Tom Booton Is Opening His First Restaurant—and Naming It After His Dog
Image: Matt Porteous, Ralphie’s launch photography.
The former Dorchester chef’s debut on Pimlico Road comes with British comfort food, a vinyl-filled private dining room and a menu for four-legged guests.
Tom Booton is opening his first solo restaurant in Belgravia, and the name belongs to someone particularly close to him: his Maltipoo, Ralphie. Due to launch in late November 2026, Ralphie’s will bring the former Dorchester chef’s cooking to a 40-cover neighbourhood bistro on Pimlico Road.
The address was previously home to Enoteca Turi. Booton’s plans for it are personal, from the food he grew up enjoying to the furniture he has tracked down himself. There will even be a dedicated dog menu, so the restaurant’s namesake is properly represented.
Tom Booton’s next chapter
Booton joined The Dorchester in 2019, aged 26, becoming the youngest chef to lead The Grill’s kitchen. After six years at the hotel, he left in 2025. Ralphie’s gives him a place of his own, with a British bistro menu rooted in familiar dishes and his Colchester upbringing.
It is an interesting move for a chef associated with one of London’s grandest hotels. The scale is intimate, and the details suggest somewhere designed for repeat visits: daily specials, Sunday roasts and a dining room with the owner's taste written through it.
Scampi, Sunday roasts and a proper pudding
Planned dishes include crispy cod cheeks scampi with warm tartare sauce, pork and mushroom pie with charcuterie sauce, and a vanilla soft-serve sandwich finished with warm hazelnut and fudge sauce at the table.
Sunday lunch will have its own sense of occasion. One proposed dish brings leg of lamb and shepherd’s pie together inside a Yorkshire pudding, while the private dining menu includes a Beef Wellington trolley. It is recognisable comfort food with enough of Booton’s imagination to make it worth leaving the house for.
Pritesh Mody is behind the cocktails, including a beetroot martini and a hedgerow negroni. The announced wine pricing starts at £7.50 a glass and £32 a bottle, with starters below £18 and mains around £30. These are launch details, so check the final menu before booking.
The Den—and dinner for the dog
Downstairs, The Den will accommodate 14 guests around a bespoke walnut table. A record player and records from Booton’s own collection bring an unusually personal touch to private dining, with the room overlooking the kitchen.
Upstairs, the design combines oxblood tones, Colefax and Fowler fabrics, walnut and brass. Antiques sit alongside bespoke British pieces, with lighting and mirrors from neighbouring design house Jamb.
Dogs will have their own choices, including a pig in blanket and a chew board served in bespoke bowls. For a restaurant named after a much-loved pet, it feels only fair that canine guests should get more than a bowl of water.
Ralphie’s is due to open at 87 Pimlico Road, Belgravia, in late November 2026. A precise opening date has not been confirmed in the launch information reviewed.
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