Celebrity restaurants are a dime a dozen. Theo James’ Lupa is not one of them. Tucked away on a quiet corner in north London, the Roman-inspired restaurant — built with co-founder and restaurateur Ed Templeton — feels deliberately unhurried, grounded, and allergic to hollow glamour. No velvet curtains. No photo wall. Just good design. Also read | Step inside Malaika Arora's new restaurant in Mumbai's Khar: Beautiful tropical sanctuary with a 140-year-old mango tree
Lupa is Theo James' first hospitality project
In a 2025 British GQ interview, The White Lotus actor opened up about how he had 'always wanted to get into the restaurant industry'. “We wanted to just do a local spot that was delicious, but also had a decent vibe,” he told the magazine.
Named after the mythical she-wolf of Rome, Lupa is all about simplicity and warmth. The kitchen is run by Milanese chef Naz Hassan, and the menu is tight — about 20 regional sharing plates centred on classic Roman techniques. Think textbook carbonara, seasonal vegetables, and natural wine, done without the fuss.
{{/usCountry}}Named after the mythical she-wolf of Rome, Lupa is all about simplicity and warmth. The kitchen is run by Milanese chef Naz Hassan, and the menu is tight — about 20 regional sharing plates centred on classic Roman techniques. Think textbook carbonara, seasonal vegetables, and natural wine, done without the fuss.
{{/usCountry}}First impressions: that yellow facade
But before the food even lands, it’s the space that does the talking. From the outside, Lupa announces itself quietly. The corner restaurant is wrapped in a sublime, muted-yellow wooden facade, framing a simple glass door that feels more like a house than a celebrity restaurant. Also read | Inside Shilpa Shetty's restaurant Inka: How expensive is a vegetarian meal here?
Inside, it’s all about warm minimalism. Sunlight pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows, diffused just enough by sheer off-white cafe curtains. The dining space balances openness with intimacy. Wood tables, matching wooden chairs, and custom banquettes lined with dark wood panelling create cosy corners. Table settings are restrained to the point of perfection: white ceramic plates, folded cloth napkins, stemmed wine glasses, slender taper candles in ceramic holders, and a single flower in a vase. Nothing extra.
The nostalgic bar
The bar doubles down on that residential, home-kitchen nostalgia. Open wooden shelving runs across cream walls, lined with Italian staples — Campari, Cocchi, natural wines — plus simple glassware. A single milky-white globe pendant glows softly over the wooden counter. Add in beige abstract art and leafy potted plants, and you get texture without clutter. That’s the trick. Where most celebrity-backed spots chase trends, Lupa chases feeling. Warm wood, nostalgic lighting, tactile simplicity.