Mayfair, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

This Mount Street fixture proves that you can still find “solid Italian home-style food” in the heart of Mayfair – all the favourites including pizza, pasta and tiramisu. In proper Italian style, there’s a “great atmosphere”, too.

“Like stepping into the sort of reality TV series where people apply tons of make-up and not so many clothes”, Richard Caring’s Mayfair seafood scene has an “amazing ambience”, although it can be “incredibly loud – perfect if you want to eat in a nightclub” (“my teenage daughters love it!”) On the downside, the luxurious sushi and seafood is “by numbers” and prices are “stratospheric” (“shocking really, are they having a laugh?”) In autumn 2021, the brand crossed the Atlantic with an opening in its true spiritual home – Miami – where the USP is the largest collection of Dom Perignon in the US.

“We are Fish. We are Fresh Fish”. That’s the mission statement for the high-end fishmongers’ chain (of the same name) which has taken over this illustrious Mayfair basement site that once housed The Square (RIP). With retail branches in Notting Hill, Kensington and Fitzrovia (and coming soon in St John’s Wood and Regent’s Park), this is the business’s first restaurant venture (although at its other stores you can eat in, with simple fish bistro dishes on offer). Originally set to open in May 2021, it still had not arrived as we went to press in September 2021.

“Up-market (loud) Italian” in a prime Mayfair location with swish styling and and a large menu incorporating relatively affordable pizzas as well as more substantial classic dishes. The experience is generally well-rated but, valuewise, prices can seem to verge on the “stratospheric” for what is delivered.

2021 Review: Since it closed in 2000 (on the site which became Bellamy’s), this luxury Parisian-based brand (fondée 1927) has lacked a London outlet. Following a successful pop-up last year, this opening on the site of Mayair’s former Chess Club aims to bring it back more permanently. Originally scheduled for April, the actual launch date had yet to be announced in September 2019.

“Oozing class”, this “classic Mayfair dining room” (James Bond’s favourite) offers “a true five-star meal”; a “consummate experience” combining “glamourous”, “traditional” surroundings populated by “ever-obliging staff” and “an interesting clientele, featuring many well-known faces”. Owned by Caprice Holdings, it is locked in a perpetual battle with its stablemate J Sheekey to top our poll for best London’s fish (the latter, as usual, edges it this year). However, even those who acknowledge “superb seafood” often note “the hefty price tag”, and there was the odd concern this year (supported by ratings) that “standards have slipped a bit” from their usual heady heights. In summer, the pavement tables are a big draw. In August 2021, Richard Caring announced that Scott’s is the latest of his landmark properties to get the spin-off treatment with the announcement of Scott’s on the River in Richmond – see also.

“Both the burgers and the lobster rolls attract long queues for a reason – they are very good”, agree fans of this 10-year-old surf ’n’ turf chain that has expanded to nine branches across the capital and a growing list around the world. “Prices are up sharply since launch though, so they’re not quite the value they once were” – nor are they as straightforward, with the initial flat price of £20 morphing into a more conventional menu of burgers and assorted seafood. The value offer now is in the “stunning lobster rolls, which have redefined for me and others how lobster should best be served” – so “stick to the lobster for good quality at a reasonable price”. The chain and its equally American-style stablemate Goodman steakhouses were founded and are still owned by Moscow-based Misha Zelman.

Former Elystan Street head chef Toby Burrowes heads up this extravagant new Mayfair restaurant whose menu features a £3,000 "sunken treasure" caviar platter - and a cocktail listed at a staggering £50,000. Opening in mid-July 2022, this new spot calls itself a "clubstaurant" (hybrid club / restaurant) which is something we don't feel needs encouraging.