High-flying Birmingham chef Brad Carter will open his first London restaurant this summer – in the basement of a historic church, St George’s in Hanover Square, Mayfair.
Called Undercroft, the ambitious restaurant will showcase forgotten dishes such as wild garlic chicken toast, sea tripe and seaweed soup, Tamworth pork with creamed snails, and duck with offal and oats.
Brad made his name with Carter’s of Moseley, which opened in 2010 and closed in the summer of 2023. Since then it has operated on a residency basis and is currently at Eighteen, a luxurious private members’ club on the 18th floor of a tower in Birmingham city centre, until the end of May. Hailed as “one of the best dining experiences ever” in last year’s Harden’s guide, the restaurant is slated to reopen when a suitable permanent site is found.
Brad said he and his wife Holly have “loved every moment of establishing Carter’s in Birmingham — it has been so rewarding to watch the restaurant and team go from strength to strength over the years.
“We’ve always been keen to make the move to London and spent years searching for the right place to open and the undercroft at St George’s Church couldn’t be more perfect. I can’t wait to get stuck in and create a menu that reflects the history, character and magic of this incredible building.”
Completed in 1725, St George’s has hosted numerous society weddings over the centuries, including that of future US President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt in 1886. In recent years its spacious undercroft has been used by Sotheby’s auction house to store valuable artworks.
Brad’s partner in the project, former music publisher Martin Priestnall, said the 107-seat venue would be more than just a restaurant. “Undercroft is going to be a stage for all creatives, be it in music, design or food, we will evolve and move with the talent that comes through the door. From the minute I set foot in the undercroft, I knew there was something special about the space. The look and feel is extraordinary, and Brad and I feel privileged to be custodians of somewhere with such a rich history.”
