A new contemporary Portuguese restaurant will replace Lisboeta in Fitzrovia in September as star chef Nuno Mendes departs to focus on his other projects, the Standard can reveal.
Called Luso, the menu will focus on the Iberian Atlantic coastline, and dishes will no longer be “chef-led” but more generally inspired by modern Portuguese cuisine.
MJMK co-founder Marco Mendes told the Standard that (chef) Mendes leaves on good terms but said it was time to overhaul the space and introduce a slightly more casual offering.
“We’ve been working with Nuno for well over four years and remain big fans,” said Marco. Lisboeta opened in 2022.
“But in that time he’s taken on other projects, so after three years of Lisboeta we all sat down and made a plan. We thought it would be best to end on a high. It was a mutual decision. He’ll focus on his restaurants in Portugal, and we’re relaunching with a new love letter to Portugal in Luso.”
MJMK has brought in Portuguese chef Leandro Carreira – best known for The Sea, The Sea – as consultant executive chef. The new menu will include “modern takes on traditional dishes”, including salt baked wild sea bass, steamed clams and roast suckling pig.
Elsewhere on the menu will be pregos, or steak sliders with mustard and garlic (available until sold out each day), Cornish spider crab tartare and baked lobster rice. The likes of almond cake, chocolate mousse with sea salt and olive oil, and a chilled pineapple pudding are among the dessert list.
Marco added: “We’ve been working with Leandro to develop a straightforward, traditional Portuguese restaurant, one not so much about the chef, but the country. We’re not trying to be cheffy, we want to focus on simple, slightly elevated Portuguese dishes using simple ingredients.
“There will be lots of similarities between Luso and Lisboeta, but it’s a slight change in direction. Pricing will be similar but possibly a little bit below – we want to be busy all the time, especially at lunch when we want to see people come in for a beer and a sandwich.”
An announcement sent to the Standard said the term Luso is derived from Lusitania, the Roman name for the region now known as Portugal. “It therefore acts as a prefix to indicate a connection to the country, be that culture, cuisine or language.”
MJMK is to refurbish the space, while the ground floor bar will be taken out to make room for extra covers. Wines will be predominantly Portuguese, while a short list of cocktails is to be available.
MJMK co-founder Jake Kasumov added: “This is a proud moment for MJMK – to honour the legacy of Lisboeta and support its evolution into Luso is incredibly special.
“We’re looking forward to this next chapter for both the team and the restaurant. It’s a sentimental moment being able to bring to London the dishes from the lesser-known parts of Portugal and offer a menu that taps into the cross-over with Andalusian, Basque and Galician cooking.”
Mendes, meanwhile, will continue with restaurants Cozinha das Flores in Porto and Santa Joana in Lisbon, as well as others internationally.
Mendes’ last service Lisboeta will take place on Saturday August 23 after which the restaurant is to close for a three-week renovation and training period.
30 Charlotte Street, W1T 2NG, luso.com
