370158,"date":"2026-10-11T03:13:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T03:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/370158\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T03:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T03:13:06","slug":"a-viral-london-chef-has-opened-his-buzzy-soho-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/370158\/","title":{"rendered":"A Viral London Chef Has Opened His Buzzy Soho Restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thomas Straker,<\/a> the London-based celebrity chef with more than two million followers on both Instagram and TikTok, is known for viral cooking videos, a cookbook, and an almost-evangelical enthusiasm for butter<\/a>. Now he\u2019s bringing his cooking to Straker\u2019s,<\/a> at 59 Grand Street, at West Broadway, in Soho, taking over the former Lucky Strike space, with the restaurant officially opening Saturday, October 10.<\/p>\n

The New York opening lands alongside a major U.S. expansion for Straker\u2019s butter business: His British butter is now sold in Whole Foods <\/a>stores around the country. Ahead of the opening, I spoke with Straker about why he chose New York, what he\u2019s bringing over from London, and the year-delayed, roughly $2 million-over-budget transformation of Lucky Strike. This interview, which first appeared on Eater New York Substack,<\/a> has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n

Thomas Straker: The dining scene here is completely different. People live outside of their apartments in New York \u2014 they\u2019re out having breakfast, lunch, dinner \u2014 whereas in London there\u2019s a lot more eating at home. People might eat out twice a week there; here, you end up eating out all the time. The market is so strong. If you do something that has an appeal, you can almost guarantee you\u2019re going to be busy.<\/p>\n

And I have a U.S. passport. I was born in Washington, D.C., so I thought, I\u2019m either going to use it or lose it. I wanted to explore how to build the brand abroad. I didn\u2019t want to open more of the same restaurants in London, and I didn\u2019t really fancy any other cities in the U.K. So I thought, why not? I\u2019m American.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Claudia Martel<\/p>\n

How will the New York menu differ from London?<\/p>\n

Straker: The menu structure<\/a> is going to remain pretty much the same, almost unchanged. It\u2019s more about piecing together what you can get here. I\u2019d like to stick to fish caught on this coast \u2014 instead of sea bass, using striped bass, maybe Maine lobster. I went to some great dairy farms in Connecticut. I think you can find really good products if you look well.<\/p>\n

What makes your line All Things Butter<\/a> a standout?<\/p>\n

Straker: First, it\u2019s British.<\/a> It comes from grass-fed, very well-looked-after cows, and we make it traditionally \u2014 it\u2019s all churned traditionally. We have very rich grasses in the U.K., so the milk is fantastic for making dairy products. We\u2019re going to use our own British butter at the restaurant.<\/p>\n

My ethos is always: How can I take something and do the least to it to make it exceptional? I don\u2019t want to manipulate things too much. I tell the chefs they need to question everything on the plate \u2014 what they\u2019re putting on, what they\u2019re taking away, why it\u2019s there, and what they can do to refine it.<\/p>\n

At the restaurant, what should someone order first?<\/p>\n

Straker: I\u2019ve got this mussel flatbread on the menu in London. It\u2019s a 48-hour cold-ferment dough, basically like a mini pizza. We cook down mussels in wine, reduce the stock, make a chile butter with it, chop mussels through it, add whole mussels, and bake it in the wood oven.<\/p>\n

I wanted to create a fresh bread-and-butter course that was hot and that you could eat with a couple of drinks. It\u2019s the one thing we\u2019re definitely bringing over from London. It\u2019s been on the menu since we opened, and I can guarantee it\u2019ll still be there in 10 years if we\u2019re lucky enough to be there.<\/p>\n

How much of the London staff is coming over?<\/p>\n

Straker: We\u2019ve hired everyone here. I brought a couple of people over in support roles \u2014 someone who does our social media, one of the managers for a couple of weeks, and the chef from London will come over to observe.<\/p>\n

But the only way it works is if you create the culture here. We\u2019ve got a great team, a lovely chef and a very good GM. We know the formula; we just have to apply it here without changing it too much.<\/p>\n

Straker: A guy called Luka Coyne<\/a>. He\u2019s Australian. I\u2019ve actually got three Australians in my top team.<\/p>\n

I wanted people who are up for putting the work in. Opening a restaurant isn\u2019t easy. We\u2019ve had delays, and sometimes you have to put in a few extra hard yards. I want people who want to make it a success and feel passionate about the business.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Claudia Martel<\/p>\n

What appealed to you about the former Lucky Strike space?<\/p>\n

Straker: The space has got an amazing energy. As soon as I walked in there, I knew \u2014 I thought, right, I\u2019ve got to take this. It took probably six months to do the deal, and I signed the lease in April last year.<\/p>\n

We knocked out the kitchen and put in an open kitchen and an open bar. The back dining room is sexy and comfortable. It\u2019s sophisticated but casual. Post Company <\/a>did the interiors, and I gave them a lot of direction about how the London restaurant looks, while also wanting nods to Lucky Strike.<\/p>\n

The build has been 12 months delayed and about $2 million over budget, but I think we\u2019ve done a fantastic job.<\/p>\n

What else should people know?<\/p>\n

Straker: We\u2019ve put together a really strong wine list, with lots of lovely Champagnes \u2014 you can drink Krug by the glass \u2014 and there\u2019s an interesting English sparkling wine as well.<\/p>\n

The GM has built a really good team of people who are passionate about their jobs and really care. It\u2019s important that the team here feels ownership over the restaurant.<\/p>\n

\"Outside<\/a><\/p>\n

Claudia Martel<\/p>\n