Latest opening: Albert's Schloss – London
What: The first outpost in the capital for Alpine cook haus and Bavarian bier palace brand Albert’s Schloss, which has just opened in central London, taking over the former Rainforest Café site in the Trocadero on Shaftesbury Avenue. The first Albert’s Schloss launched in Manchester in 2015 and became a smash hit for its Munich beer hall approach and London will be the brand’s fourth site following subsequent openings in Birmingham and Liverpool.
Who: Albert’s Schloss is owned by multi-concept hospitality group Mission Mars. Led by Roy Ellis and Neil Macleod, who previously founded and built the Revolution bar chain, Mission Mars is based in the northwest and is perhaps best known as the operator of Neapolitan pizza chain Rudy's, which now has close to 30 sites nationwide. It also owns Albert's Schenke, a smaller offshoot of the Albert's Schloss brand that has a single site in Liverpool.
The food: As with other Albert’s Schloss sites, the London outpost features an Alpine-inspired all day menu. In the morning (doors open at 9am everyday) options include the ‘cook haus breakfast’ featuring sausages, Yorkshire short back bacon, black pudding, Burford Brown egg, roast portobello mushroom, roast tomato, potato rosti, and pain de mie toast; and the ‘kroissant royale’, a croissant filled with slow cooked onions, gouda, Burford Brown fried egg, crispy shallots, chives, curry ketchup, and a choice of either bacon or sausages. The main menu features a selection of breads and pretzels made at the in-house bakery, as well as schnitzels, bratwurst, burgers and fondue. Prices across the board are pitched sensibly to ensure accessibility, with smaller plates at around £10 and most of the larger options failing to breach the £20 mark.
To drink: Beer is very much the focus here with Albert’s Schloss serving an extensive range the includes numerous Munich and Bohemian pilsners, weiss biers, and limited-edition Oktoberfest special editions on tap. Prices are competitive given the central London location, with most pints coming in at under £7. A vast selection of cocktails and wines are also available.
The vibe: The word ‘schloss’ refers to a ‘castle, palace or manor house built as a retreat for recreation, indulgence, pleasure, and debauchery’, and fittingly the group’s London site has an impressively grandiose look. Occupying an 18,000sq ft space that’s spread across multiple levels and representing a £8m investment, it’s the biggest Schloss opening to date and the first to be split over multiple levels. It has a capacity of more than 500 covers and features four bars measuring over 45 metres in length and a stage that will host a daily line-up live bands, cabaret and gospel choirs. On the lower ground floor, you’ll find Ludwig’s Tavern, an Alpine-inspired chalet designed to be a tribute to ‘Mad King Ludwig’ of Bavaria, which has ‘whimsical design elements as well as roaring fires, shuffleboard and other tavern games’.
And another thing: Being housed within the Trocadero means Albert’s Schloss is the holder of a historic 3am license. As a result, it will remain open until 2am each day (except Sundays, when it closes at 10:30pm). Although as general manager Roísín Finnerty recently told The Standard: “We close at 2am officially, but can stay open later if there’s cause to.” Cheers to that.
20-24 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 7EU
albertsschloss.com/location/london
