Carl Barât to open Margate LOVE Cafe with chef Gizzi Erskine and Music venue with Edie Langley

Libertines’ Carl Barât to open LOVE Cafe with Gizzi Erskine, Edie Langley, and Ronnie Traynor in Margate

Rumoured across the streets of Thanet for some time, it has now been confirmed that Libertines frontman Carl Barât is to collaborate with chef and restaurateur, Gizzi Erskine; his partner and Cruel Hearts Club’s’ front woman Edie Langley, and music manager Ronnie Traynor to open LOVE café in Margate.

But, there’s more,… the venue will be split into two halves with the downstairs forming Carl and Edie’s new live music venue Justine’s, which will open in September.

On the site of the old Black Cat in Marine Gardens, Carl said he was “finally making good on a drunken promise to create the finest Bar Bistro in the world.

“For music and ideas, refreshment and inspiration to flourish. This will require an expert chef, a lover, an old friend, elbow grease, midnight oil, patience and unfathomable love.”

Similarly to The Albion Rooms hotel, which opened in 2019, the cafe is being designed by Rhiannon Sussex.

For foodies, having Gizzi Erskine involved adds that bit of extra spice to the announcement, as she took to Instagram to describe the concept as “a sandwich bar on steroids”.

She said: “So the news finally dropped. Me and my old and good friends @carlbarat78 (@thelibertines ), @edieandeli and @ronnietraynor are opening a seaside bar, restaurant, deli and cafe. The spot we’ve taken from we’ve called @lovecafemargate is rich in Margate history and from having roots in the music and scooter rally scene.

“What to expect is a British Seaside deli style café and restaurant offering an all-day menu using local producers including @curveroasters, @staple_stores and @thegoodsshed_ to bring high quality British food to the area.

“Think big breakfasts with stonkingly good produce, roast carvery style hot deli sandwiches and big plates of really great things like chicken and chips. Then a really Vibey bar with sundowners curated by @liam.davy and obviously with the team involved great DJs and probably lots of naughtiness.”

“Really great classic dishes made with expert sourcing, skill and pride. We are looking for a talented and committed head chef to take over the reigns and work alongside Me to steer the ship in the right direction to build what we hope to be a Margate institution. We’re offering a very nourishing experience with competitive salary and will be posting about this over on my stories. This project is a labour of love and we are beside ourselves. Roll on the next month.”