About Stranded in London - Italian Restaurant

Former Yates Brothers Wine Lodge the ‘Stranded in London’ was a family run restaurant and bar previously known as ‘Da Marco’ which has been at 417 The Strand since 1983.

Stranded in London Italian Restaurant has an informal atmosphere, with unobtrusive light jazz and acoustic music played throughout the day, with more funky and upbeat music played during the evening. Being conveniently located in the heartland of London theatre, it caters towards both the pre-theatre diners and later to the pre-club crowd.

The bar and restaurant open at 12:00 noon and serve lunch until 3 pm. Opening again at 5 pm through to 11 pm Monday to Thursday and 11:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, with a supper hour extension on the bar for diners.

Only two Yates Brothers Wine Lodges operated outside the northern counties of England – the Grand Hotel at Douglas, Isle of Man and the unique “Bun Shop” on London’s Strand also known as the “Tram Shed”, which opened in the 1890’s and remained there until 1981.

Yates’ Wine Lodges were synonymous for good quality food and value for money, traditions that gladly remain with the Stranded in London.

Some believe the Stranded in London premises are haunted with two deaths historically on the premises, it could be and those with ESP claim to have a cold feeling in certain areas of the restaurant. Marco however thinks that it was just a draft before the recent refurbishment!

The word “Strand” itself originates from the Germanic word for “beach”. This could be because before the building of the Victoria Embankment, what is now the Strand would have formed the northern shorelines of the river Thames. Prior to the Royal Society of Arts renovation they opened up the lower levels and one could clearly see an early Victorian cobbled street running underneath their premise towards the river.

After his parents partial retirement in 2003 joint owner Marco Arquati decided to re-launch “Da-Marco” as Stranded in London to help differentiate themselves from the multitude of coffee bars and sandwich shops who have colonised the Strand.
Marco has grand plans for expansion, with further restaurants and bars in the “Stranded in” theme planned in the foreseeable future.