Des Gunewardena reveals details of trio of hospitality openings at London’s Olympia

Des Gunewardena has revealed details of the three huge hospitality venues he is set to launch at the £1.3b redevelopment of London’s Olympia exhibition space next spring.

The former boss of D&D London, now Evolv Collection, will launch a trio of venues within the 30,000 sq ft Pillar Hall, a Grade II-listed landmark built in 1886 which hosted fashion shows in the 1980s.

These will include Idalia, a 300-cover all-day restaurant including a plant-filled conservatory space, bar and terrace, and Pepperbird, a 70-cover basement speakeasy bar inspired by 1970s jazz.

Gunewardena will also launch Upstairs at Pillar Hall (pictured), a 500+ capacity events space on the upper floors of the building which will overlook the main dining and entertainment area below. It will operate as a restaurant and bar with live music on Friday nights and weekends.

The kitchens will be led by executive chef Samantha Williams, who previously oversaw Jeremy King’s the Park, while Lorena Tommasi, formerly of Annabel’s and Josephine by Claude Bosi, will be executive pastry chef.

The pair will serve a menu of modern British cuisine, featuring classic English dishes with international influences.

Developers hope the redeveloped Olympia will attract around 15 million annual visitors when it fully launches in summer 2027.

It will include two hotels – a Citizen M and a Hyatt Regency – a 3,800-capacity live music venue, London’s first purpose-built theatre in 50 years and 30 restaurants and bars, including four venues from Incipio Group.

Gunewardena said: “Olympia will become a world-class destination for culture, entertainment, and leisure in the heart of West London, and we are very proud to be a part of it.’’

This will be the second major venture from Gunewardena since he stepped down from D&D in 2022, 16 years after founding the restaurant group with David Loewi. He has since launched hospitality group D3 Collective, which opened restaurants Jang and Engel at London’s Royal Exchange in 2024.