Opened by Alan Yau, the vibey modern Chinese venue is one of the world’s most influential restaurant formats and introduced Londoners to a style of Cantonese cooking with which many were not familiar when it launched in 2001.
Along with Nobu - which launched in New York in 1994 and arrived in the capital in 1997 – the restaurant, which is located in an unpromising-looking alley off Oxford Street close to Tottenham Court Road tube, created the blueprint for a new genre of trendy luxury venues that blended quality food and service with an aesthetic and feel that owed as much to nightclubs as it did to restaurants.
As well as being a celebrity magnet through the 2000s and 2010s, the restaurant was among the most highly rated in the capital, holding a Michelin star for two decades and also featuring on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
A huge space divided up by oriental geometric screens, the restaurant is famed for its dark, brooding aesthetic and intimate feel. A second Hakkasan opened in Mayfair in 2020, and there are now around a dozen international Hakkasan sites in locations including Las Vegas, Istanbul, Madrid, Dubai and Shanghai.
Hakkasan Mayfair will continue to trade as usual.
Owner Tao Group Hospitality gave no reason for the closure but said in a statement: “After 24 years of culinary excellence and unparalleled service, the original Hakkasan on Hanway Place will bid farewell with its final service on Friday, February 28th.
“Fortunately, our cherished guests can continue to savour signature dishes — such as our iconic Peking duck with caviar — at eleven locations worldwide, including our flagship Mayfair London restaurant near Berkeley Square.”
In 2023, both Hakkasan Hanway Place and Hakkasan Mayfair lost their Michelin stars.
