Henrique Sa Pessoa’s JOIA only adds to the star-studded restaurant cast putting Battersea and Nine Elms on the map - Sa Pessoa brings his authentic, conscientious Portuguese cooking to a beautiful restaurant atop Art’otel Battersea, complete with huge Carabineros prawns from a smoking josper grill, dainty Iberico ham croquetas and rich, gooey salt cod tortillas.
Nestled below the restaurant, you’ll find JOIA Bar - the restaurant’s dedicated bar, which boasts sumptuous views across South London and over Battersea Power Station. The panoramic glass walls are a stand-out feature of this high-rise cocktail bar - few bars in the city boast this level of scenery and both JOIA and JOIA Bar will likely be popular as a result. The rest of the bar features a soft pastel colour palette of dusky pinks and baby blues, whilst a winding staircase in the corner leads you up to the main restaurant.
JOIA Bar is overseen by Alessandro Mannello - a veteran of London’s bar scene who has worked at the likes of Soho House and The Delauney. Here he looks after a drinks list that takes inspiration from the Iberian Peninsula. The cocktail list, for example, features twelve signature cocktails, each named after a precious gem that comes from the area. The ‘Esmeralda’ for example, combines basil-infused Plymouth gin, citrus foam, mint and matcha cordial, whilst the ‘Safira Rose’ is a bright mix of mezcal, elderflower, grapefruit soda and rose petal water. There are also a handful of sharing cocktails, including port negroni and sangria for four to six people to sip on whilst gazing at the London skyline.
There’s plenty more on the drinks list besides, including a solid collection of spirits, soft drinks and a hefty wine list too. If you’re not visiting the upstairs restaurant but you still want a bite of something to eat, you can do that at JOIA Bar too. Some of the restaurant dishes are also available downstairs, such as the tortillas, bombas and croquetas, and there are Iberian charcuterie and cheese plates too, as well as sweet treats like dark chocolate mousse and arroz con leche with passion fruit cremeux.