Opened by the Irish entrepreneur Peter Langan on 20 October 1976 in partnership with the actor Michael Caine, the Brasserie (which had previously housed the ornate restaurant Le Coq d'Or) quickly attracted celebrities and became hugely successful.

Peter Langan wanted to bring Parisienne cafe society to London and chose the former site of Le Coq d'Or restaurant in Stratton Street, Mayfair as its location.

Michael Caine, a customer and friend of Peter Langan, became his business partner and the pair transformed the site with original artwork, brighter lighting with mismatched lamps and relaxed the atmosphere of the restaurant (there was no dress code for diners).

Richard Shepherd, the former head chef at the Michelin-starred Capital Hotel in London, joined the Caine and Langan partnership in 1977 and introduced a menu that has changed little since.

By the mid-1980s, Langan's had become London's most-fashionable haunt for stars as diverse as Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Mick Jagger, Francis Bacon, Muhammad Ali, Billy Connolly, Ronnie Corbett, Sally Thomsett, Jack Nicholson, and David Hockney.

Its walls are adorned with works by artists, including David Hockney (who also designed the menu), Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Timmy Mallett, Gerald Moira and Patrick Procktor.