The Ivy set to open new restaurant in Exeter
UP-MARKET restaurant chain The Ivy’s new Exeter bar and restaurant will operate seven days a week when it opens in the summer of 2021.
Parent company Troia (UK) Restaurants Ltd is converting the former Jack Wills store on the High Street, directly opposite a Greggs takeaway and a branch of McDonald’s, and close to Exeter Cathedral.
It said The Ivy Exeter will offer “sophisticated yet friendly” all-day dining, from morning until night. It will feature restaurant dining for 128 covers, a bar and intimate private dining room for eight guests, as well as an outdoor terrace.
The brasserie-style menus at The Ivy Exeter will be “all-encompassing”, serving modern, seasonal British classics. Breakfast, coffees, “elevenses”, weekend brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner will all be available, with dishes including pea velouté with lemon and thyme ricotta, crushed peas and black pepper, and roasted scallops with crispy potato rösti, pea purée, parmesan sauce and grated truffle.
Sitting alongside the food menus will be a list of locally-inspired drinks, cocktail menus, and an extensive selection of champagne and wines.
Following a sensitive refurbishment of the building, notable features will include artwork inspired by Exeter’s heritage, soft furnishings, stylish gold fittings and warm hues of green and red to match the “quintessentially Ivy floral design”.
Robert Birch has been named the head chef, and Drew Davey is the general manager.
He said: “We’re thrilled to be able to announce the opening of The Ivy Exeter. Our location next to the stunning Exeter Cathedral is a beautiful location, and we’re excited to reveal the newly refurbished interiors and welcome our first guests this summer.”
It is not the first time The Ivy, famous for attracting celebrities to its London eateries, has made eyes at Exeter.
In 2018 it abandoned plans to convert a Waterstones bookshop into a new restaurant and bar. It had even received planning permission for the scheme, but subsequently pulled out of the venture.
It is anticipated the new Exeter restaurant would create about 100 jobs and act as a destination restaurant within Exeter city centre, thereby enhancing the vitality and viability of the centre as a whole.