Michel Roux Jr announces closure of Le Gavroche

Michel Roux Jr said the Mayfair restaurant will close in January

Chef Michel Roux Jr is closing his two Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche after 56 years.

Roux Jr, who has appeared on multiple TV cooking shows, said he made the decision to spend "more time with his family".

Le Gavroche, in Mayfair, central London, was opened in 1967 by French restaurateur brothers Albert and Michel Roux Sr.

At the time it was the only French restaurant of its kind in London.

In an Instagram post on Friday, Roux Jr said that the restaurant would be closing in January 2024.

'Live on'

He said he had "very mixed emotions" about the decision to close, but that the restaurant's name would "live on".

"This decision has not been made lightly. Le Gavroche means so much, not just to myself and the Roux family, but to the wider Gavroche team and you, our guests, who have become our family over so many years," Roux Jr wrote.

"I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high.

"Le Gavroche continues to be fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures."

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Roux Jr, son of Albert Roux, has run the restaurant since 1991, earning two Michelin stars — one of the most prestigious accolades in the restaurant business.

Chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White "earned their stripes" at Le Gavroche, the restaurant's website said.

Roux Jr added that from November, a series of "celebratory dinners" would be held until the restaurant's closure.

Roux Jr has starred on the judging panel of MasterChef: The Professionals and was a guest chef on MasterChef Australia. He has also presented two series of Michel Roux's French Country Cooking.

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