Famed A-list haunt Julie’s closes its doors after 53 years

Julie’s, one of London’s most enduring celebrity dining destinations, has closed after 53 years as an A-list magnet.

The west London institution - famed for its quirky, decadent interiors - has not opened since its last dinner service on New Year’s Eve and is now on the market.

The restaurant and chanpagne bar launched in the dying months of the Swinging Sixties and quickly became a haunt for the likes of Mick Jagger, Princess Margaret, Paul McCartney and Carly Simon.

In the Eighties and Nineties fans of the tucked away Holland Park venue - named after its first proprieter, the interior designer Julie Hodgess - include Tom Cruise, Naomi Campbell, Princess Diana and Annie Lennox. The restaurant hosted Kate Moss’s 17th birthday party and Tina Turner danced on a table that still bears the marks of her high heels.

The most famous table, G3, is in a curtained off alcove that became known as the G-spot.

The decision to close for good by owners Timothy and Cathy Herring, who are retiring, comes just three years after it was relaunched after a major refurbishment.

The announcement comes in the same week that London’s biggest fine dining operator D&D said it is shutting Avenue in St James’s and Radici in Islington.

The last three years have been among the toughest ever for London restaurant owners with lockdowns and other Covid restrictions, chronic staff shortages caused by Brexit, soaring food and energy costs - as well as the round of transport strikes - all contributing to heavy losses for many operators.

Agent Savills has been appointed to sell the freehold of Julie’s and separate large maisonette above.

Josh Leon, director of restaurant sales at Savills, said: “Julie’s is one of those places that’s earned a permanent place in London’s restaurant pantheon. It hasn’t often been in the headlines which is part of its attraction, but this discreet address has been for many years a place where those most in the public gaze could come and let their hair down.

“I think there’s a decent chance that someone will want to carry on the torch and buy into that rich history, continuing as Julie’s in some form. However, even as something completely new, I think the site itself will retain some of the magic.”

Timothy Herring said: “They came to Julie’s I hope because it was a genuinely good restaurant in every sense, but also because they must have felt it was somewhere they belonged and could relax. We didn’t set out with that in mind, but we obviously did something right. After 53 years the time has now come for us to retire and hopefully pass on the baton to new owners to cherish and take pride in Julie’s as we have done for so many years.”