Le Gavroche, legendary Michelin-starred London restaurant, is closing for good

It is with heavy heart – heavy with double cream and salted butter – that we bring news of the closure of the iconic Le Gavroche. 

Opened in 1967 by Albert and Michel Roux Snr, it was Michel Roux Jr who announced the end of the double Michelin-starred Mayfair fine dining spot, revealing it’ll serve its last suppers in January 2024.

Named after a character in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, it was the first ever UK restaurant to receive a Michelin star (in 1974), and also the first in the UK to receive two stars (in 1977). 

‘I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high,’ wrote Roux Jr in a statement. ‘Le Gavroche has, and continues to be, fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures. The end of the current lease gave me the opportunity to assess and consider the future, and I feel that now is the time to turn the page and move forward.’

Roux Jr has helmed the restaurant since 1991, picking up the reigns from his father Albert Roux OBE and uncle, Michel Roux Sr OBE. Until 1981 the restaurant was situated at Lower Sloane Street, then moved to its current Upper Brook Street location.

He added that ‘the name will live on’, with Le Gavroche pop-ups and events in the UK and abroad following the site’s closure, while from November until the January closure there will be a series of dinners which celebrate Le Gavroche’s menus over the decades since it opened as well as visits from 'familiar faces' who have worked there. 

A host of influential chefs have done time at Le Gavroche, including Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Pierre Koffmann and Monica Galetti. Will we see them popping up behind the pass over the coming months? C’est possible. 

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