Chef Gino D’Acampo is set to open a new Italian restaurant within the ME London Hotel this July.

Luciano, named after his 18-year-old son, will open on 26 July and marks the celebrity chef’s fourth collaboration with Meliá Hotels International and the first with ME by Meliá.

The open-plan restaurant will seat 100 diners and features a terrace that wraps the sides of the hotel, opening up al fresco dining opportunities for a further 100 guests.

Heading up the kitchen will be Executive Head Chef Lorenzo Minini who returns from Italy to join the team. Throughout his 12-year career, the chef has worked at some of the capital’s most-celebrated restaurants including StreetXO, C-London Cipriani and Osteria San Lorenzo.

Joining Minini will be General Manager Giovanni Galluccio, previously of StreetXO and Cecconi’s Mayfair, and Nobu’s Francesco Boi.

The menu, designed by Gino D’Acampo and Minini, will incorporate Italian classic dishes with a focus on quality and ingredient provenance. An in-room dining service will also be available for guests of the ME London hotel with Luciano working with the luxury hotel to host both corporate and lifestyle gatherings in the hotel’s event spaces such as the Radio Rooftop and Marconi Lounge.

The upmarket Italian restaurant and bar will also see a great emphasis on drinks, with one of London’s most highly regarded mixologists, Chris Edwards from Salt of the Earth, working closely alongside D’Acampo and the senior development team to create an innovative cocktail menu. An extensive wine list, including iconic Italian brands and exciting new names, will also feature. All are sourced direct through D’Acampo’s hand-picked Italian suppliers.

Speaking on the announcement of Luciano, Gino D’Acampo comments: “I’m incredibly excited to announce the launch of Luciano, my new upmarket Italian restaurant at the ME London hotel.”

Adding: “We have been looking for the perfect central London location in which to develop this new five-star concept for some time, and at the ME London, in the heart of the West End and a stone’s throw away from Covent Garden, we have found it.  To have the opportunity to work together with my son Luciano on this amazing development, and after whom the restaurant is named, is incredibly special.  I cannot wait to open the doors.”

General Manager at the ME London hotel, Samantha Kandou-Fulton, adds: “We are delighted with this latest addition to our already extensive food and beverage offering to our guests.  Our partnership with Gino will no doubt cement our position as a Luxury Lifestyle hotel, offering unique dining experiences under one roof.”

Luciano is the first restaurant opening from Gino D’Acampo Hotels and Leisure with ME by Meliá. The news follows the announcement of a partnership between Gino D’Acampo Hotels & Leisure and parent company, Meliá Hotels International in May of this year. The opening is the chef’s second new restaurant to launch this year, with a third new opening in Liverpool this August providing welcome positive news for the sector.