In 2007, Enrico Buonocor opened Langosteria On Savona Street in Milan. It was an intimate seafood restaurant with only 40 seats, focusing on the quality of ingredients rather than ostentation. It was also a one-off event, and Buonocore never imagined the scale of the hospitality empire he has since built across Europe. At the time, Buonocore was working as a host, server and bartender.
“I remember the first guest I served,” he told the Observer. “I greeted, served the food, and provided the bill. We had a very small team, only 13 people, so I did everything. When I started, I had the same rules I have now: no compromises in terms of quality and no compromises in terms of people. For me, people and quality are the key to my success.”
Over the past two decades, langosteria has grown dramatically. Via Savona, located in the trendy Tortona district, has expanded into adjacent spaces, creating a labyrinthine space of dining rooms, seating area and an expansive wine cellar. Buonocore has since opened three more Langosteria restaurants in Milan, including Langosteria Bistrot, down the street from Via Savona. Last fall, Langosteria Montenapoleone arrived at Palazzo Fendi along with Pepe Barra Italiana and Ally’s Bar, a restaurant complex far more modern than those in Tortona. In recent years, Langosteria has overtaken Milan. In the fall of 2021, Buonocore debuted an outpost at the Cheval Blanc hotel in Paris. There are three other seasonal locations in Paraggi, St. Moritz and Porto Cervo.
Despite this dramatic development, which has been driven by the fashion industry’s ongoing love for the brand, Buonocore is extremely excited about its latest opening at the London Hotel Raffles at OWOIt is a multi-year project plagued by challenges and delays. Discussions about joining Raffles began in 2022, and Buonocore signed a contract for the space, previously used by Winston Churchill, the following year.
“London, for me, is the most important city in Europe in terms of culture, energy and business,” says Buonocore. “The location of the restaurant is interesting because everyone has been asking me to open it in Mayfair. But Langosteria is a favourite, and the Raffles building is very British and has an amazing story. I didn’t think we needed to be like everyone else and be in Mayfair.”
Buonocore was initially offered a different space at Raffles than the one in which he was based Langosteria London It finally opened its doors on July 1st. But he was adamant that the kitchen should be on the same floor as the dining room. “It’s very important to me to have direct service of the food by my chef at the same level as the guest,” he says. He prevailed, eventually taking over several rooms on the ground floor of the hotel opposite the fine Michelin-starred restaurant Mauro Colagreco. The restaurant has its own entrance off Whitehall, where doors open to a bar, two dining rooms seating 110 people and a private dining room.
It is much more luxurious than Via Savona. The historic ceilings, wood paneling and fireplaces were kept intact, but Buonocore brought a lively feel to the rooms with the help of silk wall coverings decorated with colorful Langosteria characters and icons of London. It’s cutting-edge in terms of service and menu, but even two weeks after opening, the restaurant remains loud and bustling — just like the more modern location in Montenapoleone, Milan’s fashion district. But while Raffles at the OWO is austere, serious and strangely quiet, Langosteria London is refreshingly eccentric and noisy.
“Langosteria produces energy,” Buonocore says. “It invites good people. It’s a happy brand. And we’re not a fancy restaurant. Our food is high quality. You remember what you eat, which means guests come back to us many times.” He smiles. “We bring fun to the hotel.”
Buonocore does not consider himself a restaurateur or an entrepreneur, although he has clearly established himself as both. He grew up in Milan and began working in bars and restaurants in the city in his twenties. He always loved cooking, but didn’t fancy himself a chef, instead working behind the bar and in hospitality management. There was always an emphasis on quality food in his home, both as a child and as an adult.
It’s a sensitivity that drives everything Buonocore does with Langosteria. There are about 10 different types of olive oils used in kitchens, and they are re-evaluated every six months. Different restaurants serve different types of fish to ensure it is as fresh as possible. Buonocore takes into account how long it will take for a particular product to arrive, whether it’s Brittany blue lobster in Paris or Scottish langoustine in London.
“It may be fresh, but how long does it take to fly there?” He says. “If the oysters take five or six days to arrive, they’re not local or fresh. That’s inconsistent. I’ll delay or change the dish if I don’t have the right product. There can be no compromise on quality.”
