Mayfair , Chinese Restaurant Guide

“Glamorous” and “refined Chinese food in an elegant” – if “very dark” – setting still pleases many admirers at this now-global brand, whose seminal basement original near Tottenham Court Road tube closed down after 24 years in February 2025. The “excellent” roast duck with caviar and other signature dishes can still be enjoyed at its svelte Mayfair offshoot, as well as 10 international locations from Miami to Mumbai. Nay-sayers view it as an experience for “the Instagram crowd, who eat little and take photos all the time” – but most diners still find it “amazing overall”. Top Tip – “they did not seem to like us asking for the Taste of Hakkasan set menu, which is incredible value!”

“The Duck de Chine is transcendental… but so is the bill” at this lavish Chinese venue in the heart of Mayfair, where live music and regular entertainment are central to a sumptuous experience aiming – not unsuccessfully – to channel the ‘decadence of 1930s Shanghai’. In past surveys, the gap between the level of value and expense has soured reports, but all feedback was much more positive this year. Top Tip – if you want to dip your toe in the water, the £29 set weekday lunch is one way to start. BREAKING NEWS: Ironically, just as our ratings were improving, the site entered administration in July 2025, so at the time of writing its future is uncertain.

Hong Kong designer David Tang passed away in 2017, but his London restaurant legacy is this “very posh” cellar beneath the Dorchester which he opened in 2005 inspired by 1930s Shanghai. During his lifetime it always struggled to live up to the hype and high prices, but acclaim for it has grown in recent years, with very high ratings achieved across the board this year. More cost conscious types can eat from a dim sum menu at either lunch or dinner. Money to burn? There is a good selection of Chinese classics on the menu, such as Peking Duck (£128 or £258 with 30g of Kristal caviar); Japanese size 18 abalone at £388 or a luxurious seafood hot pot for two (£258). Top Tip – wonderful jewel box of a cocktail bar.

Inspired by pre-revolutionary Shanghai (MiMi is a fictional Chinese empress), this chic four-year-old from Samyukta Nair, queen of the Mayfair restaurant scene, is well-rated by its fans – but feedback is thin this year. It is billed on its website as ‘Mayfair’s best-kept secret’… perhaps too secret for its own good!