London Mayfair Restaurant Guide

This family-owned Italian wins consistently good ratings for the straightforward menu of “authentic” pasta, pizza and more it has served – at a prominent corner site in Mayfair – for half a century now. Despite a recent refurb, prices remain exceptionally reasonable for this part of town.

“A beautiful restaurant interior, plus warm, professional and attentive staff” have helped Samyutka Nair and family’s “posh Indian” near Mayfair’s Berkeley Square acquire a reputation as “one of the best subcontinental restaurants in London”. Its ratings sank this year, though amidst a number of experiences of cooking that was “solid, but not as refined as expected” – “It was very nice… but is it so different to many others that have sprung up to justify the high price here?” Top Tip – “set lunch is a steal!”

“If you feel like a party this is a good place to come” – this lavish, foliage-filled Mayfair haunt ‘goes for it’ with its “live music, nice cocktails and lively ambience” and provides a “great setting” (including for romance). Fans say “the food is as good as the music” and applaud a “superb overall experience”. But there are also those – particularly who focus on the sushi and luxurious grills rather than the complete package – for whom it’s just far too overpriced.

“Best Asian restaurant I’ve eaten in!” – these “beautiful” nightclubby haunts (“quite why they keep them so dark is beyond me”) have maintained an impressive standard for over 20 years, and the Tottenham Court original has since been replicated not just in Mayfair but in numerous cities around the globe. Their ratings have fluctuated over many years, always around the same concerns – “success has got the better of them…”; “chaotic” and/or “attitude-y” service; punishing prices. The believers still carry the day, though, saying they are “always a special experience” with a “delectable” mix of dim sum, Peking duck (with or without caviar) and other classic Chinese dishes – “definitely take a big wallet, but I love it!”

Opened 20 years ago as London’s first exponent of Kyoto-style kaiseki dining (Japan’s most refined cuisine), this low-key Mayfair fixture remains a key foodie destination under Ryo Kakatsu, who joined 10 years ago and was appointed executive chef in 2020. It also has one of the most extensive sake lists in Europe. While the occasional reporter flinches at the “incredibly expense and very small portions”, nobody complains about the quality of the food.

“Yes, it is expensive (if not by Mayfair standards) but it is a meat-lover’s nirvana in a great setting” – that’s long been the accepted view on this quirky, grill room (est. 1952) behind a Young’s pub, tucked away in a scenic central mews. “Old fashioned pies, mixed grills and excellent steaks” are washed down with an “impressive, if over-priced, wine list” and served in a quaint, period setting, whose “overcrowded tables are part of the experience”. In the last couple of years, though (even prior to the departure last year of well-known manager Oisín Rogers), ratings have been on the slide. Some “shockingly bad” cooking has been reported, alongside service that’s “so indifferent”; and the current impression is that they are relying ever more heavily on their “captive market” of local business-lunchers.

“Full of Eurotrashy tourists taking selfies” – if that’s not you, a visit to Richard Caring’s glitzy and “superficial” Mayfair seafood scene may be “an unhappy experience”. True, fans do claim it can be a “very buzzy and atmospheric” place to try “for the people-watching and sushi” (plus other luxurious fishy treats). But 70% of reporters feel it’s “overpriced”; and its “loud, echo-chamber” styling, “offhand service” and “food that – particularly given the cost – is terrible” can all grate. (“I’m surprised there isn’t a tanning booth in the loos so the clientele can top up in between courses…”; “I get forced to go there on business: why anyone would go of their own free will is a mystery”).

“Fantastic looking, cleaned up and with an amazing ceiling by the late Phyllida Barlow” (who completed the work shortly before she died in March 2023) – ArtFarm’s newly relaunched “posh boozer” in Mayfair has five storeys (with the Mount Street Restaurant on the first – see also – and with the upper floors dedicated to art events supporting Hauser & Wirth’s roster of artists). Aside from “loads of interesting art and a good backstory”, the traditional British grub (pint of prawns, oysters, shepherd’s pie, fish finger sarnie, Chelsea bun…) is pricey but “decent”.

“Yes, the food is very, very good” – the tasting menu is “absolutely incredible (every dish a piece of art and served on stunning crockery)” – according to fans of this superstar French chef, who has presided over the main dining room of this most blue-blooded of Mayfair hotels since 2008. Her reign has always been a little controversial here – for example, no-one is wild about the uneventful recent makeover of this fine, period chamber. But since its elevation to three Michelin stars, prices have become “extortionate (and with numerous supplements on the menu!)” and those diners who feel “this all-round exceptional experience is worth every penny” vie with the 2 in 5 who feel “the wallet-destroying prices are beyond extravagant” – “if I have to sell a kidney to eat here, I expect the food to win my heart… I’m not sure it did!”

Other than for a deeply cosseting afternoon tea, it’s hard to be too thrilled by this blue-blooded hotel’s luxurious conservatory dining room. Although it’s branded with the name of the famous NYC chef, it’s difficult to discern any trace of JGV’s fingerprints in the design of the ubiquitous, international-luxe menu of caviar, fish, posh pizza, burgers, salads and so forth. Of course, if you find yourself in Mayfair, and are sanguine about spending £30+ for a bowl of mushroom bolognese or shrimp salad, it’s a jolly pleasant experience. Viewed through a more demanding lens, though, it can seem “overpriced” for something with little in the way of distinctive culinary personality.

“You can’t fail to impress with the food, vibes and service”, according to fans of this Moscow-based chain, whose Mayfair offshoot is not short on glam. It provoked less feedback this year, though, in our annual diners’ poll (too limited for a rating), but expansion is coming in the second half of 2023 with a new branch, below the Strand Palace Hotel.

That there’s too few reports in our annual diners’ poll for a rating on this Mayfair chamber is remarkable given the lofty heritage of its famous name (for many decades applied to the room that’s nowadays Hélène Darroze, upstairs). After a hiatus of many years, this new space opened in 2020 and has never inspired much press reviewer attention – perhaps due to its ‘citizens of nowhere’ contemporary styling and modern JG Vongerichten-curated menu. Still, such feedback as we do receive on results from the luxurious rotisserie and wood-burning grill is all good.

An “extravagant setting” is central to the approach of this showy Chinese venue in Mayfair, whose website promises ‘the ultimate Asian restaurant’ and a ‘world of hedonism’ including ‘devilishly curious entertainment’ (such as burlesque). Its “excruciating prices” have always been an issue, but the view that the food (from a very wide-ranging menu, including dim sum, caviar, steak, noodles…) is “nothing special” gained ground this year, as did the concern that “I just didn’t enjoy the experience” – “the shows are at least a distraction from what is a pretty lacklustre meal...”