Murat Kilic’s all-day restaurant by Aldgate East, built from rescued elm, clay plaster and recycled plastic.
Restaurant, London, UK
Ara opened in 2025 on New Drum Street, a moment from Aldgate East station, as the second restaurant from chef Murat Kilic after Amber. He had eaten at Silo and asked Nina+Co to give a newly built shell some character, with food and a room that do not belong to any one place.
The walls are UK clay plaster with a textured acoustic spray made from recycled cellulose, and the curved bar is cut from terracotta-toned recycled plastic. Craftworks Productions built modular benches from elm rescued from diseased London trees, with seat pads in a pineapple-leaf textile, and the pendants are woven from foraged reeds. Three trees are sunk into the floor, and the galvanised steel floor was left bare once it went down. What makes it stand out is that everything is designed to come apart for its next life, yet the room feels warm and settled rather than experimental.
Information
Address
1 New Drum Street
London
E1 7AY