The Portrait Pavilion will extend the Gallery’s presence beyond its new entrance and forecourt, offering unique festive gifts alongside specialty coffee and bespoke patisserie creations from ‘Audrey Green’ (part of the Daisy Green Collection).
Opening on 1 November 2023, the first 200 visitors to the new premises will receive a signature flat white and Audrey lamington cake to celebrate The Portrait Pavilion’s launch.
On 1 November 2023, the National Portrait Gallery will open The Portrait Pavilion, a new café and pop-up shopping space, situated opposite its new Ross Place entrance and forecourt at 11a Charing Cross Road. Enhancing the vista of Charing Cross Road, the new pavilion – designed by Opus Magnum – will provide an independent café offer for the neighborhood, serving specialty coffee, grab-and-go snacks and signature sweet treats all by the Daisy Green Collection – operators of the Gallery’s hospitality spaces, Audrey Green and Larry’s Bar. Launching ahead of the festive season, The Portrait Pavilion will initially sell a selection of the Gallery’s best Christmas cards and gifts.
Daisy Green Collection, well-known for pioneering Aussie coffee culture in London, will open The Portrait Pavilion from 7.30am on weekdays to cater to the early morning trade – commuters, residents and tourists alike. Gallery Members can enjoy 10% off their pavilion purchases, in addition to a coffee shop loyalty scheme (buy nine hot drinks and get the tenth free). To celebrate its launch, Daisy Green will also offer the first 200 visitors to The Portrait Pavilion a free flat white and lamington cake.
The former theatre ticket kiosk, which served the West End until its closure in Spring 2021, was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery in 2022, with support from The Blavatnik Family Foundation, kick-starting a further phase of transformation to its estate. A spacious 1,700 square foot area below ground level will provide opportunities for the Gallery to expand its public footprint and programme in the future.
“Extending our presence in the heart of the West End, I am delighted to launch The Portrait Pavilion, the latest addition to the National Portrait Gallery’s new retail and hospitality offer. Its creation cements our commitment to the ongoing transformation of our area, while extending our footprint to ensure our continued delivery of unique cultural experiences at every encounter.”
Anna Starling
Director of Commercial, National Portrait Gallery
“Our vision throughout the transformation of the National Portrait Gallery has been to open up the gallery’s spaces to attract new, first time visitors alongside those who have enjoyed it for many years. The opening of the new Portrait Pavilion makes that vision a reality, and brilliantly blends our historic surroundings with new and exciting hospitality experiences. Tourists, commuters, and residents alike will be able to enjoy all that’s on offer from the Pavilion in the kiosk that has been situated in the heart of the West End for decades.”
David Ross
Chair of the Board of Trustees, National Portrait Gallery