The Wolseley

The Wolseley

Elegant restaurant serving Modern European food & afternoon tea with grand, art deco glamour. A fascinating history lies behind the iconic building of 160 Piccadilly. Combining British heritage with European grandeur, discover how one of London’s most respected café-restaurants came to be. Very much in the European Grand Café tradition, our menus range from breakfasts, all-day refreshments, lunches, afternoon teas, dinners and late evening snacks.

To brunch in absolute luxury, a table at The Wolseley is a must. The Wolseley is the finest hotel for breakfast or brunch, and a famed landmark. In the book he wrote dedicated to the place, A.A. Gill wrote, “Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life.” And brunch here is just as much an event as it is a meal; timeless dishes here include kedgeree, smoked salmon and eggs, and French toast. Wash it down with a wiener kaffee – espresso with whipped cream – or quite possibly the best bloody Mary you’ll ever have in London.

n 1921 the English architect, William Curtis Green, was commissioned by Wolseley Motors Limited to design a prestigious car showroom at the site of 160 Piccadilly.

Green incorporated marble pillars and archways with Venetian and Florentine-inspired details, making for a grand and impressive building befitting of the company’s ambitions. Yet by 1926, the cars weren’t selling as well as they had hoped and the firm went into bankruptcy.

Barclays Bank took over the site and their new branch opened in the spring of 1927.

Green was called upon once again to construct a banking counter and managers’ offices either side of the main entrance, which today serve as the bar and tea salon. He also continued to design furniture and fittings with Japanese lacquer as a nod to the popularity of Eastern influences at the time.

It was in July 2003 that restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King came to acquire the building.

A sympathetic restoration and renovation process was overseen by David Collins Architects. Testament to the longevity of Green’s vision however, many aspects of his original design, such as the domed ceiling and monochrome geometric marble flooring, are still on view today.