RestaurantsLondonMayfairW1

Breaking news

April 2023: Jason Atherton has slashed prices at his London restaurants to encourage customers to dine out more often, saying people were feeling “alienated” by price rises at a time of economic tightening.

survey result

Summary

£160
£££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Jason Atherton’s original solo venture in Mayfair remains a star” and it’s “good to see him still at the helm and running the pass”. His cuisine is “immaculately presented” with “many little delights in between courses” and “the wine list is special (not cheap but with some good bargains to be had if you look carefully”). The stylish interior can seem a fraction “soulless” for some tastes however; and there was the odd incident of “unhelpful” service this year. And even those acknowledging the “beautiful-looking and generally excellent cuisine” can go “Oh… the bill.....wow!!” Maybe that’s why – as our survey was in progress – Jason slashed his prices, taking the tasting menu down from £185 to £145 per person; and the set lunch from £75 per person to £39.50 per person. The latter in particular is stunning value!

Summary

£136
£££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“A restaurant I love to return to more than any other!” – Jason Atherton’s “glamorous” and “lively” Mayfair HQ inspires dedication and adoration from its enthusiastic, large fan base: “exemplary cooking with imaginative touches” is the expected highlight and “it’s great seeing Jason so calm and professional at the pass, which comes through in the staff”. That said, ratings this year slipped due to a few more middling experiences: “I so wanted to like Pollen Street Social but it never quite reached the expected heights given the hype and prices!!” Top Tip – “a top spot for a business lunch or dinner”.

Summary

£127
£££££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“More relaxed than some other more pompous establishments” – Jason Atherton’s renowned Mayfair HQ maintained strong ratings this year. “So slick and so professional”“you can’t help but smile when you eat his food”, which is “reliably superb, as is the warm welcome”. “It’s definitely the kind of place men take their girlfriends to propose – fabulously glamorous.”

Summary

£113
£££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“If I want a guest to feel special, this is where I always choose to go!” – Jason Atherton’s “first class” Mayfair HQ is “a great all-rounder with a very nice, light touch to its approach”: most particularly its “clever and immaculately presented food” served “with flair”, but also its relaxed-yet-upscale ambience. “It’s not cheap but – to quote another famous brand – quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten”. “Amazing cocktails” too.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Pollen Street Social?

Restaurant details

Highchair,Portions
12
No dress code
60

Pollen Street Social Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Pollen Street Social Restaurant in W1, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Pollen Street Social restaurant.
Nat F
Great food. Restaurant dining room was inti...
Reviewed 9 months, 18 days ago

"Great food. Restaurant dining room was intimate and classy. Service was good, with a warm towel to help you settle in. Food was of a very high standard."

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Jo B
I hope that they were just having an off da...
Reviewed 9 months, 28 days ago

"I hope that they were just having an off day! It's the first time that we had been back to Pollen Street Social since Covid. I was very surprised at the loud music pumping from the speakers, making it difficult to hear the waiters and to hold a conversation. The service wasn't properly organised (or there were too few staff and too many customers). Only one of us drinks wine, so he didn't want a bottle of wine, just some glasses through the meal. He had to ask for the wine list every time, as it wasn't offered after the aperitif stage. The menus were slow to arrive (but not as slow as for the table next door who had been there for ages and had to ask for them). Another table ordered coffee, but had drunk this and left before their petit fours turned up. We decided to have the extended lunch menu; service for this was a little slow, but not pedestrian. We did not hold up service in any way and were, therefore, surprised to be told as soon as we had finished our dessert that our time was up and that we had to leave the table. The waiter then, belatedly, suggested that we could have coffee in the bar area. We were escorted to the bar area, which was quite full, and chose one of only two spare seats - it was relatively near to the door. We were then ignored for quite some time until someone brought us some petit fours with a mumbled apology and asked if we would like tea and coffee with them. We said yes, but had eaten the petit fours by the time that it turned up (I realised after the waiter had left that the tea wasn't as I had ordered it, but I had given up at that point). Whilst we were drinking our tea and coffee (and unasked) our bill was brought to us. That's the first time that this had happened to me and I was unsure what had prompted it, other than the fact that we were sitting close to the door. I was very surprised to find that we had been charged for the teas and coffees (and that the charge for the tea was incorrect) and also noted that we had been charged for only the three course lunch menu, rather than the extended lunch menu. Whilst errors in bills have happened before, this was the first time that I very seriously considered just paying the bill as it had been presented. The person who had brought the bill then came over (unasked) to obtain payment. I pointed out the concerns that I had regarding the bill and he agreed to take off the charge for the tea and coffee and also amend the charge for the meal (there were no thanks for pointing out the £50 extra charge). Whilst he was dealing with this, I went to the bar and suggested that he halve the service charge, which he did. He then brought the bill back to us (but sent someone else to collect the payment). We came away feeling rather deflated, as we had been very much looking forward to our lunch. My feelings would have been different if the food had been to its previous standard (much can be forgiven if the food is sublime). Unfortunately, whilst the food was good, no course had such unforgettable flavours that I wanted to eat it very slowly so that the flavours stay in my mouth for as long as possible and that I would talk to friends about afterwards. I used to work in St George Street and Pollen Street Social used to be my favourite local restaurant - somewhere to come to lift the spirits when I'd had a bad day at work, to bring colleagues when something had gone well and to bring friends who wanted to try fine dining for the first time. Based on our recent experience, we might come back to check if it was just a bad day, but I wouldn't be able to recommend it to my friends. "

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Prices

Availability 2 courses 3 courses coffee included service included
Always   £110.00
Lunch £42.00 £49.50
  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 145.00 Always available 8
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £50.00
Filter Coffee £4.00
Extras  
Service 15.00%
8-10 Pollen St, London, W1S 1NQ
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Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
Tuesday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Thursday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Friday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Saturday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm
SundayCLOSED

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