This September, acclaimed chef and restaurateur Robin Gill will open Bar Brasso, a new coffee bar, deli and bakery by day and aperitivo bar by night. Opening beside Gill’s restaurant Darby’s on Saturday 27 September, Bar Brasso is inspired by the bar culture of San Sebastián and Venice.
Start the day with an early-morning espresso and pastries, followed by Italian deli-style lunch favourites, before transforming in the evening into a low-lit, aperitivo bar serving up seasonal snacks and small plates.
Open daily from 8am–5pm as a café-deli, expect house bakes, salads and filled sandwiches alongside a rotating menu of hot lunch dishes and daily specials. The menu will include comforting plates like beef shin lasagne, rosemary and garlic roast chicken with potato al forno, and ricotta and sage, brown butter gnudi.
From Tuesday to Saturday, 5–10pm, Bar Brasso transitions into an aperitivo bar, centred around a long, white marble counter and concise menu of snacks and small plates. Designed to be shared or paired with a drink at the bar, highlights include sage and anchovy fritters, devilled egg “piemontese” crostini, mussels with nduja soffrito and the Bourdain toastie: a grilled toastie of Franceschini Mortadella ‘Opera’ and fontina, inspired by the late food writer’s favourite sandwich. Desserts include Campari and blood orange sorbetto, affogato and a tiramisu made to Nicolla’s mother’s recipe.
The drinks program is rooted in aperitivo culture, with a Campari-forward list and a daily happy hour from 5–7pm. A concise selection of house cocktails, vermouths, digestivi, and wines by the glass rounds out the offering – easygoing, balanced, and designed to complement the rhythm of the room.
The wine list focuses primarily on Northern Italian selections, complemented by lighter styles from the San Sebastián region. A standout feature is the large txakoli tap at the bar, serving the crisp, lightly sparkling Basque wine in traditional high-pour style. This sits alongside a rotating selection of wines from Uncharted, as well as a curated list of exceptional bottles assembled in collaboration with Geroid Devaney, Master Sommelier, from Flint Wines.
The food offering is built in close partnership with Cibo, whose founder Vittorio Maschio was part of the original Natoora movement and now works directly with small Italian producers. Ingredients include cheeses made at altitude and cultured on the mountainside, salumi from across Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Calabria, and mortadella from the famed Salumificio Franceschini – “the kings of mortadella.”
“Stories like this are everywhere among these producers, and I think our relationship with Cibo, and the wealth of these small, authentic stories, is incredibly important,” says Gill on the partnership.
The space itself will take cues from traditional Bacari and pintxos bars – think warm wood panelling, tiled floors and long white marble counters for dining and drinking. Staff attire comes via Aperitivo Digestivo, a new lifestyle brand emerging from London’s hospitality scene. Infused with the passion, precision and artistry of culinary culture, the pieces were designed in collaboration with Campari for Negroni Week and underscore the easy, stylish spirit at the heart of Bar Brasso.
Bar Brasso will open to the public on Saturday 27 September, with a ticketed launch party on Friday 26 September, which comes with a negroni and cicchetti, plus a DJ set from Mind Enterprises, the Italian artists known for their retro, synth-disco sounds.
