Langan's Brasserie Mayfair London Exterior Night

Langan's Brasserie is a restaurant situated on

Stratton Street Stratton Street is a street in the Mayfair district of the City of Westminster, London. It runs from Berkeley Street in the north to Piccadilly in the south. History Stratton Street started to be built in 1693 on land occupied at some time ...

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London. Opened by the Irish entrepreneur Peter Langan on 20 October 1976 in partnership with the actor Michael Caine, the Brasserie (which had previously housed the ornate restaurant ''Le Coq d'Or'') quickly attracted celebrities and became hugely successful. Langan's Brasserie remains one of the most popular restaurants in London today.

History

Langan's Brasserie Mayfair London Interior November 2012

Peter Langan (who gave his name to the Brasserie) was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1941. After moving to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the early 1960s, Langan began his catering career working at Odin's restaurant at 26

Devonshire Street Devonshire Street is a street in the City of Westminster, London. Adjoining Harley Street, it is known for the number of medical establishments it contains. The street is named after the 5th Duke of Devonshire, who was related to the ground l ...

. Langan had been lodging nearby to Odin's and when the proprietor, James Benson, was killed in an accident in 1966, he took over the kitchen for Benson's wife, Kirsten. Langan transformed Odin's in both its style of cuisine and its decor.

Patrick Procktor Patrick Procktor (12 March 1936 – 29 August 2003) was a British painter and printmaker. Early life Patrick Procktor was born in Dublin, the younger son of an oil company accountant, but moved to London when his father died in 1940. From the ...

, an artist who lived near and later married Kirsten Benson, provided a number of watercolours to hang on the walls of Odin's alongside the works of other artists encouraged to 'eat down' their work. After purchasing Benson's share of Odin's, Langan created a larger Odin's at the premises next door in Devonshire Street. Opening early in 1973, the larger Odin's maintained the tradition of serving hearty cuisine in an environment surrounded by original artworks. Odin's quickly became a very popular dining location and proved profitable enough to permit Langan to embark on what became his most successful venture, Langan's Brasserie. Peter Langan wanted to bring Parisienne cafe society to London and chose the former site of Le Coq d'Or restaurant in

, Mayfair as its location. Michael Caine, a customer and friend of Peter Langan, became his business partner and the pair transformed the site with original artwork, brighter lighting with mismatched lamps and relaxed the atmosphere of the restaurant (there was no dress code for diners). Richard Shepherd, the former head chef at the

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

red

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in London, joined the Caine and Langan partnership in 1977 and introduced a menu that has changed little since. By the mid-1980s Langan's had become London's most fashionable haunt for stars as diverse as

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, Jack Nicholson, and

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

. The restaurateur Chris Corbin was an early manager of the Brasserie. A notorious alcoholic, Peter Langan died at the age of 47 on 7 December 1988, several weeks after a fire at his home in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

which he is alleged to have started himself. Langan's name was retained by the restaurant and Richard Shepherd subsequently bought Michael Caine's share of the company to become the sole owner of Langan's Brasserie and the group's other restaurants. Langan's Brasserie is particularly noted for its artwork. Its walls are adorned with works by artists such as

(who also designed the menu), Lucian Freud,

Gerald Moira Gerald Edward Moira (26 January 1867 – 2 August 1959) was an English painter who became best known for his murals. Gerald Moira was born in London, the son of a former Portuguese diplomat who became a miniature painter. He first exhibited at ...

and

. Upstairs at the Brasserie, is a room known as 'The Venetian Room' which featured murals by Patrick Procktor specially commissioned by Peter Langan.

Other Langan's restaurants

The Langan's brand has been expanded to include: Odin's Bar & Bistro (a restaurant acquired by Langan in 1967) which are next door to each other in Devonshire Street in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

but closed in March 2013 and Shepherd's Bar & Bistro in Marsham Court,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, which was opened in 1993. He also collaborated with Karen Jones and Roger Myers who 'did' three restaurants with Langan, each called Langan's Bar and Grill, in the city, Mayfair and Hampton Court. Two years later they sold Theme Holdings. Previously, the Langan's chain had included another Langan's Bistro in Paston Place,

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, but this has since closed. Another Langan's Brasserie was opened in 1986 by Peter Langan in Coggeshall, Essex, near his home. After Langan's death in 1988, the Head Chef of the restaurant, Mark Baumann adopted the restaurant. In July 1998, Richard Shepherd opened Langan's Coq d'Or on Old Brompton Road in Earls Court, which is now operating as Rocca restaurant.. Shepherd died on 23 November 2022, at the age of 77.

References

External links

Official website
Restaurants in London Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Restaurants established in 1976 1976 establishments in England {{Restaurants in London