St James's, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Whether for a cocktail or caviar at the bar or sequestered in one of the red leather booths”, this 10-year-old venue in Fortnum & Mason’s (with its own street entrance) “is made for romance” (“I can’t imagine anyone not being seduced by a shared plate of lobster spaghetti, flambéed dramatically tableside”); and also has fans for business entertaining thanks to “staff who can’t do enough for you”. For many reporters, though, its top feature is the “brilliant breakfast” – “there’s a reason this place is always busy in the mornings”. (The food rating has recovered after a “terrible dive in 2023”, with “the kitchen much improved from January 2024”).

Like a submarine, this famous St James’s basement – a colossal 1929 ballroom rescued and revamped by the late Sir Terence Conran in 1993 – now lurks out of sight and out of mind for most savvy Londoner diners: remarkably, it inspired zero feedback in our annual diners’ poll this year, a sure sign that the smart crowd moved on from its Q-bar, ‘grand-entrance’ staircase and designer-interior well over a decade ago. But, for a glam (if very pricey) night out, tourists and out-of-towners still keep it buoyant, attracted by its regular programme of entertainment fueled by posh brasserie nosh. Top Tip – especially if you hit the steak or caviar sections, à la carte prices here are pretty splashy. Maybe visit for brunch, Sunday Lunch or Mon-Thu pre-theatre, where there are prix-fixe menus for £40-£50 per head.

2021 Review: The owners of Wilton’s and Franco’s launched this third establishment in November 2019 (bringing their average opening rate up to almost one restaurant a century!). It’s a casual, all-day café and evening wine bar in the now re-named, wackily 1960s former Economist Plaza in St James’s.

2021 Review: In the bowels of the RA, this subterranean venue (with bar, garden and dining room) is praised by fans for providing “reliable food in a civilised space”. Typically for Peyton & Byrne though, it doesn’t impress everyone, with the odd report of some “terrible” dishes.

“A people-watching heaven” – this epic Grand Café near the Ritz is renowned for the “busy” and “buzzy” clatter of its “beautiful”, “high ceilinged” dining room and remains many a sophisticated Londoner’s “gold standard for business”; particularly early morning over one of its “legendary breakfasts” (it’s “a perfect way to start the day, with a client, a friend, or quietly in the corner with a newspaper”). However, its gigantic popularity has been won despite it being “nothing fancy in the food department”; and its broad menu of “traditional comfort food” has always been “tasty and well-presented… but formulaic”. Drama ensued in 2022, when its founders Corbin & King were ousted in a boardroom battle. But even those who feel the place has perhaps “lost a little bit of sparkle since the management shake-up” acknowledge that “on the ground, very little has changed”. Top Tip – also good for “a classic afternoon tea. Delicious finger sandwiches and plain and sultana scones and a selection of macarons and small cakes. It’s not a fancy themed afternoon tea as is all the rage, but all the better for that. You can order more sandwiches!”

2022 Review: When it opened in April 2019, this heart-of-Mayfair restaurant aimed for a blend of British Modern cuisine with accents of West Africa, but nowadays a more confident Pan-African narrative is dominant, both in the styling and cooking. No survey reports as yet; online feedback has its ups and downs, but – for anyone interested in African cuisine – this is London’s most poshly located destination.

“Gorgeous room… beautiful menu… classy crowd” – this “spacious and finely decorated” wood-panelled dining room is one of London’s better traditional eating options, and sits at the heart of a Mayfair hotel originally founded in 1837 and nowadays owned by Rocco Forte (it is named for his father). Adam Byatt (of Trinity in Clapham, see also) oversees a “very well-executed safe menu of classic tasty dishes such as Chicken Milanese, Calves’ liver with mash, or delicious Sirloin with chips and salad”. And service remains “exceptional” even after the departure last year of star maître d’, Jesus Adorno.

“Helping reclaim the West End with proper food!” – Jack Croft, Will Murray & James Robson’s four-year-old venture progressed via pop-ups (including a year on Heddon Street) to occupy this big site with an open kitchen at the south of the Haymarket. “It’s a lovely, buzzing environment” in which to enjoy some “beautiful” modern British food: a mix of bold small plates and larger dishes with a focus on sustainability. “They’ve hit on a winning formula for breakfast” too. Top Menu Tip – “Braised Dairy Ribs are massive chunks of love and the crab with ponzu snapped crackled and popped as much as anything ever eaten”.

