Le Gavroche to close after 56 years

London’s Le Gavroche, the currently two-Michelin-star French restaurant founded by the late Roux brothers, is to close after over five decades in business.

The restaurant, which was opened by Albert and Michel Roux Sr in Mayfair in 1967, will see its last service in January 2024.

The reason behind the closure of Le Gavroche

Explaining the decision on Instagram, Le Gavroche’s current chef-patron Michel Roux Jr, son of Albert, who has run the restaurant since 1991, said that he was closing it to be able to spend more time with his family and on other projects. Roux is a mainstay on British TV and a published cookbook author.

“This decision has not been made lightly. Le Gavroche means so much, not just to myself and the Roux family, but to the wider Gavroche team and you, our guests, who have become our family over so many years,” said the chef.

“I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high. Le Gavroche continues to be fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures,” he continued.

The restaurant’s staff would be offered redundancy he said, whilst the Le Gavroche name would continue through events and pop-ups. “The restaurant may be closing, but the name will live on.”

Le Gavroche was the first UK restaurant to win one Michelin star, then a second and a third and has been a training ground for some of the biggest names in UK gastronomy, including Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay.

A number of chefs reacted to Roux Jr’s post, including Clare Smyth, who said: “We will all miss Le Gavroche! Such an inspiration to many of us. So many incredible stories and memories. Sending love to you and all of your wonderful team”; Paul Ainsworth: “What a legacy and huge piece of culinary history” and Gary Usher: “Your family have & always will be where good food originated from in the UK. Your family changed the landscape of restaurants here forever & your legacy lives on regardless of a building. Much love & respect to you chef.”

Le Gavroche will be hosting a series of celebratory, farewell dinners starting in November.

Top photo: Alex.muller, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons