Marco Pierre White restaurant to open in Leicester Square

A Marco Pierre White-branded restaurant is to open in London's West End for the first time in over 10 years.

The venue, named Mr White's, will launch in the former Chiquito site next to the Odeon cinema and will be run by the chef's franchise partner, Black & White Hospitality.

Work will begin next week on refurbishing the 14,500 sq ft, four-storey property ahead of a planned opening in October.

The menu will focus on steaks, grills, chops and handmade pizzas served alongside drinks such as Mr White's London Dry gin, which was launched by the chef earlier this year.

Nick Taplin, chairman and chief executive of Black & White Hospitality, said: "Opportunities like this are very rare so we had to act fast and are delighted to have got the deal over the line.

"This is arguably one of the most iconic areas of London and is known worldwide as the place to go for entertainment. Around 2.5 million people visit Leicester Square every week, so is one of the capital's busiest places.

"That level of footfall therefore makes this new venue a very exciting proposition and we can't wait to open. The property is currently undergoing a fit-out and we expect to be trading by October.

"Mr White's is the perfect fit for Leicester Square. It's an evolution of taking tradition and quality ingredients and placing it in an easy to access, relatable and charismatic setting that has been created purely for the guest who wishes to enjoy easy and affordable dining. It was an easy decision to launch a new International brand here."

White owned the Criterion restaurant in Piccadilly Circus for eight years from 2001 before selling it to Vasily Sopromadze in 2009.

The chef has worked with Black & White Hospitality since 2013 and has opened franchised restaurants under nine different brands.