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How Jeremy King Revived Simpson’s in the Strand, the Grand Dame of London Dining

After years of false starts, Jeremy King restores a historic dining room, replete with trolleys and nostalgia.

In 2020, Simpson’s in the Strand, one of London’s most historic restaurants, shuttered its doors. The restaurant had existed on the Strand for nearly two centuries, initially opening in 1828 as the Grand Cigar Divan, before transforming into Simpson’s Tavern and Divan in 1848. For years, it was a center of chess in England, and it became known for its silver carving trolleys, which wound through the dining room to avoid disturbing the chess players. The Savoy Hotel acquired Simpson’s in 1898 and retained ownership until it abruptly closed during the pandemic. It was a sad demise, seemingly marking the end of a classic era of dining.

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But on March 3, Simpson’s reopened. It felt almost miraculous to those on the outside, but its rebirth had been in the works for years. Restaurateur Jeremy King, known for shepherding London icons like The Wolseley and The Ivy, had been trying to get his hands on Simpson’s for years. 

“Simpson’s has beguiled me ever since I saw it for the first time in the ‘80s,” King, 71, tells Observer. “It caught my eye, but I never dreamed I would ever be able to afford or acquire that sort of restaurant at the time. The possibility of taking over Simpson’s came through around 2000, but failed. And then I tried again in 2008 and 2015 and, to a degree, just before Covid.”

In 2022, King heard there might be a new possibility. Simpson’s hadn’t reopened after its closure during the pandemic, but the space was still there, so he made a bid to the Savoy. It took three years from the initial bid to the handover, but once all was said and done, King was still facing the challenge of restoring Simpson’s multi-room, multi-floor layout. The current building dates back to 1904, when the Strand was rebuilt, and he wanted to ensure its historic flourishes remained intact.

Unlike many of London’s popular dining spots, Simpson’s is rooted in old-school British tradition. Newer restaurants like Maison Francois and Brasserie Zédel have evoked that sensibility, but to find a grand dining........

© Observer