Tucking into a Cobb salad with a glass of dry New York Riesling, looking out through the full-height windows overlooking masses of greenery, it would be very easy to forget that the park you’re currently admiring – and that this new restaurant is named after – isn’t Central Park, but Hyde Park.
But these are the transportive powers of Jeremy King: one half of the legendary hospitality duo Corbin & King, who in their time have taken Londoners to Belle époque Paris with Brasserie Zédel, recreated turn-of-the-century Vienna with Fischer’s, and paid homage to Grand Cafés across Europe with The Wolseley and The Delaunay.
Together they created some of the most beloved institutions in the London dining scene, which was all dramatically up-ended in 2022 when the company’s majority stakeholder forced them into administration, then outbid them for full control.
This year, however, King’s come roaring back to the hospitality scene. The Park is the second of three major openings this year: first there was Arlington, a revival of the legendary Le Caprice he and Corbin ran in the 1980s, and later there’ll be a long-deserved reboot of historic carvery Simpson’s in the Strand.
The Park, however, is the most original of the three projects, making its home in a big new glassy building on Queensway (technically, it’s overlooking Kensington Gardens). But from the get-go it’s an instantly recognisable King operation, from the greeting at the door, to the little details that allow for moments of justifiable decadence (the short-pour ‘sharpeners’ at £7 make for pretty affordable apéritifs).
Most impressively, however, all this benevolent care and attention is delivered without any pretensions or snootiness. For all their crisp tablecloths and weighty silver pepper-grinders, King’s restaurants only ever feel welcoming. If you got caught in a rainstorm and turned up looking like a drowned rat, they’d still escort you to your table with the utmost grace (and probably hand you a towel).
And so it is with total confidence that we can recommend dining at The Park – for any occasion. The American menu lends itself particularly well to big family get-togethers and weekend brunches followed by a walk through Kensington Gardens and a nose around the Serpentine Galleries. But it’s glamorous enough to work for a date, smart enough for a business lunch, and casual enough for a catch-up with friends.
The design is really quite beautiful – all warm wood panelling with bespoke parquet flooring; vibrant mid-century prints on the walls; and soft opaline lighting on every table. The bar area at the front is a Hopper painting in 3D; a sleekly curving counter facing colourful bottles and an oversized wall clock.
The menu is inspired by American eateries, and is studded with classics like clam chowder, lobster rolls and ham hock pie. There’s a strong Italian slant with fresh pasta, chicken Milanese and the rib-eye tagliata steak. And the fish is cooked masterfully, from the tender halibut with wild mushrooms and caper butter, to the smoky seared mackerel. It’s all comfortingly familiar, prepared with a deft hand, and served in a setting that makes you feel like royalty while eating a hot dog.
Unadulterated joy.
Try to save room for dessert. The menu here has an unabashed sweet tooth, offering Chocolate Mud Pie, an amazingly mousse-like Baked New York Cheesecake, and a Banana Split – complete with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and hundreds and thousands – that will evoke child-like glee in all who set eyes on it. There’s even a bespoke order notepad which allows you to construct your dream sundae from options like hazelnut praline and Amedei chocolate ice cream; honeycomb chunks and mini meringues; and raspberry coulis or hot fudge sauce.
All of this with custom-made glassware and crisp linen napkins. Jeremy King’s restaurants are a rare breed indeed – and long may he reign.
NOTE: The Park is open daily. You can make a reservation on The Park website.
The Park | Queensway, London W2 3RX
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