“Stylish, friendly and with inspired cooking” – that’s the most favourable take on Anthony Demetre’s rather grand hotel dining room off Trafalgar Square, with its parquet floor and banquettes running down each wall. (It’s not to be confused with the ‘Wild Honey’ he ran in Mayfair for many years). The cooking is modern British in style and even more reserved reports acknowledge it’s “perfectly sound”. It’s also to be found in an area where value is thin on the ground: “in fairness, where else are you going to get such a good meal at this price in SW1 for goodness sake?”

This large and famous “Mayfair institution” – site of 1970s and ’80s revels under late founder Peter Langan and once co-owned by actor Michael Caine – fell from fashion decades ago, but was significantly relaunched in late 2021. “The food was never that special even when Langan was in charge so that hasn’t changed, but the price has moved up substantially” since its rebirth, making it more than ever a case of “average everything, dressed up as chic”. There’s still the occasional report of “a great time over a long lunch” from its loyal band of client entertainers, but the majority view is that even its bubby conviviality is increasingly called into question: “this is nothing like the original: it’s Langan’s gone hedge fund”.

“Hidden away in Soho”, this surprisingly “calm” hotel restaurant in a quiet courtyard just minutes from Piccadilly Circus is “a great place to take a visitor” to escape the hustle of the surrounding streets. “Efficient service” and a “high-ceilinged dining room” make it a decent option for a working lunch, pre-theatre dining or post-work drinks, although foodwise it’s a question of “pleasant comfort food”. Top Tip – recommended for afternoon tea.

2021 Review: In the heart of the West End, this decidedly glam yearling scored better in our survey than the mixed rep it received in press reviews. The first UK outpost of a 30-strong international chain hailing from India and the Gulf, its repertoire of tapas-y offerings are very much of the funky, evolved school of Indian cuisine, and reporters salivate over “an amazing choice of inventive dishes” that are “far better than you would expect” in this touristy locale.

A striking location on Piccadilly overlooking Green Park – particularly from the elegant first-floor – makes this luxurious two-floor operation something of a Mayfair landmark (old-timers may remember the site as Fakhreldine, long RIP). Entirely relaunched in 2018 after a super-luxurious, multi-gazillion pound makeover, its nowadays under the same ownership as Hedonism Wines and not only boasts a “huge and superbly crafted wine list” but with notice you can order any of the 9,000 vintages stocked by HW. Originally launched as two restaurants – ‘Hide Above’ and ‘Hide Below’ – the culinary operations merged in 2022 and on either of its elegant two floors you can now choose either the luxurious à la carte (with caviar, wood-grilled fish, steaks and seafood) or the nine-course menu conceived by acclaimed chef Ollie Dabbous for £160 per person. “The food is actually better than the smart location would indicate, if not cheap”; and if you go the whole hog with the nine-courser you get “exquisite taste combinations, with beautiful preparation” that – for some diners – is “a highlight of the year” (“so much so I took out another mortgage and visited again!”). Caveats? “Notwithstanding some amazing dishes, they don’t always hit the top notes you expect at the price”. And, despite the luxurious glamour of the setting, the odd reporter “doesn’t love the atmosphere”, which can seem “a bit sterile”. Harsh critiques, though, are notable by their absence. Top Tip – “breakfast is a work of art, with a warm welcome and very Mayfair clientele (a mix of hedge funders and Arabs!)”

2021 Review: “Outstanding cooking, with first-class service” consistently hits the bullseye at this relatively unsung venue, tucked away at the back of a luxury Mayfair hotel. There’s a “thoughtful” approach to the meal, with “chefs coming out to tell you about dishes” – while some diners are “invited into the kitchen to meet Alyn”. It’s a “very comfortable” set-up and “the space between tables is incredible by modern restaurant standards, which creates the intimacy that a romantic meal requires”. And, especially at lunch, the elegant room’s lack of windows and natural light adds to the cocooning nature of the experience.

“Tap the ‘Press for Champagne’ button, add a little caviar tasting plate to the low-level lighting and small booth seating, and you have an ideal formula for a romantic dinner!” or, indeed, for a casual business tête-a-tête at Leonid Shutov’s willfully decadent retro-diners, styled in a kind of Art Deco steampunk. Both at the Soho original and in the newer City spin-off that occupies a floor of “The Cheesegrater”, they provide “an amazing setting”; and “somehow the totally OTT gaudiness of the place makes the overall experience a genuinely fun one”. Fans also say “the Beef Wellington is really very good” and approve of its other luxurious comfort food like Lobster Mac ’n’ Cheese, Chateaubriand for One, or Salmon en Croute. “It’s not cheap mind you” and harsher critics say the food “just doesn’t cut it” (“the novelty of the fun Champagne button sadly wears off when the dishes arrive; and while the bling and the booths create an atmosphere of unrestrained wealth, I prefer restaurants where food is the prime objective”).