Highly rated chef Alex Dilling is set to open a first restaurant under his own name in London’s historic Café Royal this summer. The first-floor restaurant just off Piccadilly Circus is intimate, with just 34 covers, but grand in ambition.

Making his announcement on Instagram, Alex said: “It is with great excitement and emotion I announce the opening of my flagship restaurant Alex Dilling Café Royal in the iconic Hotel Café Royal. This gastronomic restaurant will be one built around generosity, impeccable product and French technique.”

Born in London and raised in the US, Alex was billed as a “culinary superstar” when he undertook a two-week guest-chef residency at Carousel last year. He ran the kitchen at Mayfair’s late, lamented Greenhouse (RIP) until it closed during the Covid epidemic in 2020, and had previously worked for Hélène Darroze at the Connaught and Alain Ducasse. Pierre Minotti, a former teammate at both the Greenhouse and the Connaught, will be joining him as head chef at the new venture.

Alex’s task will be to provide culinary magic to the Belle Epoque venue that was a playground for London’s Bohemia from Oscar Wilde to Princess Diana. The original restaurant closed down in 2008 and reopened four years later, transformed into a luxury hotel by architect David Chipperfield.

Bookings for Alex Dilling Café Royal open on June 15.