Mayfair is anything but lacking in restaurants. Widely considered London’s swankiest locale, chefs and restaurateurs have flocked to the neighborhood for decades hoping to attract the area’s discerning clientele.
The difficulty doesn’t lie in finding a good restaurant, but finding a good restaurant worth its inevitably-sizable bill (there’s a reason Mayfair is the most expensive property on the standard British Monopoly board, after all).
Whether you’re a local looking for something new or a visitor looking for quintessential Mayfair dining, here are a few recommendations that are sure to tantalize your taste buds.
1. Bacchanalia
Bacchanalia, which loosely translates to ‘a drunken feast’, is a place that lives up to its name. A lavish spot for celebrating all of life’s pleasures (sensational cocktails, in particular), the restaurant specializes in Greco-Roman cuisine, but you’ll see as many people indulging in caviar and champagne as you will plates of rich Keftedes, fried squid, truffled tagliatelle and quality Assyrtiko. The feasting menu (at £150 per person) offers the best culinary value, featuring fourteen sharing dishes including salt-crusted sea bass and lobster paccheri, but those without deep wallets will find a great ROI on a cocktail or two while they take in the dining room; it’s a spectacle, displaying five enormous statues by Damien Hirst (including a pair of winged lovers riding a unicorn) and floor-to-ceiling murals, painted by Gary Myatt, including an iPhone-heavy interpretation of Thomas Couture’s ‘Romans in their Decadence’. Indulgence at its most fun.
1-3 Mount St, London W1K 3NB
2. Jamavar
Jamavar, London
Following the opening of critically and internationally acclaimed Jamavar Bengaluru in 2001, it took fifteen years for the palatial Indian dining concept to find an appropriate home in Mayfair, and it doesn’t disappoint. Its small but exceptional team have earned a Michelin star with their holistic and luxurious approach to North and South Indian cuisine, and their small plates are some of the best you’ll find in London – across all cuisines. Don’t miss the Tellicherry pepper & garlic soft shell crab (with plum chutney, garlic chips and homemade garlic pickle), Chandni Chowk Ki Aloo Tikki (potato tikki, spiced white peas, yogurt, tamarind, and mint chutney), or Leela’s lobster Neeruli (with Southern-spiced coconut milk, pearl onions, and kal dosa.
8 Mount St, London W1K 3NF
3. Farm Shop Wine Bar
Farm Shop’s Wine Bar, London
If you’re looking for somewhere a bit more laid-back, Farm Shop’s new wine bar is going to be your go-to. This rustic “underground” gem offers a cozy, spacious atmosphere where you can unwind with a glass of wine and some simple, seasonal small plates (with a welcome focus on British cheese). Their own vineyard’s Maid of Bruton Bacchus, rosé and sparkling rosé are all worth a try, but there are a huge range of options across a nine-page wine, beer, cider and spirits menu to suit all tastes.
64 S Audley St, London W1K 2QT
4. The Colony Grill Room
The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont, London
For a taste of classic British hospitality, the Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont Hotel is a must-visit. The place oozes old-world charm and boasts the kind of service that makes you want to return again and again. The kind of service that assures you nothing might ever be an inconvenience again. The menu is filled with hearty, comforting dishes that are perfect for any occasion (see: perfect steaks, heaving Cobb salads, et al), and the hotel’s neighboring Le Magritte Bar is an ideal pre- or post-dinner booking for luxuriating in in a stylish, art-deco setting.
8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF
5. Mount Street Restaurant
Mount Street Restaurant, London
The culinary arts take quite a literal turn at Mount Street Restaurant, where its dining spaces are filled with specially-commissioned art. At the moment, these include ‘Broken Floor’, a palladiano mosaic floor by Rashid Johnson, and pieces by Lucian Freud, Henri Matisse, and more. Naturally, it’s menu is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate, with stunning plates like Pigeons in Pimlico (serves with duck liver, cherry jam, and salt baked beetroot) and a decadent Arnold Bennett omelet particular highlights. A divine spot for business lunches and dinner dates alike.
41-43 Mount St, London W1K 2RX
6. The Connaught Bar
The Connaught Bar, London
The Connaught Bar is the first place I recommend to travelers looking for experiences they can’t get outside of London. Renowned for its signature martini service (which is lavishly personalized, tableside) and chic, 1920s Cubist aesthetic (hitting the brief on day-to-night glamor), the atmosphere is both relaxed and really, really magnificent. The bar’s canapés make for delightful cocktail companions, and larger dishes — like the Wagyu beef sandwich and Scottish lobster roll – are available for those with larger appetites (and credit card limits, at £84/$106 and £44/$56, respectively).
16 Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
7. La Petite Maison (LPM) London
LPM London
A little slice of the French Riviera in London, LPM is light, airy, and serves properly delicious plates to satisfy the gastronomic Francophile in us all.. Think fresh seafood, Escargots de Bourgogne, incredibly lavish Salade niçoise, and beyond. If you’re hunting for a hidden gem to dine al fresco, you can also waltz through its private Riviera room into the restaurant’s sun-drenched terrace, perfect for whiling away a summer’s eve with a glass of rosé (or five).
53-54 Brook’s Mews, London W1K 4EG