Club Gascon in Smithfield, one of the most influential restaurants in London of the last quarter century, is to shut up shop at the end of March.
Chef-patron Pascal Aussignac and his business partner Vincent Labeyrie announced the closure “with both gratitude and a heavy heart” in an email to regulars this week. They said: “Since 1998 it has been our privilege to celebrate the cuisine and spirit of Gascony in London; welcoming guests from around the world and sharing a dining experience rooted in tradition, seasonality and creativity.”
A fixture on every ‘must-go’ list in the first decade of the century, Club Gascon pioneered both the small plates format and a new focus on regional as opposed to more generic national cuisines – both of which have proved lasting changes rather than short-lived fads.
However, diners surveyed by Harden’s reported a dramatic decline in the quality of the cooking in the past year or so, with the food rating in our 2026 guide falling from the habitual 4 of recent years to 2; the rating for service also dropped to 2.
A more casual spinoff called Comptoir Gascon closed down four years ago, while Le Bar – the wine bar next door – remains open at the moment. Pascal and Vincent also own Provençal restaurant Cigalon in Chancery Lane, which remains open – and which scored an excellent 4 in this year’s Harden’s guide.