Bonhams to house Emilia restaurant after closure of Michelin-starred restaurant

Emilia restaurant, the fourth site in the Woodhead Restaurant Group, will launch in Bonhams auction house in Mayfair on 26 April.

The site will comprise a ground-floor café and wine bar and upstairs restaurant, with a focus on the north Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.

"Emilia is in part a homage to that region and its food culture but also reflective - as we hope all our restaurants are - of what a good modern restaurant should be, with fantastic British produce, a brilliant and broad wine list and engaging waiters."

Executive chef duties will be overseen by Stuart Andrew, formerly the head chef of Clipstone, who will now manage both sites in his role.

The site replaces the auction house's eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant, which closed last year. Previously headed up by Tom Kemble, the site's head chef Theo Clench (pictured) claimed on Instagram the closure was prompted by decisions by the auction house's new owners.

Bonhams restaurant had retained its star since 2015, and formally closed on 19 December. Lander and Morgenthau added they were both "particularly honoured" to be taking over from the former tenant, adding that they had "both previously been big fans of Bonhams Restaurant".

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