Galvin Bistrot & Bar: Brothers revive the spirit of Bistrot de Luxe for new opening

Culinary brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin are to open a new restaurant inspired by their first London venture, Bistrot de Luxe.

After originally being slated to open on July 4, the new venture – simply called Galvin Bistrot & Bar – will open on October 12, almost 15 years to the day since de Luxe first flung open its doors.

Sat next to their popular grand dining room, the Michelin-starred La Chapelle, much of the award-winning Baker Street bistrot will be revived for the new restaurant. Signature dishes from de Luxe will make the new menu, including steak tartare, confit duck cassoulet and a rum baba served table side by the inch.

The original Galvin bistrot closed early in 2018 after 13 years trading when a fifth of the staff walked out over Brexit fears. The move marks a return to the food which made the brothers so successful throughout much of the 2000s, which they perfected in the 90s working alongside the likes of Marco Pierre White and Antony Worrall Thompson.

Writing on their website, the brothers said: "We closed Galvin Bistrot de Luxe with heavy hearts but we were overwhelmed by the messages of support we received from customers, who clearly felt it was a special place. And so we wanted to bring it back: the bistrot is in our DNA. After the pandemic, we wanted to provide a place where family and friends can eat traditional French bistrot dishes, drink wines and beer together and have fun without spending a fortune."

The announcement is a slice of positive news in a time when the industry is in calamitous straits. The ongoing curfew is beginning to bite, the weather turning is likely to have an impact on al fresco dining, and furlough ending means many staff are being let go, or kept on at high cost to individual businesses.

Galvin Bistrot & Bar will open at 35 Bishops Square, E1 6DY. For more information, visit galvinrestaurants.com.