Wednesday 2nd October will see one of London’s most distinguished venues marking its 95th year as a food, drink, and live music hotspot in the heart of the city. Celebrated for its timeless elegance and iconic history, Quaglino’s will be taking customers back in time to feast in dishes inspired by the original 1930s menu, while tasting its new cocktails based on customer favourites and partying the night away.
Injecting sophistication and style to the London dining scene since its grand opening in 1929 by Giovanni Quaglino, the restaurant has had no problem establishing itself as a true symbol of luxury and glamour. Recognised as a beloved retreat for royalty, celebrities, and the city’s elite, Quaglino’s will commemorate its illustrious heritage with a lavish birthday event which will pay homage to the restaurant’s storied past and glamorous origins.
For one night only, Executive Chef Jack Smith will serve a menu that revives recipes written by Giovanni Quaglino in his 1937 book The Complete Hostess, including dishes ‘Flan Chaz Quaglino’, a wild mushroom and black truffle Pithivier with cep jus, ‘Entrecôte Bordelaise’, a 40-day aged rib eye, with bone marrow, red wine & shallot jus and ‘Gateau St Honore’ featuring Profiteroles, praline chiboust, and vanilla.
Guests will also be the first to sample a brand-new celebratory cocktail menu, created by Quaglino’s Bar Manager Ivan Gutu. The new menu will feature a selection of guest favourites throughout the decades, including the St James and Fig Royale, and be available throughout the anniversary season.
The night will also see famous traditions revived from its youth, where stolen Quaglono’s ashtrays became trophies and roaming cigarette girls were minor celebrities.
In 1995, The Independent reported that Quaglino’s ‘Q’ shaped ashtrays were one of the most sought-after and theft-prone items in London. Designed by Terence Conran himself, they were placed on each dining table. In just one year, 18,000 were reportedly stolen, and by the time the restaurant was 10 years old, more than 25,000 of the Q ashtrays had gone “missing”. The ashtrays will come back in the format of a showstopper dessert so delicious that their disappearance is to be expected on the night!
The famous Quaglino’s Cigarette Girl service, which was banned following the 2007 smoking ban, will also be back under a different guise. ‘Caviar Girls’ will instead tour the dining room throughout the night, and on selected dates throughout the anniversary season, to sell a selection of fine caviar on lavish trays to guests.
Celebrations in the restaurant are hallmarked by line ups of incredible musical talent and its 95th anniversary won’t be any different. Okiem and the Infinity Orchestra will take to the stage in the early evening, setting a perfect tone for the night. They will be shortly followed by an electrifying performance from guest favourite’s The Fellas to keep the celebration in full swing until late.
A regular haunt for celebrities including British Royals like Princess Margaret and Price Harry, Quaglino’s was also the place where Queen Elizabeth II made history as the first reigning monarch to dine at a public restaurant. Other notable patrols have included the likes of Angelina Jolie, Elton John, and Judy Garland, and the restaurant to this day remains a magnet for royalty, celebrities, and dignitaries alike.
Book your exclusive place at Quaglino’s 95th birthday celebration on Wednesday 2nd October, through Quaglino’s site right here. Early bookings can be made from 17:30 to 18:30, and regular bookings can be made from 18:45 onwards. Quaglino’s can be found at 16 Bury Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6AJ.
