Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in London Mayfair
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Mayfair restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 98 restaurants in Mayfair and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Mayfair restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Mayfair Restaurants
1. Chucs Dover Street
Italian restaurant in Mayfair
31 Dover St - W1
Inspired by La Dolce Vita lifestyle (indeed, there used to be an accompanying apparel resort-wear brand), this small Italian group strives to evoke the retro glamour of the 1960s ‘jet set’. There’s some enthusiasm for them amongst reporters, but a recognition that the food is “nice but not exceptional”: “I had an excellent martini. But the dishes were either overly seasoned or (the salad) not dressed at all”.
2. Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, Flemings Mayfair Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
7-12 Half Moon Street - W1
Although this luxurious Mayfair hotel dates from the 1850s, its swish basement dining room owes its looks to the 1930s. Under chef Sofian Msetfi, the “fabulous” cuisine (choose either a 5 or 7-course ‘tasting’ option) continues to achieve high ratings with a recently awarded Michelin star and even the weakest report this year awarded “full marks for presentation and service”. “A friend of mine who swears not to visit hotel dining rooms granted it high praise after our dinner there!”
3. Kai Mayfair
Chinese restaurant in Mayfair
65 South Audley St - W1
“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…
4. Butler’s Restaurant, The Chesterfield Mayfair
British, Traditional restaurant in Mayfair
35 Charles St - W1
Dover sole filleted at the table, “choosing from pick’n’mix from the sweet trolley” and “cocktails in a smoking glass” typify the retro flourishes favoured by the comfy dining room and bar of this traditional Mayfair venue. Feedback isn’t super-plentiful, but all upbeat – “a lovely experience at a reasonable price”.
5. Maddox Tavern
British, Modern restaurant in Westminster
47 Maddox Street - W1S
“These very big premises were once a prestigious tailor’s” – then more recently a branch of the Browns brasserie chain – and are now “a pub-like restaurant in the middle of Mayfair”. Fans are impressed by “its competent realisation of a standard menu” of British classics. But service can be “somewhat patchy” and food can be “fairly average” as a result.
6. Benares
Indian restaurant in Mayfair
12a Berkeley Square House, - W1
“Outstandingly good Indian fine dining, curated by head chef Sameer Taneja, whose forte is a tasting menu with a strong seafood offering” wins strong approval for this “sophisticated” nouvelle Indian, located in a large first-floor space above Berkeley Square, whose “helpful service” offsets the “rather soulless” decor. Top Tip – “their bottomless thali lunchtime meal deal is amazing value for a Michelin-starred restaurant. Not to be missed!!”
7. Bellamy’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
18-18a Bruton Place - W1
“A haven of calm in an ever-changing world”: “they cater for the most conservative of palates (and the deepest pockets)” at Gavin Rankin’s “old-school, brasserie-style restaurant in Mayfair” (which had the rare privilege of hosting the late Queen Elizabeth on a couple of occasions). Its Anglo-French fare is “super reliable, if not exciting” and service “immaculate”. “If you like the kind of place where you still need to dress up a bit, this is it”, but “the ambience is set by its older, quietly-spoken crowd: don’t visit if you are planning a loud-laughing night!”. Top Menu Tip – “good value lunch menu; and staples such as iced lobster soufflé, smoked eel mousse and steak tartare”.
8. Delfino
Pizza restaurant in Mayfair
121a Mount St - W1
This family-owned Italian wins consistently good ratings for the straightforward menu of “authentic” pasta, pizza and more it has served – at a prominent corner site in Mayfair – for half a century now. Despite a recent refurb, prices remain exceptionally reasonable for this part of town.
9. Jamavar
Indian restaurant in Mayfair
8 Mount Street - W1
“A beautiful restaurant interior, plus warm, professional and attentive staff” have helped Samyutka Nair and family’s “posh Indian” near Mayfair’s Berkeley Square acquire a reputation as “one of the best subcontinental restaurants in London”. Its ratings sank this year, though amidst a number of experiences of cooking that was “solid, but not as refined as expected” – “It was very nice… but is it so different to many others that have sprung up to justify the high price here?” Top Tip – “set lunch is a steal!”
10. Amazonico
International restaurant in Mayfair
10 Berkeley Square - W1J
“If you feel like a party this is a good place to come” – this lavish, foliage-filled Mayfair haunt ‘goes for it’ with its “live music, nice cocktails and lively ambience” and provides a “great setting” (including for romance). Fans say “the food is as good as the music” and applaud a “superb overall experience”. But there are also those – particularly who focus on the sushi and luxurious grills rather than the complete package – for whom it’s just far too overpriced.
11. Pasticceria Marchesi 1824
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Westminster
117 Mount Street - W1K
2021 Review: For a posh bun, it’s hard to upstage this new Milanese import: a fashionista favourite for its superlative cakes and also serving some more substantial dishes (such as risotti) alongside cocktails and wine. Too limited feedback for a rating as yet, but all of it enthusiastic.
