Experimental Group takes on Covent Garden Roadhouse site

Experimental Group has agreed terms with landlord Capital & Counties Properties (Capco) to take over the former Roadhouse site on the corner of Covent Garden’s Piazza in London.

The group, which owns the Henrietta hotel on nearby Henrietta Street, plans to relaunch the site in late 2022 as a late-night venue for live music, “retaining the energetic spirit of Roadhouse and reviving it for a new generation”.

Roadhouse closed last year after the impact of the pandemic made it unviable for the business to continue trading.

Experimental Group was founded in France in 2007 by childhood friends Romée de Goriainoff, Pierre-Charles Cros and Olivier Bon with the launch of Experimental Cocktail Club Paris. Xavier Padovani joined the group in 2010 when Experimental Cocktail Club opened in London’s Chinatown.

Padovani said: “We are excited to revive this Covent Garden institution and bring it into a new era, while respecting its long history of live music and dining.”