La Popote restaurant in Cheshire has become the first restaurant in the UK to launch a ‘water menu’ – and the most expensive item on the menu will set you back almost £20
Restaurant co-owner Joseph Rawlins and water sommelier Doran Binder
A restaurant featured in the Michelin guide has become the first establishment in Britain to introduce a water-only menu – with the priciest option costing diners nearly £20.
French restaurant La Popote, situated near Congleton, Cheshire, unveiled the concept as growing numbers of people across the UK choose to avoid alcohol.
Joseph Rawlins, co-owner and head chef of the establishment, explained it was the perfect moment to provide “something a bit different” to patrons at the Cheshire venue, though the premium end of the selection reaches an eye-watering £19, according to the Times.
He commented: “We have noticed in the last 18 months that a lot of people don’t drink as much and are looking for an alternative to alcohol. We thought there was space for it, so why not?”
The eatery, working alongside certified British water sommelier Doran Binder, curated bottled waters from the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Iceland, reports Cheshire Live.
La Popote restaurant in Cheshire
Costs start from £5 for Mr Binder’s own Crag Spring Water, rising to the premium selection featuring the Palace of Vidago, a Portuguese sparkling water, priced at a hefty £19.
Crag Spring has been available at the venue since Mr Rawlins acquired it alongside partner Gaëlle Radigon in 2019.
Mr Binder contacted the restaurant proprietors to propose creating a water menu, which initially caught Mr Rawlins off guard. He said: “He pitched the idea to us and we had a laugh as we were unsure what he meant by it at first. He then invited us down for a water tasting and that’s when we realised that water isn’t just water. He explained he thinks there is an exciting new market.”
Mr Binder has devoted the past seven months to perfecting the selection, whittling it down from hundreds of different varieties of water.
The specialist, who stands among just five water sommeliers across the UK, revealed he had been developing a water menu for three or four years whilst attempting to persuade a restaurant to adopt it, though people dismissed it as a “gimmick”.
La Popote owners and Doran Binder spotted a gap in the market
He continued: “I have put together a quality range of interesting water. They all have different tastes, mouth-feels and offer a different perspective on dining at a restaurant.
“It will elevate the dining experience for non-drinkers like myself and millions of others who aren’t interested in a wine menu.”
Mr Binder embarked upon his journey to becoming one of Britain’s few water sommeliers when he purchased a failing pub, the Crag Inn in Wildboarclough, near Macclesfield, in 2016. He uncovered “exceptionally high quality” water beneath the premises before shutting the pub and beginning to bottle the water.
The establishment, which earned recognition in the Michelin guide in 2022, offers a wine selection with prices spanning from £28 to £400 per bottle.
The restaurant also provides the choice of complimentary tap water. Items from the water menu will be presented in wine glasses.
Dining and Cooking