Mathura: Atul Kochhar to open new restaurant in former Westminster Fire Station

Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar has announced he will be opening Mathura, a new restaurant inside the former Westminster Fire Station, this autumn.

The new 200-cover Indian restaurant will be housed in a 5,000 square foot site inside the Grade II-listed Edwardian building on Greycoat Place.

The announcement from the celebrated chef follows the opening of Kanishka, Atul Kochhar’s Mayfair restaurant, earlier this year. Mathura is named after an ancient capital city in the empire of the Kushan dynasty, presided over by King Kanishka in the second century.

Mathura will be another collaboration between Kochhar and restaurateur Tina English, with whom he opened Kanishka in March. While details of the menu are yet to be announced, the food is set to continue Kochhar’s dedication to teaming locally sourced, British produce with his signature Indian cooking style. “Unique” and “unexpected” elements are also promised, which will “set it apart” from his previous restaurants.

The interior design will be led by Rosendale Design, the company behind the likes of London restaurants The Ninth, Cabotte and The Game Bird. Westminster Fire Station’s redevelopment is a mixed-use residential project lead by property developer Alchemi Group.

Kochhar was the first Indian chef in the world to receive a Michelin star, awarded in 2001 to his restaurant Tamarind of Mayfair. He also held a Michelin star at Mayfair restaurant Benares, until his 2018 departure following a row over his comments concerning Muslims in India.

Mathura will open at 4 Greycoat Place, Westminster, SW1P 1BN in Autumn 2019