José Pizarro doubles up at the Royal Academy

Billed as the Spanish chef's 'first foray into central London', the two locations have been created in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts Company of Cooks, the institution's long-standing creative catering and hospitality partner

On the ground floor will be the Poster Bar by José, an informal, walk-in tapas bar with a vibe akin to Pizarro's eponymous flagship restaurant on Bermondsey Street. 

The casual, café-style menu will include a truffle sandwich; empanadas gallega, Galician pasty filled with tuna, confit onion and caramelized red pepper; chorizo with vino and quince; and spicy prawn fritters with lemon aïoli.

Upstairs, meanwhile, in the Dorfman Senate Room will be José Pizarro at the RA, a seated restaurant with a 'grander' menu that includes jamón ibérico and presa ibérica; chipirones encebollados, baby squid cooked in caramelised, sweet onions; Mediterranean red prawns cooked with chilli and garlic; hake in salsa verde; and black ink croquetas. 

The wine list will be laden with labels from Spain's foremost wine making regions including Rioja, Penedés, Priorat, DO Rueda, and Ribera del Duero.

It will also feature Pizarro's own Chardonnay, alongside an extensive list of sherries, and Estrella Damm beer on tap.

Pizarro, who runs three Spanish restaurants in the capital as well as a gastropub in Esher, describes the Royal Academy of Arts as 'London’s most precious and prestigious art space'.

“When you see art, it’s all about how it makes you feel… your whole body responds, it’s the same with food – well, good food anyway," he says. 

"The creativity and soul that you find in food and art is the same… you get the same excitement.

"To be able to bring the two together makes me so happy – it’s an incredibly proud moment for me in my career.”

Poster Bar by José and José Pizarro at the RA will both open on 11 August.