Floridita news

Blue plaque honours The Who drummer Keith Moon

A blue plaque in honour of The Who drummer Keith Moon has been unveiled on the exterior of Floridita at a London ceremony attended by his old bandmate Roger Daltrey. Floridita, originally the site of the Marquee Club in Soho, hosted the first 29 gigs at the start of The Who’s career in 1964. The blue plaque, which means the site is of historic importance, was awarded by the Heritage Foundation. Moon's family were present at the ceremony on Sunday along with Bee Gees musician Robin Gibb, the current president of the Heritage Foundation.

Floridita hosts FIFA Interactive World Cup

Floridita provided the venue for the UK final of the FIFA Interactive World Cup on Monday 3rd March 2009. Some 32 finalists had secured a place at the event through competition online and at live qualifiers around the country, and they gathered under the gaze of media and celebrity to fight it out for a place at the Grand Final in Barcelona in May.

BBC Radio 1 DJs Comedy Dave and Chappers compared a brilliantly entertaining evening .Rounds of competition were punctuated with stunning staged displays of martial arts, football skills and incredible beat boxing, all of which tuned the crowd's mood perfectly for the final showdown. Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Jack Collison (West Ham), Jaimie O'Hara (Spurs) and Armand Traore (Portsmouth) pitching up didn't dampen the sense of occasion either.

The El Noche Menu

Floridita is delighted to present it’s brand new bar and late night menu ‘El Noche’, perfectly designed for sociable eats with drinks. The menu features a range of mouth watering light bites and sharing tapas all inspired by Latin American and Cuban cuisine. For the larger appetite we have created a selection of delicious homemade Burgers made from the finest Aberdeen Angus steak and chorizo sausage; a perfect midnight feast!
Click here to see the menu

A Night with the Stars - Charity Gala Event

Floridita London and Three’s a Crowd were delighted to play host to The Children Society’s “A Night with the Stars” Charity Gala Event.

Three’s A Crowd, founded by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, is seeking to make charity galas more accessible to a younger market. Working closely with Floridita, guests were treated to an evening of Michelin star dining and A-List entertainment with a live performance from multi-platinum selling band The Feeling and special guest, Beth Rowley.

Following a delicious meal designed by Jean-Christophe Novelli and a stunning performance from Beth Rowley, guests competed in a fundraising auction raising significant amounts for a very worthy cause.

Tables were pushed away as guests surrounded the stage for an intimate performance from The Feeling; dancing and singing to hits such as "Love it when you call" and "Never be lonely", the crowd listened in awe to the fantastic vocals of Dan Gillespie Sells.

Wonderful night for Clapton the country gent

He has played at some of the most famous venues in the world, but none would have given Eric Clapton more pleasure than the private gig he was performing in Soho last night. Not only was he returning for the first time to the site of the legendary Marquee club, where his career began over 40 years ago, but his performance was in aid of the Countryside Alliance.

These days the once wild rock star is a devoted family man and consummate follower of country pursuits, fishing and shooting whenever he can. More than 300 people were crammed into Floridita restaurant, including Ben Goldsmith, the Earl of Portsmouth and the family of meat baron Lord Vestey, for the private concert. Guests paid £1,000 a table for the privilege.

Restaurateur Ranald Macdonald - London chairman of the Countryside Alliance whose Pimlico eatery Boisdale is a partner with Floridita - tells me: "The event was over-subscribed.

"So many people wanted to hear Eric in a venue where he started his career. He is a terrific supporter of the Countryside Alliance and we are sure we will have raised a lot of money."

Cameras were banned from the event at which Clapton reprised hits from the Yardbirds and Cream.

"It was the most exclusive event I have ever been at," says a fan. "To have Clapton playing his guitar in a basement in Soho was really special."