Illustration of a hanging pig carcass with labeled cuts.

Paternoster Chop House, London

Paternoster Chop House, located beside St. Paul’s Cathedral, is a celebrated British restaurant known for its hearty dishes such as steaks, chops, and roasts with its in-house butchery adding authenticity and a unique touch to the menu. The restaurant’s name reflects its location in Paternoster Square, historically central to London’s publishing industry and redeveloped post-WWII after significant bombing but more recently the restaurant gained fame as the original filming location for Channel 4’s First Dates. When we were approached to address the brand identity, everything was neat and tidy, but the venue’s true character and personality were not being communicated which felt like a huge opportunity missed. 

RESTAURANT BRAND IDENTITY
RESTAURANT REBRAND
ART DIRECTION
ILLUSTRATION
DESIGN FOR PRINT

Logo of Paternoster Chop House with a black cleaver icon.
Entrance of Paternoster Chop House restaurant, decorated with garlands and Christmas lights, with blurred figures of people entering. Two blackboards with the restaurant's menu flank the entrance.
Three pink-colored paper menus with black text, featuring a list of food and drink items, floating against a white background.

The original identity was limited to a condensed, all-caps wordmark and a black-and-white colour palette. While the wordmark needed to be retained, we sought ways to elevate the brand. Inspiration came from an unexpected source—a giant meat cleaver statue in the restaurant window. So we incorporated a handle into the logo, reflecting this bold, structural detail. Sometimes the best ideas really are staring you in the face. With this key element communicating the venue’s essence, we expanded the visual identity to add depth, further telling the story and enhancing the overall design. 

Assorted Paternoster Chop House menus and stationery displayed on a table, including menus, coasters, business cards, and a knife.
Wooden drinks menu with leather spine and corkscrew illustration on cover, set against a beige background.
Image of a corkscrew engraved on wood, with the word 'DRINKS' next to it.
Coasters featuring butchered animal illustrations and Paternoster Chop House logo on black background.
Two clipboards with restaurant menus featuring a pig illustration, titled "Paternoster Chop House."
Two cards are displayed; the left card says 'Chop Chop' in large black letters on a brown background and mentions an event with cocktails and dinner by Chef Simon Gregory at Paternoster Chop House. The right card features an illustration of a pig with labeled sections.
Stack of Paternoster Chop House business cards with contact details for a general manager.

The interior of the restaurant provided a wealth of visual inspiration, from its rugged, masculine aesthetic to the hearty food it serves. We embraced this with tough, heavy papers, wood, and a distinctive salmon pink—a subtle reference to the Financial Times and the restaurant’s location in London’s financial district. The base for the identity was set, with illustrations depicting animal dissection further enhancing the restaurant’s tone. This created a brand that made as bold a statement as the food itself. The rebrand proved so successful that it was eventually rolled out across other restaurants in the D&D London group.