Babbo, the former Mayfair Italian restaurant with footballing connections, completes its transfer to St John’s Wood next week, while its fellow glossy Italian Bocconcino opens a seafood spinoff in the Strand called Osteria del Mare (pictured). Launching on Monday, Osteria del Mare takes inspiration from the Tuscan coastal resort of Forte dei Marmi, with ex-Barrafina […]
The India Club in the Strand is to close down on 17 September, after apparently losing a six-year battle against redevelopment. The freeholders, Marston Properties, first submitted plans to develop the site as a luxury hotel in 2017. The Club – which these days is not restricted to members – raised funds to fight for its survival, […]
Three very different teams have come together to launch a summer-long Thai restaurant and arts space in London’s West End with the aim of establishing a template for “green social clubs” in cities across Britain. Outcrop, which opens in the Strand next month, combines the talents of individuals involved in Secret Cinema, high-end restaurants Clove […]
Ikoyi, the high-flying restaurant bringing West African flavours to London’s West End, is to move from its small premises in St James’s, behind Piccadilly Circus, to a bigger site nearby. Yet to be confirmed, the mostly likely candidate is the Brutalist landmark 180 The Strand building, recently converted into a cultural centre. If Ikoyi does […]
Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, the art-world power-brokers behind the Frieze global art fairs, are taking their first steps in hospitality with the opening of Toklas, a Mediterranean-style restaurant in the Strand that shares a site with their Frieze headquarters. Drinks are being served on the terrace this week to coincide with this year’s edition […]
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand – where Dickens and Shaw, Gladstone and Disraeli, Conan Doyle and PG Wodehouse all feasted – will close in April for an overhaul designed to reclaim its status as one of London’s leading restaurants. Founded in 1828 as the Grand Cigar Divan coffee house and chess club, it became famous for its lavish servings of […]
Set against a masculine backdrop of dark mahogany woods, buttery green leathers and vibrant pops of red, Smith & Wollensky is famous for its perfectly-cooked USDA Prime dry-aged steaks alongside British and Irish cuts and premium seafood. Sitting alongside are 40 classic cocktails with a twist and a 500-strong bin list of award-winning wines, 40 […]
NYC steakhouse Smith & Wollensky is to open its first non-US operation in London on 17 June. The massive – 300-cover – restaurant will occupy the grandiose, art deco Adelphi Building in John Adam Street, near Charing Cross. This makes it possibly the first major non-hotel dining room to open south of the Strand since […]
Serendipitously coinciding with Oktoberfest, the latest Herman ze German outpost opens in Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street next week. This is the chain’s third London site. The original opened just off the Strand in 2010, followed by a second shop in Soho, in 2013. Herman ze German serves up traditional sausages, but offers gluten and lactose-free Bratwurst, Chilli […]
The Editors’ review of Pavilion It’s handy enough for a pricey shopping lunch, but not a destination restaurant. Grace Dent is in a Viennese whirl over Fischer’s The Evening Standard critic loves Corbin & King’s new Vienna-style café. Smith & Wollensky to open at Adelphi US steakhouse to open its first London outpost […]