Le Caprice will be 'reborn at a new location', spokesperson confirms

Le Caprice in London's St James's will not reopen its doors after lockdown restrictions are lifted, a spokesperson has confirmed. Instead, it will be "reborn at a new location currently under negotiation".

Le Caprice director Jesus Adorno confirmed the restaurant would close in its current guise after almost 39 years at the site, following reports from Bloomberg.

Adorno, who has worked at the restaurant since it opened in 1981, said: "After occupying the site for almost 39 years, the lease is coming to an end, but the iconic Le Caprice will be reborn at a new location in the near future. I will share our exciting plans with you ASAP".

A spokesperson from Le Caprice added: "The iconic restaurant within the London dining scene will be reborn at a new location currently under negotiation. We thank our clientele for their loyalty and support over the years and assure them that they will be as excited as us with the new plans for this historic brand."

Chefs, former staff and restaurant critics took to Twitter to express their fond memories of dining at the restaurant, including wine writer Matthew Jukes, who recalled he had been going "for all 38 of those years" and had enjoyed "some of the most memorable lunches and dinners of my life." Food critic Tom Parker Bowles said: "Pretty much grew up in that place" and called Adorno a "front of house legend".

Through the years the restaurant was known for attracting A-list clientele, including Princess Diana.

Le Caprice forms part of Richard Caring's Caprice Holdings, which also operates J Sheekey, 34 Mayfair and Balthazar, among others. It has also been reported that the group's restaurant Rivington Greenwich will remain permanently closed.

In December 2019 Le Caprice Holdings planned to open a one-of-a-kind restaurant in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. It is not known if or when this will now be going ahead.

Photo: www.instagram.com/lecapricelondon/