HUŎ is due to open in Belsize Lane, Belsize Park, in late June, after Tuscan restaurant Caldesi abruptly closed in January.
It will be the second HUŎ restaurant from owners Graham Rebak and Adam Wilkie, who run an outlet in Chelsea that opened in May 2021. They also own ULI, which opened in Notting Hill in 2016 and in Marylebone in 2023.
HUŎ’s a la carte menu serves fresh Asian food including small bites, dim sum and soups, Thai curries, stir-fried offerings and noodle dishes such as Pad Thai.
Contractor Colebrooke Construction has been at the site refitting the inside and outside of the building.
Dominic Harris, from Colebrooke, said they were looking to open in the middle of June, but added: “There’ll be quite a lot of work to do before then.”
Jonathan Clark Architects, which was involved with the ULI restaurants, is behind the design. The inside has been stripped out and a new ventilation system will be installed.
The site’s recent history has been chequered. From the 1850s to 2006 it was the Belsize Tavern pub, followed by pan Asian restaurant XO from 2007 to 2018, then Calici from 2019 to 2023.
Caldesi secured the site after Calici closed suddenly in December 2023, opening in April 2024 but folding in January 2025.
Mr Harris added: “People are excited to see something new. I know it has changed hands a few times, which is interesting.
“Adam and Graham have seen a gap in the market. Belsize has a nice village feel which fits in with their other properties in their portfolio.
“We hope we’ve put a good amount of investment in this place.
“We want to restore the façade on the top two floors and restore the side wall, we’re quite invested in the local area and want the whole building to look good.”
