Nuno Mendes to open Lisboeta in London’s Fitzrovia next year

Chef-restaurateur Nuno Mendes is to open his latest Portuguese restaurant, called Lisboeta, in London’s Fitzrovia in spring 2022.

The venue at 30 Charlotte Street will be a collaboration between Nuno Mendes and MJMK Restaurants, which as well as its own-brand concepts including Casa do Frango and Bar La Rampa, opened Kol restaurant last year.

Lisboeta will be set across three floors with a ground floor café featuring a long, seated bar built from repurposed tram wood and topped with limestone sourced from Lisbon. Upstairs, the dining room will have banquette seating for lunch and dinner. Opening later in the year, ‘the Adega’ will overlook the glass fronted kitchen and basement wine cellar.

Lisboeta means ‘a person from Lisbon’ and will serve large sharing dishes for the table inspired by the popular ‘tasca’ (casual Portuguese eateries) of Lisbon, as well as traditional and non-traditional ‘petiscos’ (little plates). The wine list will focus on local producers in the Lisboa and sub regions.

Mendes said: “Lisboeta is my love letter to Lisbon, the city I grew up in and the place I call home. I’m excited to share with London everything that makes it such a special city. Lisboeta embodies the very spirit of Lisbon, in an informal yet informative dining space, that showcases the young, vibrant food culture, produce, wine and the gastronomic heritage of my home, in a playful and thoughtful way.”

Mendes, known for his role as executive chef at Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, is also food and beverage creative director at Bairro Alto hotel in Lisbon and oversees the menu at the Rose in Deal, Kent.

He stepped away from Mãos last year, the 16-cover Michelin-starred restaurant in London's Shoreditch he founded with James Brown.