8/8/25 - Updated with more details
A few weeks ago, we reported that plans for the Crisp Pizza team to expand into central London had got a step closer to reality, after months of work to take over The Marlborough Head pub on North Audley Street. Now, we have lots more information about the opening (simply called "The Marlborough"), including how a nearby pub superteam is helping out.
For the Mayfair opening, Crisp's owner Carl McCluskey is getting support from the whole team behind The Devonshire: Charlie Carroll, Ashley Palmer-Watts and Oisín Rogers. That's not to say that Carl himself doesn't know plenty about pubs. His nan ran The Chancellors in Hammersmith, where Crisp Pizza is, before he took it over from her.
If you've been living under a rock for the past few years and don't yet know about Crisp Pizza, they serve up New York-style thin and crispy pizza out of a tiny kitchen in a pub right by Hammersmith Bridge. Numerous food 'celebs' have made the pilgrimage to the pub, notably Barstool Pizza's Dave Portnoy. Even Michel Roux turned up to film a piece for Food Network. They are definitively one of the best pizza purveyors in London.
Here at the Marlborough, the pizzeria will be downstairs in what they're calling a "speakeasy environment". Upstairs, it will be more of a traditional pub, so it's similar to how The Devonshire have (mostly) kept the food and drink elements separate. Most importantly, they're looking to replicate the method The Devonshire uses for pouring some of the best pints of Guinness in town. There will, of course, be lagers and ales if Guinness isn't your thing.
Expect this to be a very big deal when it opens, with quite a few people milling outside drinking the black stuff too.
More about The Marlborough
Where is it? 24 N Audley St, London W1K 6WD
When does it open? Early October 2025
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @themarlboroughmayfair
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