Stevie Parle to expand Pastaio Italian restaurant concept with second opening

Chef restaurateur Stevie Parle has outlined his ambition to expand his Pastaio Italian restaurant concept after he opens the second site at Westfield London.

The new 145-cover Pastaio – which translates as one who makes pasta by hand – will seek to replicate the success of the original in London’s Soho when it is expected to launch in November.

Speaking to The Caterer, Parle said: “I’m increasingly interested in doing things with a broad appeal. The thing that I love about Pastaio is that it's extremely high quality, extremely good produce and fantastically affordable. I'm really enjoying that element of it. It feels relevant to our time right now.

“I'm still still working hard on my other restaurants. But in terms of growth, that's where the smart move is and that's where the most fun is to be had – within that environment.”

Opening the second Pastaio at Westfield provides Parle with the opportunity to introduce the concept to a wider audience, he added.

“I love that at Ganton Street [Soho] we have that great food crowd that follows what I’m doing and I love them dearly. But we’ve also got families and tourists and we’re getting out of that quite small world of the London food scene and getting into something where there are more real people, in a way,” he said.

“I want deliver surprisingly excellent experiences to people who aren’t just coming because I’m a little bit famous or because pasta is cool right now. They're coming because they want to feed their families and they want to eat something of quality that is made on site.”

Occupying two floors of a space on Westfield London’s Southern Terrace, the new Pastaio will feature two open kitchens, including one dedicated to making fresh pasta, enabling Parle to expand the menu.

In addition to the internal dining room, outdoor seating will be available on a terrace and a balcony, with design overseen by frequent collaborator Tom Dixon.

Parle described the new interior, which will feature some of Dixon’s latest products, as a “progression” of the Soho Pastaio rather than a whole new concept.

It will feature a bespoke terrazzo for the table made from dark grey tile and pink marble aggregate, a hanging staircase in Yves Klein international blue and brightly coloured plates.

The new restaurant was financed by both existing and new investors as well as through the success of the original Pastaio, Parle said, with the bulk of the capital going towards the fit out.