José Pizarro to open two restaurants at the Royal Academy of Arts

José Pizarro is to open two restaurants at the Royal Academy of Arts gallery in London this summer.

The Spanish chef will launch informal tapas-style Poster Bar by José on the ground floor, while sit-down restaurant Jose Pizarro at the RA will open in the grand Dorfman Senate Room.

Both sites are set to open on 11 August and have been created in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts and its longstanding hospitality partner Company of Cooks.

Poster Bar by José will serve an informal all-day menu from 10am-6pm with dishes such as a truffle sandwich; spicy prawn fritters with lemon allioli; and an empanada filled with tuna, confit onion and caramelised red pepper.

Drinks will also have a Spanish focus, with wines from the country’s foremost winemaking regions, sherries and Estrella Damm beer on tap.

José Pizarro at the RA is set to open from 11.30am to 6pm with a menu including plates of Jamón Ibérico and Presa Ibérica; strawberry gazpacho; and leeks with Pizarro’s romesco sauce.

Pizarro said: “When you see art, it’s all about how it makes you feel… your whole body responds, it’s the same with food – well, good food anyway! The creativity and soul that you find in food and art is the same… you get the same excitement. To be able to bring the two together makes me so happy – it’s an incredibly proud moment for me in my career.”

Since 2010 Pizarro has opened three London tapas restaurants and the Swan Inn gastropub in Esher, Surrey.

Last year the Pepper Collective, which offers investment and operational support to hospitality businesses, said it was working with Pizarro on opening further neighbourhood tapas bars.