Independent Italian restaurant sold after 40 years at same site

An independent Italian restaurant that has been on the same site in the City of London for 40 years has been sold to British café chain S&M.

Hamilton’s, based in Leadenhall Market, has provided the backdrop to several films, including Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

The 3,400sq ft site was trading as an upmarket eatery on the ground floor with a pizzeria in the basement.

It has been snapped up by S&M Café (short for sausage and mash) which currently operates four other locations in Islington, Spitalfields, Greenwich, and Portobello Road and it is looking for further sites across the capital.

Stephen Bagatti, the acting agent at Davis Coffer Lyons, which handled the sale, said: “This is a really attractive and historic area where most operators would go into if given the chance. We had lots of interest for Hamilton’s and the successful party had to fight off tough competition.”

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By Daniel Thomas

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