A Legacy of Flavor and Innovation: Robin Simon Leigh’s Global Career

Robin Simon Leigh has built one of the most respected and influential careers in the international hospitality industry. A British restaurateur and entrepreneur, he is known for shaping restaurants and dining concepts that not only achieve commercial success but also change the way people experience food. His work bridges tradition with innovation and connects cultures through dining, design, and storytelling.
Leigh’s education and early life prepared him for a global career. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied at Millfield School in Somerset before moving to the United States for higher education. At the University of Pennsylvania, he graduated in 1988 with honors in Political Science, earning distinctions such as Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude. His intellectual curiosity soon merged with a passion for food and culture. In 1990 he enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, training in classical culinary arts and apprenticing under Jean Georges Vongerichten. He also spent time at the New York Hotel School before deciding that real world opportunities would be the best way to shape his future.
Leigh’s career accelerated in the mid 1990s when he played a central role in the launch of the original Nobu restaurant in Tribeca, New York. Nobu introduced a bold new vision for Japanese cuisine and quickly became a cultural landmark. Leigh contributed to the brand’s success in New York and its expansion into London, Paris, and Milan, helping to establish Nobu as one of the most recognizable names in fine dining. In 1999 he co founded BondSt in New York, a restaurant that became one of the city’s most celebrated Japanese inspired dining destinations. After BondSt opened in 1999, it very quickly achieved double digit revenue growth. Over the years it has continued to thrive, and today the original BondSt in Noho and its Hudson Yards location generate combined annual revenues of more than 30 million dollars.
The success of BondSt confirmed Leigh’s instinct for creating restaurants that become cultural destinations. His next ventures carried the same philosophy of blending exceptional food with design and atmosphere. In the early 2000s he worked with celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian to launch Town, a modern American fine dining restaurant that received a three star review from The New York Times and the title of Best New Restaurant in 2002. Soon after, Leigh discovered Thai chef Ian Kittichai in Bangkok and brought him to New York to lead the kitchen at Kittichai. The restaurant was quickly recognized as one of the best Thai restaurants in the United States, with Condé Nast Traveler naming it the finest Thai dining destination in the country in 2005.
Never afraid to experiment with new formats, Leigh launched Ichibuns in London in 2016. This project, branded by Pentagram and designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu of Studio Glitt, was a Japanese inspired “super diner” that combined gourmet burgers, sushi, noodles, and dumplings with an atmosphere of music and nightlife. The design won the 2018 Restaurant and Bar Design Award and demonstrated Leigh’s ability to create immersive hospitality concepts that went beyond food alone.
In 2019 he co founded Endo at the Rotunda in London with chef Kazutoshi Endo. The restaurant was designed by the architect Kengo Kuma and branded by Pentagram, achieving a Michelin star within three months of opening. Critic Giles Coren of The Times called his review of Endo the best of his 20 year career, further underlining the significance of Leigh’s vision. In 2023 he continued to expand the BondSt brand with the opening of Bond St Hudson Yards in New York City, a flagship venue designed by James Beers.
Leigh’s more recent focus has been on Welcome To My House Group, a global hospitality creative management company founded in London and New York in 2025. WTMH reflects his role as a connector, investor, and visionary, curating and launching projects that unite talent, design, and culture. He helped bring the first Jean Georges Residence at Miami Tropic to life by connecting key collaborators such as David Martin of Terra Group, merging luxury living with world class dining.
Among WTMH’s ventures is Sl’ice, a pizza and gelato brand inspired by Leigh’s travels in southern Italy. First appearing as a pop up at exclusive venues such as the Queen’s Tennis Members Lounge, it opened at The Bull Burford in the Cotswolds in 2025 and has a flagship London location planned for 2026. Another upcoming project is IchiMad in Madrid, a Japanese lounge led by one of Europe’s most acclaimed female sushi masters. In 2026 WTMH will also launch Frost and Fry, a British interpretation of Raising Cane’s, offering nuggets and for dessert gelato creations with amazing toppings with branding by Pentagram.
The network of chefs and collaborators Leigh has built is another part of what sets him apart. He has worked closely with Geoffrey Zakarian, Ian Kittichai, Endo Kazutoshi, Francesco Martucci, Alan Yau, Marc Spitzer, Michele Pascarella, and Anshu Anghotra. These relationships have resulted in landmark restaurants that combine talent and vision in ways that consistently redefine hospitality.
Beyond restaurants, Leigh hosts a podcast and runs a YouTube channel under the Welcome To My House brand. Through these platforms he interviews chefs, designers, and hospitality leaders, sharing insights on creativity and entrepreneurship in dining. He often emphasizes that true hospitality is about connection, explaining that his projects aim to bring people together and leave lasting memories.
Over three decades, Robin Simon Leigh has built a career that unites fine dining with cultural storytelling. His restaurants have earned Michelin stars, critical acclaim, and financial success, while his ventures continue to expand into new markets and formats. By combining tradition with innovation and fostering collaborations across disciplines, he has created a legacy of flavor and innovation that continues to influence the global hospitality industry.