Sicilian Avenue, the beloved historical pedestrian street in the heart of Bloomsbury, has kicked off its 21st century rebirth with the announcement of three lifestyle lets.
Sicilian Avenue is reopening for business after a refurbishment which has carefully preserved the century-old character of the Sicilian-inspired Grade II listed street.
Sicilian Avenue Returns
Sicilian Avenue has played host to Bloomsbury’s intellectuals, shoppers and students for 115 years: it was built in 1910 by R.J. Worley, a visionary architect behind other listed London landmarks, and its unique pillared architecture was built to conjure up visions of Sicily and classical Rome.
The ‘reborn’ Sicilian Avenue, with 70,000 square feet of offices above 17,500 feet of retail, food and beverage space, was one of London’s first purpose-built pedestrian streets, and is also spearheading a wider move towards pedestrianised spaces and cleaner air in central London.
Sicilian Avenue and its Windows on the World
Flying Horse Coffee chose Sicilian Avenue due to its rich history and grade II listed architecture, its owner says, with visitors set to benefit from regular free cups of coffee through the Magic Stamp Loyalty App.
Philip Way, Owner and Founder of Flying Horse Coffee, says: “We are super excited to get started, and it’s our most beautiful setting yet to open in. We’ve really taken our time to respect its heritage down to details like matching the colour of our coffee machine with the Grade II listed oriel window frames. These details matter to the experience and lifestyle we’re creating for our customers - we want them to feel that they’re in a special place, because they are!”
MATCHADO, founded in 2019 by Japanese tea specialist Hiromi Matsunobu, brings Japanese tea and sweets along with the craftsmanship of Japanese tea culture to the UK.
Using ceremonial-grade matcha and premium hojicha hand-sourced from family tea farms across Japan, every drink is hand-whisked and its London-made baked treats include Japanese flavours such as matcha, hojicha, yuzu and black sesame.
Founder Hiromi Matsunobu, says: “It’s wonderful to open MATCHADO in such a heritage-rich location just minutes away from The British Museum. For this opening, I’ve created a new baked treat exclusively for guests at Sicilian Avenue — our Matcha Florentine. Inspired in part by the fascinating architecture of Italian marble and classical details, it pairs crunchy almonds and rich caramel with high-quality matcha. I can’t wait to share it. The calm, heritage surroundings on Sicilian Avenue are the perfect setting to experience the thoughtful, mindful nature of Japanese tea culture.”
The two cafes plug into a very real need for eating and refreshments in the area, which sits next to bustling Holborn.
Research by Sicilian Avenue found that half (50%) of business owners and workers who visit London opt to eat in restaurants or cafes near their place of work - making the new Sicilian Avenue cafes a tempting proposition for the thousands who work in the area.
BACKWORKS offers a new pedestrian-centric approach to massage, with a drop-in wellness space with clothed seated massages for the area's workers, students and tourists - offering 15-45 minute sessions to release tension.
Douglas Anderson, Co-founder of BACKWORKS, says: ‘Sicilian Avenue captures the experience we want for our clients. Its beautiful oriel windows allow for more natural light, and its culturally inspiring location is perfectly in line with our vision: quiet, yet lively and making wellbeing accessible – like grabbing your morning coffee.
“Our mission is to offer an alternative to lengthy, expensive massage treatments that require booking weeks in advance, having to undress and be covered in oils.”
Sicilian Avenue to Announce More Arrivals Soon
These first three venues are just the beginning for the anticipated opening of Sicilian Avenue.
Jonathan Eastwood, Head of Retail Agency, Knight Frank, says: ‘We’re curating a high quality, premium destination that combines creative and joyful experiences whilst redefining London living, shopping and dining. Sicilian Avenue’s London-founded brands are exactly the kind of high quality experiences people desire and these three retailers selected this location not only for its heritage, but its access to provide the lifestyle consumers want. Both operators overcame fierce competition for the avenue and we look forward to announcing further arrivals.’’
Hannah McNamara, co-founder at leasing experts P-Three, says: ‘Sicilian Avenue is a beautiful, characterful and a slightly unexpected destination in the heart of London. Having homegrown London brands like Flying Horse Coffee, BACKWORKS and MATCHADO bring something distinctive to the spirit and heritage of the avenue that says everything about the energy this place inspires. At P-Three, we’ve always been passionate about curating destinations that feel genuine and full of life, and Sicilian Avenue perfectly embodies that.”