Sole music: seafood-focused Manzi's to hold DJ sets

Its forthcoming seafood-focused restaurant Manzi’s will play music on the upstairs floor of the venue when it opens in June, in what will be a major departure for the group, which operates classic-style venues including The Wolseley, Brasserie Zedel, Colbert, The Delaunay, Bellanger and Fischer’s

“Upstairs, it will be the first restaurant in the group to have a DJ, I think it’s needed. We need to be brave to evolve the business and move forward,” The Wolseley Hospitality Group CEO Baton Berisha told delegates at last week’s R200 Conference.

“I would never put a DJ in The Wolseley, but Manzi’s has a very different demographic of clientele and location so we can go a little bit crazy and be brave.”

“What’s key is the atmosphere we are creating and the environment where people are coming to dine, so it has to be a destination restaurant. It is going to be fun; it is not going to be a boring restaurant.”

The idea for Manzi’s was first announced more than three years ago by the business, which was then under the stewardship of founders Jeremy King and Chris Corbin. Berisha says the plans for the restaurant, which is named after the well-known London fish restaurant once located just off Leicester Square, have changed slightly as a result of the current climate.

“From a perspective of the design, I felt the initial design with the current market and the challenges we are facing needed a change. Therefore, we have invested another £2.5m to change the design – it will cost around £10m to build.”

Split over two floors, the restaurant will have space for 170 covers indoors and a 60-seat terrace, which Berisha describes as “probably the largest terrace in Soho”.

“From my perspective we are going to create a restaurant I’d love to be jewel of Soho,” he added. “It’s a serious restaurant for sure.”

Really be an institution in Soho.