Pardeh will open in Bethnal Green in autumn 2026.
Iran-born chef Yma Apa previously operated The Drunken Butler in Clerkenwell.
The menu will reinterpret Persian flavours through sharing plates and global influences.
Iran-born chef Yma Apa is opening the Persian-inspired restaurant in Bethnal Green this autumn.
London’s restaurant scene is getting another reason to head east. Pardeh, a new Persian-inspired restaurant from Iran-born chef Yma Apa, is opening in Bethnal Green later this year, serving Iranian flavours through a contemporary London lens.
Scheduled to open in autumn 2026, Pardeh will take over the former Water House Project site at Corbridge Crescent. The restaurant previously housed Gabriel Waterhouse’s acclaimed social fine dining concept, which closed in June before relocating elsewhere in Bethnal Green.
Yma Apa is no stranger to London’s dining scene. The chef previously operated The Drunken Butler in Clerkenwell and has now teamed up with restaurant owner Sahar for his latest venture. Rather than recreating Iranian dishes exactly as they might appear in Tehran or Shiraz, Pardeh will use Persian cuisine as its foundation before introducing influences collected through Apa’s travels and culinary career.
The restaurant’s name offers an insight into its philosophy. Pardeh translates as “curtain” in Persian, with the idea centred on revealing something recognisable before taking diners in a more surprising direction.
“The first bite should remind you of home,” Apa explains, “ and then it goes all over the place.”
Food will be designed predominantly for sharing, marking a move away from the tasting menus served at The Drunken Butler. Diners will be able to stop by for a plate and a drink, or hand control to the kitchen and have a menu created for the table.
Early dishes include a green mango Shirazi salad, chicken with saffron, garlic and chilli, and slow-cooked lamb shoulder served with an unconventional combination of herbs. The approach pairs familiar Persian ingredients such as saffron, herbs and aromatic spices alongside ideas shaped by London’s increasingly diverse dining culture.
Sundays will also receive the Pardeh treatment. The restaurant plans to serve long, leisurely lunches centred on roasts with Persian influences. Roast chicken, for example, may come with saffron beneath the skin, accompanied by plenty of gravy.
The drinks programme will have an equally considered focus. Pardeh is working with suppliers including Passione Vino, Newcomer Wines and Les Caves de Pyrène, alongside smaller producers and growers. Winemaker dinners are also planned as part of the restaurant’s future programme.
Inside, the open kitchen will sit at the heart of the restaurant, complete with a four-seat chef’s table. A prep table will double as an informal spot for guests to gather with a drink, while a semi-private dining room can transform into a larger communal table.
Where: Pardeh, Corbridge Crescent, Bethnal Green, East London, London
When: Opening autumn 2026
Contact: @pardehlondon