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This January, Nicolas Rouzaud will unveil Le Café, a new all-day destination in Burlington Arcade that brings the soul of French café culture and dishes inspired by his childhood to the heart of London. As the first ever café in Burlington Arcade, this is a deeply personal chapter for Rouzaud creating a space that reflects his roots, his passions and his art de vivre from a lifetime in pastry.
Finding its home under the stunning arches of Burlington Arcade, Le Café will be a place to linger and read a book, enjoy a morning coffee, an afternoon pastry and a leisurely lunch or late cocktail. Indulgent and unapologetically gourmand, Le Café will feature rich glazed interiors with a carefully crafted seasonal menu creating a space where everyone can feel at home and every visit is a small celebration.
Nicolas Rouzaud
For Nicolas Rouzaud, pastry has always been about emotion. Growing up in Toulouse surrounded by lush orchards, each season brought fruit at perfect ripeness and a deep appreciation for fresh quality ingredients. Simple recipes were shared around the family dining table and every dish carried the quiet luxury of things well made.
After redefining the technical boundaries of haute pâtisserie at Le Bristol Paris, Rouzaud honed his craft at The Lanesborough before spending eight years as Executive Pastry Chef at The Connaught. It was at The Connaught where he perfected his signature style, leading to the creation of his own maison, Nicolas Rouzaud Maison de Haute Pâtisserie, and the launch of Nicolas Rouzaud at The Connaught. He has since expanded the brand into Doha with Nicolas Rouzaud at Four Seasons the Pearl Doha and Nicolas Rouzaud at Place Vendôme Mall, Doha.
Nicolas is now looking to return to an experience that feels like home, with food that is comforting and emotionally resonant whilst remaining refined. Rouzaud’s earliest memories are of “gourmandise”, pleasure guided by precision. Staying true to his guiding philosophy, fruit will be natural and unprocessed, and sugar will be used sparingly, only to enhance and never to overwhelm.
“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, yet with a freer, more playful spirit. A little bolder, more spontaneous, more alive. A place where everyone is welcome, where you come for a simple pleasure and leave with a souvenir, something comforting, seasonal, and made at its absolute best,” says Rouzaud.
The Menu
Inspired by Rouzauds’ childhood and loved ones, the menu at Le Café will be entirely new and exclusive to the space. At its heart sits the brioche à tête, an iconic French pastry recalling childhood dinners and memories of his father who use to fill a brioche à tête with simple ingredients found in the fridge and baked for comforting family meals. At Le Café, it will become a signature dish offered in both sweet and savoury forms using the traditional technique that few master and even fewer perfect.
We can also expect Rouzaud’s unique take on the Victoria sponge, marrying British tradition with French technique. Inspired by Rouzaud’s Polish wife, another menu highlight will include a comforting seasonal soup served in a generous bread loaf. All goods are prepared daily, with pastries designed to be enjoyed at their absolute best in the cafe or to takeaway.
Coffee is approached with the same gourmand intent, designed as a dessert in its own right with expert layers and sensory experiences encompassing foam and crunch, signature brews from EXTRACT coffee roasters will also be available for coffee connoisseurs. Cocktails will translate Rouzaud’s pâtisserie into liquid form. In keeping with seasonal flavours, Le Café will unveil a Lemon Pie cocktail inspired by Rouzaud’s celebrated lemon tart, paired with a pear and cranberry Champagne cocktail, each crafted with texture at its core.
Le Café Concept
Occupying a coveted spot along Burlington Arcade’s sweeping gallery, Le Café stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the biggest names in luxury. The arcade is rooted in two centuries of history but driven by an innovative spirit that continues to attract tastemakers at the top of their game. Moments from iconic landmarks including Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus, and just steps
from the renowned shopping destination of Jermyn Street, it offers the perfect pause for Londoners coming into central as well as tourists seeking respite from the bustle of the crowds.
Guided from the true French café experience as not only a destination but part of daily life, Le Café is a way of bringing French café culture and the conviviality of brasseries to London. It will be a place where guests can arrive alone and feel welcome to stay as long as they like, returning again and again. Centred around its people, Le Café is a space where all generations mix effortlessly from food lovers, coffee aficionados, locals and visitors alike with prices that are intentionally accessible without compromising on quality or craft. Croissants will start at £3.50, coffee at £3.50 and sandwiches at £12.00.
Interiors
Designed by Sabrina Caisson Design, Le Café is a contemporary café and dining space that translates Nicolas Rouzaud’s gourmand universe into an everyday setting. Rouzaud’s signature red Pantone, inspired by ripe raspberries and paired with soft blush pinks runs as a thread through the café’s three floors creating a soft progression of atmospheres. The ground floor café is bold and immersive, centred around a lacquered red counter that gleams like freshly glazed pastries and large windows opening the space onto Burlington Arcade.
On the first-floor guests can find a calmer, lighter setting designed for lingering with increased natural light and views back onto Burlington Arcade whilst the lower ground floor unfolds as a more intimate space inspired by the heritage of Burlington Gardens. A commissioned mural by Will Foster Studios, antique mirrored surfaces and flowing ceramic petals by Elizabeth Prince animate the space bringing movement, tactility and a sense of discovery. Throughout, the interiors capture the joie de vivre of French café culture, infused with Rouzaud’s gourmand aesthetic, where expressive colour and crafted detail come together in a space that feels indulgent, welcoming and alive.
The Team
Le Café will be led by an experienced luxury hospitality team, reflecting Rouzaud’s standards and attention to detail. Senior figures from some of the world’s leading hotels and kitchens will oversee pastry and service and operations ensuring consistency, precision and warmth across every touchpoint. Key members include Mourad Khiat, Le Café Executive Pastry Chef, who honed his craft at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge, where he created the world-famous Pret-a-Portea afternoon tea in collaboration with leading fashion houses including Jimmy Choo, Dior and Valentino, earning international acclaim for its fashion-led approach to pâtisserie. He is joined by Le Café’s Manager, Timea Rambacs, a luxury hospitality leader whose experience spans The Emory, The Dorchester and The Savoy bringing a hotel-led sensibility to café culture with a modern, approachable style of hospitality.
Le Café is the culmination of Nicolas Rouzaud’s lifelong passion for pastry whilst bringing childhood memories to life through refined craftsmanship and celebrating the best ingredients of each season. Rouzaud and his team are ready to welcome guests to a place where pastry, coffee and conversation come together in the true spirit of a French café.
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Chef News is sponsored by the the Kitchen Porters Club
