Giorgio Locatelli is the Italian-British chef and restaurateur widely recognised as one of the defining figures of London Italian fine dining across the past three decades. Born 7 April 1963 in Corgeno, a small village on Lake Comabbio in Lombardy, northern Italy, Locatelli grew up in his uncle Alfredo’s trattoria La Cinzianella and trained at the Varese hotel school before working at London’s Savoy and Paris’s Laurent under Joel Robuchon in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He moved to London permanently in the early 1990s and established himself at Olivo in Belgravia and Zafferano before opening his own restaurant Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street in Marylebone in 2002.
Locanda Locatelli held a Michelin star from 2003 until the restaurant’s January 2025 closure after 23 years on Seymour Street in London’s West End. In 2025 and 2026 Locatelli has opened Locatelli at The National Gallery, a new all-day bar and restaurant in the Sainsbury Wing of London’s National Gallery in partnership with Searcys, as part of the Gallery’s renovated Sainsbury Wing. His wife Plaxy continues as his creative and business partner. Locatelli has also authored multiple cookbooks including the 42-page risotto chapter Made in Italy and has presented BBC television cookery series including Tony and Giorgio and Locatelli’s Italy.
TL;DR
- Italian-British chef born 7 April 1963 in Corgeno, Lombardy, Italy
- Trained at Varese hotel school; Savoy London; Laurent Paris under Joel Robuchon
- Opened Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street, Marylebone, London in 2002
- Michelin star 2003-2025; restaurant closed January 2025 after 23 years
- 2025-2026: Opens Locatelli at The National Gallery in Sainsbury Wing with Searcys
- Cookbooks include Made in Italy; BBC television series Tony and Giorgio and Locatelli’s Italy
Giorgio Locatelli key facts
| Born | 7 April 1963, Corgeno, Lombardy, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian-British |
| Training | Uncle Alfredo’s La Cinzianella trattoria; Varese hotel school; Savoy London; Laurent Paris under Joel Robuchon |
| Defining restaurant | Locanda Locatelli, Seymour Street, Marylebone, London (2002-January 2025; Michelin star 2003-2025) |
| 2026 venture | Locatelli at The National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing, London (with Searcys) |
| Partner | Plaxy Locatelli (wife and creative-business partner) |
| Television | Tony and Giorgio (BBC Two 2003-2005); Locatelli’s Italy; MasterChef Italia judge (2014-2019) |
Early life and training of Giorgio Locatelli
Locatelli was born on 7 April 1963 in Corgeno, a small village on Lake Comabbio in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, about 60 kilometres north of Milan. His family owned and ran La Cinzianella, a lakeside trattoria that his uncle Alfredo operated, and Locatelli grew up in the kitchen from childhood, learning the foundations of northern Italian trattoria cooking through his uncle’s apprenticeship model. The lakeside Lombardy trattoria environment, built on freshwater fish, risotto, northern Italian cured meats and regional wines, formed the foundational Italian culinary framework that would define his later work.
Locatelli attended the Varese hotel school in his teens for formal catering qualifications, and after training in Italy moved to London in the mid-1980s for further experience. He worked at the Savoy in London, at the Laurent in Paris under Joel Robuchon (one of the defining French fine-dining chefs of the period), and at additional European fine-dining kitchens through the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Robuchon experience at Laurent gave him access to the highest level of classical French technique, which he subsequently applied to Italian cookery back in London.
Through the early 1990s Locatelli established himself at Olivo in Belgravia, London, and subsequently at Zafferano under Mauro Bregoli and Gualtiero Marchesi influence, building his reputation as one of the leading Italian chefs in London. In 1993 he met Plaxy, who would become his wife and long-term business partner. In 2002 the couple opened Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street in Marylebone, which would become one of the defining London Italian fine-dining restaurants of the following two decades.
