<\/p>\n Located within the British capital’s former Magistrates’ Court, Twenty8 NoMad reveals itself to diners past a winding staircase tucked beyond the building’s original stone front. Since May 2025, it has taken the place of the London hotel<\/a>‘s Atrium eatery, thoroughly reinvented by prolific interior designer and architect Martin Brudnizki’s namesake studio<\/a> into a New York City-inspired hangout sharing the familiar feeling of a French brasserie. So, what’s the story behind it?<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Inside the New Twenty8 NoMad<\/p>\n \n Set inside a sophisticated, modern-day palm court, Twenty8 Nomad’s earthy, plants-filled design scheme blurries the boundaries between nature and the indoors. (Image credit: Mark Anthony Fox. Design: MBDS)<\/p>\n “Twenty8 NoMad already had a strong identity and a beautiful architectural framework, so completing this project was very much about refinement rather than reinvention,” he tells me.<\/p>\n Seeking balance, in that sense, was key \u2014 something they achieved by juxtaposing marble with timber, and incorporating rattan for lightness, stone for grounding.<\/p>\n “We were drawn to the opportunity to give the space renewed energy while respecting what was already there: NoMad London has a particular elegance and romance. The task was to bring clarity and warmth without disturbing the underlying character.”<\/p>\n Leaving our coats in the cloakroom, I am taken by how, past an elevated front desk, guests are invited to descend into a spectacular palm court dotted with live, trailing trees, and with ceilings seemingly stretching to infinity.<\/p>\n \n Picture yourself eating steak and frites in this atmospheric eatery. (Image credit: Mark Anthony Fox. Design: MBDS)<\/p>\n More than an eatery, Twenty8 NoMad feels like a hidden-away inner courtyard, one you have to be lucky to stumble upon while sojourning at the best design hotels in the world<\/a> \u2014 or exploring overlooked corners of your chosen destination. This lets the charm of al fresco dining restaurants<\/a> indoors.<\/p>\n This airiness was always part of the address’s rebrand. By softening the restaurant’s formal scheme, where two central rows of acid green banquettes fractured the space into two identical halves, “we introduced a more relaxed rhythm, allowing the space to breathe,” Brudnizki recounts.<\/p>\n Through a cream-rich, grounding palette and subtle, tactile notes \u2014 wildlife and flowers-inhabited, upholstered chairs<\/a>, intricate rugs, and softly glowing, textured glass \u2014 the dining room “nods to the palm court tradition without becoming literal,” he adds. “The idea was familiarity with lightness, rather than nostalgia.”<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Echoing the \u201cGreat Dining Rooms of Paris and NYC\u201d<\/p>\n \n As part of Twenty8 NoMad’s art programme, a series of portraits of notorious personalities by American lithographer and photographer Napol\u00e9on Sarony “introduces a human counterpoint” into the eatery’s scheme. (Image credit: Mark Anthony Fox. Design: MBDS)<\/p>\n Rather than borrowing from specific hospitality institutions, Brudnizki strived to imbue Twenty8 NoMad with a distinctive “atmosphere”.<\/p>\n Sipping an Oaxacan Old Fashion under the eatery’s right-hand portico, it is easy to picture ourselves in the original NoMad hotel, one of the most coveted New York hotels<\/a>, replaced by private members’ club<\/a> Soho House & Co.’s The Ned in 2022, and yet, still impressed in people’s minds for its old glamour and grandeur.<\/p>\n To craft Twenty8 NoMad’s golden-y ambience, Brudnizki thought “of the great dining rooms of Paris or New York, where people linger for hours; spaces that feel layered, collected, and alive.”<\/p>\n “Those places aren’t about spectacle alone,” he explains. “They’re about comfort, confidence, and a certain social energy.”<\/p>\n \n “Those places aren’t about spectacle alone. They’re about comfort, confidence, and a certain social energy.” \u2014 Martin Brudnizki, founder of MBDS (Image credit: Mark Anthony Fox. Design: MBDS)<\/p>\n It is that very energy that, together with an appreciation for the location’s legacy, has brought the stay’s new culinary destination to life.