Pillar Hall Poised to Reopen at Olympia After Major Restoration
Space will include restaurant, bar and live-music venue
A visualisation of how Pillar Hall might look when it opens
March 9, 2026
Pillar Hall, the Grade II* listed building at Olympia, will reopen on Monday 30 March as part of the first phase of the venue’s £1.3 billion redevelopment. The 30,000 sq ft space will house a restaurant, a basement bar and a new events and live-music venue. The reopening comes 140 years after the building first welcomed Londoners in 1886, restoring a site originally used for exhibitions, concerts, balls and early film screenings.
The project is led by restaurateur Des Gunewardena, founder of D3 Collective and former CEO of D&D London. He said the redevelopment aims to “restore the spirit of this extraordinary building for a new generation,” noting that Pillar Hall sits at the centre of Olympia’s cultural history.
The main restaurant, Idalia, be servicing customers on the first day of the reopening, It is designed by Robert Angell Design International, it occupies the central hall and draws on the building’s Victorian heritage. The kitchen will be led by Executive Chef Samantha Williams, formerly Executive Chef to Angela Hartnett, and Executive Pastry Chef Lorena Tommasi. The menu will include dishes such as Herdwick lamb cutlet and whole wood-roasted turbot, as well as a dessert called The Westwood Stiletto, described in the release as “a theatrical seasonal sharing creation presented inside a chocolate stiletto,” a nod to Vivienne Westwood’s early fashion shows at Olympia.
A second venue, Pepperbird, will open on 2 April beneath the main hall. It is described as a speakeasy-style bar referencing Olympia’s musical history of the 1960s and 70s, operating Thursday to Saturday evenings on a guest-list basis.
A larger events and performance space, Upstairs at Pillar Hall, will open in June. The venue will accommodate more than 500 people and will operate as an events space during the week before introducing dining and live music at weekends later in the year. The design retains original Victorian features including ornate pillars, mouldings and a mezzanine overlooking the main floor.
Idalia's Executive Pastry Chef Lorena Tommasi and Executive Chef Samantha Williams
Pillar Hall is the first hospitality venue to open within the wider Olympia redevelopment, which will continue throughout 2026 and 2027. Future additions include two hotels, new restaurants and bars, a 3,800-capacity music venue, a new theatre and an immersive digital screen known as the Canvas. The redevelopment is projected to attract up to 10 million visitors annually once complete.
Michael Volkert, CEO of Olympia Estates, said the opening of Pillar Hall marks “the start of a bold new chapter of Olympia’s transformation.”
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