The smart signage on the facade at 88 St John Street is the first indication of what to expect from Luca, the latest venture from the trio behind the multi award-winning, Michelin starred Clove Club. Inspired by 1950s art deco Italian graphic design and typography, the visual identity created by London-based design studio EverythingInBetween underpins Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith’s ‘Britalian’ – Italian dishes made with English ingredients – concept.
Peek behind the bottle green curtains and the devilishly lit bar area, with its Alexander Waterworth sage green leather booths, dark wood floors and a calacatta porcelain bar with mottled back wall tiles will entice you in. Beyond this you’ll find an understated 124-cover dining room with semi open kitchen, where head chef Robert Chambers, formerly of Locanda Locatelli and The Ledbury, cooks up anti pasti pasta and heartier mains in the vein of turnip tops, samphire, smoked cod’s roe and sweet butter and spaghettini with Morecambe Bay shrimps and mace butter. A sampler of cured meats and small plates is available to perch with at the bar.
There are two private dining rooms, one of which doubles as a pasta preparation and demonstration area, ornamented with earthy, neutral-hued tableware, and a leafy courtyard that will provide the perfect spot in which to retire with a house-made Nocino on the rocks, come summer time.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
88 St John Street
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
A whopping 92% of this slick London office fit-out came from reused materialsCould PLP Architecture's new workspace provide a new model for circularity?
-
How will future car interiors take shape? London studio NewTerritory has a vision for automotive designDesign studio NewTerritory has set up a new automotive division to explore the future of car interiors. We interrogate the team
-
Legado brings a bold Spanish legacy to ShoreditchMichelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s second venture marries design-led interiors with regional Spanish flavours rarely found in London
-
The Macbeth, an icon of indie sleaze, goes from grotty to gastroAn East End legend meets Portuguese small plates in Jamie Allan’s ambitious revival of a beloved Hackney watering hole
-
A complete collection of Phaidon’s ‘Contemporary Artists Series’ is on display in LondonA 30-year project reaching 100 volumes is being celebrated with an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel, including limited-edition works by Kaws and Dana Schutz
-
London’s best pizza restaurant gets a new home in MayfairSecure a slice of New York-style pizza in central London as Crisp Pizza teams up with the Devonshire pub to set up shop in the relaunched The Marlborough
-
At this east London listening bar, mezcal-fuelled cocktails hit as hard as the basslinesIn Bethnal Green, Little Fires pairs vinyl grooves with mezcal margaritas and Oaxacan sharing plates
-
Harry Nuriev’s Noisy Oyster London bistro isn’t quite finished – and that’s the pointA futuristic, work-in-progress aesthetic forms a striking backdrop for a new, sustainably focused seafood bistro in Shoreditch
-
Head to Lupa for a taste of Rome in the heart of HighburyEd Templeton, Theo James and Naz Hassan unveil an intimate 28-seat restaurant that balances a cosy, candlelit atmosphere with Roman-style dining
-
Underground grooves and a touch of ‘controlled chaos’ make this exciting Japanese-inspired restaurant one to bookMoi, a new subterranean hotspot in London, is a feast for the senses
