After six years away from London’s dining scene, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is making a bold return with his Jamie’s Italian restaurant chain. The famous TV chef plans to reopen his first London location in Spring 2026 at Leicester Square, bringing back a brand that collapsed dramatically in 2019.
The original Jamie’s Italian closure was a tough blow that cost hundreds of jobs and made headlines across the UK. Oliver has since reflected openly on what went wrong, admitting that basic operational issues needed fixing. While his UK restaurants shut down, Jamie’s Italian kept serving customers in other countries during these difficult years.
This time around, Oliver is taking a different approach. Instead of going it alone, he’s partnered with Brava Hospitality Group, the company behind the Prezzo restaurant chain. This partnership means sharing both risks and responsibilities, which could help avoid past mistakes that led to the original collapse. Oliver emphasizes balancing risk and opportunity in this relaunch venture.
The new restaurant will open at 17-18 Irving Street in Leicester Square, a busy tourist area perfect for catching attention. Oliver plans to stay heavily involved in creating the menu, choosing ingredients, and training staff. He wants to make sure the restaurant feels authentic and delivers the warm, generous experience customers expect.
The timing presents both challenges and opportunities. London’s fresh pasta scene has exploded since 2019, with new competitors like Lina Stores, Notto, and Bancone winning over pasta lovers. However, there’s still room in the mid-market dining space for a restaurant that focuses on quality ingredients and exciting flavors. For investors looking for steady income opportunities, established restaurant chains often demonstrate the kind of financial stability that can generate reliable returns over time.
Oliver’s team is already building buzz on social media, with the Jamie’s Italian Instagram account coming back to life. The marketing strategy mixes nostalgia for the original brand with promises of improved quality and lessons learned from past failures. The revival will complement Oliver’s existing Jamie Oliver Catherine Street restaurant, which opened in Covent Garden in 2023.
The Leicester Square location represents just the beginning, though no other locations have been announced yet. For Oliver, this relaunch is about proving that second chances can work when you address the fundamentals that caused problems before.
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