Luca, the new restaurant by the multi-award winning trio behind Michelin-starred The Clove Club, is due to open on 28^th November on St John Street, Clerkenwell. Opening its doors some three years ago in Shoreditch, The Clove Club quickly established itself as one of the top UK dining spots and after just months from its opening, it was voted 5^th Best Restaurant in the UK, moving up to number two the following year, while in 2016 it was named number 26 in the World’s Best Restaurant Awards.

A hard act to follow it seems but the McHale-Willis-Smith triangle is now determined to make its mark on a new project. Their new venture Luca aims to retain the ethos of The Clove Club where British ingredients are celebrated, but this time they will serve dishes with an Italian inspired twist. The focus will be on using only fresh, seasonal and simple ingredients.

“The term ‘Britalian’ is a good short-hand for what we are doing. We won’t be using this phrase anywhere in the restaurant itself, but it sums up the approach: we will be using seasonal British ingredients in contemporary cooking inspired by Italy’’ – Issac McHale, Chef Patron, The Clove Club

Luca will seat 60 people with a semi-open kitchen and floor to ceiling glass walls overlooking an outdoor courtyard.  It will also features a pasta-making room where guests can watch pasta being made daily. The room can be transformed into a private dining space for special events and groups at night.  The other private dining space, The Garden Room, will open in the summer. The restaurant’s interiors, designed by the award-winning Alexander Waterworth Interiors, are inspired by 1950’s Italy, featuring a blue colour palette accented with pale wood, marble and brass. Luca will also house a separate bar, open all day encouraging people to drop in and have a drink and snack.

 88 St John St, London EC1M