Restaurant Milos - London

The Crown Estate’s No 1 Regent Street is now home to widely acclaimed Montreal-based Greek restaurant Milos, the sixth opened by Chef Costas Spiliadis. With its seating capacity for 160, the dining room—featuring an open kitchen where fresh fish is displayed and prepared—is located on the building’s main floor and on a newly built mezzanine. The wine cellars and the main preparation facilities are in the basement of this 780 m2 venue.

The main challenge was to show due respect to this important heritage building while making a strong contemporary statement. Major constraints entailed dealing with cumbersome mechanical equipment and structural elements supporting a new mezzanine. The architects also went at great length to select unique materials, namely marble from a quarry near Athens and exclusive heart oak boards originating from an old Danish forest.

Estiatorio Milos, in its London incarnation, was designed to evoke the subtle light and beauty of Greece, away from the usual traditional references. Ceilings, marble floors, walls, the long breezy curtains and the suspended lamps—all white—act as a metaphor of quintessential Greek aesthetic. The decor where elegance is achieved through beautiful but simple elements, reflects the idea that great cuisine can be obtained from simple ingredients.