Billed as London’s first urban culture dining club, AJ Records has been created by co-founders Josephine Garreau and Alexandre Santamaria, with French rapper, lyricist and producer Dinos joining as music director and shareholder.
The 7,000 sq ft Fitzrovia venue is expected to launch in early 2027.
The site has been vacant since Hakkasan closed its original Hanway Place restaurant early last year after almost 25 years.
AJ Records will be centred on a restaurant inspired by the hospitality and food culture of southern France.
Further details of the culinary team and opening menu will be announced in the coming months.
The restaurant will feature an open kitchen and 12-seat chef’s table, alongside a dedicated cocktail bar, elevated booths, a performance stage and private artist lounge.
Its interiors will combine contemporary urban culture with “the glamour of 1920s French art de vivre”.
From 5pm to 8pm each day, the focus will be on food and drink accompanied by live, unamplified performances.
From 8pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, AJ Records will move into what its founders describe as “party dining”.
A 3am licence will allow the venue to trade into the early hours, while its kitchen will remain open until midnight.
The concept originated with Garreau, a French theatre actress and multidisciplinary creative raised between Corsica and the Côte d’Azur.
She envisaged a venue that would combine southern French hospitality with contemporary urban culture and live performance.
Three years ago, Garreau approached Santamaria and his Aware Hospitality consultancy to help develop the project, with Santamaria subsequently joining as business partner and co-founder.
Santamaria’s CV includes senior roles with Coya and Hakkasan Group. Since founding Aware in 2019, he has worked on London projects including Mister Nice, The Savoy and The Roof Gardens.
Together with Dinos, the pair have assembled a collective of performers, lyricists and producers to help shape AJ Records’ entertainment programme.
“After three years developing AJ Records, we now have the opportunity to create a new chapter for a site that played such an important part in my own career,” says Santamaria.
“Hospitality is increasingly expected to offer more than food and drink, and entertainment can no longer be outsourced as an afterthought. Restaurateurs need to lead it with the same care they bring to their cuisine.”
“We are restaurateurs and artists at heart, but we also know how to throw a proper party,” adds Garreau.
“The food will be cooked with love, the drinks taken seriously and, when the plates are cleared, the night will not stop – it will shift. Having worked in and experienced nightlife across global hotspots, I look forward to bringing London a distinctive, human-focused nightlife experience.”