Russia’s Novikov Restaurants to open first London venue

Russian firm Novikov Restaurant Group is set to open its first restaurant in London, in the heart of the capital.

The company, headed by entrepreneur Arkady Novikov, has secured a 19,000 sq ft site at 50 Berkeley Street in Mayfair and is set to open the as-yet-unnamed restaurant in early 2011.

The venue will be divided into two restaurant concepts, one specialising in Asian seafood and the other offering Mediterranean cuisine. There will also be a Far Eastern-themed bar under the same roof. All three concepts will operate under the Novikov Restaurant Group brand.

The Berkeley Street site had been vacant for the past three years after the previous leaseholder, restaurant group Hakkasan, chose not to proceed with plans to open a new restaurant on the premises.

Arkady Novikov, a chef turned restaurateur, founded the Novikov Restaurant Group in 1992, opening his first restaurant in Moscow at a time when the up-market restaurant scene was in its infancy. The company now has over 47 concept restaurants in and around Moscow, employing over 14,000 members of staff.

Novikov said: “As one of the great cosmopolitan cities, London was a natural choice as a location for our first restaurant outside of Russia. We are excited about bringing the Novikov experience to the UK and are confident we can bring a new dimension to the London restaurant scene.”

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By Neil Gerrard

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