Giorgio Locatelli career timeline
- 7 April 1963: Born in Corgeno, Lombardy, Italy
- 1970s: Apprenticeship at uncle Alfredo’s La Cinzianella trattoria on Lake Comabbio
- Late 1970s: Attends Varese hotel school for formal catering training
- Mid-1980s: Moves to London; works at the Savoy
- Late 1980s: Works at Laurent in Paris under Joel Robuchon
- Early 1990s: Returns to London; works at Olivo in Belgravia and Zafferano
- 1993: Meets Plaxy, future wife and business partner
- 2002: Opens Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street, Marylebone, London
- 2003: Locanda Locatelli earns Michelin star
- 2003: Tony and Giorgio premieres on BBC Two with Antonio Carluccio’s partner Tony Allan
- 2006: Publishes Made in Italy: Food and Stories (includes 42-page risotto chapter)
- 2011: Publishes Made at Home: The Food I Cook for the People I Love
- 2014: Joins MasterChef Italia as judge
- 2015: Publishes Locatelli’s Italy cookbook
- 2016: Publishes Made in Sicily
- 2019: Leaves MasterChef Italia after five seasons
- 2020-2021: Locanda Locatelli operates through Covid-19 pandemic with intermittent closures
- 6 January 2025: Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street closes after 23 years
- 2025: National Gallery announces Locatelli at The National Gallery as new restaurant for Sainsbury Wing
- May 2025: Go To Food podcast interview on Locanda closure and National Gallery opening
- 2025-2026: Locatelli at The National Gallery opens in Sainsbury Wing with Searcys partnership
- 2026: Locatelli at The National Gallery continues as all-day bar and restaurant in the Gallery
Giorgio Locatelli signature style: regional Italian fine dining with classical French technique
Locatelli’s central argument, developed from the Lombardy lakeside trattoria childhood through French fine-dining training at Laurent and refined across 23 years at Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street, is that serious regional Italian cookery can be applied through classical French technique at fine-dining level in London. The Locanda Locatelli menu across its 2002-2025 run built on this argument through a deep regional-Italian carte, a celebrated 42-page risotto programme documented in the 2006 Made in Italy cookbook, and the careful application of northern Italian lakeside traditions alongside southern Italian preparations.
The second defining element is the wife-and-husband partnership with Plaxy Locatelli. Plaxy has served as creative-business partner across the Locanda Locatelli period and continues in the same role at Locatelli at The National Gallery. The family-run ownership model of Locanda Locatelli, with Plaxy managing front-of-house and Giorgio the kitchen, positioned the restaurant closer to the traditional Italian family-trattoria model than to the typical London fine-dining group, and this model continues at the new National Gallery format.
The third pillar is the cookbook and television output across more than two decades. Made in Italy (2006), Made at Home (2011), Locatelli’s Italy (2015) and Made in Sicily (2016) together form one of the most comprehensive regional-Italian cookbook libraries published in English. BBC television series Tony and Giorgio (2003-2005) and subsequent Locatelli’s Italy documentaries have extended the work into British broadcasting, and his MasterChef Italia judging role (2014-2019) extended his influence to Italian television. Within the London Italian-chef cohort Locatelli sits alongside peers including Gennaro Contaldo, Antonio Carluccio, and Angela Hartnett.
Notable Giorgio Locatelli work
Several Locatelli projects have become reference points in London Italian fine dining. Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street (2002-2025) was one of the defining London Italian fine-dining restaurants of the post-2000 period and held a Michelin star continuously from 2003 to its January 2025 closure across 22 years. Locatelli at The National Gallery (opened 2025-2026) is his new all-day bar-and-restaurant format in the Sainsbury Wing of London’s National Gallery, operated in partnership with Searcys. Cookbook output includes Made in Italy (2006) with its celebrated 42-page risotto chapter, Made at Home (2011), Locatelli’s Italy (2015), and Made in Sicily (2016). Television output includes Tony and Giorgio (BBC Two 2003-2005) and MasterChef Italia judging (2014-2019).
