How Martin Kuczmarski made Dover the hottest restaurant in London

Tucked away in an unassuming location on Dover Street, it’s easy to walk past London’s hottest restaurant, The Dover. There are no signs, just a black and white marble slab on the floor with the restaurant’s name engraved in gold. But once you walk in, it’s a whole different world that makes you feel like you’re entering London’s most exclusive after-party.

Celebrities frequent the place and often sit at the table next to you, eating one of the restaurant’s signature pasta dishes. Candles light up the dimly lit space, perfectly mixed cocktails are on tap and books line the shelves on either side of the room. This is exactly what Martin Kuczmarski, the founder and CEO of The Dover, envisioned for his debut restaurant. He wanted to bring back the glamorous, old-fashioned hospitality that was once the industry standard.

“I was sick of going to restaurants and not being able to talk to my friends at the table because the place was flooded with loud DJs,” he said in an interview with Forbes. “I was really annoyed that in most restaurants, as soon as you get the menu, the manager or wait staff tells you that your table has to be vacated by a certain time.” After many disappointing experiences, he wondered what had happened to traditional, old-fashioned hospitality, and this was where he drew his first inspiration for The Dover.

Kuczmarski wanted to create a place that people felt comfortable in, that was elegant but not pretentious. “I wanted the sense of Brooklyn Italian mafia cheekiness with a touch of Sophia Loren glamour. I wanted real candlelight because I wanted everyone at the Dover to look good,” he explains. “Double tablecloths (like in the old days) to muffle the noise of the restaurant. I didn’t want a computer or screen at the front desk, just a regular reservation book with a pencil and a smiling receptionist who looks you in the eye as you walk in.” Ultimately, he wanted to create a place you could return to three to four times a week, with good value and beautifully presented home cooking, and he’s done that perfectly.

Social media plays a big role in the opening of influential restaurants these days, but Kuczmarski wanted no part of it when he debuted. How exactly did the place become London’s most coveted reservation, despite having no social media presence, no opening party and no photos of the experience? Word of mouth, of course.

“That was the biggest challenge and a big risk,” explains Kuczmarski. “Our focus was entirely on food, service and the quality of the design. We took the risk and it paid off. We designed and continue to design the space to be filled with nice, fun people, so it has more of a club feel than a regular restaurant.”

When you finally secure that coveted table, you can choose from a menu full of New York-style Italian dishes. The menu itself is inspired by Kuczmarski’s time in the city. It’s a collection of his favorite dishes, so much so that he says he’d happily eat any of them as his last meal. Options include beefsteak tartare, a classic Caesar salad with parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs, “The Dover” sole, and beef arrosto & puree.