The Marlborough will open at 24 North Audley Street in the autumn and see Crisp relocate from its current home at The Chancellors in Hammersmith, where it was launched by McCluskey in 2021.
Announcing the opening on Instagram, McCluskey confirmed that he would be launching The Marlborough in partnership with Oisín Rogers, Charlie Carroll and Ashley Palmer-Watts, founders of The Devonshire in Soho, which has been named Gastropub of the Year for two years in a row at the National Restaurant Awards and is currently ranked at number 12 on the UK’s Top 100 Restaurants list.
McCluskey, who will be leading the new venture with the support of The Devonshire team, described it as a ‘bigger pub with a bigger oven and separate basement restaurant space’.
“Two years ago, I viewed a pub in central London with no plan to take it — until I walked in,” he said.
“Ideas were flying… until I heard the rent. That was that, or so I thought. A month later the landlords offered me the site.
“Crisp had only been running full-time for a year, but they believed in us. Suddenly, the dream was real — and terrifying.
“The past two years have been the most challenging of my life. There’s been 3am wakeups, impossible challenges, and moments I’d never wish on anyone. But we made it this far.”
Crisp is one of a growing number of pizza operators in the capital, and beyond, to have found viral fame on social media through its focus on New York-style pies with a thin, crispy base.
Signature options include the ‘tie-dye’ pizza featuring a spicy San Marzano tomato and tequila base, fior di latte and a pesto swirl; and the ‘Crisp pie’ with a tomato base, buffalo mozzarella and pecorino.
According to The Standard, The Marlborough will be split across two levels.
Upstairs will be a traditional wet-led pub for drinking in with standing room by the bar and fitted seating at the back, while downstairs will be dedicated to Crisp Pizza with restaurant-style seating for 52.
There will also be an outside terrace with room for a further 50 covers.