A new branch of the historic Italian restaurant Sale e Pepe will open at the Langham hotel in the West End next month, taking over the space once occupied by the legendary chef Michel Roux.
Called Sale e Pepe Mare, the new concept will open in November and is to focus on Italian coastal dining, from the Amalfi Coast to Puglia. It replaces a space that was once Roux at the Landau, which shut in 2023 and later for six months briefly opened as Mimosa. The room has been empty since August 2024.
The menu will feature old hits from the original Knightsbridge restaurant — a celebrity hotspot since 1974 — alongside new dishes created for the launch.
Classics will include lobster linguine, salt-baked sea bass, and vongole with bottarga, while the likes of bluefin tuna on baked brioche, and tagliarini of Dorset crab, anchovies and parsley are set to debut.
The restaurant will also feature a central seafood display to show the daily catch on offer, with oysters, langoustines, and fish from the UK and Mediterranean the focus.
As well as seafood, Sale e Pepe Mare will sell prime steaks cooked on a new Josper grill, while press material also highlighted a tableside Caesar salad, bucatini cacio e pepe, and porcini risotto.
The restaurant is to also wheel out an old-time dessert trolley — tiramisu will star — a Champagne and Negroni trolley, while an Italy-heavy wine list is to sit alongside an updated cocktail menu.
The design of the 5,000 sq ft space makes use of “warm wood panelling, plush Italian fabrics, a marble bar, and bespoke textured artwork to evoke a sense of sun-drenched escapism,” said an announcement.
“Sale e Pepe has always been more than a restaurant, it’s part of London’s cultural fabric,” said Markus Thesleff, who owns Sale e Pepe under the Thesleff Group.
“With Sale e Pepe Mare, we’re honouring that legacy while reimagining it for today, capturing the spirit of la dolce vita in a setting that’s effortlessly elegant and luxurious.”
Stefan Soennichsen, The Langham’s managing director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Sale e Pepe Mare by The Thesleff Group to The Langham, London.
“Just as our hotel blends English tradition with modern hospitality, the restaurant brings a contemporary flair to classic Italian roots. It promises to be a fantastic addition to our culinary offering, and we’re confident it will prove hugely popular with our hotel guests and London diners alike.”
Sale e Pepe Mare will open late November 2025 at1C Portland Place, W1B 1JA, langhamhotels.com
