Some buildings carry their history quietly. Pillar Hall in Olympia is not one of them.
Set within Olympia’s magnificent Grade II listed hall in West London, Pillar Hall is the first hospitality venue within the site’s £1.3 billion transformation. The building itself dates back to 1886, designed by Henry Edward Coe (the same architect behind Olympia’s Grand Hall) and was originally conceived to host concerts, balls, circus performances and theatrical shows. 140 years later, it has been reimagined as a 30,000 sq ft destination for dining, drinking and live entertainment. And walking in for the first time, you feel the impressive weight of that timeline immediately.
Behind the project is legend Des Gunewardena, founder of D3 Collective and co-founder and former CEO of D&D London. Before D&D, Des was Sir Terence Conran’s business partner and CEO of Conran Holdings. In 2006, he built D&D London into a formidable group with a £150 million turnover and restaurants stretching from London to Paris and New York. Des knows a thing or two about the business, and Pillar Hall feels like a statement of intent — ambitious, layered and deeply personal. His first venture, Engel and Jang at the Royal Exchange, opened in July 2024. Pillar Hall is the second, and it is significantly bigger in every sense.
Arriving at Idalia
Pillar Hall houses three distinct spaces: Idalia, a bold, glamorous all-day restaurant; Pepperbird, an intimate basement speakeasy; and Upstairs at Pillar Hall, a 500-capacity events and live music venue opening later in the year. Our evening begins at Idalia, and the entrance alone slows you down.
The name Idalia was an alternative title adopted by Aphrodite, referencing her love of the ancient city of Idalion. It was also a popular girl’s name in 1880s Britain, the very decade Pillar Hall was built. The restaurant leans into that mythology without overdoing it. This is not a theme. It is an atmosphere.
Designed by Robert Angell Design International, the 300-cover dining room takes its cues from the nearby gardens of Kensington and Olympia. The interiors blur the line between indoors and out through abundant greenery, layered textures and soft, warm lighting. Marble pillars wrapped in trailing foliage rise to ornate ceilings. Rich tan leather banquettes sit alongside patterned upholstery in ochre and green. Brass table lamps cast a golden glow that makes everyone at the table look slightly better than they did outside. A working fireplace anchors one end of the room. A glowing central bar commands the other. The effect is country house grandeur meets metropolitan polish, somewhere between a private members’ club and a garden party that never quite ends.
What strikes you most is how considered it all feels. The contemporary details: the furniture, the flooring, the colour do not compete with the Victorian architecture. They sit in contrast to it, and the building is better for their company.
Drinks First
Drinks first, dinner later. So we settle in at the bar and let the evening come to us.
Idalia’s drinks programme deserves proper attention. The cocktails are clean, well-balanced and designed to sit alongside food rather than fight it. There is a confidence to the list, nothing overly complicated, nothing trying too hard. The Negroni is definitely one to try.
The wine list leans into English wines, which feels like a deliberate and welcome choice for a venue anchored in British identity. There are enough interesting bottles here to reward the curious drinker, and the pairings are thoughtful without being prescriptive. A crisp, mineral-driven white paired beautifully with the seafood dishes that followed. But it is the cocktails that set the tone for the evening : refined, seasonal and effortlessly drinkable.
Dinner at Idalia
We start with a crab salad with mango, chilli, ginger, coriander & shaved coconut. The textures combine so well and there is a delicate sweetness from the mango. Herdwick Lamb Cutlet, served with courgette flower, sheep’s curd and romesco. The lamb is blushing pink, deeply flavoured and framed by accompaniments that feel purposeful rather than decorative. The sheep’s curd adds a gentle tang, and the romesco brings warmth without overpowering the meat. It is a dish that looks beautiful but tastes even better, generous and precise in equal measure.
We also spotted a whole wood-roasted turbot presented on a silver tray with shichimi togarashi butter, tatsoi and pickled daikon. This is a sharing dish, and it is theatrical in the best way. The fish arrives golden-skinned and fragrant, the butter melting slowly over the flesh as a charred lemon is squeezed tableside. It is the kind of plate that makes conversation pause.
