In the contemporary world of gastronomy, hospitality and cultural influence, few figures encapsulate entrepreneurial spirit and creative daring quite like Crispin Somerville. His journey from media and music into high-end restaurant ventures across London reveals a multifaceted leader whose drive, charisma and insight have transformed how people dine, socialise and consume culture. This article delves into Somerville’s life: his origins, his pivotal contributions, his guiding philosophy, and the impact he continues making — all through an analytical lens that captures why he matters, and how he succeeds where many others merely try.
Origins and Cultural Roots
Crispin Somerville was born in January 1972, a date that places him amid a generation witnessing profound shifts in music, media and global culture. Although there is scant public detail on his early childhood, two defining traits emerge clearly in his background: international exposure and diverse creative interests. His early career in media — including presenting for MTV and BBC — reflects a comfort with performance, public engagement, and cultural discourse. These early experiences laid foundations not only for skillsets but for a mindset attuned to storytelling and presentation.
Spending a significant period based in Mexico City intensified that cultural education. Immersed in a milieu rich with culinary ingenuity, nightlife vibrancy and artistic layering, Somerville absorbed influences that would later inform his ambitious hospitality projects in the UK. Mexico’s traditions of communal meals, street food philosophies and the integration of casual eating into high-energy social life affected his later approach: food as gathering, flavour as adventure and space as experience.
From Media to Menus: Career Transition
Somerville first came to public attention through media and entertainment. As a presenter, producer and curator, he worked for institutions such as MTV and the BBC, and later co-founded a Latin American communications agency. His early involvement in music business ventures — for example managing Lily Allen’s imprint “In The Name Of” — demonstrated business acumen as well as creative instincts. These roles required both strategic vision and sensitivity to trends, timing and audience, skills which would be converted into novel ways in hospitality.
The shift into food and hospitality was not abrupt, but evolutionary. Somerville co-founded El Colmillo, a nightclub in Mexico City, which helped him learn how physical spaces work, how people move at night, how service must be both organised and gloriously chaotic. Then came Prima, a project with chef Gabriela Cámara, where cuisine met concept. The venture of running these establishments in a vibrant, unpredictable city taught him risk-taking, local messaging, and how authenticity matters.
Harts Group and the London Ventures
In 2016, Somerville made a major move by joining Harts Group in London as Managing Director. Under this umbrella, he has been a driving force behind several standout venues including El Pastor, Quo Vadis, The Drop, and Two Drops. Each bears hallmarks of his style: bold flavour profiles, distinctive interiors, lively atmospheres, and often cross-cultural fusion. What distinguishes these eateries is not simply their menus, but the stories behind them and the emotional tone they create.
El Pastor
Perhaps Somerville’s most visible project, El Pastor, takes inspiration from his time in Mexico. Yet it is not a pastiche; rather it is an interpretation. Tacos, mezcals, ritualistic bar service and neon lights are under-pinned by serious commitment to sourcing, technique and customer experience. It’s not about kit-chosening for Instagram, but about translating Mexican culinary culture into something both accessible and revelatory to London diners.
Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis is more than a restaurant; it is a landmark, a storied institution in Soho, with deep connections to London’s creative, literary and artistic communities. Under Somerville’s influence, and Harts Group’s stewardship, it reasserts itself as a place where food and conversation, art and gathering converge. The refinement of ingredients, consistency of service, and the layering of visual and sensory detail are all characteristic of Somerville’s philosophy: nothing in isolation, everything in concert.
The Drop & Two Drops
Urban wine bars and neighbourhood dining have taken on new life through The Drop and Two Drops. These are not just about food and drink; they are about moments: early evening unwinds, post-work gatherings, casual celebrations. Somerville’s understanding of social rhythm — when people want what kind of atmosphere — is evident here: the lighting, staff interactions, music playlist, pause between courses, even the finish of a glass, are all orchestrated.
Philosophy of Hospitality and Vision
What underlies all of Somerville’s ventures is a coherence of vision. From design to menu to staff to culture, there are recurring principles:
- Authenticity over mimicry: Drawing from his experiences, Somerville avoids superficial authenticity. He builds from respect: respecting the origin of flavours, the traditions of service, the rhythms of local communities.
- Experience as narrative: Every venue tells a story. Whether it’s the décor that evokes Mexico, the lighting that transitions across night into late night, the playlist or the art — customers are moved through time and space.
- Cross-cultural synthesis: Rather than simple fusion, he tends toward synthesis — weaving together less obvious pairings, marrying Mexican street food ethos with London nightlife, fine dining sensibilities with fun.
- Quality and consistency: Atmosphere and showmanship are not permitted to overshadow food quality and consistency. Somerville seems to insist that no matter how good the space is, if the food or drink fails repeatedly, the message is lost.
- Community engagement: His projects tend to anchor themselves in localities — Soho, Battersea, Borough — not as generic spots but as neighbourhoods. Helping anchor local identity is part of building lasting success.
Challenges and Pivotal Successes
Running venues in London — especially ambitious ones — is not for the faint-hearted. The hospitality sector is fiercely competitive: lease costs, staffing challenges, supply chain volatility, consumer trends shifting rapidly. Somerville has weathered these storms in various ways.