12. Hakkasan Mayfair
Chinese restaurant in Mayfair
17 Bruton St - W1
“Best Asian restaurant I’ve eaten in!” – these “beautiful” nightclubby haunts (“quite why they keep them so dark is beyond me”) have maintained an impressive standard for over 20 years, and the Tottenham Court original has since been replicated not just in Mayfair but in numerous cities around the globe. Their ratings have fluctuated over many years, always around the same concerns – “success has got the better of them…”; “chaotic” and/or “attitude-y” service; punishing prices. The believers still carry the day, though, saying they are “always a special experience” with a “delectable” mix of dim sum, Peking duck (with or without caviar) and other classic Chinese dishes – “definitely take a big wallet, but I love it!”
13. Umu
Japanese restaurant in Mayfair
14-16 Bruton Pl - W1
Opened 20 years ago as London’s first exponent of Kyoto-style kaiseki dining (Japan’s most refined cuisine), this low-key Mayfair fixture remains a key foodie destination under Ryo Kakatsu, who joined 10 years ago and was appointed executive chef in 2020. It also has one of the most extensive sake lists in Europe. While the occasional reporter flinches at the “incredibly expense and very small portions”, nobody complains about the quality of the food.
14. The Guinea Grill
Steaks & grills restaurant in Mayfair
30 Bruton Pl - W1
“Yes, it is expensive (if not by Mayfair standards) but it is a meat-lover’s nirvana in a great setting” – that’s long been the accepted view on this quirky, grill room (est. 1952) behind a Young’s pub, tucked away in a scenic central mews. “Old fashioned pies, mixed grills and excellent steaks” are washed down with an “impressive, if over-priced, wine list” and served in a quaint, period setting, whose “overcrowded tables are part of the experience”. In the last couple of years, though (even prior to the departure last year of well-known manager Oisín Rogers), ratings have been on the slide. Some “shockingly bad” cooking has been reported, alongside service that’s “so indifferent”; and the current impression is that they are relying ever more heavily on their “captive market” of local business-lunchers.
15. Sexy Fish
Fish & seafood restaurant in Mayfair
1-4 Berkeley Square - W1
“Full of Eurotrashy tourists taking selfies” – if that’s not you, a visit to Richard Caring’s glitzy and “superficial” Mayfair seafood scene may be “an unhappy experience”. True, fans do claim it can be a “very buzzy and atmospheric” place to try “for the people-watching and sushi” (plus other luxurious fishy treats). But 70% of reporters feel it’s “overpriced”; and its “loud, echo-chamber” styling, “offhand service” and “food that – particularly given the cost – is terrible” can all grate. (“I’m surprised there isn’t a tanning booth in the loos so the clientele can top up in between courses…”; “I get forced to go there on business: why anyone would go of their own free will is a mystery”).
16. The Audley
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
43 Mount Street - W1K
“Fantastic looking, cleaned up and with an amazing ceiling by the late Phyllida Barlow” (who completed the work shortly before she died in March 2023) – ArtFarm’s newly relaunched “posh boozer” in Mayfair has five storeys (with the Mount Street Restaurant on the first – see also – and with the upper floors dedicated to art events supporting Hauser & Wirth’s roster of artists). Aside from “loads of interesting art and a good backstory”, the traditional British grub (pint of prawns, oysters, shepherd’s pie, fish finger sarnie, Chelsea bun…) is pricey but “decent”.
17. Hélène Darroze, The Connaught Hotel
French restaurant in Mayfair
Carlos Place - W1
“Yes, the food is very, very good” – the tasting menu is “absolutely incredible (every dish a piece of art and served on stunning crockery)” – according to fans of this superstar French chef, who has presided over the main dining room of this most blue-blooded of Mayfair hotels since 2008. Her reign has always been a little controversial here – for example, no-one is wild about the uneventful recent makeover of this fine, period chamber. But since its elevation to three Michelin stars, prices have become “extortionate (and with numerous supplements on the menu!)” and those diners who feel “this all-round exceptional experience is worth every penny” vie with the 2 in 5 who feel “the wallet-destroying prices are beyond extravagant” – “if I have to sell a kidney to eat here, I expect the food to win my heart… I’m not sure it did!”
18. Jean-Georges at The Connaught
Pan-Asian restaurant in Mayfair
The Connaught, Carlos Place - W1K
Other than for a deeply cosseting afternoon tea, it’s hard to be too thrilled by this blue-blooded hotel’s luxurious conservatory dining room. Although it’s branded with the name of the famous NYC chef, it’s difficult to discern any trace of JGV’s fingerprints in the design of the ubiquitous, international-luxe menu of caviar, fish, posh pizza, burgers, salads and so forth. Of course, if you find yourself in Mayfair, and are sanguine about spending £30+ for a bowl of mushroom bolognese or shrimp salad, it’s a jolly pleasant experience. Viewed through a more demanding lens, though, it can seem “overpriced” for something with little in the way of distinctive culinary personality.
19. The Punchbowl
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
41 Farm St - W1
2021 Review: Approaching its 300th birthday, this Mayfair pub is more stylish than most in the West End, partly due to its history of celebrity ownership (it was part of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s divorce settlement, with Ritchie getting The Queen of Pop’s share when they split). Foodwise, it’s also been a decent bet in recent times (although it did receive one ‘off’ report from a former fan this year).
20. Les Platanes
French restaurant in Westminster
26-28 Bruton Place - W1J
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).
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