<\/p>\n “The building’s history adds a certain gravity, and Napoleon Sarony’s portraits introduce a human counterpoint to its storytelling,” the designer says of the numerous 20th-century photographs placed on the eatery’s mirrored surfaces, styled into gallery walls<\/a>. “His subjects were performers, thinkers, people with presence and wit \u2014 from playwright Oscar Wilde to actress Sarah Bernhardt.”<\/p>\n Mimicking the plastered-in-art<\/a> feel of an intellectual salon, “the works are not simply hung, but woven into the environment, curated to feel as though they have been collected gradually over time,” Brudnizki adds. Displayed within a former place of judgement, “they bring levity and personality, adding a quiet thread of charm that catches the eye and encourages diners to stay a little longer.”<\/p>\n A Gathering Around the Fire<\/p>\n \n Placed on a line dividing the dining room into two, both the central bar and the hearth, located behind it, contribute to heightening Twenty8 Nomad’s spirit of conviviality. (Image credit: Mark Anthony Fox. Design: MBDS)<\/p>\n But Twenty8 Nomad’s artistry isn’t the only aspect of the eatery to convey a home-like feel; its eight-foot wood-burning hearth, too, decorated in leaf-shaped motifs carved onto stone, hints at a more domestic dining experience.<\/p>\n In Brudnizki’s view, the fireplace occupied a powerful focal point already. So, instead of competing with it, “we focused on softening the perception of it, using lighting, textures, and seating so it feels inviting rather than imposing,” he says. “Fire has a natural pull, and our role was to let that warmth be felt emotionally as well as visually.”<\/p>\n That same fire can also be experienced or, better, tasted, in Twenty8 Nomad’s kitchen, led by executive chef<\/a> Zak Gregoire, where feel-good dishes like generously sized, silky pastas, mac & cheese, and chicken Milanese are served alongside choreographically plated crudo, indulgent salads, and moreish, seasonal sides.<\/p>\n A Place That Morphs Like \u2014 and With \u2014 Daylight<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Cristian Barnett. Courtesy of Twenty8 Nomas)<\/p>\n I am not that hungry, so I stick to an American evergreen: steak frites. It comes bathed in a smoky, peppercorn sauce with rosemary-sprinkled chips.<\/p>\n Service is both fast and attentive, with multiple waiters checking in on us throughout the night. Plus, as only a handful of tables are taken across the dining room, we don’t feel pressured to leave \u2014 not after an hour, nor after two.<\/p>\n In fact, immersed in chat and the picturesque atmosphere, I end up canceling on a photography exhibition<\/a> launch I had been planning to attend for months. But, hey, what can you do? With so much to take in between vibes, food, and decor<\/a>, it feels a shame to go.<\/p>\n \n NoMad London’s in-house bar, or your daily appointment with American cult cocktails. (Image credit: Mark Anthony Fox. Design: MBDS)<\/p>\n It turns out, the plants may have something to do with it. Placed inside wavy terracotta vases for a dynamic, multi-height effect, each “introduces softness and movement, offsetting the architectural scale,” Brudnizki weighs in. Not only does the foliage inject life into the space, but it also prompts “people to relax into it”, making the room feel generous and welcoming.<\/p>\n Just like leaves wither and thrive, Twenty8 Nomad, as well, changes from morning through late into the night. “The room evolves quietly, in tandem with how guests use it,” the designer explains. “Lighting gets warmer, while comfy seating encourages longer stays.”<\/p>\n At last, we make our way to the exit. It’s 11 PM, we are in high spirits, our tummies full \u2014 meaning “the space is doing exactly what it should”.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ddYJ3DKjW9fFfwQuLCDLRo.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/t5jSwEpdmGEKbo6yV5prXB.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/vkQXK9NWsNQGVt5BLbmrKY.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/v34QcSGKd3xAKmPDZ3fung.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/644nEhMzbJGxqojYAcir5j.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ZhRdet7tdTodPhfMwePpmU.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/EdeApvWcMLfDudh7GvzAyU.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n