News Blog

As summer comes to an end and commuters and business travellers return to work, SSP Group has opened the doors on its latest restaurant concept, Hithes. Located in the departure lounge of London City Airport, the eatery takes its name from an old English word for “small port or harbour on a river” and draws inspiration from the former ports along the River Thames.

Hithes is a hybrid of city pub dining and a modern brasserie, offering dishes inspired by London’s vibrant food scene, including the Brick Lane chicken thali, the double decker burger, fish and chippy and the Soho salad, complemented by a curated drinks menu of wines, beers, soft drinks and cocktails such as the London Mule, many of which feature local brands from across the capital.

The menu has been carefully designed to include low carbon footprint dishes, created using ingredient-level insights from our food sustainability science partner, Klimato. One example is the crushed avocado and edamame on toast, which uses a 50/50 blend of avocado and edamame beans, as the beans have a lower carbon footprint*. Earlier this year, the restaurant’s concept menu also won the sustainability category of the Midas Awards, which celebrate creativity, innovation and menu development in the food service industry.

“Hithes is an exciting new concept for us, developed to fuse old and new London at this rapidly expanding airport,” said Cathy Granby, Business Development Director for SSP UK and Ireland. “We know how important it is for customers to be able to sit down and enjoy a meal before a flight without compromising on quality or speed of service. Hithes does just this, with a bespoke menu and full bar, all available through order at the table, where they can relax or work over lunch before boarding.”

On entering the restaurant, diners will be immersed in London-inspired designs, including a mural by English artist Edward Bawden and black and white photographs of iconic London food markets. This will be offset by dark oak panelling and terracotta tiles inspired by Edwardian architecture.

Hithes is part of a seven-year contract extension SSP secured at London City Airport last year.

Alison FitzGerald, Chief Executive Officer of London City Airport, said: “We are delighted to unveil our upgraded departure lounge, which builds on our unrivalled customer experience and commitment to providing one of London’s best passenger experiences.

“Over the last couple of years, we have taken the opportunity to redevelop our entire proposition, including the roll out of cutting-edge security scanners and now the offer of new restaurants and shopping experiences that celebrate some of the leading brands in our neighbourhood of east London.”

Hithes is SSP’s fourth outlet at London City, joining Juniper & Co Bar & Brasserie and two Soul & Grains – one landside and one airside – which offer “fresh-to-go” food and beverages.

*A “low carbon footprint” as defined by Klimato means that the dish has less than 0.9kg CO2e emissions per 400g serving. This is in line with the Paris Agreement targets set for 2030.