Nicolas Rouzaud opens Le Café in Burlington Arcade

Nicolas Rouzaud, founder of Nicolas Rouzaud at The Connaught, has opened Le Café, a new all-day café in London’s Burlington Arcade.

It brings classic French café culture and pâtisserie to the heart of the capital.

The opening marks Nicolas’ first standalone café concept and a personal return to the everyday food culture that shaped his childhood in Toulouse.

Designed as a space to be visited throughout the day, Le Café serves coffee and pastries in the morning, relaxed lunches in the afternoon and Champagne-led aperitif moments later on, all within one of London’s most historic shopping arcades.

Situated beneath the vaulted arches of Burlington Arcade, the café has been conceived as a place to linger, whether for a quick espresso or a longer, unhurried visit.

From fine dining to café culture

Nicolas is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading pastry chefs, having built his career in some of the world’s most exacting kitchens. His background includes senior pastry roles at Le Bristol Paris and The Connaught, where he continues to operate Nicolas Rouzaud, his eponymous patisserie.

In recent years, the brand has expanded internationally, with openings in Doha and Mumbai, positioning Nicolas among a small group of chefs successfully translating fine pastry into a global luxury context. Le Café represents a shift in format rather than ambition, stripping away formality while retaining technical rigour.

The café format allows Nicolas to focus on familiarity, balance and pleasure, rather than complexity or theatre.

Brioche à tête at the centre of the menu

At the heart of the menu is brioche à tête, a classic French pastry that Nicolas credits as an early inspiration. At Le Café, it becomes a signature offering, served in both sweet and savoury forms and produced using traditional techniques that are now rarely practised at scale.

Alongside brioche, the menu features seasonal pâtisserie inspired by childhood flavours and comforting baked goods, all prepared daily. Sugar is used with restraint, with the emphasis placed on clarity of flavour and texture.

Coffee is treated with the same attention as pastry. Le Café works with specialist roasters Extract, with the drinks programme developed to complement the food offering rather than compete with it.

Signature drinks include a lemon pie cocktail inspired by Nicolas’ celebrated lemon tart, alongside Champagne cocktails designed to be enjoyed throughout the day.

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A contemporary take on French café culture

Le Café has been positioned as a modern interpretation of French café culture, where good food and drink form part of daily routine rather than special occasions. Prices have been set to remain accessible, with croissants starting at £3.50, coffee from £3.50 and sandwiches priced from £12.

The interior features rich red tones, glazed finishes and large windows opening onto Burlington Arcade, creating a warm, welcoming environment. The layout accommodates both quick visits and longer stays, reflecting the flexibility central to café culture in France.

Speaking about the concept, Nicolas said: “For me, gourmandise is not an occasion, it is a daily language. With Le Café, I wanted to return to something instinctive – warmth, memory and emotion – but with freedom and pleasure at the centre.”

A personal project

For Nicolas, Le Café brings together the technical discipline of fine dining with the informality of everyday hospitality. While the format is more relaxed, the standards remain unchanged, rooted in classical technique and precision.

Le Café is now open in Burlington Arcade, London.