The Prada cafe at Harrods debuts this weekend and, as you’d expect from the Italian fashion house, it’s as chic as it comes. From the pistachio-hued interiors to the glittering tableware, not to mention the modern-meets-traditional Italian menu, this pop-up is perfection. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Prada Caffè at Harrods.
Prada fans, stand by. The Italian fashion house has launched a Prada cafe at Harrods – the Prada Caffè – bringing a Wes Anderson-meets-Milanese aesthetic to the world-famous department store. Think a pastel palette and retro detailing, all with a touch of kitsch.
This isn’t the first time that Harrods has joined forces with high-end brands to bring its customers a foodie spin on fashion. Who can forget Dior’s whole-store takeover last winter, with its glittering gingerbread displays and sugar-spun haute couture? Or the hot pink Jimmy Choo immersive dining experience in the summer. Plus, of course, there’s Tiffany’s Blue Box Cafe, which promises coffee, croissants and carats galore.
And now Prada is in on the game. The cafe is on the ground floor, tucked away behind the alluring beauty displays. Step through the discreet door and inside it’s pure Prada but with a 1950s spin. The walls with their swirling floral bas-reliefs, velvet banquette and chairs, and elegantly corniced ceiling are all in the brand’s signature pistachio green, complementing the chequered black-and-white floor and black marble tables.
The decor is an ode to Prada’s historic boutique on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and those who have been to the brand’s Marchesi cafe in the city will recognise the similarities between the 18th-century pasticceria and this latest iteration. Not least with the immaculate attention-to-detail in the tableware – here, the pale blue porcelain has been handmade in Japan using an aged-old glazing technique; the hand-blown crystal glassware is adorned with the brand’s famous triangular motif; and the handles of the silverware also echo the house’s logo. So far, so very Prada.
If you’re here to eat and drink, rather than admire the place settings, then you are in for a treat. The Prada cafe menu is a modern twist on traditional Italian, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, small bites and aperitivo – and everything in between. Visit in the morning for a well-made cappuccino and Eggs Florentine, or pop in mid-shop for a savoury pastry with prosciutto or pizzette.
Lunchtimers can choose from more substantial dishes such as melt-in-the-mouth Burrata with zucchini; Risotto with saffron and aged Parmersan; and Oven-roasted beef fillet with sauteed girolles and pistachio – all served from midday until a very civilised 9pm. The perfect excuse to peruse the extensive cocktail menu, which does all the classics plus the more unusual, the likes of ‘Tuscan Blossom’ (Sabatini gin, Fiorente elderflower, peach liqueur, lime and rosemary oleo, soda and prosecco) and ‘After-Show’, a heady mix of Bourbon whiskey, Cynar, vermouth and orange bitter. The wine list has Italy covered, from Piedmont to Sicily.
But it’s the pastries that steal the show. Arranged on a grand central counter and in floor-to-ceiling wall displays, the patisserie creations are so delicately pretty, each one is a work of art. But eat them, you will. After all, how could you not when you clap eyes on the 72% dark chocolate cake with raspberry jelly and chocolate mousse; the apricot sacher-torte; the fresh fruit and custard tartlets; the lemon cake with Sicilian lemon jelly and vanilla Bavarian cream… The Prada cafe is nirvana for the sweet-toothed. Luckily, the pastries are also available to take away.
With an outdoor ice cream stall, offering gelatos and sorbets, appearing outside the Hans Road entrance over the summer, the Prada Caffè looks set to be a runway success.
Prada Caffè is from 31 March – 7 January 2024
harrods.com
