Jeremy King, London’s most respected restaurateur, has a very clear idea of what he wants diners to think as they venture inside Simpson’s in the Strand, the historic grande dame West End restaurant that will reopen in the coming months.
“If we’ve done our job properly, with what [designer] Shayne Brady has created, people will walk through the door and say ‘oh, good, you haven’t done anything’,” he laughs.
King, complete with hard hat and a high-visibility vest over an impeccable suit, is standing at the door of perhaps London’s most historic restaurant — so historic it hasn’t been open for five years. Simpson’s shut in 2020, its future uncertain until King got his hands on a prize he has sought for almost a quarter of a century.
“The good thing is that the delay in getting hold of it has enabled us not to rush and regret,” King said
Three and a half years later and the space is almost there. King thinks it will be ready in December, but it will most likely open its doors in January 2026 — a Christmas opening was deemed unwise. For now, all around us, painters, decorators and the occasional metalworker are working on every corner of the building to ensure, as King says, that they leave no trace of their labour.
