London's Le Caprice restaurant to close its doors in the West End | Business

Publish date: 2022-05-29
Business This article is more than 3 years old

London's Le Caprice restaurant to close its doors in the West End

This article is more than 3 years old

A-list celebrity eatery, closed since the Covid-19 pandemic, will reopen at new location

Le Caprice, a fixture on the London dining scene for almost 40 years and beloved haunt of many an A-list celebrity, is shutting the doors of its West End location with plans to reopen elsewhere.

The art deco dining room, situated behind the Ritz Hotel, first opened in 1947. It was a favourite venue of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who always sat at the same corner table. Since then it has been been a well-trodden bolthole for the rich and famous, as well as a magnet for paparazzi, especially in the 80s, after its refurbishment and relaunch.

Closed since the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant is to reopen at a new location, according to its current owner, businessman Richard Caring.

Famous regulars over the years have included Mick Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Margaret.

Diana, Princess of Wales leaves the restaurant alone on 27 Jan 1994. Photograph: Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock

On his release from prison in 2003, the novelist Jeffrey Archer chose to eat his first meal of freedom here.

Le Caprice was opened in 1947 by Mario Gallati, a former maitre d’ at the Ivy, who ran it until 1975. In 1981, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, now of the Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel, took over and restored it.

A spokesperson for Caprice Holdings said: “Le Caprice has occupied the current site for 38 years and now the lease is coming to an end. The iconic restaurant within the London dining scene will be reborn at a new location currently under negotiation.

“We thank our clientele for their loyalty and support over the years and assure them that they will be as excited as us with the new plans for this historic brand.”

Caprice Holdings has also closed Rivington in Greenwich as Caring seeks to cut costs in the middle of the pandemic. The businessman also owns 34, Sexy Fish, J Sheekey, the Ivy, Scott’s and a number of private members’ clubs.

In a rare interview, Caring recently warned prime minister Boris Johnson that he was “killing the country” by not outlining when hospitality venues could reopen. He told the Mail on Sunday that Johnson’s “weakness and indecision” on reopening restaurants, pubs and cafes would cost more than two million workers their jobs.

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