After months (years?) of speculation and delays, restaurateur Jeremy King has finally confirmed Simpson’s in the Strand – the storied 200-year-old restaurant that closed in March 2020 – will reopen in February, with reservations set to go live in early 2026. It will encompass two restaurants, two bars and a ballroom for private events.
“It is now well over 40 years since I fell in love with Simpson’s in the Strand and over 20 years since I first became excited at the prospect of running it,” King said in a statement. “Simpson’s is the last of the ‘grande dame’ restaurants that still retains its original decor and features, and the opportunity to restore it to its former glory is the apotheosis of my career.”
While King will respect the heritage of the Grade II-listed building, he’ll also be updating the experience for a 21st-century audience. The locus of the venue will be the Grand Divan dining room, which is being restored to its original Edwardian glory: chandeliers, timber panelling, red velvet and leather upholstery and all. Importantly, the silver trolleys that were famously pushed around the room serving carved meats will return, along with a modern-English menu of grills, roasts, pies and more. King will also bring breakfast back to the space, including the Ten Deadly Sins – Cumberland sausage, scrambled eggs, streaky and back bacon, black pudding, fried mushrooms, baked tomato, kidney, fried bread, bubble-and-squeak and baked beans – which was served in the restaurant until 2017.
Then there’s Romano’s: a first-floor dining room that’s more casual than the Grand Divan – but almost as opulent, with faux marble columns, green leather upholstery and chequerboard carpet that nods to the restaurant’s history as the 19th-century home of chess. Also on the first floor will be classic cocktail lounge Simpson’s Bar, with an art deco-inspired design.
Late nights will lead to Nellie’s, an underground bar with a separate entrance that’ll be open until 3am. Named after opera legend Nellie Melba, it will be clad in animal-print velvets and ox-blood panelled walls, and serve snacks and cocktails till the wee hours. A private ballroom will take the place of the former Ladies’ Dining Room – where women ate until they were granted entry to the main restaurant in 1984.
“I think [this] has to be my magnum opus,” King told Broadsheet earlier this year. “Where it gets difficult is whether it’s my greatest achievement or not. The Wolseley broke so many records, and The Ivy was such a pure restaurant. This might be my magnum opus … but it won’t be my final opus.”
Simpson’s in the Strand marks the pinnacle of King’s recent return to the restaurant world, following his departure from Corbin & King, the dining group he founded with Chris Corbin in 1981. Together they opened some of the city’s most enduring venues, including The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel. King’s comeback began with Arlington in March 2024, followed by all-day restaurant The Park in Bayswater. Several former staffers from those venues – including general manager Michael Johnston (ex-Brasserie Zedel GM) and group executive chef David Stevens (ex-Wolseley group executive chef) will join King to launch Simpson’s.
Simpson’s in the Strand reopens in February 2026.
