Rocola: Crudo Group to Open New East London Restaurant, Bar and Rotating Kitchen on Mare Street

Rocola, a new East London restaurant, bar and rotating kitchen from the team behind Crudo and Tiny Wine, will open on Mare Street on Wednesday July 8th. Built around an open kitchen, lively bar and changing programme of guest chefs, residencies, tastings, music-led events and collaborations, Rocola brings together the warmth of a neighbourhood restaurant with the energy of a space that keeps moving.

The new opening comes from Crudo Group, founded by Maria Yanez and Carlos Socorro, the team behind Crudo Cocina Latina and Tiny Wine. With Rocola, the group is creating a permanent restaurant and bar with its own food, drink and hospitality, shaped by a curated calendar of chefs, artists, producers and collaborators.

Rocola takes its name from the Spanish word for jukebox. Like a jukebox, Rocola brings different voices, sounds and moods into one place. The record changes, but the room stays unmistakably Rocola.

The Concept

Rocola is a restaurant, bar and rotating kitchen built around an open fire of ideas rather than a fixed script. At its heart is a permanent food and drinks programme shaped by the Crudo team’s Latin American roots, Southern European influences and instinct for warm, generous hospitality. Around that sits a changing calendar of guest chefs, kitchen residencies, wine tastings, music-led nights and collaborations.

Guests might come in for a glass of wine and a few plates at the bar, book for a visiting chef, stay late for a music night, or return the following week for dinner and find the room moving to a slightly different rhythm. Rocola is designed to keep evolving without losing its sense of self.

Maria Yanez, Co-Founder said “Rocola is about creating a restaurant that feels alive every time you walk in. We wanted to build a place with its own food, drinks and identity, but also one that could make space for new chefs, ideas and experiences throughout the year. The open kitchen is central to that. Guests can see the energy of the room, meet the people cooking for them and feel part of what is happening that night.”

First Residency: Nico Reynolds

Rocola will launch its residency programme with Dublin-born chef Nico Reynolds, whose cooking brings together Jamaican roots, Irish produce and the influence of years spent living and cooking in Buenos Aires.

Through his pop-up Lil Portie, Reynolds has built a reputation for a bold, personal style of New Caribbean cooking, blending the depth, spice and aroma of the Caribbean with Latin American brightness and an Irish accent. His food first drew wider attention after Lil Portie featured on Vice Media’s Fck That’s Delicious with Action Bronson, with Reynolds later making regular TV appearances through his own series.

At Rocola, Reynolds will bring that same cross-cultural cooking to the open kitchen, with a menu shaped by Caribbean heat, South American zest and the produce-led approach that runs through his work. Dishes will include Prawn causa and Summer squash tiradito alongside Aji de gallina tostadas and a Smashed beetroot salad with coconut and lime leaf, while heartier plates such as Jerk lamb shepherd’s pie coxinha, Monkfish and mussels with nduja butter and Patacones – carrots and scotch bonnet and ginger sauerkraut, will showcase Reynolds’ playful approach to flavour and technique, whilst a Mango cheesecake will finish the menu with a tropical note.

Food

The menu at Rocola will be concise, seasonal and built for sharing, drawing inspiration from Southern Europe and Latin America, reflecting the backgrounds of the team and the wider influences that have shaped the Crudo Group.

Guests can expect snacks and aperitivo-style bites designed to sit alongside a drink at the bar, including olives, gildas, focaccia and seasonal small plates. Alongside these, Rocola will serve a changing selection of antipasti, with dishes moving across cured meats, vegetables, seafood and seasonal ingredients.

The centre of the menu will be made up of smaller sharing dishes and a handful of larger plates, giving guests the option to build a full dinner around crudos, seasonal plates and dishes from the grill or oven. The menu will remain intentionally short, allowing the kitchen to stay responsive to the best ingredients available and the wider programme taking place in the venue.

Drinks

Drinks will sit at the heart of Rocola. Building on the team’s work at Tiny Wine, the wine list will focus on producers, stories and bottles the team loves drinking, rather than chasing trends or regions for the sake of it.

The list will feature around 60 to 80 bottles, with a strong by-the-glass selection designed to feel considered but approachable. Guests will be able to discover something new whether they know exactly what they like or simply want a good glass with dinner.

Cocktails will play an equally important role. Alongside classics such as Margaritas, Palomas and Pisco Sours, the menu will feature house signatures inspired by Latin America and the wider influences that shape the Rocola kitchen.

Design and Interiors

Rocola is built around a fully open kitchen and bar. From almost every seat in the room, guests can see chefs cooking and bartenders working, making the energy of the team part of the experience.

The space has a raw, understated feel, with exposed concrete, warm lighting and an industrial edge. It is intimate without feeling precious, designed to keep the focus on the food, drinks, people and whatever is happening that night.

The open kitchen also makes Rocola a natural home for collaborations. Visiting chefs will cook in the room, only a few feet away from the guests they are serving, creating an experience that feels close, immediate and personal.

Events and Programming

Alongside its permanent food and drinks offer, Rocola will host a changing programme of guest chefs, kitchen residencies, takeovers, wine tastings, music-led nights and creative collaborations.

Each residency or collaboration will be shaped by the Rocola team, bringing new people and ideas into the space while keeping the same standard of food, drinks and hospitality. The ambition is for Rocola to become a place where guests discover their next favourite chef, drink, artist or experience, while still feeling like they are returning to the same house each time.

Rocola will open on Mare Street on July 8th, offering a new East London home for open-kitchen dining, Latin warmth, Southern European influence, considered drinks and a rotating programme of chefs, collaborations and events.

For more information and to book, visit https://www.sevenrooms.com/explore/rocolastudio/reservations/create/search?tracking=opening