Lita, a new restaurant from Canadian-born restaurateur Daniel Koukarskikh, opened this past spring in Marylebone, a central London neighborhood. The kitchen is run by Irish chef Luke Ahearne from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, and formerly head chef at London’s Corrigan’s Mayfair restaurant.

© Beth Evans

Lita, short for abuelita (Spanish for grandmother), brings fine bistro dining to London’s culinary scene with a produce-driven, seasonal menu that celebrates the flavors of southern Europe, all cooked on a fire grill in the restaurant’s open kitchen. With the atmosphere and warmth of a family setting, Chef Ahearne’s produce-driven concept respects the seasons with a menu that changes frequently, focuses on regional produce and is accompanied by wines from a selection of small producers from well-established European wineries.

“The open fire grill kitchen is the heartbeat of the restaurant where Chef Ahearne and his talented  staff prepare each dish, with the aim of Lita to create the ultimate neighborhood bistro with an appetizing menu, a great wine list and relaxed atmosphere,” said Koukarskikh. “We have worked to create something unique to the area that offers an exemplary, modern-day dining experience for food enthusiasts and wine lovers, visitors and locals, in a laid-back setting”

Intended for sharing, Chef Ahearne’s menu presents a selection of small and sophisticated dishes including chopped Hereford beef with Amalfi lemon and shoestring fries, morels with wild garlic and lardo di Colonnata, and Norfolk quail with burnt pear and duck hearts. Larger main courses, also to be shared, include Cornish monkfish with fennel, winter tomatoes and bouillabaisse; Peak District T-bone steak; and a whole Cornish turbot. For dessert, there is rum baba with charcoal cream Chantilly; Yorkshire rhubarb millefeuille with Madagascan vanilla, blood orange and ginger; and an Amalfi lemon meringue pie.

© Ingrid Rasmussen

With lots of natural light from the windows, Lita is a rustic dining room with a reclaimed terracotta tile herringbone floor and exposed wooden joists across the ceiling. Arriving guests are greeted by a large, timber-clad bar with a deep red-veined marble top and a sprawling banquette in warm blood orange mohair fabric. Restored antique tables and chairs by Lille, France-based, Guillerme et Chambron furnish the space, along with cozy booth seating and stools along the kitchen counter.

With a capacity of 80 indoor seats and an additional 20 on the front terrace, Lita is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Reservations can be booked online.