There are only 78 paces from the entrance of Colbert on Sloane Square to the discreet door to Martino’s on the southern corner. But for Martin Kuczmarski (Kooch-marr-ski), that short walk represents a life-time of relentless work and the realisation of a dream.

Back in 1995, he was an ambitious 20-year-old waiter at Lord Forte’s Hyde Park Hotel on Knightsbridge with lofty hopes of owning a restaurant one day. He would save up a month’s worth of tips to treat himself to steak tartare and a small carafe of house red at what was then Chelsea’s most fashionable brasserie, Oriel.  

And that distant dream came true. Today, Kuczmarski is the owner of Martino’s, one of the area’s newest and most successful restaurants. Based on the traditions of a classic Italian trattoria, but with the design and glamour of a five star hotel, it is full from breakfast to dinner, seven days a week. 

Alongside Martino’s, Kuczmarski, now 51, owns two other first rate eateries in Mayfair – The Dover and Dover Street Counter – and he is fast emerging as one of London’s most revered restaurant entrepreneurs.

Born in Warsaw, Kuczmarski moved to Italy when he was seven after his Polish parents separated. With a natural passion for the restaurant industry, he worked feverishly from his teenage years as a waiter at a seaside hotel and then climbed the hospitality ladder at some of the most prestigious establishments in Europe. 

Kuczmarski is married to the beauty “guru” Ruby Hammer, and is step-dad to her daughter Reena, who is in her 30s. He lives in Maida Vale, but he spends much of his time in Chelsea overseeing his new restaurant.

The Citizen joined Kuczmarski on a banquet seat for breakfast at Martino’s (carrot juice, eggs Benedict, fresh mint tea, and a custard cream Italian ‘cornetto’ pastry to finish. Very nice, thank you). He is sparky, fun company and someone who laughs easily. He is also clearly a dedicated man with a steely eye for detail and driven by the need to get things exactly right. As we talk, industrious waiters in cream jackets and black bow ties float around the glittering room…

 

So, Martino’s has been open for six months, how’s it going?

It is still a baby, and every day is a new lesson, but it is going well. In fact, it’s fantastic and better than I had ever imagined, or hoped. I was nervous to come here because Chelsea is new to me for business and this is a big venue. We have eighty covers inside including the bar and 25 on the terrace, so there is a lot going on all day, but it is exciting. The most important thing to me is that the Chelsea community has welcomed us and so many locals have become our regulars.

What was the inspiration for Martino’s?

People would always ask me, What is your favourite Italian restaurant in London – and I could never give an answer. There are more than 1,500 Italian restaurants in the city and I wondered, why am I struggling to choose.  

The answer is that I like different restaurants for different things. One might be for a specific dish, or for the location, or for the atmosphere. I started to think, wouldn’t it be fun to create an Italian restaurant that has all the elements under one roof. A place where you can get high quality, classic Italian food at a reasonable price, but in a really beautiful room.

So, I set about creating Martino’s. I think London is hungry for some elegance, but the key is for the place not to be intimidating. I never want a restaurant to be stiff and posh. Above everything it must be welcoming, but with all the details just right.

 

 

You are clearly someone who is across the detail. What can people expect when they come to this restaurant?

Too often, restaurant owners try to re-invent the wheel. You don’t have to. We are about old style, classic hospitality, the sort of thing that never goes out of fashion – like a favourite pair of jeans! We want the room to have a sense of nostalgia and familiarity, but a place that is finished to a superior level of elegance.

Our service is what I call “high-low”. We are essentially serving cucina povera [literally translates as ‘kitchen of the poor’, or ‘peasant food’], but to the highest standards, in a room that is special. If you order lasagna, it will be made with the best ingredients and it will be served on a fine bone china plate – we use William Edwards – and above your table is a Murano chandelier and the walls by your table are panelled with beautiful lacquered wood. Our water glasses are the shape and size of a basic trattoria glass – but ours are made of quality crystal and engraved with our name. 

So, you are having a home cooked style lasagna, served by waiters in cream jackets and bow ties, with everything else around you at a high level – but you are in a warm and fun atmosphere. But Martino’s will never feel intimidating – this is the priority.

 

 

You have successful restaurants in Mayfair. How important are Chelsea residents and local customers to a business like this?

The local residents are the Kings and Queens [surely, Lords and Ladies?] of our restaurant and they are the most important people to me. You live here, this is your area, I want Martino’s to be an extension of your living room.

We are lucky to be popular with visitors to Chelsea, the people who come for shopping, or for big events like the flower market [RHS Chelsea Flower Show?]. But that is a transient business – maybe once or twice a year. Regular customers are vital and are our bread and butter. We already have local people who come here three or four times a week and that was always my wish. I want Martino’s to have a family atmosphere and be a place that gives a big hug to Chelsea!

In the first few months, we were fully booked most days and we heard that it was difficult for local people to get a table. So now we hold back many tables every day for walk-ins – with the residents in the front of our mind.

 

 

Can you give me some insight into your background – and why restaurants?

I was born in Warsaw. My parents divorced when I was about four. My mother moved to Italy to work for Fiat in Turin when I was seven. She was a single mum and she had to work very hard. I owe her so much. Then she met my step-father, an Italian, and we moved to Tuscany. 

I grew up in Viareggio, near Forte dei Marmi [a popular tourist coastal area north of Pisa] and I loved Italy. I’m from Poland, but the Italian culture is in my heart. I always loved hospitality, so I went to catering school when I was a teenager. Every summer, my friends went to the beach and partied and I worked. 

