- Gordon Ramsay is launching another high-profile central London restaurant. The chef has entered into a partnership with Lore Group, the owner of South Bank hotel Sea Containers, to open Gordon Ramsay at Sea Containers this autumn. More details are yet to be released, but the restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, with ‘the brand’s hallmark precision and confidence interpreted through a concept carefully tailored to its setting’. Designed by Jacu Strauss, creative director and designer of Lore Group, the interiors will take inspiration from the building’s transatlantic identity and riverside setting, inspired by Blackfriars Bridge with subtle references to classic cruise liner design. The announcement follows a flurry of big-budget openings for the world-famous chef, including Gordon Ramsay High, Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay and Hell’s Kitchen London near Marble Arch.
- One of the UK’s oldest restaurant groups has closed all of its sites after falling into administration. Owned by Lavval Group, Spaghetti House has shuttered its five London restaurants in Marble Arch, Carnaby Street, Oxford Street, Kensington High Street and Cranbourn Street after appointing Asher Miller and Stephen Katz of BTG Begbies Traynor as joint administrators. Miller said that, despite efforts to save the business, soaring operational, employment, energy and tax costs had forced the directors to make the decision to enter administration. The restaurant group, founded by Simone Lavarini and Lorenzo Fraquelli in 1955, celebrated its 70th birthday last year and, at its peak, operated around 12 restaurants across the capital. In 2024, Lavval Group also opened A Braccetto in Earl’s Court, which it described as a ‘next gen’ neighbourhood Italian restaurant, but the site has since closed.
- The Evolv Collection has reported revenue of £151.6m for the 15 months ending 31 December 2025, alongside what it described as ‘healthy’ like-for-like growth across its 28-site UK and US estate. Trading EBITDA for the period rose to £14.6m, compared with £2.6m in 2024. Following its acquisition of the group, which previously operated as D&D London, in 2023, Breal and Calveton says it has delivered its vision to recruit an industry-leading team, which includes Martin Williams as CEO and Connie Salmon as CFO. The group described the 15-month period to December 2025 as ‘transformative’, saying profitability had improved significantly despite wider sector pressures, including increased employer NI, food inflation and utility costs. Evolv said the realignment and consolidation of brands across the collection had helped keep both food and labour margins under control, while the repositioning of the Chop House and Tavern brands alongside the expansion of the Sartoria and Bluebird brands delivered like-for-like weekly revenue growth of up to 200%.
- Dante Mayfair is set to become a permanent fixture at Claridge’s this summer after a successful year-long residency at the Mayfair hotel. The opening follows the closure of Claridge’s Restaurant, which served its final guests on 10 May. The site will relaunch in mid-June under the Dante Mayfair name, led by New York hospitality duo Linden Pride and Natalie Hudson. First opened as Caffe Dante in Greenwich Village in 1915, the brand has become known for its cocktail programme and Italian-American neighbourhood dining style. Since taking over the venue in 2015, Pride and Hudson have modernised the brand while preserving its heritage. The venue has received a number of accolades, including Number One on The World’s 50 Best Bars list, Time Out New York’s Bar of the Year, and World’s Best Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
- A collection of bars and a food hall are set to open next month as part of the new Olympia development in west London. The venue, which has undergone a £1.3bn transformation, will be home to Bar Arriba, a Mexican-inspired bar serving small plates and cocktails; Wolves of Tokyo, a Japanese restaurant and cocktail bar; and Lillie’s, which will focus on seasonal British small plates alongside English sparkling wine and champagne. The development will also include an open space, The Canopy, which will house Arbour, a food hall featuring four vendors - Fry Baby, The Rambler, Whammy Burger and Café Modo - serving dishes including gourmet fried chicken, smashed burgers and artisan coffee. The new openings will join venues already operating within Pillar Hall, the Grade II-listed building opposite Kensington Olympia station, including Idalia and Pepperbird. Upstairs at Pillar Hall, a live music and events venue with capacity for more than 500 guests, is due to open in the autumn.