Lussmanns returns to expansion trail with double opening

The group has acquired the former Côte Brasserie on Highgate High Street for what will be the first of two new openings planned by the Luke Johnson-backed group in the coming months.

The second will be on the former Loch Fyne site on the Woburn Estate in Milton Keynes, which is expected to launch in October.

Highgate will mark the first opening by the Lussmanns Sustainable Restaurant Group since 2021.

The group was founded by Andrei Lussmann, who opened his first restaurant under the brand in North Kensington in 2002 before relocating to Hertford in 2004.

A further three restaurants in Hertfordshire followed in St Albans, Hitchin, Harpenden and, most recently, Berkhamsted.

The group also operated restaurants in Oxford and Tring that have subsequently closed.

“Opening a restaurant in London feels like we’re coming home, as that’s where it all started for Lussmanns in North Kensington in 2002,” says Lussmann.

“We can’t wait to open our doors in historic and beautiful Highgate Village and welcome customers to come and enjoy the finest ingredients sourced from farmers, fishers and producers all practising the highest standards – and at affordable prices.”

Lussmanns was the first small restaurant group outside London to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in 2014 and has won numerous awards for its sustainability.

The Highgate restaurant will hold 130 covers inside and a further 30 in a walled exterior garden, and will serve a wide selection of sustainable seafood including MSC fishcake with spinach, capers and a butter sauce; and South Coast crab linguine.