 

 

My first proper job was at the five star Hotel Byron in Forte dei Marmi, which was quite stiff and proper. That is when I wore the traditional cream jacket for the first time. I started as a commis waiter, airing tablecloths and polishing glasses, then I became a waiter and worked my way up. From there, I worked at other big hotels, like The Ritz in Paris and Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. I travelled a lot and learnt all parts of the hospitality trade. This job has been my main passion in life since I was very young. I like to serve and make people happy.

 

 

How did your London adventure begin?

I moved to London when I was 20 and worked as an assistant waiter at the Hyde Park Hotel, which was then owned by Lord Forte. The staff accommodation was on the ninth floor, so I had a perfect view across the park – but the room was only 20 square metres and I had to share it with three other guys! 

I was there for six years. The hours were long and the money was terrible, but I didn’t care because I loved what I was doing. They were amazing years for me. When I had time off, I would walk around the city for hours and around Chelsea. I would save up my tips and once a month I would go to Oriel for a treat and have steak tartare and a small carafe of red wine. 

I would sit there and think about the future and what I wanted to do. I had big ideas, big dreams. I remember thinking that it would be nice to open my own restaurant one day, or be at the top of a big hotel. Look what happened! [he goes quiet for a beat] I’m actually getting a bit emotional thinking about it [his eyes well up]. Now I have three restaurants and I even have one just across the street from that place [now Colbert]. It feels like an incredible achievement. 

When I reflect on it like this I feel emotional out of happiness. I actually still feel that it’s not real. I have to pinch myself – is this a dream, or is it really happening? I feel super proud that I made it happen.

 

 

You worked with Nick Jones at Soho House for 15 years – from 2008-2022 – which had a major impact on your career. Tell me about that period.

Nick is my mentor and my dear friend. He is an amazing person – a very creative entrepreneur with great vision. At first, I looked after Electric Cinema [Notting Hill] when Soho House had just three or four properties. I gradually took on bigger roles and eventually became COO and together we grew the company to more than 50 properties.

It was an incredible journey. We were a perfect combination because we are good at different things and I never stopped learning from Nick. He was always juggling so many balls in the air, it was my job to make sure they all landed in the right places. We still have an amazing friendship, we talk all the time and get together every few weeks for lunch or dinner. He recently opened a new restaurant – Café Clement by Temple, so I have been there many times. We are always bouncing ideas off of each other.

 

 

So, what is the big ambition for Martino’s going forward – is it going to be a chain like The Ivy?

No way! I am not someone who does cut and paste, that’s not my style, so this is definitely not the plan. Martino’s will be a stand alone restaurant with its own character. Chelsea is an area which has its own unique character. I want the same for Martino’s.

What is this restaurant? I want it to be anything the customer wants it to be. If your fridge is empty, or you don’t want to cook at home, then come – have breakfast, or a quick bowl of pasta at the bar. If you want a long, boozy lunch on the terrace, come. If you want a power breakfast meeting, come. If you are dating and you want a sexy, intimate dinner, come. If you are celebrating a birthday with all the family or a group of friends, come. Martino’s can be all those places. 

The main thing for me is that people enjoy fantastic food in a friendly atmosphere. Restaurants are made for human connection. My vision is to create spaces where people connect and are happy. 

Steve Jobs once said, “If you find a job that you love, you will never work for the rest of your life”, and I was lucky to find what I genuinely love. Yes, I work hard, but I get energy from seeing people having a good time. I can go into one of my restaurants totally exhausted, but when I see it full of happy people, I am energised and I can go for another ten hours, no problem. I get home later that night and I feel that I have had a good day when this has happened. 

All these years after I started out as a waiter, I still feel every day that I have to serve. Not physically these days, but I am still serving in some way. I am a people pleaser and as far as I am concerned, I have one job – and that is to make people happy. 

Martino’s is open seven days a week. Breakfast is served from 8am Mon-Fri and from 9am on Sat and Sun. Lunch Mon-Sun 12pm-4pm. Dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm-12.30am, Sun 5.30pm-12am. The terrace is open all day until 10.30pm, no reservations required. 

Book to eat at Martino’s here: www.martinoslondon.com 

 

All Photos by Rob McGibbon for The Chelsea Citizen

 

 

Short Order Q&A

Favourite drink?

Vodka martini

Favourite meal?

Anything Italian – penne arrabbiata. I like food spicy.

Favourite restaurant, that is not your own?  

Café Clement – Nick’s new place!

Perfect holiday?  

My wife Ruby and I in the Maldives. Alone.    

Top choice of book?

Anything that talks about people and psychology. I recently read Essentialism [The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown]. It is about streamlining your life and doing less and how that helps you become more productive and happier. A brilliant concept that really works.

Favourite film? 

Anything to do with the Italian mafia. They give me inspiration for my restaurants! I saw The Invite by Olivia Wilde recently and it is fantastic.  

Your unlikely super skill? 

I am a very good snowboarder. 

Your worst habit?

I am a perfectionist. If I see something that is not right, or a bit out of place, it drives me crazy. It can be relentless and is like living in a constant cage. Look over there, at the bar. You see that napkin holder? Can you see the napkin sticking out? That bothers me! Why has no-one else noticed it?!

Any regrets?

I try not to have regrets, but maybe in my past life I should have been more demanding. I was always of the mentality to work hard, keep your head down, and someone will notice you. Maybe I could have been punchier.

The way you want to be remembered?

He made people happy.