Aquavit London appoints Jonas Karlsson as head chef

Jonas Karlsson has been appointed head chef at Nordic-style restaurant Aquavit London.

He has replaced Jorjon Colazo, who is now executive chef at the Westin London City hotel.

Karlsson was born in Sweden but has lived in London for 21 years, having held head chef roles at 100 Wardour Street; Heaton, Butler and Bayne and Harvey Nichols’ fifth floor restaurant. He has also been chef de partie at Coq d’Argent and the Michelin-starred Orrery.

A press announcement by the restaurant described his cooking style as transforming traditional Scandinavian dishes into modern classics, with the chef expected to bring further refinement to Aquavit’s dishes.

Giancarlo Princigalli, general manager at Aquavit London, said: “We are delighted to welcome Jonas to the Aquavit London team. His skill and passion for innovative Scandinavian cooking is really exciting, and I can’t wait to see him elevate the Aquavit food offering to a new level.”

Aquavit London opened in 2016 as a sister site to the two-Michelin-starred New York restaurant of the same name.

The UK outpost won a star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2018 but was a surprise deletion from the most recent 2021 edition.