Barworks founder Marc Francis-Baum is reviving one of Clerkenwell’s historic pubs, with Michelin-starred chefs Tom Brown and Brad Carter taking over the kitchen upstairs
A Victorian London pub with more than 130 years of history is about to begin a compelling new chapter. On 16 September, the Grade II listed former home of The Peasant on St John Street will reopen as George & Dragon — combining the warmth of a proper neighbourhood pub with serious culinary credentials.
Behind the transformation is hospitality entrepreneur Marc Francis-Baum, founder of Barworks and a driving force in London’s pub scene for more than three decades. But perhaps the greatest draw sits one floor above the bar: Island, the first permanent restaurant from Michelin-starred chefs Tom Brown and Brad Carter.
Together, the trio are creating a destination that feels particularly suited to Clerkenwell — rooted in London’s past, but powered by some of the most exciting talent in contemporary British hospitality.
Tom Brown and Brad Carter Find a Permanent Home for Island
Island first appeared as a residency at Mare Street Market King’s Cross in June 2025, where Brown and Carter were given the freedom to develop their distinctive take on surf and turf.
The partnership brings together two formidable British chefs. Brown made his name with the Michelin-starred Cornerstone, while Carter established his reputation at the Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley. Island sees them combine their respective talents around a shared obsession with exceptional British produce.
Inspired by the landscape of the British Isles and the chefs’ travels together, the concept brings wild fish and seafood into conversation with rare-breed and organic meats. Producers including Paddock Farm, Txuleta Meat, Flying Fish and Shrub Provisions underpin a menu that looks to Britain’s shores and pastures for inspiration.
Having built a following during its residency, Island’s move to George & Dragon represents its evolution from experimental project to permanent restaurant.
Surf, Turf and a Steak & Lobster Pie
The 60-cover first-floor dining room will offer an à la carte menu that deliberately blurs the boundary between land and sea.
Fresh oysters arrive with jungle mignonette, while lamb belly is paired with clams and steak tartare with prawn crackers. Larger plates include curried mussels with curry leaf fries and an Island Mixed Grill, but the Steak & Lobster Pie promises to be one of the menu’s undeniable showstoppers.
For the table, a Chop Board brings together custom cuts of steak, chops and fish in one gloriously indulgent centrepiece.
Sundays will revive the feast-style roasts that became a signature of Brown and Carter’s Mare Street Market residency. Beef rump and cheek with horseradish, Tamworth porchetta, roast chicken with salsa verde and catch of the day with lobster bisque can be ordered individually, while a Family Style Roast and Island Seafood Platter are designed for sharing.
This is British cooking viewed through a decidedly more playful lens.
Downstairs, a Proper London Pub
While Island brings Michelin-starred pedigree upstairs, Francis-Baum is equally determined that George & Dragon should succeed at the thing London arguably needs more than ever: being a genuinely good local.
The 110-cover venue’s ground floor will remain deliberately relaxed, pairing a serious drinks programme with Brown and Carter’s irreverent interpretation of pub food.
Shawarma-glazed lamb döner sausages and G&D Scotch eggs sit alongside Irish oysters served casino-style with butter and bacon crumb. Salt and vinegar skate, butter-baked “disco” scallops and piri-piri chicken with crab sauce continue the chefs’ recurring collision of meat and seafood.
Even the sandwiches refuse to play it safe. Expect a curried mussel bun with crispy potatoes, a stacked G&D Reuben and BBQ pork belly and crab sub roll with bread-and-butter pickles.
Dessert brings proceedings firmly back to childhood with Cherry Cola soft serve.
Preserving a Piece of Clerkenwell
The food may be new, but Francis-Baum has no intention of erasing the building’s past.
Originally established as a public house in 1889, the Grade II listed property retains considerable historic character. Its restoration balances original details, including mosaic flooring, with contemporary commissions such as work by British artist Blue Logan.
That tension between heritage and modernity is central to the project. George & Dragon isn’t intended to feel like a restaurant masquerading as an old pub. Francis-Baum wants it to remain part of the fabric of Clerkenwell.
“Pubs have been at the heart of my working life for more than 30 years, so taking on a building with the history and character of George & Dragon feels incredibly special,” he says.
“We want to preserve the soul of this historic building while creating a great local for Clerkenwell: a relaxed neighbourhood pub downstairs and a special restaurant upstairs.”
Three Decades of London Hospitality
Francis-Baum founded Barworks in 1995, growing it into a portfolio of 23 neighbourhood venues and helping establish a style of independent London hospitality built around character rather than uniformity.
His influence extends beyond pubs. As a founding partner of Camden Town Brewery in 2010, he was involved in its growth into what became Britain’s largest independent craft brewer. Barworks today operates Two Floors and The Starman in Soho alongside Mare Street Market in Hackney and King’s Cross.
Mare Street Market has increasingly provided a platform for culinary talent, and Island is perhaps the clearest example of that philosophy coming full circle.
“When we invited Tom and Brad to develop Island at King’s Cross, the goal was to give two world-class chefs a platform to explore their ideas and connect with people,” Francis-Baum explains. “Seeing Island evolve into a permanent restaurant above a proper London pub feels like a natural next chapter.”
It is difficult to imagine a more London proposition: an 1889 pub restored rather than reinvented beyond recognition, a pint downstairs, and two Michelin-starred chefs cooking steak, lobster, wild fish and Sunday roasts upstairs.
With Marc Francis-Baum’s hospitality pedigree behind it and Tom Brown and Brad Carter given a permanent stage for Island, George & Dragon looks set to give Clerkenwell something increasingly precious — a proper neighbourhood pub, that allows your four-legged friends and that also happens to have one of London’s most exciting restaurants upstairs.
@georgeanddragonlondon | georgeanddragonlondon.com
240 St John St, London EC1V 4PH
