Ryan Chetiyawardana has announced that Dandelyan, currently number two on the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars, is going to close.
Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr Lyan, made an announcement via Instagram to firstly celebrate the fourth birthday of the London-based bar, but also to say that it is going to close.
The post read: “It feels fitting that on our fourth birthday to kill off our now oldest venue. The idea for Dandelyan is way older than four – it has roots in White Lyan and my old biology days.
“It would be a disservice to these amazing people (Dandelyan’s bar staff) to continue when we think the landscape, and the conversation, has shifted. There’s so much I think we can do, and so much we want to challenge, discuss and create in the industry that, like with White Lyan, it makes sense to burn it down, start afresh, and rise again as something brighter, shinier and more fitting of where we’re (all) now at.”
Chetiyawardana also owns London-based venues Super Lyan and Cub and within his social media post he also said that he will keep the Dandelyan space for a new venue.
“I wasn’t joking when I said we have a lot on. I really think we’re just hitting our stride, and now it’s time to pull out the real weird stuff.”
View this post on Instagram
BIG OL’ ANNOUNCEMENT 1/3 Happy Birthday Dandelyan – AND GOODBYE! It feels fitting on our 4th birthday to kill off our now-eldest venue. The idea for Dandelyan is way older than 4 – it has its roots in White Lyan (itself an old idea I had waaaay back. The echos are apt!) and my old biology days. We were so glad it was relevant when it was around. But to me, what makes this bar great is these people (and there’s more of them). And fuck am I proud of what we’ve achieved together – World’s Best Menu (twice yo!), World’s Best Bar Team (duh) and WORLD’S BEST MO FUCKING BAR +++ – but that actually misses what I think we’re great at. It would be a disservice to these amazing people, and to what we have created together to continue when we think the landscape, and the conversation, has shifted. There’s so much I think we can do, and so much we want to challenge, discuss and create in this industry that, like with White Lyan, it makes sense to burn it down, start afresh, and rise again as something brighter, shinier and more fitting of where we’re (all) now at. Happy Birthday you big green beast, it’ll be great to see you different again. And goddamn I wasn’t joking when I said we have a lot on! I really think we’re just hitting our stride, and now it’s time to pull out the real weird stuff. Here’s to keeping it weird. Don’t ask what’s next (although we are keeping the space), please sit tight, and help us usher out the bar we know so many of you love as much as us. BIG LYAN LOVE! 🙀🦁🍸✨😿🙌🤘
A post shared by Ryan Chetiyawardana/Mr Lyan 🦁 (@mrlyan) on Sep 30, 2018 at 11:01pm PDT
