Rarely do two titans of the restaurant world come together with such a bang, but as plans are underway for the summer 2026 opening of the new Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch on London’s The Mall, that’s exactly what’s happening. A Grade I-listed building, it was originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria, with sweeping views across to Buckingham Palace (the façade of which was designed by the architect of Admiralty Arch, Sir Aston Webb). The new hotel is set to become a prestigious overnight spot with 100 rooms and restaurants by none other than Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud.
With no less than seven Michelin stars between them and a great friendship that has developed over the years, Clare has smashed ceilings as a female chef with her three-starred Notting Hill restaurant, Core. Daniel is arguably one of the greatest living chefs in America, having made his home in New York since moving from France as a young man and opening a slew of successful restaurants there and overseas.
What was, until over a decade ago, a home for government offices, the Waldorf Astoria group have spent a huge amount of time and money renovating Admiralty Arch and, when Clare and Daniel were approached about opening restaurants inside, each told me they knew straight away they wanted to be involved. “I don’t think there’s another hotel in the world that has that sort of façade, and I was so excited when I was presented with this opportunity. Clare was a huge motivation for me and made me feel that I’m in excellent company,” Daniel said. Clare also didn’t hesitate before accepting: “It’s a huge privilege to be involved,” she tells me. “It was a no-brainer for me, and a real dream come true because I’d always dreamt of having something really special within a hotel of this calibre in London. And I’ve been approached a few times before, but the offers just didn’t feel quite right. Admiralty Arch felt perfect straight away, and Daniel is an absolute legend. I love him and we have a great relationship.”
While Daniel’s Café Boulud will be a less formal but ample space for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with sweeping views across The Mall, Clare’s restaurant – Coreus – will be a fine dining, smaller space with “a heavy focus on the sea to reflect the maritime heritage of the building” in what was the former home of the First Sea Lord. Clare tells me she is “a creative, so I naturally approach a project like this with passion and, while I’m going to be focusing on the oceans for the restaurant, I’ll be drawing strictly on British produce, just as I do at Core. I want to do a deep dive into something different and explore new realms for the restaurant. Core was very much about vegetables, and I loved pushing myself for that. And, in some ways, restricting what we do makes us more creative.”
From what Clare tells me when we meet, the canvas for the restaurant space was stunning to start with; “Coreus is oval in shape and has fireplaces on each side. The details are already there because of the building, and we want to make sure we’re preserving the history and beauty while creating something very modern at the same time. Daniel will also be creating something innovative, while nodding to his own restaurant history, and even that of his family’s. “Café Boulud started as a place of tradition, and now it’s going to be part of the Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch in London, which is quite extraordinary. I left home very young, and my life has been very much about travel. Café Boulud was born in the late 1800s in the village where I grew up, just outside of Lyon. This lasted until the early 1960s when my parents closed it, and then I reopened it in New York in 1998.” The menu will, he tells me, reflect his love of French regional cooking “and there is lots of soulful French food on the menu, with French classic dishes that never go out of style and which people always come back for. I also like reinventing dishes that I put out there 20 or 30 years ago.”
Neither chef hails from London – Clare is from Northern Ireland and Daniel is a Frenchman living in New York – but both love London and relish opening in the capital. Daniel is returning to the UK with Café Boulud opening after a hiatus and says this “feels very exciting. When I was a young chef, I would go to London a lot. New York was trying to find itself, but London already had stuff happening. It has always been one of the most influential capitals in Europe, and it’s very exciting. It is comparable to New York in terms of offerings and lifestyle, and seeing the evolution of restaurants in London has just been unbelievable.”
Clare is nothing but loyal to British produce and industry. Since opening Core, she has constantly championed the British Isles, not only when sourcing ingredients for the menu but also for the restaurant interiors. Everything from the silverware (made in Sheffield) to the pottery (from Stoke-on-Trent), the flowers to the fabrics: all come from within the UK, and it’s clearly a great source of pride for her. “From Cornwall to Scotland, we are rich and abundant in everything,” she enthuses. “And we’ve got entrepreneurs doing things like never before, such as English Wasabi. That entrepreneurial spirit in Britain is great and I love to support it. I’ve said this before, but sustainability isn’t just about the environment. Of course, that’s a huge part of it, but it’s also about sustaining the economy and the people around you. This is the real backbone of British industry; it’s got a huge history and it’s something we should be protecting.”
