L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon to close in Covent Garden

News of the forthcoming closure was tweeted by Bloomberg’s​ Richard Vines​​, and was confirmed to BigHospitality by a member of staff at the restaurant.

At present, no reason has been given for the restaurant’s closure, but according to Vines the restaurant is to be ‘reborn’ as Comptoir Joël Robuchon on Clarges Street in Mayfair later this year. However, this is yet to be confirmed.

Robuchon passed away in August last year after a battle with cancer, he was 73. Throughout his career he was awarded 32 Michelin stars across 13 countries, the most of any chef in the world.

Born in Poitiers, France, Robuchon is credited with reinventing French cuisine and being one of the most influential chefs of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. He helped mentor several famous chefs, including Gordon Ramsey and Michael Caines, and was named ‘chef of the century’ by French restaurant guide Gault Millau in 1989.

The L’Atelier brand was launched by Robuchon in 2003, and it now has sites in countries across Asia, Europe and North America. The Covent Garden restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2007.