Here, we explore how the Soho institution is leading a sector-wide return to elevated pub fare.
The Devonshire added another award to its long list of accolades last month, securing the top spot at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs. After just over two years in business, the pub has fast become a Soho institution, celebrated by everyone from critics and celebrities to the hundreds of punters at its doors every day.
Created a ‘monster’
At first glance, the Devonshire seems like a straightforward enough pub. But Ed Bedington, editor of The Morning Advertiser – and organiser of the Top 50 Gastropubs – says it’s a “powerhouse of an operation”.
“It’s delivering consistently excellent food, alongside what some claim to be the best pint of Guinness in London,” he explains. “Osh, Charlie and Ash have created a monster of a pub that is likely to dominate lists and awards for some time into the future. Or until they open another site.”
Indeed, the Devonshire is the brainchild of a dream team hospitality trio: landlord Oisin Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and celebrated chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, the former chef director at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck and Dinner. Combined, the three have created a “monster” that has outperformed its competitors in every realm, from visit frequency to market share.
An attraction in itself
Delving into the data, less than 5% of the pub’s sales come from guests who live within a three-mile radius and almost one third from people living more than 50 miles away, according to Hospitality Data Insights (HDI). Business development director Mark Bentley says the Devonshire has ostensibly become an attraction in itself.
“It’s the place people want to visit when they come to London,” he says. “When you get such a buzz, people want to see what it’s about.
“We hear a lot of doom and gloom – understandably – but we don’t hear enough about businesses who have absolutely smashed it.”
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