Since 1974, Sale e Pepe in Knightsbridge – voted one of our favourite Italian restaurants in London – has been serving the sort of Italian cooking most Brits have grown up eating. A 2024 refurb aside – courtesy of new owners, the Thesleff Group (the name behind Los Mochis and Juno Omakase) – very little has changed in over half a century. Change is now afoot, however, with this seafood-focused spin-off in the grand bow-windowed dining room of The Langham, which finally promises a food offering to match the hotel’s world-beating Artesian bar.
Wallpaper* dines at Sale e Pepe Mare at The Langham, London
The mood: Southern sun, Milanese gloss
Thesleff Group CEO Markus Thesleff was taken to Sale e Pepe as a child and has a deep affection for the brand he eventually ended up buying, so evolution – not revolution – is the watchword here. Wood panelling and Italian fabrics set the tone, while blue hues and gentle lighting nod to the Mediterranean. Come evening, live music brings a touch of Italian brio.
The project was a personal one for designer Manuela Hamilford, creative director of Hamilford Design. ‘Growing up in Italy shaped my understanding of how these environments should feel,’ she says. ‘I wanted to balance the warmth of southern Italy with the poise and structure of northern cities like Milan. The deep azzurro blue gives a real sense of the Italian Riviera, with the striking architectural arches and lighting adding a Milanese touch.’
Fluted wood detailing, custom joinery and a carefully considered lighting scheme give the room its own identity, shifting the atmosphere seamlessly from lunch to late evening. ‘The material palette is rich and grounded – timber, marble and brass – which give a sense of permanence,’ Hamilford says. The result is a space that feels more Portofino than Portland Place and, because it’s a hotel, the dining room is open for breakfast espressos too.
The food: Seafood and spectacle
The menu traces Italy’s coastline from Amalfi to Puglia, anchored by a prominent display of the freshest seafood – from oysters and langoustines destined for towering shellfish platters to seabass sliced into crudo. A Josper grill handles whole turbot, but it’s the tableside preparation that really sets the scene: Caesar salad, bucatini cacio e pepe and risotto ai funghi porcini are all finished in front of guests, while a roaming dessert trolley bearing the house tiramisu completes the performance.
The wine list journeys through Italy’s regions, from alpine northern whites to sun-soaked southern reds, with a page devoted to the Barbarescos of the Gaja estates in Piedmont and a strong showing of Super Tuscans. A roving Champagne and Negroni trolley – the latter mixed from aged spirits – adds further theatre, while what the restaurant claims is one of the capital’s most comprehensive amaro collections, makes a persuasive case for lingering over a digestif. Or, for a nightcap, there’s always Artesian next door.
Sale e Pepe Mare is located at The Langham London, 1C Portland Place, London W1B 1JA, United Kingdom.