Bistro Freddie for Service Works

Bistro Freddie is a modern bistro in Shoreditch, founded by Dom Hamdy in 2023. Serving hearty comfort dishes in a chic interior, Chicken Taragon and Leek Pie, Cod Schnitzel and Sticky Toffee Pudding amongst lipstick red interiors and signature wood panelling. 

Pies, chips, cod schnitzel, egg mayonnaise with anchovy, sticky toffee pudding - Bistro Freddie is a rare partnership of both chic and satisfying, was this a conscious decision when you opened the restaurant?

I wanted Bistro Freddie to be many things - delicious and comforting without compromise, nostalgic and, in a way, idiosyncratic. There should be nothing challenging about the menus, quite the opposite. If we're able to momentarily transport you to a different time, we consider it a success. 

Glossy reds, frosted glass, wood details there’s plenty to love about Bistro Freddie, what was the biggest inspiration behind the interior?

I worked with Jermaine Gallacher on the interiors - it's a contemporary take on a classic Parisien bistro. We had to have wooden panelling, we had to have red. The loos are gloss burgundy from floor to ceiling so you can feel like you're getting lost in a bottle of Pinot Noir. There's something a little theatrical about it all. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's proper at the same time.  

So it's a modern British take on a French Bistro?

I have an eclectic background, with lots of French influence and I spent a lot of time in France growing up. I was born in Yorkshire and consider myself British, however my mother is German and my parents grew up in Alexandria, Egypt. Bistro Freddie is a love letter from the UK to France with a little bit of Schnitzel thrown in for good measure. 

Who’s Freddie?

My father. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few years ago, so my next restaurant would be an homage to him. It's exactly the kind of restaurant that he likes. On the first Sunday it opened, we had lunch together after he was told he was in remission. It was special. 

When looking for a new head chef at the restaurant, what qualities do you look for?

A good person who can cook and who cares.