San Carlo set for central London opening in spring
Launching on Regent Street St James in May, the 130-cover site will be headed up by chef Alberico Penati.
The Italian chef’s career includes roles at Ristorante Carpaccio – the first Italian restaurant in France to win a Michelin star in 2000; Harry’s Bar at private members’ club Annabel’s; and the Alberico restaurant at Aspinalls.
San Carlo restaurants serve Italian food using premium ingredients often flown in from produce markets across Italy, with dishes including seafood; pasta; pizza; and grill specialities such as tomahawk steak.
“The Crown Estate’s £500 million investment in the St James's area has already attracted some of the best names in international cuisine and we are delighted to be a part of this,” says Marcello Distefano, San Carlo managing director.
“The fact that we will also be working with Alberico Penati, one of the great Italian chefs, makes this new venture even more exciting.”
The £60 million San Carlo empire is owned by the Distefano family, and includes 20 restaurants in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Qatar and Bangkok.
Its flagship sites include Cicchetti in Piccadilly (a sister site of which is set to open in Bahrain), and Signor Sassi in Knightsbridge.
Funding for the new site is being provided by the San Carlo group’s long-term bank partners, NatWest.
