The Late Joël Robuchon’s Michelin-Starred London Restaurant Will Close

The late Joël Robuchon’s Michelin-starred London restaurant, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, will close at its Covent Garden location on 14 April. It opened in 2006; no reason has been given for the decision to close.

Bloomberg’s Richard Vines tweeted news of the closure, ahead of the rumoured opening of a more casual restaurant called Comptoir Joël Robuchon, on Clarges Street in Mayfair later this year.

A member of staff at the restaurant confirmed to Eater that the restaurant would close on the 14 April. Asked about plans for the brand, the member of staff said that another restaurant could open elsewhere this year, but was unable to elaborate further.

Robuchon — a French culinary icon and the most Michelin-decorated chef in history — died in August 2018, after a long illness with cancer.

Robuchon is credited as among the most influential French chefs in the era following “nouvelle cuisine”. “Cuisine moderne,” Robuchon’s signature style, won him global acclaim and influence in equal measure. His recipe for mashed potatoes — or pommes purée— which famously uses a 1:2 butter to (Ratte) potato ratio, became the chef’s signature creation, and a symbol of high-end gastronomy more generally.

The L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon line, born in 2003, and inspired in part by counter dining and east Asian culinary traditions, extended the chef’s name, brand, portfolio across the world, including in London. The Covent Garden restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2007, the year following its opening.

Globally, Robuchon-branded restaurants currently hold 32 Michelin stars across 13 countries.