Applebee’s Borough Market Celebrates 25 Years with an Exciting Relaunch in February 2025

Applebee’s, an institution of Borough Market for 25 years, is set to celebrate its milestone anniversary with an exciting relaunch, and is set to reopen on 13th February. As a marker of this milestone, Applebee’s next era will be defined through a brand new concept, menu and refurbishment of the space, as well as a continued determination to champion sustainably sourced British seafood.
Still fully independent and family-run, Applebee’s is one of the original Borough Market traders, having started as a fishmonger, Joy and Graham Applebee then moved into their first bricks-and-mortar seafood restaurant on Stoney Street. Their expertise has been passed down through the generations, with their son, Jack Applebee spearheading the relaunch alongside his two brothers.
The restaurant will continue to spotlight premium British seafood sourced directly from fishermen at Brixham Fish Market. The brand new menu, crafted by the newly appointed Executive Chef, Frankie van Loo, will feature a weekly-changing selection of the freshest seafood, dictated by what lands on the Devon and Cornwall dayboats each morning. Chef Frankie joins the business after spending 13 years at Jason Atherton’s Social Company restaurant group, including time at Pollen Street Social and Social Eating House and multiple Head Chef roles across the group, notably at the Michelin-starred City Social.
As experts in their field, Applebee’s commitment to sustainability is affirmed not only by the sourcing of their fish but also in their mission to educate their customers on the short journey time of their seafood, from sea to plate. This aims to enhance understanding of responsible fishing practices, the importance of local, ethical sourcing, and how Applebee cares for its produce through processes such as in-house dry ageing.
Applebee’s new menu showcases the very best of seasonal, sustainable British seafood, with standout dishes including Grilled Dover Sole, served with brown shrimp and lemon butter. Sourced directly from local fishmongers, whole catches in a variety of sizes will allow diners to select their preferred weight, priced daily on the blackboard at market rates. Each fish is dry-aged for 24-36 hours in a Himalayan pink salt chamber, visible to guests in the open kitchen, to enhance flavour and ensure perfectly crisp skin when cooked over the live-fire grill. Another hero dish is the British interpretation of a Bouillabaisse – a zero-waste creation that incorporates every part of the fish and seafood and replaces traditional Gruyère cheese with Lincolnshire Poacher for a distinctly local touch.
Applebee’s signature Fish and Chips remains a menu staple, with regularly changing varieties based on what is caught, such as cod, haddock, plaice, or turbot. Guests will also find the ever-popular seafood platters: a chilled option featuring oysters, lobster, prawns, scallops, taramasalata croustade, and Exmoor caviar, and a hot version laden with whole lobster, langoustines, scallops, oysters, mussels, cuttlefish, and an octopus skewer. From March, Applebee’s will offers a luxurious twist on the traditional Sunday roast, with options like decadent Salmon en Croute or a Whole Turbot designed for sharing.
Both the food and cocktail menu will incorporate the use of British coastal greens. Sourced directly from Miles Lavers of Foodswild in Cornwall who specialises in foraging wild food and sea vegetables to provide natural, sustainable foods. Freshly harvested to order, their produce celebrates the Cornish coastline and countryside.
The updated wine list will continue the restaurant’s ethos of championing British produce, with a wide selection of English growers, including Devon-based Sandridge Barton, Blackbook Winery – an urban producer in Battersea, Gusbourne and Westwell wines. The concise cocktail offering will include a homemade seasonal spritz, starting with pear, and other aperitifs such as a Gilda Martini, Rhubarb Sour and more.
The exciting redesign, led by hospitality design studio A-nrd, known for their innovative projects like Fonda and the Kudu collection, will create a stunning 70-cover space, highlighted by a fresh fish counter upon entry, an extended dining and bar seating area overlooking a bespoke live-fire grill, and an inviting outdoor space. The grill, designed and built by British Metal Craft in Bermondsey, will be a focal point of the space, where guests can watch their meals cooked over the open flame.
Excited for the restaurant’s new era, Jack Applebee says “We are extremely proud to celebrate our 25th Anniversary with the relaunch of our restaurant. As a family-run business, we have always had quality at the forefront of anything we do, and we remain committed to sourcing the highest quality seafood from our shores. As part of our reopening, we will also be providing all guests, old and new, with a more elevated dining experience in a fresh space with a greater emphasis on the journey in which our seafood takes from when it is caught”.
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