The Conran Restaurant group has announced that its Mezzo site on Wardour Street in London will be closed in July for redevelopment and relaunch in October 2004 with new restaurant, bar and café concepts.

The interior will be completely redesigned by Conran & Partners to create a new Spanish, Mediterranean restaurant called Meza on the ground floor.

The current lower ground floor will become Floridita, the new London site of one of Cuba’s most famous bars while La Casa del Habano, a cigar shop and café, will occupy the former ground floor Mezzo café and flower stall.

Floridita and La Casa del Habana will be jointly owned by Mezzo and Havana Holdings.

Chief executive of Conran Holdings, Des Gunewardena, said: “After nine years we felt it was right for Mezzo to evolve into something new and different. Mezzo made a big splash when it opened in 1995 and I’m sure that its evolution will be an exciting addition to the Soho scene.”

CEO of Havana Holdings, Andrew Macdonald, added: “Mezzo is an historic and prestigious location for this exciting project. The site has a famous history as a music venue which is very appropriate for Floridita as Cuban music both classic and modern is one of the core elements we will be transferring from Havana to London.”