Walk down Great Portland Street today and the air feels different. It’s London. Things change. But for a specific subset of foodies who spent the mid-2010s hunting for that "perfect" neighborhood spot, the absence of Picture restaurant Fitzrovia London still stings. It wasn't just another dining room with white tablecloths and overpriced water. No. It was a statement. It was three guys from the Arbutus and Wild Honey stable—Tom, Colin, and Alan—deciding that high-end Michelin-style cooking didn't need to be stuffy, expensive, or tucked away in a hotel basement.
They opened in 2013.
The timing was perfect. Fitzrovia was evolving from a sleepy district of media offices and pubs into a legitimate culinary destination. Picture sat right in the heart of it at 110 Great Portland Street. Honestly, if you walked past too fast, you might have missed the charcoal-grey storefront. But inside? That’s where the magic happened.
What Made Picture Restaurant Fitzrovia London Different?
Most people think "fine dining" means you have to wear a blazer and speak in whispers. Picture threw that out the window. It was loud. It was narrow. It had these cool, exposed brick walls and an open kitchen that made you feel like you were part of the chaos.
The menu was the real hero, though. They became famous for their six-course tasting menu. In a city where a tasting menu usually meant blowing your entire monthly rent, Picture offered theirs for around £35 to £45 for years. It was arguably the best value in the capital. You’d get seasonal British ingredients treated with classic French techniques, but without the ego.
Think about slow-cooked poached eggs with mushrooms. Or maybe a piece of hake so flaky it felt like a dream, served with a sharp, salty tapenade. They didn't do "fussy." They did "flavor."
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The Michelin Bib Gourmand Era
The critics loved it. Jay Rayner from The Guardian was an early fan, noting how the restaurant managed to deliver "grown-up" food in a space that felt like a casual hang-out. It eventually earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand—an award specifically for restaurants offering exceptionally good food at moderate prices.
This wasn't just luck. The founders, Colin Kelly, Alan Christie, and Tom Sowersby, had serious pedigree. Having worked under Anthony Demetre, they understood how to manage margins without sacrificing the quality of the produce. They knew that a well-cooked bit of beef cheek is often better than a poorly handled fillet.
The Reality of the London Restaurant Market
Running a restaurant in Fitzrovia is a brutal game. People see a packed dining room on a Tuesday night and assume the owners are getting rich. They aren't. Between the skyrocketing business rates in W1 and the insane cost of labor, the margins are razor-thin.
Picture actually expanded for a bit. They opened a second site in Marylebone on Paddington Street. It was beautiful. It had more space. It even had a basement bar. But the original Fitzrovia location always had that specific soul—the kind you can't just manufacture with a bigger budget and better lighting.
Then came the headwinds.
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You’ve got to remember that the late 2010s were a weird time for the UK hospitality industry. Brexit was looming, food costs were fluctuating, and the "casual fine dining" sector was becoming incredibly crowded. Suddenly, everyone was doing small plates. Everyone was doing seasonal British. The "Picture" style, which felt revolutionary in 2013, was being imitated everywhere.
Why It Finally Closed Its Doors
The news hit in late 2020. Like so many other victims of the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, Picture restaurant Fitzrovia London and its sister site in Marylebone decided to close permanently.
It wasn't a failure of concept. It was a failure of the environment.
When central London turned into a ghost town, neighborhood spots that relied on the buzz of office workers and evening theater-goers simply couldn't hold on. The owners released a heartfelt statement thanking their regulars and their team. It was the end of an era for Great Portland Street.
People still talk about the "Picture experience" in Reddit threads and food forums. There's a nostalgia for it. It represents a time when London felt like it was opening up—when you didn't have to be a millionaire to eat food that made you want to close your eyes and savor every bite.
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What’s There Now?
If you go to 110 Great Portland Street today, you’ll find other ventures taking over the space. The neighborhood remains a food hub, with spots like Portland and Clipstone nearby keeping the high-end-but-approachable flame alive. But they aren't Picture.
The legacy of the restaurant lives on through the people who worked there. Many of the chefs and front-of-house staff moved on to other major London projects. That’s the thing about the London food scene—it’s a giant, interconnected web. One door closes, and the talent scatters, seeding new ideas elsewhere.
What We Can Learn from the Picture Story
If you’re looking for a similar vibe today, you have to look for places that prioritize the "Bib Gourmand" ethos.
- Seek out "Chefs' Restaurants": Look for spots owned and operated by the people actually in the kitchen.
- Don't ignore the side streets: Fitzrovia is full of gems that aren't on the main drags of Oxford Street or Tottenham Court Road.
- Value over price: A £50 tasting menu that blows your mind is better value than a £15 burger that’s just "okay."
The story of Picture is a reminder that great restaurants are fleeting. They are moments in time. If you find a place that treats ingredients with respect and doesn't charge you for the tablecloths, eat there often. Support them. Because in a city like London, nothing stays the same for long.
If you’re mourning the loss of Picture, check out restaurants like St. John or The Quality Chop House. They share that same DNA—unfussy, ingredient-led, and quintessentially British.
The physical doors of Picture restaurant Fitzrovia London might be locked, but the impact it had on the way Londoners eat—proving that quality doesn't have to be elitist—is still felt across the city's dining rooms every single night.
To find your next favorite spot in the area, start by exploring the northern end of Fitzrovia, near the Euston Road border. Rents are slightly lower there, which often means chefs have more room to take risks and keep prices down, much like the Picture team did back in the day. Keep an eye on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list for the latest updates on high-value, high-quality dining in W1.