The Frescobaldi family, one of Italy’s oldest and most respected wine dynasties, is to open its first standalone restaurant and wine bar in the UK.
Set to launch this November in Mayfair, Frescobaldi follows in the successful footsteps of restaurants and wine bars in Florence and at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.
The project will also be the first joint venture between the Frescobaldis and Good Food Society, a new hospitality venture promoted by Levent BüyükuÄur and entrepreneur Sanjay Nandi.
Frescobaldi restaurants are acclaimed for their exquisite food and wine pairings and exceptional atmosphere, and the new opening is no exception.
The London restaurant will be presided over by the supremely talented young chef Roberto Reatini, formerly of Zafferano. Prior to this, he was senior sous chef at Shoreditch House, working alongside head chef Michele Nargi.
The Frescobaldi heritage is very much in evidence throughout the restaurant’s interior. Designers Autoban have taken the family’s unique history as their starting point, but interpreted it in a contemporary way. The atmosphere they have created is akin to that of a private Italian dining room, imbued with a sense of warmth and hospitality.
There are hints of Italian culinary culture throughout the venue, from the ceramic tiles and wooden panels to the hand-painted drawings and framed pictures that adorn the walls. The comfortable furniture meanwhile will encourage long, leisurely meals.
The entire front of the building is made up of glass windows that can be fully opened, flooding the restaurant with natural light on warmer days.
The Frescobaldi family’s involvement in wine dates back to 1308. During the Renaissance, they traded wine for works of art with Michelangelo and were the major financiers to the kings of England, with Henry VIII personally signing their receipts. Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I even recommended the Frescobaldis to the Pope Leone X.