Buonocore isn’t concerned that London has seen an influx of Italian restaurants over the past year, including Osteria Vibrato, Ornella and Sale e Pepe Mare, in a city already brimming with – even saturated with – the popular cuisine. “Langosteria is not just Italian,” he says. “Langosteria is an Italian company with a global orientation and specializes in fish. We have a brand that is completely different from other brands on the market.”
He likes the River Café, which opened in Hammersmith in 1987, because its clientele is local and sophisticated. “It’s also a very consistent food,” he says. “It’s not my style of decor because it’s too white, but the food is good. The people who go there are the people I want in my restaurant.”
He adds about creating something that will last, “I don’t want to come to town and have a famous restaurant that’s just news. I want to establish my brand, establish my community and share our vision. Our restaurant is very different from what’s on the market now because we have our own touch.”
Part of this touch is Buonocore’s insistence that the pasta be the main course—a sentiment not shared by many Italian chefs. “For me, after pasta, pasta,” he declared several times over lunch in May in Milan, where he was previewing some new dishes from the London menu. These include risotto, which has never appeared in langosteria before. Buonocore has designed the London kitchen to include a dedicated risotto station, although the dish is not yet available (there is a tentative launch menu until September). Guests can choose salted sea bass or black grouper Chateaubriand, but the meal will conclude with a variety of seafood pasta.
Buonocore also repeatedly emphasizes that Italian cuisine does not have to be heavy. He says you can finish eating pasta, but still feel like it was light thanks to the fresh ingredients. Seafood and vegetables are the driving force behind the langosteria offerings (although the more enjoyable tiramisu is as well). Buonocore believes that most people go home after having a meal there and do not go straight to sleep. “I help couples have sex,” he says proudly.
Part of Langosteria’s appeal is its strong brand and sense of identity. Charming cartoon characters appear on the walls, napkins and even pins that are given to guests as souvenirs. The elegant orange hue that heightens the palette is the brand’s Pantone color. It’s reminiscent of Hermès oranges, but intended to evoke the restaurant’s namesake crustacean: langoustine, which has a bright orange peel. This attention to detail is perhaps the reason behind the fashion collection obsession. Langosteria has collaborated with Dior, Fendi, Moncler and Acqua di Parma, and editors and designers frequent the restaurants during Fashion Week.
Buonocore believes that opening in the right place is what attracts the right people. He has rejected “many” proposals for an outpost in the Middle East because they are not the intended market. “I want to build the most important brand in the world,” he says. “But it has to be very elegant and in a world-class location. I’ve opened seven restaurants in 20 years. Now I plan to open five or six restaurants in five years. Because now we’re ready.”
This long-term strategy includes a plan to establish a restaurant in Madrid and another in Italy. But Buonocore’s vision extends beyond Europe. He won’t say where exactly. “Of course, the natural growth for our brand after Europe is to move to the United States,” he emphasizes. “It will be a star city, like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, the Hamptons, Aspen, maybe even Boston.”
Like every expansion, Langosteria London has its own proposal. One of the dining rooms was once Churchill’s office, which is one reason the renovation was so difficult, Buonocore says. There are luxurious elements from Italy – Murano glass, Verdi Albi marble, silk wallpaper – but the history of the 1906 building, once the old War Office, remains. Everything is precise and thoughtful, but the atmosphere is loose. Buonocore says he works by his own rule book. “It’s a natural vision,” he says. “And it’s not just that [my] The vision, but the vision of the entire company.”
The restaurant Arrival during Wimbledon Not a coincidence, nor a plan to open slowly. Langosteria London will remain in the soft launch phase until September to ensure it is ready. The opening menu is smaller than the final offering, and Buonocore says he wanted to slowly immerse himself in the city rather than enjoy a large spot.
“For now, we are calm,” he says. “After two years of construction, we are ready to start welcoming people and we have a great team ready. I’m a competitive guy, really competitive, and I’m excited to start competing with all the brands in the city.”
Buonocore knows the power of the brand he creates. He also knows people will be interested in trying it in a new city. But with Langosteria, he’s playing the long game. “I don’t want to succeed in a few weeks or a few months, but in the long term,” he says. “We’ve arrived, and we’re bringing fun to London.”