Giorgio Locatelli is to open a new restaurant at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square this summer, five months after closing his famous Locanda Locatelli in Marylebone.
The new all-day restaurant, to be called simply Locatelli, is on the mezzanine of the gallery’s Sainsbury Wing, which reopens on May 10 after a two-and-a-half-year refurbish. He will also have an espresso bar on the ground floor, Bar Giorgio, serving Roman maritozzi brioche buns.
Giorgio and his wife Plaxy closed Locanda Locatelli at the end of December, after a 23-year run. The new restaurant will be a simpler and more accessible venue, with a significantly smaller menu focusing on Italian classics. “I want it to be like a town square: boom, zoom, people coming, going,” he says. “It’ll be the kind of place you can go for a glass of wine and a plate of pasta for £20.”
He added: “Opening Locatelli at the National Gallery is an extraordinary moment for Plaxy and I, and such an honour for the next chapter in our culinary journey to be housed in such a landmark space; surrounded by history and creativity, where great paintings of the past inspire new ideas for our future.“
He picked out one Italian artist in particular: “Caravaggio has always been such a huge inspiration for me, and so to cook under the gaze of his work is a dream come true. His dramatic use of light and shadow resonate strongly within this setting, and we are excited to bring that same boldness and authenticity to our menu. From Italian classics to seasonal creations, we can’t wait to welcome guests to experience the beauty and warmth of our cuisine, in such a prestigious and inspiring setting.”
In a revealing interview with The Times, Giorgio expressed his relief at the prospect of returning to the more relaxed style of food he enjoys eating himself. “One of the most essential characteristics of Italian food is that it’s classless. You know that the president and the Pope are one hundred per cent going to have as nice a meal as some farmer. That’s what we drifted from at Locanda. It became such an uptight place. Locatelli will be for everybody.
“When we started [Locanda], the last thing we were thinking of doing was anything elitist. But naturally, because of the rent you pay, the design, it became elitist. Yes, the food was what I do, but the atmosphere wasn’t representative of what we like.”
He added: “We were running a very successful business. We made half a million pounds last year. I found a lot of strength from what we were doing, but it just got a bit boring. Twenty years is a long time. It’s a third of my life.
“You do begin to think, what am I doing it for? A restaurant can take so much out of you that it can literally kill you. Do you know how many people I know who have died in their restaurant? A lot. When I closed Locanda and turned the lock, I said, thank God I killed you, you didn’t kill me.”
