Lagana: Is This Dua Lipa-Approved Restaurant Worth The Hype?

Ina Yulo Stuve chooses this buzzy restaurant in Shoreditch for the ultimate Greek-inspired birthday feast

Review: Lagana, Shoreditch

Flour, water, yeast, olive oil, salt – these five ingredients are all you need to make the humble flatbread, yet from such simple origins comes a world of possibilities. This blank canvas is exactly what Pachamama Group (of Bottarga, zephyr, and Nina fame) was excited to work with when crafting the latest addition to their portfolio, Lagana in Shoreditch. Named after the Greek word for flatbread, this electric little spot takes over the former site of Pachamama East on Great Eastern Street and is the group’s most playful concept yet. 

Pachamama Group’s mission is to create dining destinations that whisk guests away to foreign lands, if only for a few hours. Their first projects focused on modern Peruvian cuisine before they shifted gears with their more recent slew of openings, which celebrates the flavours of the Aegean and Mediterranean. Brand Director Yaroslava Malkova tells me that there’s a clear focus on building spaces that ‘feel lived-in, expressive, and emotionally-charged,’ where everything from the lighting to the service to the food is intentional and thoughtful.  

Group Executive Chef Tzoulio Loulai sits at the helm of Lagana’s kitchen, and it’s in this corner of East London that he invites guests to take part in the  casual, unfussy style of dining that defines a typical Greek gathering: Tzoulio’s vision includes flatbreads aggressively pulled apart before being messily dunked into an array of dips, olive oil is drizzled with gusto, and sliced meats are passed around the table in between conversations. Cocktails are named after different colours, featuring a citrus-heavy line-up; the wine list is diverse, with simple descriptions for each offering; and the food menu includes sharing plates that showcase Loulai’s signature punchy flavours delivered through crowd-pleasing skewers, raw dishes, vegetarian options, and grilled dishes. 

Every year around my birthday, I plan a dinner with my girlfriends and try my best to choose a restaurant that is new to most of the group and delivers on good vibes and great food. Lagana, with its ‘loose, childlike, and deliberatively naïve’ soul, as described by Managing Director Lunara Bramley-Fenton (who designed the restaurant’s interiors), ticked all those boxes. With hardwood floors, stainless steel counters, and paper tablecloths, it exudes a cool canteen vibe, while vintage chandeliers and playful art painted on a glass wall that stretches the length of the dining room bring a dose of character. 

As we take our seats, crayons are brought to the table, an invitation to leave your cares at the door and simply enjoy the evening. Like many a London restaurant, Lagana operates a sharing plates concept, but unlike other places, dishes are bountiful and filling, ensuring no one leaves hungry. Pillowy flatbreads are the perfect vessels for scooping up the range of flavourful dips, the subtle saltiness complementing a spicy feta and red pepper number while lifting a deceptively simple but delightful plate of anthotiro cheese with fresh honeycomb and thyme-infused oil. 

On the raw front, the seabass ceviche pays homage to the Greek kakavia (fisherman’s soup) while the tomato-forward beef tartare takes notes from the traditional kokkinisto stew. Other standouts include tasty slices of lamb belly served with cumin yoghurt and a tomato sauce as well as a delightfully-pink dry-aged picanha sitting in its own jus. 

THE FINAL WORD

With Lagana, Pachamama Group continues its streak of rolling out vibrant dining destinations that build up hype and deliver on it. Go with a group so that you get a taste of all the rich flavours across the menu and spend the evening releasing your inner Picasso as you sip on a full-bodied red from Northern Greece. 

BOOK IT

Book via opentable.com. More information at lagana.london/ and @laganalondon