Crispin Somerville • Managing Director • El Pastor, Quo Vadis, & The Drop

In this episode of What The Luxe, host Fred Moore speaks with Crispin Somerville, Managing Director of El Pastor, Quo Vadis & The Drop, about a journey that spans MTV, music and television, Mexico City nightlife, and ultimately some of London’s most culturally significant restaurants.

Crispin reflects on how time spent immersed in Mexico’s food and hospitality culture reshaped his understanding of generosity, conviviality and transportive experience — lessons that continue to inform how he builds restaurants today. Together they explore why authenticity is a slippery concept, why great hospitality resists formula, and how restaurants succeed when they prioritise atmosphere, trust and human connection over scale.

The conversation also touches on independence, regeneration, talent and why neighbourhoods like Soho and King’s Cross thrive when restaurants are treated as cultural anchors rather than footfall machines.

A thoughtful look at hospitality as a social act — and why the places we gather still matter.