Some restaurants carry the weight of their location as much as their menu. When that location is The OWO, the former Old War Office on Whitehall where Winston Churchill once worked and Ian Fleming found inspiration for James Bond, the stakes are considerable. Langosteria, the Milanese seafood institution that has counted the fashion world as regulars since 2007, has taken the plunge. Its first UK site opened on 1 July, and it is every bit as theatrical as the building demands.
The Italian seafood specialist began life on Via Savona in Milan's design district before expanding to two further sites in the city, then outposts in Cheval Blanc Paris, Porto Cervo on Sardinia, Paraggi Bay on the Italian Riviera, and a mountaintop in St Moritz. The London site, developed by Buonocore Hospitality Group, brings the total to seven, and the first outside continental Europe. That it has taken over such a storied address signals serious intent.
The late Italian architect Carlo Samarati, who designed the Milan and Paraggi locations, completed the London interiors before his passing. His approach was to establish a dialogue between Langosteria's established aesthetic language and the building's imperial heritage. The entrance opens onto a bar area defined by travertine and Canaletto walnut, with a ceiling that forms almost hypnotic concentric geometric patterns. The open kitchens appear in perspective, part of the overall design composition rather than tucked away behind walls.
From there, the space moves through to the Main Dining Room, where the lighting shifts to more intimate proportions: cosy niches on one side, dynamic central tables on the other. Wine becomes an architectural element, with cellars visible along the route. Further in, the Historical Room changes register entirely. Stone fireplaces, decorated ceilings and stately proportions bear the mark of the Old War Office, while hand-embroidered silk surfaces, reinterpreted through Langosteria's aesthetic, add a narrative dimension. The transition to the Private Dining Room is marked by the Messenger Wall, framed by vertical panelling that once served as a hub for confidential communications across the British Empire.
The menu draws on Langosteria's Italian seafood tradition while introducing London-specific dishes. The raw bar offers carpaccio di tonno rosso, while the open kitchen turns out sea bass paccheri and a 'chateaubriand' of black grouper. Vegetable dishes get serious attention: marinated beetroot salad with walnuts and pecorino, crunchy potatoes à la minute, and roasted endives with champagne vinaigrette. The King Crab Special Edition 2007, dedicated to the original Via Savona location, and the Brittany Lobster Spicy Blue are signature dishes carried over from Milan.
Materials throughout are chosen with purpose: Verde Alpi marble floors, Venini Murano glass lamps, custom Molteni furniture and bespoke Medea seating. Each element is there to create visual and sensory continuity, making the space instantly recognisable even far from Milan. With Raffles hotel guests on the floors above and nine restaurants now operating within The OWO complex, Langosteria faces competition from its neighbours. But the fashion crowd has followed this brand across continents, and there is little reason to think London will be the exception.
