Bar + Block to Close Hammersmith Restaurant

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Part Whitbread's strategy, which has also seen the end of Beefeater

Bar + Block is on Shepherd's Bush Road

August 9, 2026

Bar + Block, the steakhouse on Shepherd’s Bush Road, will close permanently on 3 September, as part of Whitbread’s decision to shut all 20 Bar + Block restaurants across the UK. The move forms a central plank of the company’s major hospitality restructure, which will see Whitbread withdraw entirely from its standalone branded restaurants — including Bar + Block, Beefeater and Brewers Fayre — and refocus on its core Premier Inn hotel business.

The Hammersmith branch, which opened in February 2022 inside Brook House, is among the sites confirmed for closure. Whitbread has said that restaurants will either be converted into hotel dining spaces or sold, depending on location.

The closures follow Whitbread’s April announcement of plans to cut around 3,800 jobs in the UK and Ireland as part of a five-year strategy to save £250 million. In a statement at the time, the company said: “Following a comprehensive review of all options to maximise value creation and deliver profitable growth, we outlined our New Five-Year Plan. We are executing each element at pace including: our proposed exit from all remaining branded restaurants in the UK to become a pure-play hotel business; refocused growth plans in the UK that will drive higher profits and returns; and accelerating cash flow and returns in Germany.”

Bar + Block arrived in Hammersmith with considerable fanfare in early 2022. The restaurant promised an all-day dining offer built around prime cuts of British and Irish Angus beef, matured for at least thirty days and cooked in a charcoal oven. Signature dishes included the Spiral Cut Fillet marinated in garlic and parsley, Surf + Turf with jumbo king prawns, and a Steak Sampler featuring sirloin, fillet and rump.

The menu extended well beyond steaks, with hand-crafted burgers, seasonal sides, sharing plates and Sunday roasts. The Mighty Block Burger — an 8oz patty topped with mature Cheddar sauce, crispy onions, pulled brisket and a pickled cucumber spear — became one of the restaurant’s centrepieces. Vegetarian and vegan diners were offered dishes such as Cauliflower Wings and a plant-based Sloppy Joe Burger.

Hammersmith also received an exclusive cocktail: the Cherry Bakewell Martini, a nod to the former Lyons Cake Factory nearby, blending Amaretto, Baileys, cherry syrup and cream with a crumble topping.

Inside, the restaurant aimed for a contemporary feel, with an expansive bar area seating 44, oak-topped tables and an open kitchen. A weekday Express Menu ran from late morning to mid-afternoon, offering steak frites, burgers and sandwiches for quick lunches.

Whitbread has not yet confirmed the future of the Hammersmith unit after September, and no planning or licensing applications have been submitted for a change of use. For now, the site is expected to close in line with the national timetable, leaving a prominent corner of Shepherd’s Bush Road awaiting its next tenant.

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