Who remembers the Pharmacy? This London restaurant caused a great stir in the 90s. Back then theme restaurants were rather known in rural areas. In most of them lousy music was played and beer and sweet liquor were a drinkable combination.
Opening a theme restaurant was not a logical step for someone like Damien Hirst. Nevertheless, the artist proved what happens when concept art meets a city and a cosmopolitan audience. The pharmacy motto was translated into the interior which was a conglomerate of colorful pills and packs. The likes of Madonna and David Bowie were attracted by that.
Pharmacy 2 opened in 2016. After his first restaurant closed after the turn of the millennium, superstar Damien Hirst became a couple millions richter – thanks to diamond clad skulls and the sale of the Pharmacy interior. The wallpaper with the 100 most prescribed medications, the pill-shaped bar stools and the shelves full of medicine of the new restaurant already hint towards their rising value.
After opening the first place with PR guru Matthew Freud, Hirst partnered up with chef Mark Hix this time. With great steaks or Dublin prawns in Arak, the new Pharmacy puts food in a greater focus than the boozy original. Even a wild child like Damien Hirst is getting older…
Don’t miss Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery right next door.
Architecture
Caruso St John, London
Interior Design
Damien Hirst
Design
Damien Hirst
