Cafe Linea opens next to London’s Saatchi Gallery

cafe linea london review — (Image credit: Photography by Kristy Noble)

It’s been a good year for art gallery-adjacent eating in London and the South East: Locatelli at the National Gallery, Setlist at Somerset House, and Coquina at Hastings Contemporary. Now, the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea is getting an independent new neighbour in the form of Cafe Linea. It’s the first solo project from hospitality veterans and husband-and-wife founders Greg and Felicity Godik, who have taken inspiration from the arcade cafés of continental Europe – here transplanted to Grade II-listed premises on the corner of Duke of York Square.

Wallpaper* dines at Cafe Linea, London

The mood: a grand garden party

Paris-based interior designers Dion & Arles – who worked on Chiltern Firehouse’s Louie restaurant and 1 Hotel Mayfair’s Dovetale – know a thing or two about restaurants that are just as pleasant to spend time in both indoors and out. By day, natural light floods through the arched windows, illuminating the 19th-century interior with its vaulted ceilings and arched alcoves; by night, the neo-classical proportions are softened by candlelight. Out on the terrace, it’s all about green, beige and rattan.

‘The project sought to create a soft conversation with strong architectural characteristics,’ explains Florence Arles. ‘We took inspiration from architect Charles Voysey, among others, while the tabletops are inspired by English ceramist Clarice Cliff. We used and played with established codes, introducing cast-iron furniture and elements from Italian pergolas alongside Arts and Crafts aesthetics and a softly contrasting colour palette.’

The food: continental breakfasts, global lunches and dinners

Continental cafés are the inspiration, and Cafe Linea does a mean continental-style breakfast. Pâtisseries are made fresh each day in the on-site bakery to accompany a cup of artisan coffee, while savoury allumettes (puff pastry sticks) filled with ham, cheese and miso are also on offer. Later in the day, the à la carte menu reflects the global influences of well-travelled Argentine chef Carolina Ferpozzi: expect anything from ricotta dumplings with mushrooms to a curried chicken pie to share. The old-world wine list, meanwhile, leans towards sweet and sparkling wines to complement the pastry offerings.

Cafe Linea is located at 90, Duke of York Square, London SW3 4LY, UK.

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Ben McCormack is a London-based restaurant journalist with over 25 years’ experience of writing. He has been the restaurant expert for Telegraph Luxury since 2013, for which he was shortlisted in the Restaurant Writer category at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. He is a regular contributor to the Evening Standard, Food and Travel and Decanter. He lives in west London with his partner and lockdown cockapoo.