Teal by Sally Abé praised
Hot Dinners published a positive first review of Teal by Sally Abé in Hackney, saying the chef’s solo restaurant lives up to expectations. The post frames the opening as a significant local debut for Sally Abé. (x.com)
Teal by Sally Abé has opened in Hackney with strong early reviews, giving chef Sally Abé her first standalone London restaurant after years running other kitchens. (hot-dinners.com) The restaurant opened on March 26, 2026, at 52 Wilton Way in East London, in the site previously occupied by Sesta and before that Pidgin. Abé opened it with co-owner Abe Drewry. (dineoutmagazine.co.uk) (tealbysallyabe.com) Abé said Teal is “the first restaurant I’ve built entirely on my own,” and the menu is pitched as a British bistro built around seasonal produce and older British dishes. The restaurant’s own menu says it changes regularly with the seasons. (dineoutmagazine.co.uk) (tealbysallyabe.com) That opening has drawn attention because Abé already had a high-profile London résumé before going solo. She retained a Michelin star at the Harwood Arms, later led The Pem at Conrad London St James, and most recently cooked at The Bull in Charlbury. (squaremeal.co.uk) (hot-dinners.com) The food at Teal leans hard into British references rather than generic modern-European small plates. Preview coverage before the launch said dishes would include lockets savoury and a penny lick, both drawn from older British food traditions. (standard.co.uk) Hot Dinners said this week that the restaurant “lives up to expectations” and described the opening as a notable Hackney debut for Abé. Another early review, from the London Standard on April 2, gave Teal five stars and called it “astonishingly, masterfully good.” (hot-dinners.com) (standard.co.uk) Other early coverage has focused on the degree of control Abé now has over the project. Broadsheet reported that she said she was proud to serve “the food I want” in a restaurant run with an all-female kitchen team. (broadsheet.com) The early customer response has also been positive. OpenTable listed Teal with a 4.9 rating from recent reviews as of April 15, 2026, though that score is based on a small opening run rather than a long trading history. (opentable.co.uk) For Hackney diners, the immediate change is simple: one of London’s best-known chefs now has her own room, her own menu, and a permanent address on Wilton Way. The first reviews suggest Teal is being judged as more than a celebrity-chef launch. (tealbysallyabe.com) (standard.co.uk)
