Heston Blumenthal's London Restaurant Closing

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, located in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, will close its doors in January 2027 after 16 years. The restaurant, which opened in 2011, earned its first Michelin star in 2012 and a second in 2014. Over its lifetime, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal welcomed almost a million guests. Heston Blumenthal cited the end of the tenancy agreement with the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park as a primary reason for the closure. Rising food prices and the challenges of operating a restaurant within a hotel were also contributing factors. Blumenthal described the closure as "bittersweet" and noted that the restaurant had "run its natural course". The restaurant is known for its unique approach to historic British gastronomy, drawing inspiration from recipes dating back to the 14th century. Blumenthal's fascination with historic recipes began in the early 2000s, leading to extensive research with food historians and access to resources like the British Library and Hampton Court Palace. The menu featured dishes like "meat fruit," a chicken liver parfait shaped like a mandarin, and "tipsy cake," a Victorian-era dessert with spit-roasted pineapple. While Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is closing, Blumenthal will continue to operate The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, which earned three Michelin stars and was named the world's best restaurant in 2005. He also owns The Hind's Head, a casual dining pub in Bray. In 2023, Blumenthal opened a Dinner location in Dubai. To mark its final year, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has launched "A Journey Through History," an eight-course tasting menu. The restaurant was originally scheduled to close in the summer of 2026, but the residency was extended by six months due to continued demand. Blumenthal is considered a pioneer of multi-sensory cooking, food pairing, and flavor encapsulation.