The end of June saw the opening of tibits’ second London location – their first restaurant is in Mayfair – this time south of the river in a converted warehouse on Southwark Street, not far from Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, just a few minutes from Blackfriars Station.
When I wrote on Facebook about attending the opening, I had this reply from a Swiss friend almost immediately: “I love Tibits! Been going to the original one in Switzerland for years!”
Founders Reto, Christian and Daniel Frei opened the first tibits in 2000 (there are now nine in Switzerland and two in London), after realising the gap in the market for good vegetarian food. They sought advice and partnered up with Rolf Hitl, whose family hold the Guinness World Record for the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world, Haus Hitl in Zurich.
tibits is different from other restaurants in that you pay for your food by weight; you can choose from over 40 dishes on the impressive ‘food boat’ centrepiece. There are vegetarian and vegan salads, stews and soups from around the world; freshly pressed juices and a huge selection of guilt-free and decadent desserts to take your pick from. tibits opens its doors early for breakfast, serving breads, pancakes and croissants, smoothies and Birchermuesli or you can swing by after work to drink one of their house cocktails or a craft beer and try a few of the bar bites.
The restaurant is light and airy with an inside/outside garden room at the back and it seats 120 diners. Take your pick from sitting at a table in the restaurant or garden or along the window, from where you can watch the world go by . tibits Bankside was designed by architecture firm Atelier Oi, who have also worked with Hermes and Louis Vuitton. Brick and concrete walls rub shoulders with bold flowery and graphic wallpaper, green tiles, smoked oak timber and interesting light fixtures, giving the space a modern, urban feel.
Founder Reto Frei commented: “In the 17 years since tibits opened its first restaurant in London we have seen the business develop and evolve into the successful restaurant business it is today. We are thrilled to see tibits expand in the UK, whilst maintaining our current reputation as a leading vegetarian restaurant, we hope to encourage even more people to choose plant-based food.”
***Soft opening from July 29th until Friday 7th of July (11am to 9pm) – 50% off everything!***
tibits Bankside
124 Southwark Street, SE1 0S
020 7758 4113
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 7.30-22.00, Thurs-Fri 7.30-midnight,
Sat-Sun 11.30-midnight
You can also have your food to take-away or order it via Deliveroo straight to your home or office.
London-Olios 