Benk + Bo

Benk + Bo has opened just a short walk from Liverpool Street station and Spitalfields Market. Come by for a morning coffee and croissant and visit throughout the day for brunch, salads, soups and artisan toasties made with freshly baked bread.

The food and coffee at Benk + Bo is freshly prepared on the premises or short-travelled, an alternative to the grab-and-go high street chains. The kitchen team made up of Julien Valmier, ex-Head Baker at The Savoy Hotel and Rosi Vasileva ex-Pastry Chef from the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, freshly bake delicious classic patisserie and bread daily. A selection of deli items is also available to buy.

Regularly on display are croissants, including hard-to-find vegan croissants, pain au chocolat, eclairs, Paris-Brest and seasonal Danish pastries and tarts. Freshly made toasties using artisan ingredients are available at lunchtime and the kitchen team will happily accommodate dietary requirements. Expect to see breakfast and lunch pop ups following on from the recent collaboration with 26 Grains.

Benk + Bo meaning ‘bench’ and ‘live’ respectively in Norwegian is a nod to the integrated space. It incorporates a yoga studio, shared workspace as well as rooms for events, meetings and a private studio which are all available for one-off hire. Offering the best value shared workspace in London, membership at Benk + Bo includes access to all facilities including hot desking, meeting room, private studio and yoga as well as discount in the café. Benk + Bo’s multi-functionality promotes a relaxed atmosphere bringing together creative entrepreneurs where collaboration is supported and encouraged. Occasional residencies are offered to creatives. A response to the current work climate of multiple or fluid careers, the space itself is also an evolving project.

The mid-century architecture of the building has been exposed and the beautiful design has a homely, Scandinavian aesthetic. Selected artists will exhibit at Benk + Bo throughout the year, the current being Emma Dudlyke.

The team behind Benk + Bo have a new site in development. Further details to be released later in 2018.

- Ends -

Editor’s Notes
Open to the public:
- Café-bakery and deli Monday-Friday 08.00-18.00
- Variety of yoga classes £12 drop in or five classes for £20, see schedule online. Also available on ClassPass

Shared workspace and rooms available for hire:
- Membership with access to all facilities including café discount and yoga £190 p/m
- Part time membership starts at £55 p/m (full pricing details on request)
- Meeting room hire is £85 p/d with free access to yoga
- Multifunctional, private workspace with piano £45 p/d
- Events space hire on request

Website: www.benkandbo.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ben...
Address: Benk + Bo, 4-6 Gravel Lane, London E1 7AW
Phone number: 020 7377 6842

About Benk + Bo
Benk + Bo is an evolving project by Antony Burger and Mariell Lind Hansen. After becoming neighbours almost a decade ago, the two then became housemates. Their love of hosting brought about the idea for a community space and artist residency. Benk + Bo opened in January 2018 with an extended soft launch period. From the initial design of the site to the building work, running the café to looking after members, both Antony and Mariell have a hands-on approach which resonates in the communal atmosphere.

Antony Burger
As a child, Antony spent school holidays at his grandfather’s bakery in Wales and this lifelong passion has helped shaped the bakery at Benk + Bo. Antony comes from ASOS as a Fashion Producer bringing his eye for style.

Mariell Lind Hansen
Mariell moved to London from Norway in 2009 to start her career as a freelance architecture and interiors photographer. The community and DIY feel of the rural island where she grew up inspired the concept for Benk + Bo.