Gennaro Contaldo to open first restaurant in almost 20 years
Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo is set to open his first new restaurant project in almost 20 years, teaming up with Brava Hospitality Group to launch BOLO, a Soho trattoria, this autumn.
The 32-seat restaurant will open on Glasshouse Street, next door to a Prezzo, with a pared-back menu built around Gennaro's signature bolognese ragù alongside Amalfi Coast-inspired dishes such as lemon tagliolini and seafood pasta.
Gennaro wrote in the Instagram post announcing the news: "Named after my famous Bolognese, BOLO will be a small, busy and buzzy trattoria in Soho, serving the Italian food I love most.
"A beautiful, hearty ragù, freshly made pasta, lemon tagliolini inspired by my home on the Amalfi Coast, seafood pasta and lots more."
"This restaurant is very personal to me," he added. "It will be my new home in London and I cannot wait to open the doors, cook for you and welcome you all."
In a video posted alongside the announcement, Gennaro said: "We are going to open Bolo restaurant very soon. We are going to have an incredible selection of pasta and desserts.
"It will be paradise on the plate, I promise you. These recipes are made with so much love."
Gennaro has invited fans to join a waitlist for reservations, with more booking details expected closer to opening.
A partnership with Brava Hospitality Group
The 77-year-old chef's new venture is a partnership with Brava Hospitality Group, the company behind Prezzo, which is also overseeing the UK relaunch of Jamie's Italian.
Brava relaunched Jamie's Italian in March 2026 with a new flagship in Leicester Square, and the group has said it plans to open up to 40 Jamie's Italian restaurants across the UK over the next ten years.
Bolo gives the group a second, more intimate Italian project alongside that expansion.
The Bolo tie-up comes during a period of rapid growth for Brava.
Backed by investor Cain International, the group reported a turnaround at Prezzo in January 2026 before acquiring the three-strong Riding House Café group, including Riding House Fitzrovia, Riding House Bloomsbury and Rail House Victoria.
Gennaro's return to central London
Bolo marks Gennaro's first restaurant since Passione, the Charlotte Street restaurant he opened in 1999 and which closed in 2009 amid the downturn that followed the financial crisis.
Passione was named best Italian restaurant at the Tio Pepe Restaurant Awards in 2005 and was shortlisted for an André Simon Award, and Gennaro's debut cookbook of the same name won best Italian cookbook at the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards in 2003.
Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast in 1949, Gennaro started cooking in local restaurants at the age of eight before emigrating to England in 1969.
He worked in kitchens across London, including a long spell at Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant, where he mentored a young Jamie Oliver during the 1990s.
That relationship has run through much of Gennaro's career since. He has consulted on menus for Jamie Oliver's restaurants, appeared alongside him on television and YouTube, and in November 2021 the pair were jointly awarded the Stella della Solidarietà Italiana, the Order of the Star of Italy.
Beyond his work with Jamie, Gennaro has built a broadcasting career of his own, fronting BBC Two's Two Greedy Italians alongside the late Antonio Carluccio, appearing regularly on Saturday Kitchen, where he set the show's fastest omelette record, and holding a Guinness World Record for speed ravioli-making.
He has written 11 cookbooks since his 2003 debut, including 2024 titles Verdure and Slow, and remains a brand ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano and Birra Moretti.
No exact opening date has yet been confirmed for Bolo, though Gennaro has said the restaurant will open this autumn.
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Gennaro Contaldo to open first restaurant in almost 20 years
