Following a much anticipated expansion by David Chipperfield Architects, the Royal Academy of Arts has now elevated its food and beverage offering with the new Royal Academy Café designed by two young architects, Charlotte McCarthy of LOT and Ben Masterton-Smith of Transit Studio, and operated by restaurateur Oliver Peyton.
Occupying the ground floor space at Burlington House, the café's walls, which are adorned with historical murals by Royal Academicians, have informed the new interior design with its playful palette – in particular, Leonard Rosoman’s Upstairs and Downstairs, which depicts crowds at the RA Summer Exhibition alongside a life drawing session at the RA schools. As a result, a bright orange has found its way onto the serving stations, which recall market stalls, while a sharp teal is replicated throughout the café counter.
The two architects have worked on many of London’s much-loved hospitality venues in their previous roles, among them the Sea Containers Hotel and Duddell’s, and here their expertise is put to excellent use. The grandeur of the building’s coffered ceilings, arched windows and mahogany parquet flooring – all carefully refurbished – have been deftly tempered with spindleback chairs and clean-lined banquettes in cheery hues of green and red.
The centrepieces are a series of custom-made tables, featuring geometric slabs of Italian terrazzo and marble, created in the same design language; each accommodates at least six guests by way of encouraging communal interaction. Small Bicoca table lamps by Spanish manufacturer Marset, dotted throughout the space complement the minimal globe lights suspended above.
The overall atmosphere is dynamic and lively, suited to both quick coffees and leisurely lunches, and destined to make the RA more of a social hub than ever before. In the summer months, the café extends to the RA courtyard, featuring a kiosk clad in blue mirror stainless steel, and colourful seating among enamel-splattered tabletops that offer perfect perches for people-watching.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Burlington House,
Piccadilly
Photography:
Agnese Sanvito
-
Let’s hear it for the Chopard L.U.C Grand Strike chiming watchThe Swiss watchmaker’s most complicated timepiece to date features an innovative approach to producing a crystal-clear sound
-
Form... and flavour? The best design-led restaurant debuts of 2025A Wallpaper* edit of the restaurant interiors that shaped how we ate, gathered and lingered this year
-
The rising style stars of 2026: Zane Li, fashion’s new minimalistAs part of the January 2026 Next Generation issue of Wallpaper*, we meet fashion’s next generation. First up, Zane Li, whose New York-based label LII is marrying minimalism with architectural construction and a vivid use of colour
-
Form... and flavour? The best design-led restaurant debuts of 2025
A Wallpaper* edit of the restaurant interiors that shaped how we ate, gathered and lingered this year
-
At last: a London hotel that’s great for groups and extended staysThe July London Victoria, a new aparthotel concept just steps away from one of the city's busiest rail stations, is perfect for weekends and long-term visits alike
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
Sir Devonshire Square is a new kind of hotel for the City of LondonA Dutch hospitality group makes its London debut with a design-forward hotel offering a lighter, more playful take on the City’s usual formality
-
This sculptural London seafood restaurant was shaped by ‘the emotions of the sea’In Hanover Square, Mazarine pairs a bold, pearlescent interior with modern coastal cuisine led by ‘bistronomy’ pioneer chef Thierry Laborde
-
Montcalm Mayfair opens a new chapter for a once-overlooked London hotelA thoughtful reinvention brings craftsmanship, character and an unexpected sense of warmth to a London hotel that was never previously on the radar
-
Follow the white rabbit to London’s first Korean matcha houseTokkia, which translates to ‘Hey bunny’ in Korean, was designed by Stephenson-Edwards studio to feel like a modern burrow. Take a look inside
-
Poon’s returns in majestic form at Somerset HouseHome-style Chinese cooking refined through generations of the Poon family craft