As such, her opening of Coreus in a building that somehow embodies the very best of British history, design and architecture is fitting. Daniel’s Café Boulud nods to the essentially international underpinning of London gastronomy and both will, no doubt, become hot restaurants in their own right, even for those not spending a night in one of the beautiful rooms adjacent. Rarely do Clare and Daniel interview together, so it was a real treat to ask them about their favourite restaurants, both at home and abroad.
What's your favourite restaurant?
Daniel: “I have many, but I spend a lot of time in France, and I have a young child, so I’m trying to teach them all about French regional cooking. Maison Troigros is a very special place in the Loire with a three-star restaurant called La Bois sans Feuilles (which translates to The Leafless Forest).” And I love Baumeniere in Provence.”
Clare: “I recently ate at Matt Abé’s new restaurant, Bonheur, in the old Le Gavroche location. I think that’s going to become a firm favourite. It is incredible. He really hasn’t skipped a beat, and I think that place is going to fly, so definitely watch that space. Again, it’s iconic, but I’m also a huge fan of the French Laundry in California. Thomas Keller is another one who just seems unstoppable."
Favourite brunch spot?
Daniel: “The Blue Box Café at Tiffany, which is mine, is my favourite place for brunch when I am in New York. Chateau Capitaine in the downtown area is also great. Otherwise, I only really have brunch in hotels when I’m travelling. We will be doing brunch at the Waldorf Admiralty Arch when it opens with the ultimate French toast.”
Clare: “Josephine’s in Marylebone is wonderful, and it’s a great place just to drop in. It’s in a great part of town, and it’s just easy and so delicious. I love it there.”
Favourite cocktail bar?
Daniel: “I’m a cocktail drinker, but I prefer the white Negroni to the red Negroni. I think it’s less boozy. And it’s more refreshing. For good cocktails in New York, there is, of course, Dante, which is legendary. I also go to The Portrait Bar at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which is wonderful. I had some friends over from Europe recently, so we went, but I didn’t drink too much!”
Clare: “It might be boring, but I love the bar at the Connaught Hotel. I’m sure everyone says it, but there is a reason for that. I’m a big martini lover and I like a dirty martini; they really do the very best there.”
Favourite hotel restaurant?
Daniel: I love Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. When I opened Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental in London back in 2010, the idea was to open a local bistro in a five-star hotel, and there weren’t too many of those at that time. Of course, then they all started to pop up, but back in the day, there was nothing like that. I also love the scene at Chilton Firehouse.”
Clare: “Louis XV in Monte Carlo has to be my favourite hotel restaurant. It’s one of the most special places in the world, and I love to take friends there. Emmanuel [Pilon], the current Chef de Cuisine, is phenomenal, and he has this incredible dish with a big block of caviar on top of fried artichoke and a delicious sauce made of artichoke and olive oil. It’s crispy and textured and, of course, they work with vegetables a lot in that region, so they use artichokes that come right from the area, and they are just beautiful. The seafood is amazing, too. I adore Alain Ducasse. He’s quite naughty and he’s got a real twinkle in his eye. He’s another one, like Daniel [Boulud], who inspired me 20 years ago and still inspires me today.”
Favourite fine-dining spot?
Daniel: “L’ami Jean is Paris is wonderful and I’m also a huge fan of Romaine Fornelle and his restaurant, Caelis in Barcelona. He is a French chef living and working in Spain and he is doing some amazing things over there.”
Clare: “Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is probably one of the most famous restaurants in the world and I think Kim [Ratcharoen] is doing a phenomenal job there. There are a lot of women at the top level in fine dining restaurants, but you just don’t hear about them as much. I was talking about Kim and her incredible work the other day. She’s heading up a three-star restaurant, but most people don’t know who she is. She has zero ego and I think it’s that women are much less likely to promote themselves than men, but she’s absolutely phenomenal. She’s absolutely smashing it.”
Credit: Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch will open Summer 2026.