Gino D'Acampo to open Luciano restaurant at the ME London hotel

Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo is to open an ‘upmarket Italian' restaurant at the ME London hotel on the Strand later this month.

Named after his 18-year-old son Luciano, the restaurant will launch on 26 July as part of the chef's new partnership with Meliá Hotels International.

It is taking over the site once occupied by celebrity-backed restaurant Zela, which counted Cristiano Ronaldo, Enrique Iglesias and Rafael Nadal as investors.

Luciano will feature a 100-cover open-plan restaurant and outdoor terrace with space for a further 100 guests.

Executive chef Lorenzo Minini, who has cooked at London's Street XO and C-London Cipriani, will lead the kitchen team and has designed the menu alongside D'Acampo.

The restaurant will offer "authentic Italian service" with brunch, lunch and dinner served until late. Guests will be able to order an in-room dining service and the team will partner with the hotel to host events.

Chris Edwards of drinks consultancy Salt of the Earth is working with the team to create a cocktail menu, while wines will be sourced through D'Acampo's Italians suppliers.

"We have been looking for the perfect central London location in which to develop this new five-star concept for some time, and at the ME London, in the heart of the West End and a stone's throw away from Covent Garden, we have found it," said D'Acampo.

It is understood 18-year-old Luciano himself is working with his father on the new opening, though it is not clear in what capacity.

Meliá announced in May that it had signed up D'Acampo to create a series of restaurants and bars across its UK properties. The debut site, an all-day dining concept named First Street Bar & Kitchen, has opened at the Innside by Meliá hotel in Manchester. A third restaurant will open in Liverpool this August.

D'Acampo is best known for his appearances on the cooking slot on ITV's This Morning and for teaming up with Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix for ITV's Gordon, Gino & Fred.

He opened Gino D'Acampo My Restaurant in Manchester in 2015, which he expanded into Leeds and Harrogate over the next two years.

In 2017, he announced a partnership with fashion retailer Next, with who he has partnered on three in-store restaurants.

Gino D'Acampo Hotels & Leisure was launched in 2020 as part of the chef's plans for international expansion.