Legendary Mayfair restaurant Le Gavroche is to close early next year as chef Michel Roux Jr seeks 'a better work-life balance'.

The French fine dining establishment, which has two Michelin stars, was opened in 1967 by his late father Albert and uncle Michel.

But Roux Jr, 63, told The Times: 'I'm genuinely tired. Being in the restaurant almost every day has taken its toll and I have got to the stage where I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to.

'It is a very high-pressure job and I want a better work-life balance.' He added: 'Financially we are in a very good place. We are full every day.'

Le Gavroche was the first UK restaurant to be awarded one, two, and then three Michelin stars.

Roux Jr, 63 is to close the restaurant in January next year - it was opened by his father in 1967

Roux Jr, son of Albert Roux, has run the restaurant since 1991, earning two Michelin stars

At the time of its opening it was the only French restaurant of its kind in London, offering classical French food and the highest standards of cooking and service.

Roux Jr, son of Albert Roux, has run the restaurant since 1991, earning two Michelin stars - one of the most prestigious accolades in the restaurant business.

Other celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White have 'earned their stripes' at Le Gavroche, according to the restaurant's website.

In a lengthy Instagram post announcing the closure on Friday, Roux Jr announced the restaurant would be closing in January 2024.

He said he had 'very mixed emotions' about the decision to close, but that the restaurant's name would 'live on'.

'This decision has not been made lightly. Le Gavroche means so much, not just to myself and the Roux family, but to the wider Gavroche team and you, our guests, who have become our family over so many years,' Roux Jr wrote.

'I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high. 'Le Gavroche continues to be fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures.'

Roux Jr added that a series of 'celebratory dinners', starting in November, would be held until the restaurant's closure.

'This is not the end of Le Gavroche - the restaurant may be closing, but the name will live on,' he said.

'I could not be more grateful for the restaurant team, who have loved the restaurant as if it were their own.

Albert Roux outside his Mayfair Restaurant, Le Gavroche in London in 1991

Roux Jr added that a series of 'celebratory dinners', starting in November, would be held until the restaurant's closure

'The entire team both past and present, will forever have my gratitude, and will always be considered as part of the Roux family.'

He added: 'And to you, our guests. Our success is all down to you. I would like to extend a personal thank you to every single person that has dined with us. Your support means everything to us.'

As well as being part of the judging panel on MasterChef: The Professionals, Roux Jr has appeared as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia.

He has also appeared on Ramsay's show Hell's Kitchen, and presented two series of Michel Roux's French Country Cooking.

Food critic and journalist Jay Rayner wrote: 'Very few emails make my eyebrows genuinely raise.

'This one did. I totally understand the thinking but, boy that really is the end of something, allowing for the fact the name will live on.'