The ‘luxurious escape’ restaurant in Hull’s Prices Quay opened thanks to a huge council grant and shut soon after. But what – our ephemeral eatery correspondent Angus Young asks – is happening next?
Among the many units currently empty in Princes Quay there’s one which has attracted more headlines than any other. When Iron Lilies restaurant opened in the space once occupied by the Virgin Megastore in July 2024 it was hailed as a potential gamechanger for Hull’s night-time economy.
The Quay’s owners Tokyo Industries (Yorkshire) Ltd. reportedly spent around £1.5m on creating the 200-seat botanical-themed venue which included water features, plants and an outdoor terrace. It certainly looked the part but actually getting to taste the food on offer often proved to be a bit of a problem.
One well-known local restaurant reviewer tried to eat there three times without success. He said: “The first time I walked up on foot and they said they weren’t doing walk-ups even though it was empty and there was no-one in. They just said they were expecting reservations. The second time I tried to book online for one person. I was just going to try it out but the minimum booking was two people. It was very odd. I can’t remember why I couldn’t get in the third time I tried but it did seem the booking system didn’t work very well when all I wanted to do was eat there.”
In July this year Iron Lilies closed. At the time, Tokyo Industries said trading losses had made it impossible to continue while promising the restaurant would re-open later this year in a new format. Since then, a political row has blown up over a £750,000 Levelling Up Fund grant awarded to Tokyo Industries by Hull City Council to support the initial cost of converting the unused space.
Should the grant be re-paid? Should it have been awarded in the first place?
While the Quay’s owners continue to say a re-opening will happen before the end of the year, a new council report clarifies the issues around the grant. It says a “standard clawback clause” in the LUF agreement covering grant-funded buildings being sold or a lease terminated is being “temporarily paused” because of Tokyo Industries’ commitment to re-open the restaurant.
The report adds: “The (council) LUF grants team has a monthly check-in with Tokyo Industries to ensure their plan to reopen is on track. The latest check in early October included a visit to the premises. Dialogue between the owners of the LUF grants team will continue over the next few months with a view to ensuring that progress is being made to reopen as planned.”
When Curiosity popped into the Quay recently there was no sign of activity at the venue while the old Iron Lilies logos were still in place. Meanwhile, our local restaurant reviewer is eagerly looking forward to finally setting foot in the place for the first time.