It’s the end of an era for one of Fitzrovia’s most storied addresses. Hakkasan traded at 8 Hanway Place for 24 years, earning a Michelin star along the way, before closing in February 2025. Now the site is getting a very different second life as AJ Records, billed as London’s first “Urban Culture Dining Club”: a 160-cover southern French restaurant, late-night cocktail bar, live performance venue and professional recording studio, all under one roof.
It’s the work of French theatre actress Josephine Garreau and Alexandre Santamaria, former Hakkasan Group director and founder of AWARE Hospitality, alongside platinum-selling French rapper Dinos, who joins as music director and shareholder.
The concept runs from dinner through to the early hours: food and drinks paired with unamplified live performances from 5pm to 8pm daily, shifting into “party dining” from 8pm on Thursdays to Saturdays, with a 3am licence and kitchen open until midnight keeping things going late. The menu will centre on à la carte and sharing dishes, premium grill cuts, seafood platters and a dessert trolley, served around a 12-seat chef’s table and open kitchen. Alongside the dining, AJ Records will double as a genuine platform for artists, offering free studio access, paid performance slots and industry connections to emerging musicians, spoken word and slam poetry performers.
Sounds kinda bonkers, but at least it’s a little different to all the other French brasseries and bistros opening…
Key Information
Opening date | Early 2027
Address | 8 Hanway Place, London W1T 1HD
For more information | @ajrecords_london
