Smith & Willis

Smith & Willis is the London hospitality group of Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis, best friends since the age of four and fellow Mancunians who moved to London in 2008, co-founded The Clove Club with Isaac McHale in 2013 and opened the Michelin-starred Luca in Clerkenwell in 2016. After parting ways with McHale they launched the group in April 2025 to build owner-managed and partnership brands under two guiding principles: built to last and committed to craft. The portfolio is Luca, its flagship modern Italian; Osip, Merlin Labron-Johnson's farm-to-table restaurant with rooms in Bruton, Somerset, as its first partner brand; and The Loft, the studio and events space above Luca designed with Vitra. An in-house studio at 1 Hat & Mitre Court supports the restaurants and partner brands with dishes, spaces, brand design and marketing, and a further London restaurant is planned. Vacancies across the group are listed on the People page, with applications also welcome at careers@smithandwillis.london.

Fine dining

Event venues

British

Fine dining

Italian

Vegetarian

View 3 brands View 3 venues

Our brands (3)

Luca

Luca is the Michelin-starred modern Italian on St John Street in Clerkenwell, opened in 2016 by Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis with Isaac McHale as the second restaurant from The Clove Club team, and now the flagship of their group Smith & Willis. Led by Executive Chef Robert Chambers, the kitchen draws from the heart of Italian cuisine and shapes British seasonal ingredients through a contemporary lens for food that is refined and indulgent, with the easy, unhurried luxury of a place to feel at home in. Alongside the dining room there is a bar serving a bar lunch, a private dining room, and an online shop. The team describes itself as calm and confident, warm and welcoming; roles are posted on the Life at Luca page and applications go to careers@luca.restaurant, with industry-leading pay, financial assistance and brand discounts, training, adaptable scheduling and wellness support.

Osip

Osip is chef Merlin Labron-Johnson's farm-to-table restaurant with rooms in the Somerset hills outside Bruton. It opened in the village in 2019, won a Michelin Star two years later and also holds a Michelin Green Star; in 2024 it moved to a 300-year-old former country inn on Kingsettle Hill at Hardway, and in June 2025 added four bedrooms above the restaurant, named after Somerset rivers. It was named Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide in 2025 and the best restaurant in the UK by Time Out the same year. The kitchen serves a predominantly vegetable-led tasting menu from its own farm and local growers, with a table d'hote and a shorter lunch, wine and soft pairings, a bar and a private dining room. Since 2025 it has been the first partner brand of Smith & Willis, which supports the restaurant on brand, marketing, people and operations and creatively directed the rooms. Vacancies are listed on the Smith & Willis People page.

The Loft

The Loft is Smith & Willis's studio and concept space above Luca in Clerkenwell, designed by co-founder Johnny Smith in collaboration with Swiss furniture house Vitra. By day it is the group's head office and creative studio; by night it hosts supper clubs and curated events and is available for private hire. Enquiries go to hello@the-loft.london and group vacancies are listed on the Smith & Willis People page.