- During periods of economic uncertainty and shifting regulations (for example, rising costs or pandemic restrictions), his venues pivoted: reworking menus to more sustainable cost bases, rethinking service layouts, offering take-away formats or curbside bars where permissible.
- Notably, El Pastor, which thrives on its night energy, managed to maintain interest through carefully crafted promotions, seasonal menu evolutions and maintaining a sense of freshness in what could otherwise be a repetitive market.
- Quo Vadis, with its long history and reputation, poses its own challenges: staying relevant without losing its heritage. Somerville’s leadership has emphasised preservation of identity alongside subtle innovation — menus evolve, interiors refresh, but the soul remains.
Successes are many: critical acclaim in food and lifestyle press, loyal customer base, and a role in shaping what “Mexican food in London” means for many. In doing this, Somerville has not only built businesses but set benchmarks: the venues are not just places to eat, but talking points; places people return to; destinations.
Media, Influence and Beyond Dining
Somerville never quite left media behind. His earlier roles in television, artist management, content creation feed into how he presents his brands. He is as much a storyteller as a restaurateur. He understands the power of narrative: launches, collaborations, partnerships, press coverage and social media. But more than that, he often participates — writing, speaking, curating — rather than simply delegating.
Public recognition has followed. In various “most influential in hospitality / food / drink” lists, Somerville appears regularly. His reputation is that of someone who not only opens great restaurants, but also adds texture to culture. He is tapped for commentary, quoted in food criticism, and appears in features exploring what London’s dining scene is becoming. Because his work crosses over: some of it is food, yes; some is nightlife; some is culture; some is design.
Lessons from the Somerville Approach
For anyone trying to emulate success in hospitality, Somerville’s approach offers practical lessons.
- Know your origins, leverage them: His Mexico City interlude is not a marketing gimmick, but a reservoir of learning and energy. Use what you know well, what you love, what you have lived.
- Design every detail: Not just menu, not just food quality, but lighting, staff warmth, music, architecture, furniture. All these form ambience and affect how customers feel. Somerville seems to treat each venue as a holistic canvas.
- Be flexible, not fragile: Conditions change: regulation, rent, public taste. Success means enabling a business to shift without losing its core. Somerville’s ventures have often adapted quietly.
- Narrative matters: Customers remember stories. They share them. A restaurant that feels like a brand, a space that feels like it has character and purpose, will get talked about more. It’s not story over substance, but story and substance together.
- Balance risk and brand integrity: Some ventures might demand experimentation — limited-edition menus, pop-ups, unusual cocktails. But risk must be measured relative to brand coherence. A misstep can be tolerated if the brand has built trust; repeated misalignments erode it quickly.
Why Crispin Somerville Stands Out in 2025
In a landscape crowded with ambitious restaurateurs and aspirational ventures, Somerville stands out for his rare blend of cultural literacy, creative audacity and operational discipline. He straddles worlds: design, food, music, media, architecture, entertainment. But he does so while maintaining coherence.
His influence continues to grow:
- He shapes how Mexican and Latin-inspired cuisine is perceived in London, pushing it beyond superficial tropes toward a richer, fuller expression.
- He influences peers: what’s “on trend” in menus, what interior-styling looks like, how restaurants think about community identity.
- He contributes to the idea of restaurants as cultural hubs rather than mere food outlets. High-end dining might bask in luxury; casual might seek authenticity – Somerville’s venues often succeed at both ends.
- Sustainability, ethical sourcing, staff welfare — areas where many restaurants struggle with lip service — are visibly part of his framing. For lasting impact, these matter almost as much as the food.
Potential Future Directions
What might be next for Crispin Somerville?
- Expansion beyond London: His model lends itself to growth, perhaps in other UK cities or internationally — always mindful of how local culture, supply chains and cost structures differ.
- Collaborations across art/music/design: Somerville’s background suggests more cross-disciplinary projects: art-driven pop-ups, music residencies inside restaurants, design collaborations that change how restaurant spaces operate.
- Digital hospitality: As customer expectations evolve, hybrid models (delivery, virtual experiences, cooking classes) could feature more in his portfolio — extensions of his venues, not replacements.
- Sustainability leadership: Greater emphasis on sourcing, reducing waste, energy efficiency. Already in many high pedigree venues; Somerville is well placed to lead not just in style but in ethical operations.
- Publishing, mentorship: Given his media background, he could offer written or filmed reflections on the industry; likewise, mentoring upcoming hospitality entrepreneurs or collaboratives might be an avenue he pursues.
Conclusion
Crispin Somerville is more than a name in the London hospitality scene; he is a model for how to merge culture, flavour, design and business into something that feels alive, relevant and durable. His path from media to nightlife to restaurants is not only a story of career pivoting, but of capacity to see connections others miss — between a plate and a playlist, between light and music, between community and cuisine.
His success lies in the tension between discipline and passion, between innovation and respect, between experience and authenticity. For anyone interested in food, culture or business, Somerville’s blueprint offers much to study. Because in the end, success in hospitality is not only about feeding people — it is about nourishing imagination, creating memory, and building spaces where people want to return again and again.
