Mayfair, French Restaurant Guide

A “magical place with extraordinary food”, is how fans view the Mayfair operation of this celebrated French chef (holder of the Legion d’Honneur no less), which for about a quarter of diners in our annual poll lives up to its Michelin billing as one of London’s premier dining rooms (they awarded it three stars in 2021). Her occupation of the main dining room of this blue-blooded hotel has always been somewhat controversial, however, and its ratings continue to plummet ever since its elevation to the Tyre Co’s top award. It doesn’t help that a dreadful recent makeover has turned this gorgeous, period chamber into something “very corporate feeling” (“and as for the colour scheme, what were they thinking?”). Most problematic, though, is the fact that the cost of a meal has become “holy cow expensive!”. Even those who consider her cuisine “flawless” think the final bill is “insane” and more than a third of reporters nominate this as their most overpriced meal of the year (“it was very disappointing, smacking of chef not present and outrageous charging, particularly the criminal charges for wine pairings”).

2021 Review: In a Mayfair townhouse that was formerly the short-lived Babel House (RIP), this ‘contemporary bistro de luxe’ features a southern French menu from chef Thierry Laborde, and opened in mid-2019, too late for any survey feedback. In his early review, The Evening Standard’s David Sexton focused on its handsome design, variably realised and expensive cuisine, impressive wine list and bargain set lunch (£25 with wine).

2021 Review: An all-day brasserie-concept from luxury Mayfair restaurant Park Chinois: the 92-cover venue launched in July 2019, with chef Gennaro Vitto, who was previously a pastry chef at Park Chinois, at the stoves.

“Very ‘French’ in feel… and buzzing (maybe too buzzing, conversation can be difficult)” – this busy Soho bistro is named for the mother of the three brothers (Maxime, Malik and Yannis) who founded it. The short menu covers the bases with meat, fish and vegetarian sections, and for larger groups, sharing plates of charcuterie – or, more unusually, cheese and honey pairings – come into their own.

“Superb!” Saint Germain comes to Mayfair at TV-chef Cyril Lignac’s luxurious three-year-old, which – like his original Parisian venture – offers “the fusion of Japanese food with French expertise”. In practice that means a selection of raw seafood; sushi and sashimi; salads; and Asian-inflected seafood mains, with the odd tidbit for meat-eaters such as Wagyu sando; all followed by French desserts. It took brickbats last year for seeming “fancy” and “flash”, but this year inspired little but praise for “top-quality dishes”. And “it’s great fun to watch the guys behind the bar” all adding to the “excellent dining experience”.

“A splash of Mediterranean sunshine in Mayfair” – the “food tastes of its ingredients” at this Nice-comes-to-Mayfair fixture, whose “loud music” and energetic crowd only add to the vibe. True to its Côte d’Azur impression, it’s also “nose-bleedingly expensive”, a factor acknowledged by both fans and the odd foe alike. The latter says it “thinks it’s better than it is” and is just “chock-full of hedge fund types having business lunches with a shocking bill to match”. But to boosters, “it’s brilliant and the best” – “sure, prices are high, but when even the table-display tomato tastes like one of the best you have ever had, it has to be worth it!”. “Service is spot-on and there’s always some fun to be had people watching. It’s only ever a good experience!”

Part of the luxe international chain of the star French chef, who passed away five years ago: this Mayfair yearling took over the site of the more casual ‘Comptoir Robuchon’ and is a return to London for the ‘Atelier’ brand (whose former incarnation in Covent Garden closed five years ago). “The recent refurbishment has made the room much easier on the eye” and “it’s great to watch the immense care given to cooking even a humble dish” by the assembled brigade. Most reports, though, focus on value with a widespread feeling that “while the food is good, it is very expensive for what you get”. Perhaps the recent appointment of chef Qassim Bouhassoun will zhoosh it up a bit.

2022 Review: Following closure of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and the death of the man himself, this Picadilly café is now one of two London ventures opened in late 2019 by the group he founded. It’s all very chic and continental, but you don’t come here for culinary adventure – but to buy or snack on everyday staples (lots of tempting patisserie and viennoiserie, lasagna, club sandwich, Caesar salad…).

Über-chef Alain Ducasse’s deluxe Mayfair outpost (one of 34 he owns around the world) opened in London in 2007 to instant acclaim from the folks in Clermont Ferrand, who immediately awarded it three Michelin stars for its luxurious modern French cuisine. It’s an award that has always puzzled London’s fooderati, who have never really rated the place. An appropriately comfortable room, its centrepiece is the (slightly weird) ‘Table Lumière’ – a private-ish table surrounded by a floor-ceiling curtain of 4,500 fibre optic cables. Much nominated as a business favourite, it is a “great space for talks, with such well-spaced tables and there’s an excellent set lunch menu” too. If you don’t opt for the set lunch route, though, a visit is no bargain, and over one third of those who mention it in our annual diners’ poll do so as their most overpriced meal of the year. What’s also entirely absent are raves from more foodie reporters over the cooking, which is not terribly rated but can seem “expensive and average for all the hype”.

“Stunning food in the most unusual and exotic environment” has won renown for this “gorgeous” shimmering chamber on the top floor of the well-known Mayfair palazzo, which is much more lighthearted in style than most temples of gastronomy, yet has won the highest culinary accolades (not least three Michelin stars) for its creators: Parisian restaurateur Mourad Mazouz in collaboration with celebrated chef Pierre Gagnaire. Day-to-day, the head chef is Daniel Stucki, who presents “a variety of textures and flavours and unexpected combinations” in the “imaginative menus”, and results are “exceptional” (“we ate here four times over the year; each meal was superlative and a fun experience”). Not everyone has always thought the place lives up to its stellar reputation however, and doubts were again in evidence this year with a significant number of reporters registering very disappointing meals.

“Whimsical” decor – including artworks from Yinka Shonibare on the walls and famous egg-shaped WC cubicles – creates the “quirky and distinctive ambience” of this fashionista favourite, which enjoys a spectacular location inside a Grade II-listed Palladian mansion in Mayfair. Despite the odd highpoint in reports though, the relatively straightforward cooking “doesn’t live up to the hype” or “justify the prices” (in contrast to its genuinely good sibling upstairs in the ‘Lecture Room & Library’, see also).