65 South Audley St, London, W1K 2QU
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Chinese food as it’s meant to be!!” – so say fans of Malaysian-born founder, Bernard Yeoh’s accomplished fixture, which has helped lead the charge in upping perceptions of Asian cuisine in the capital for over three decades now. Given its chic Mayfair location, it’s never going to be a cheap experience, but given the number of pricey launches in London over recent years it no longer looks like the outlier it once was. By way of a yardstick: Peking Duck is £118 (£94 at lunch) and is served in two courses: first with pancakes and signature chilli sambal; and then as a stir fry with a classic oyster sauce. It typifies a forward-thinking ‘liberated Nanyang [ie South Seas Chinese] cooking’ that wins it nothing but high praise across the board in our annual diners’ poll. The venue was also the first London Chinese menu with a world-class wine list, so it’s just the spot when you need to grab a bottle of 1990 Chateau Pétrus for £12,200! In 2025, in one of their known-only-to-themselves convulsions, Michelin inexplicably removed the star the venue had boasted since 2009.
Summary
Billed by Malaysian-born founder Bernard Yeoh as ‘liberated Nanyang [ie South Seas Chinese] cooking’, the well-accoladed cuisine at this Mayfair fixture has impressed diners for more than 30 years, with Adele one of the more recent celebs to sing its praises. High-quality hit dishes include a “definitive wasabi prawns and slow-cooked pork”; and there’s no compromise on the quality of the drinks offering, with a comprehensive selection of teas, cocktails and wines. But... “the prices! £23 for a plate of brocollini tells me the trick is to get someone to take you there!” (and, you can spend over £10,000 per bottle on the wine).
Summary
“Chinese cuisine at its finest, with service to match” helps inspire high ratings this year for Bernard Yeoh’s luxurious Mayfair fixture – now of two decades’ standing – which describes its culinary focus as ‘Liberated Nanyang Cooking’. Part of this freewheeling approach is the curation of a very comprehensive cellar: perhaps wash down your roasted Peking duck with a 1990 Château Pétrus at over £9,000 per bottle…
Summary
“A cut above any Chinese restaurant I have been to” – Bernard Yeoh’s “attentive but not overbearing” Mayfair stalwart celebrates its 20th birthday in 2023 and continues to offer a luxurious mix of “absolutely fantastic contemporary Chinese cooking” (what Yeoh describes as ‘liberated Nanyang cuisine’) twinned with an impressive wine list (swelling with Premiers Crus from Bordeaux, Burgundy and beyond). Even those who say the food is “lovely” though, feel it comes at “eye-watering prices”.
For 34 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 Kai Mayfair?
Owner's description
LUNCH:
Mon to Fri - 12:00 to 14:15
Sat to Sun - 12:30 to 14:45
DINNER:
Mon to Sat - 18:30 to 22:45
Sun - 18:30 to 22:15
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £79.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.00 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
Restaurant details
Kai Mayfair Restaurant Diner Reviews
"A otherwise very enjoyable dinner was a little spoilt by the restaurant’s inability to serve sharing plate portions to match the number dining, despite taking orders on this basis."
65 South Audley St, London, W1K 2QU
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Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11 pm |
