Chef Gennaro Contaldo has joined forced with Prezzo and Jamie’s Italian operator Brava Hospitality Group to launch Bolo, a new 32-cover restaurant in London’s Soho.
The brand-new Italian restaurant, named after Contaldo’s bolognese recipe, will take inspiration from a traditional Italian trattoria – serving freshly made pasta dishes, seasonal starters and operating a one-wine-per-colour policy.
The restaurant, which is set to open in the autumn, comes after Brava Hospitality Group revived Contaldo mentee Jamie Oliver’s eponymous Jamie’s Italian in London’s Leicester Square earlier this year.
In an interview with The Caterer following the relaunch, Brava Hospitality Group CEO James Brown said that Contaldo regularly visited Jamie’s Italian’s new outpost to train chefs in the kitchen.
The operator, which also acquired Riding House Café last month, will open Bolo next door to its Prezzo Italian restaurant on Soho’s Glasshouse Street.
Brava Hospitality Group CEO James Brown said: “Like millions of people, we’ve been inspired by Gennaro’s infectious enthusiasm, extraordinary talent and genuine passion for Italian cooking. He’s spent decades sharing not just incredible food, but the warmth, generosity and joy that sit at the heart of Italian hospitality. Creating a restaurant together felt like a natural next step, and there couldn’t be a better home for Bolo than the heart of Soho.
“The success of Jamie’s Italian has shown what’s possible when exceptional hospitality is combined with incredible food and a truly iconic partner. Bolo by Gennaro is the natural next chapter in that journey.”
Contaldo said: “I’m so excited to be opening up a restaurant in central London again. It’s going to be a small, busy, buzzy trattoria serving some of my favourite dishes. From a hearty Bolognese ragu to Amalfi Coast-inspired dishes of my home like lemon tagliolini and seafood pasta. I can’t wait to feed you all and welcome you to my new home Bolo!”
