:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69523651/Rendering_3.0.jpg)
Gordon Ramsay — a celebrity chef, restaurateur, and television personality known for being exceedingly terrifying on Hell’s Kitchen and oddly nurturing on Masterchef Junior — is making his first entry into the Boston restaurant scene with a new spot called Ramsay’s Kitchen, his restaurant group announced today. It will open at the Mandarin Oriental in Back Bay, which was previously home to a restaurant by another celebrity chef, Daniel Boulud. (Bar Boulud Boston closed in 2020.)
Ramsay’s Kitchen, set to open in late 2021, will include a raw bar, bar and lounge space, two private dining areas, and a seasonal patio in addition to its main dining room. It will serve Ramsay’s favorite dishes, per today’s announcement; yes, there will be beef Wellington, as well as a lobster and clam bouillabaisse. As expected of a hotel restaurant, it’ll be open for all-day dining.
The restaurant design is meant to evoke a very Boston feel: The back bar, for example, will feature a nod to the Zakim bridge, while blue marble is meant to represent Boston Harbor’s waters.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22691036/Rendering_1.jpg)
Ramsay’s Kitchen is part of the Gordon Ramsay North America restaurant group, which includes 10 restaurants spread through Vegas, Atlantic City, and beyond. There are several different concepts under the umbrella, and this is the first Ramsay’s Kitchen.
It plans to hire over 160 employees, which may be difficult given that the local restaurant industry is facing huge staffing shortages right now. Between staffing issues and all the other effects of the pandemic, many small, local restaurants are struggling to survive as Boston sees an influx of big-budget celebrity restaurants like this one. Just days ago, Back Bay welcomed rooftop restaurant Contessa on Newbury Street from Major Food Group, which has a number of glitzy restaurants in New York and worldwide, and New York’s Blue Ribbon Group is about to take over Kenmore Square.
Watch for updates on Ramsay’s Kitchen on Instagram as its opening approaches.
