Classic Chelsea brasserie Le Colombier has announced it will cease trading at the end of the year, in a week which witnessed the closure of Pearly Queen in Shoreditch, Koyn in Mayfair and Café Below in the City. Lyon’s seafood specialist in Crouch End will also serve its final guests tomorrow (4 October) after six years.
Known for its immaculate service under patron Didier Garnier, Le Colombier has a highly regarded wine list hailed in the 2025 Harden’s guide as “possibly the best-value in London, especially if you are a fan of Rhone and/or Claret”.
Didier announced the new in a statement saying: “After 27 incredible years, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the imminent closure of Le Colombier restaurant. Due to circumstances beyond our control with our landlord, we are unable to renew our lease and will be closing our doors on Wednesday, 31 December 2025. This is not how we imagined our journey would end, but unfortunately our lease is not being renewed, and we are unable to continue in our current location.
“While this is a bittersweet moment, we want to focus on gratitude – for our amazing staff, our loyal customers, and the wonderful memories we’ve built over nearly three decades. We deeply appreciate the love and support we have received over the years. While this chapter is coming to an end, we hope the spirit of Le Colombier lives on in the hearts of our customers and the community we’ve been honoured to serve.”
Pearly Queen has closed without any announcement from chef-patron Tom Brown, who has launched two other restaurants this year – Tom Brown at the Capital near Harrods in April followed closely by Island at Mare Street Market near King’s Cross. His debut restaurant Cornerstone in Hackney Wick closed last summer.
Koyn, the Japanese restaurant from Mayfair-based restaurateur Samyukta Nair, served its final meals on 27 September, while its downstairs twin Koyn Thai will reopen next year at a new location.
Café Below, which has operated for 35 years in the 1,000-year-old crypt of St Mary le Bow church, 100 yards from St Paul’s Cathedral, has cut its losses in the face of changing demand in the area, according to Anthony Middleton, its chef-patron for 13 years.
He said: “The reason we’re closing is largely to do with people not coming back to the City post-Covid. Fridays used to be our busiest day of the week; we’d take a third of our turnover. Now it’s comfortably our worst day. It’s so bad it has effectively gone from a five-day to a three-day business.”
