Award-winning Brighton restaurant to open third site in London

Cin Cin first opened its doors in Brighton’s North Laine in 2016 with a 20-seat restaurant on Vine Street, winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2018. A second Cin Cin opened in Western Road, Hove in 2018, winning an AA Rosette earlier this year.

In March 2020, in response to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the restuarant founders David Toscano and head chef Jamie Halsall launched Cin Cin At Home, a delivery service for three and five course finish at home kits. The success of the At Home range meant there were many weeks where David and Jamie were serving more customers via delivery than they would usually serve in the restaurant when open.

Now, the pair say because of the support they have been able to come back stronger and Cin Cin it is set to open its first London restaurant in Foley Street, Fitzrovia, at the end of April.

David said: “The last 12 months for Cin Cin have been like no other. There were some really dark days for me where I thought I had lost my business and we’ve all faced challenges we had never imagined. But thankfully we’ve also found a depth of strength and cohesion we did not know we had within us.

"Throughout it all, our amazing customers have supported and sustained us here at Cin Cin in a way that we will always be thankful for. Because of that support, we have come back stronger than ever, and we have been reminded on a weekly basis why we love working in hospitality. So, as we prepare to welcome customers back to our restaurants in a few weeks’ time, we are very excited to finally announce that Cin Cin is coming to London!”

Cin Cin London will begin trade with outside covers before welcoming customers to the 20-seat dining room once government guidelines permit.

Jamie added: “We made a decision early on in the pandemic to work to keep Cin Cin at the forefront of our customer’s minds. We knew there would be restrictions on them coming to us so we had to go to them and we wanted to give them something to enjoy and take their mind off the pandemic. We stayed true to our roots with a weekly changing menu of three and five courses at an affordable price and it is because of the response and support we’ve had from our brilliant customers that we are now in a position to grow again. It’s an amazing feeling!”

Despite being so busy during the pandemic, Cin Cin also found time to support the NHS during lockdown as part of a team that raised nearly £50,000 via crowdfunding and served almost 12,000 meals for frontline staff in Sussex.

Have you also read: https://www.brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk/news/brighton-coffee-van-business-was-the-perfect-blend-during-lockdown-3174243