Holborn may once have been a bit of a gastronomic wasteland so far as London was concerned, but these days it has a rather perkier reputation for good food, even if it doesn’t shout about it as loudly as Shoreditch, Mayfair or Fitzrovia. Parsons, Noble Rot, Otto’s, Anglo and L’Oscar are all in the near vicinity of the station, and so now is Gezellig – the area’s latest debutant, which sits on the ground floor of the magnificent Holborn Town Hall.
There’s no question – Gezellig is a beautiful restaurant. The recently refurbished town hall was originally built in 1894, and the building retains all its old charms today, from the glorious high ceilings to large period windows. Plush sage banquettes line the walls alongside French art deco posters and empty wine bottles, giving Gezellig more than a whiff of bistro elegance. Underneath, though, this is a legitimate new restaurant opening for the capital, with a powerhouse team running the show – head chef Graham Long, sommelier Wieteke Teppema and general manager James Comyn have worked at some of the best restaurants in the country, including The Square, Elystan Street, Pied à Terre, L’Autre Pied and The Ledbury. Graham’s food showcases influences from his time at Pied à Terre and the Sir Charles Napier, but it has evolved into something that is definitively his own at Gezellig.