A fillet steak is another highlight. The char is deep and smoky, the meat pink and yielding. Sides are simple and well-judged, letting the quality of the produce speak. This is not food that hides behind technique. It announces itself and then stands back.
The kitchen at Idalia is led by an exceptional female team. Executive Chef Samantha Williams, formerly Executive Chef to Angela Hartnett, heads the kitchen alongside Executive Pastry Chef Lorena Tommasi, previously of Jeremy King and Caprice Holdings. Together, they present a modern menu rooted in British cooking with international influences that have become staples of the London dining scene.
Dessert, however, steals the evening. The Westwood Stiletto is a theatrical seasonal sharing creation presented inside a chocolate stiletto — a nod to Vivienne Westwood’s iconic footwear and her historic connection to Olympia, where she held her first catwalk show. It arrives at the table looking almost too striking to eat. A red chocolate heel, adorned with white chocolate flowers, sits on a bed of dark crumble. Inside: layers of seasonal chocolate and cream. The pastry team, led by Tommasi, clearly understands that a great dessert should surprise you. This one does. It is playful, indulgent and entirely memorable. You break the shoe apart with a spoon, and each bite reveals something new.
Descending into Pepperbird
After dinner, we head downstairs. If Idalia is the bright, sociable elder sibling, Pepperbird is the one who stays out late and knows all the best secrets.
Tucked beneath Pillar Hall, Pepperbird is a speakeasy inspired by Olympia’s jazz and rock heritage. The venue hosted legendary performances by Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Thin Lizzy in the 1960s and 70s, and that energy has been channelled into a space that feels seductive, intimate and electrically alive.
The interiors are a dramatic shift from Idalia. Low lighting, deep banquettes upholstered in bold geometric patterns, dark reds and burgundy tones. Mustard velvet drapes frame the walls. A bespoke bar crafted in polished nickel and antique mirror is the undeniable centrepiece, with softly lit bottles glowing behind it. Abstract wallpaper depicting musicians reveals itself slowly, the kind of detail that demands a second glance. A discreet eight-seat private area at the back adds to the sense of exclusivity. Look out for a well-stocked whisky cabinet and art-led sculptural glassware.
Pepperbird operates Thursday to Saturday on a guest list basis, which only sharpens the sense of discovery. The cocktails here draw on Olympia’s legacy of legendary performances, and the music programme promises to be a serious draw. This is not background music territory. Pepperbird wants you to listen, to stay, to lose track of time. And sitting in that deep red room with a well-made drink in hand, it is remarkably easy to do exactly that.
Image Courtesy of D3 Collective
The Man Behind the Curtain
Des Gunewardena does not do things quietly. His career reads like a masterclass in London hospitality. But what makes Pillar Hall feel different from a typical big-name opening is the personal investment in the story. Des has been involved from the very start of Olympia’s redevelopment, and Pillar Hall is the first hospitality venue to open as part of it. There is pride in that, and it shows.
Working with designer Robert Angell, whose firm also designed the acclaimed 14 Hills, the collaboration is built on shared instinct rather than rigid briefs. You sense that in the finished spaces, they feel organic, not imposed. Each room has its own identity, yet together they tell a coherent story about heritage, craftsmanship and the pleasure of people coming together.
Olympia’s wider transformation will eventually include a 3,800-capacity live music venue, London’s largest purpose-built theatre in almost 50 years, two hotels, 30 restaurants and bars, and a host of new cultural spaces. Pillar Hall is the opening chapter. And it is a compelling one.
Overall
There is real ambition at Pillar Hall. But it wears that ambition well. The food is generous and precise. The drinks are sharp and considered. The rooms are stunning without being intimidating. And there is a warmth to the whole experience, a sense that this place was built not just to impress, but to be enjoyed.
In a city that moves fast and forgets faster, Pillar Hall feels built to last. It respects where it came from and is confident about where it is going.
For more information, visit Pillar Hall
View this post on Instagram
All Images Courtesy of Pillar Hall Olympia unless stated otherwise.