Giorgio Locatelli awards and recognition
- Late 1980s: Works at Laurent in Paris under Joel Robuchon
- Early 1990s: Works at Olivo Belgravia and Zafferano in London
- 2002: Opens Locanda Locatelli on Seymour Street, Marylebone
- 2003: Locanda Locatelli earns Michelin star (held continuously through 2025)
- 2003-2005: Tony and Giorgio on BBC Two
- 2006: Publishes Made in Italy with celebrated 42-page risotto chapter
- 2014: Joins MasterChef Italia as judge
- 2015: Publishes Locatelli’s Italy cookbook
- 2019: Leaves MasterChef Italia after five seasons
- 6 January 2025: Locanda Locatelli closes after 23 years on Seymour Street
- 2025: National Gallery announces Locatelli at The National Gallery
- 2025-2026: Locatelli at The National Gallery opens in Sainsbury Wing with Searcys
- 2026: Locatelli at The National Gallery continues as all-day bar and restaurant
Giorgio Locatelli impact on London Italian fine dining
Locatelli’s most concrete contribution is the 23-year Locanda Locatelli run from 2002 to January 2025 on Seymour Street in Marylebone. The restaurant held a Michelin star from 2003 and was one of the defining London Italian fine-dining restaurants of the post-2000 period. The restaurant’s 23-year run and its celebrated 42-page risotto programme, documented in the 2006 Made in Italy cookbook, together demonstrate a sustained commitment to regional Italian cookery at London fine-dining level that few peers have matched.
The second contribution is the 2025-2026 Locatelli at The National Gallery opening in the Sainsbury Wing of London’s National Gallery. The new all-day bar-and-restaurant format, operated in partnership with Searcys, extends Locatelli’s work into a new era after the January 2025 closure of Locanda Locatelli. The National Gallery venue is one of the most prestigious cultural-institution restaurant partnerships in London, and Locatelli’s appointment positions him at the centre of the 2020s London museum-dining conversation.
The third contribution is the cookbook and television output across more than two decades. Made in Italy (2006), Made at Home (2011), Locatelli’s Italy (2015) and Made in Sicily (2016) together form a comprehensive regional-Italian cookbook library, and Tony and Giorgio (BBC Two 2003-2005) and MasterChef Italia (2014-2019) extend the work across UK and Italian broadcasting. Within the London Italian-chef cohort Locatelli sits alongside peers including Gennaro Contaldo, the late Antonio Carluccio, and Angela Hartnett.
Giorgio Locatelli FAQ
When did Locanda Locatelli close?
On 6 January 2025 Locanda Locatelli closed after 23 years on Seymour Street in Marylebone, London. The restaurant had operated continuously since 2002 and held a Michelin star from 2003 to 2025. The closure was reported in the Drinks Business and other UK trade press in January 2025.
What is Locatelli at The National Gallery?
Locatelli at The National Gallery is the new all-day bar and restaurant that Giorgio Locatelli opened in 2025-2026 in the renovated Sainsbury Wing of London’s National Gallery, in partnership with Searcys. The restaurant offers Italian snacks, lunch, drinks, coffee and cakes throughout the day and is rated in the Michelin Guide.
Did Locatelli train under Robuchon?
Yes. In the late 1980s Locatelli worked at the Laurent in Paris under Joel Robuchon, one of the defining French fine-dining chefs of the period. The Robuchon experience gave Locatelli access to the highest level of classical French technique, which he subsequently applied to Italian cookery back in London at Olivo, Zafferano and Locanda Locatelli.
Who is Plaxy Locatelli?
Giorgio Locatelli’s wife and long-term creative and business partner. Plaxy has served as front-of-house manager at Locanda Locatelli and continues in a partnership role at Locatelli at The National Gallery. The couple met in 1993 and have run the Locanda Locatelli and National Gallery restaurants together.
Where is Locatelli from?
Corgeno, a small village on Lake Comabbio in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, about 60 kilometres north of Milan. He was born there on 7 April 1963 and grew up in his uncle Alfredo’s La Cinzianella trattoria on the lakeside.
What is next for Giorgio Locatelli
Locatelli at The National Gallery continues through 2026 in the Sainsbury Wing of London’s National Gallery in partnership with Searcys. Continuing cookbook and television work is expected. His public Instagram (@giorgiolocatelli) is the best source for current updates.
