Once one of the leading lights of the high street, Jamie’s Italian is making a defiant comeback
10:11, 05 Dec 2025Updated 10:11, 05 Dec 2025
Jamie’s Italian is making a defiant comeback in London’s Leicester Square(Image: Leon Neal / Getty Images)
Chef Jamie Oliver plans to revive his Jamie’s Italian brand in the UK with a new flagship store in London’s West End after signing a partnership deal with Brava Hospitality Group, which operates the Prezzo Italian chain.
The first site under the new merger is tipped to open next Spring in Irving Street in Leicester Square. Jamie’s Italian was once one of the UK’s most successful restaurant chains, and at one point had 40 sites across the UK. Oliver launched his first branch alongside his Italian mentor chef Gennaro Contaldo, in Oxford in 2008.
However, the brand’s expansion saw it struggle with other high street competitors, as well as face the battle of rising business rates and costs. The brand began closing sites in 2017 before the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group went into administration in May 2019, closing most sites – although a restaurant from the chef does remain in Covent Garden.
The first Jamie’s Italian under the new merger will open in Irving Street in Leicester Square next Spring(Image: Leon Neal / Getty Images)
International branches of Jamie’s Italian were run by partners and were not impacted by the closure of the UK mothership. By late 2023, the group’s international portfolio included 30 sites trading as Jamie’s Italian in 15 countries. Brava Hospitality Group chief executive James Brown, who took last November after previously running BrewDog’s bars division, was interested in resurrecting the UK brand and arranged a meeting with Oliver, Propel Info reports.
Mr Brown said: “It started off with a conversation about just meeting up with Jamie and talking about what we’re doing and what we’re passionate about and about hospitality.
“I was just a huge fan of Jamie’s Italian when I used to visit as a customer. I had friends that worked there. There was so much positivity around business. When I was on my travels with BrewDog I would be a customer internationally, and would always think ‘why are these not back in the UK? This needs to be solved’. So, we managed to meet up, get along, and that’s how we ended up here.”
Now, Jamie’s Italian is set to makes its UK comeback thanks to the “powerful appeal” of the brand, Brava and Oliver said. In a joint statement, the companies said: “Balancing nostalgia and modernity, Jamie has carefully curated a new menu that will feature a mix of new dishes as well as some of the much-loved classics including the famous cured meat planks, prawn linguine and Gennaro’s bolognese all sourced to his higher food standards.
“The restaurant design will be revitalised, reflecting some of the key successes from the international Jamie’s Italian restaurants but at the heart of the rebrand, guests will experience a familiar warmth and generosity.”
Ed Loftus, global director of Jamie Oliver Restaurants, said: “Partnering with Brava, backed by Cain International, marks an exciting next chapter for Jamie Oliver Restaurants in the UK. This partnership brings together one of the world’s most recognised chefs with a highly capable operator and the long-term investment to build something with real longevity.
“We’ve taken the time to reintroduce Jamie’s Italian in a way that feels modern and focused, a tighter menu, a renewed emphasis on fresh pasta and quality ingredients, and warm, straightforward hospitality. Our priority is making the first location exceptional; the public will ultimately determine how quickly and how far we grow.”
Jamie’s Italian will hold its own, alongside the circa 95-strong Prezzo Italian chain which recently reported a like-for-like sales increase of 11% in its third quarter – with the first four refurbished restaurants achieving an average growth of over 60% growth over 12 months.
The company said that the return of Jamie’s Italian to the UK represents an “exciting and defining step forward” for Brava Hospitality Group and a “renewed commitment to shaping the future of UK dining”.
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