The 110-cover restaurant will feature a private dining room with space for 14 guests, an open kitchen, and both counter and table seating.
Café Murano is the ‘little sister’ to Hartnett’s renowned Murano restaurant in Mayfair, which the chef opened with Gordon Ramsay back in 2008 but now runs independently.
Since then the chef has established a restaurant empire that also includes Harnett Holder & Co in Hampshire, Merchants Tavern in London and the Café Murano brand.
Adam Jay, who is currently the head chef at the Café Murano site in St James, will oversee the kitchen, with James Cardy – also from St James – running the front of house team as assistant manager.
Cafe Murano Bermondsey will offer many of the signature dishes that can be found on the menus at St James and Covent Garden, with the menu set to feature ossobuco alla Milanese (veal stew); and anolini in brood (stuffed pasta in broth).
“We’ve been looking to open a new Café Murano for some time but have been searching for the right location," says Hartnett.
“The area [we’ve found] has an excellent food and drink offering, with some great little spots on Bermondsey Street, and nearby Maltby and Borough Market.”