First announced late last year, Isola by San Carlo will open in St Christopher’s Place, just off Oxford Street, in August. The 220-cover Italian brasserie and bar will serve food all day and have a 50-cover alfresco terrace.
The restaurant will take inspiration from the islands of Italy with a menu featuring classic dishes and some with a twist on the islands, such as Sardinian lamb and porchetta, Sicilian red prawns, swordfish and tuna.
The interiors and exterior draw on the San Carlo family’s Italian heritage, with a colour palette inspired by some of Sicily’s most famous exports, including lemons, pistachios and prickly pears.
“After a very difficult 18 months in hospitality it’s great to be looking forward to a new opening in such a prime location with fantastic traffic-free outdoor dining space just two minutes from Bond Street Station and Oxford Street,” says managing director Marcello Distefano.
“This project has been a lot of fun especially as we have evolved from what we have done previously. Isola has been inspired by our childhood memories of Ragusa in Sicily, the birthplace of my father and our Chairman, Carlo Distefano.
“It will be an elegant yet informal space, the menu will be simple, offering some of our classics with a twist on the islands but as usual using the best ingredients from producers in Italy. It’s been our most exciting project in years, and we can’t wait to open in August.”
The group’s expansion will continue this year with further openings in Knightsbridge and Manchester Airport’s new super terminal planned for later in the year.
San Carlo Restaurant Group operates 22 restaurants in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds and Leicester along with Qatar, Riyadh, Bahrain and Bangkok.
