Exeter's Eat the Bird confirms closure date ahead of big move

They have exciting plans

An Exeter restaurant has confirmed when it will close after more than five years. But it's not for good as they have told loyal customers to keep their eyes peeled for their "snazzy" new venture.

Eat the Bird, which specialises in chicken burgers, has announced when it will be saying farewell to its restaurant on Sidwell Street. In June, the owners confirmed that their lease had expired on the premises but that they had been granted an extension while they planned their next move.

During the extension, they have only been able to offer outdoor seating but have continued to offer takeaways and delivery. The restaurant's menu has also still been available at the Turks Head pub on the High Street, where they have taken up a residency in the kitchen.

A post on Eat the Bird's Facebook page in June said: "Five years ago, we got the keys to our second fried chicken palace on Sidwell Street. Fast forward to today and we've built up a tribe of fried chicken addicted fans like yourself and created something unique and seemingly well loved in the city. We couldn’t be more thankful for letting us serve you over and over and over again.

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"And soon, we'll have finished building a brand new, even bigger, even better fried chicken palace in the centre of the city that we can’t bleddy wait to open.

"Our lease expires today, but we’ve been granted an extension to stay a little longer on Sidwell Street to make sure you can all still get a fix whilst we sort out the new site.

"Service will be slightly different though. We’ve been told by our landlords, and for reasons out of our control, that we can only serve our outside tables or do takeaway. (DM us if you want to know why but it’s not that interesting.)

"So we're going al fresco. Lucky it’s the summer, right? If you like the indoors and want to chow down on an eat the bird, you can still find us in Turks Head serving our menu 7 days a week from their kitchen and we'd be extremely happy to see you.

"If continental dining is your bag and you want to bask in the final load of etb vibes on Sidwell, then come and join us for the last hurrah. It’ll be a summer long celebration of all the memories that we’ve created and a send off before we venture more central. Thanks for an epic five years, here’s to the next chapter. See you soon."

In July, Eat the Bird's plans to relocate were revealed in more detail when a licensing application was submitted for a premises on Bedford Street. They are planning to take over the restaurant unit that was previously occupied by Margoux until June 2023 when it closed due to rising costs.

Eat the Bird has now confirmed it has just a few days left on Sidwell Street in a note attached to the door. They are yet to reveal when they will be reopening in their new location.

The note says: "We are currently outside only and will be closing this site on October 20. Please keep an eye out on socials for updates on when will be reopening in our snazzy new place. Thanks for all your support."