One of Fitzrovia's best restaurants is going through a big change, and that's because of the departure of its superstar chef. Nuno Mendes (genuinely one of the nicest people in the London food world) is moving on to new things, and the restaurant is being relaunched as Luso.
Luso will stay Portuguese, and although they say it won't be a "chef-led" restaurant, they are still bringing in Leo Careira (from The Sea, The Sea). He'll be looking after the menu, which should be a more casual affair than Lisboeta, and apparently focus more on the Iberian Atlantic coastline. There will be modern takes on traditional dishes, with salt-baked wild sea bass, clams à bulhão pato, and oven-roasted leitão (suckling pig) on the menu.
There's no information on how the look of the restaurant will change, but as it's a pretty quick switchover to Luso, expect the bones of the building to remain pretty much unchanged. A seat at the huge ground floor counter should still be one of the best places to be.
As for Mendes? For the moment, he's concentrating on his restaurants in Portugal (in Lisbon and Porto), so now's the time to think about making a Portuguese trip, and he's still involved with The Rose in Deal (also well worth going to). However, he does say that he's working on something in London too, so we'll bring news on that when we can.
More about Luso
Where is it? 30 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NG
When does it open? September 2025
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @luso.restaurant.
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