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Shopping can be an exhausting experience, especially when you find yourself on Oxford Street, navigating through hoards of tourists. Collapsing with a coffee and cake as post-retail therapy is often needed, and John Lewis has always done us nicely with its cafe and restaurant offerings. But if you’re after something a little more special post-shop, you’re in luck.
John Lewis is stepping up its game with its brand new in-store restaurant concept, and the first site has just launched at its Oxford Street store. Known as Platter, it will replace restaurants at 32 of the brand’s locations by the end of 2027, including Bluewater, Chichester and Reading where the new eateries have also just opened to the public.
Platter on Oxford Street is now one of the largest restaurants in the area, with space for 300 guests. It boasts an open kitchen serving hand-stretched pizza, a deli, a dessert parlour, a bar overlooking the shop’s foyer, as well as fifty outdoor covers on its fifth-floor terrace. Basically, you can now buy an airfryer and then eat a margherita with panoramic views without leaving the building, which sounds like my idea of a very nice day out.
The new spot also has its own roastery, where customers can drink fancy coffee and buy bags of exclusive single-origin Arabica beans, and a pop-up site called The Residency, which will rotate different offerings. At the moment, it’s hosting London patisserie The Eclectic Collection.
Each of the new restaurants will vary according to store location, and John Lewis says it has made the changes in response to ‘how differently people shop now’.
It’s all part of a massive long-term £800m investment into John Lewis Partnerships’ shops and digital presence. £50m has already been spent across five of its shops this summer, including a £20m refurbishment of John Lewis Glasgow.
So, next time you’re in hell on Oxford Street, pop into John Lewis for a restorative house white and smugly stare at at the crowds below. You’ve earned it.
ICYMI: Oxford Street will be pedestrianised next month.
Plus: this North African grill is the best restaurant in Soho right now.
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