Mayfair's best restaurants

There’s more to Mayfair than glitz, glamour, and sky-high prices – although there’s plenty of both around Berkeley Square. In W1, you’ll also find culinary heritage (see the 150-year-old Scott’s), cutting-edge modern dining (pretty much any restaurant on Park Lane), and a cluster of laidback openings on Albermarle Street – Mayfair’s newest foodie address.

But if you’re looking for only the best, you’re in the right place. Below are details of our current 10 favourite restaurants in Mayfair – and we’ll be updating this list regularly, so check back to discover new openings and more.

Humo

When we say Humo is a live-fire restaurant, you might assume everything will be barbecued. And yes, every dish is cooked over different types of wood (some marinated for the best flavour) with sparks crackling like fireworks from the massive open fire. But these dishes haven’t been so much flame-licked as smoke-caressed. Each is lovingly coaxed into being by head chef Miller Prada, who stands guard over the pass armed with sauce bottles and tweezers like a Michelin-starred surgeon.

Insider tip: you need to do two things here. One: order the tuna (a fatty slither of pink meat bathed in broth and topped with a radicchio ribbon), and two: say yes to the wine pairing.

Gaia

We want to say this is Greek food as you’ve never seen it before. But Gaia shines precisely because it serves Greek food as the Greeks do – but with the marble flourishes and hefty price tags you’d expect from a restaurant founded in Dubai. On your order list: seabream carpaccio served on the bone, saganaki prawns (ask for more bread to soak up the rich tomato sauce), and slow-cooked goat – so soft you can hardly get it on your fork.

Insider tip: after dinner, slink upstairs for a nightcap at the bar, which overlooks Berkeley Street and serves menu-inspired martinis from a trolley – prawn saganaki martini, anyone?

Rüya

This is a fancy Anatolian restaurant with small plates and has a big sound system (arrive or depart by 9pm, depending on your preference for Turkish house music). The cocktails are creative, but the wine list is even better – ask the sommelier to pick you something from one of the smaller, Middle Eastern producers. And as you’re eating Anatolian, the kebab is a must-try (Rüya’s is fatty yet flavoursome with a lick of spiced tomato chutney), as is the beef short rib – so tender it practically falls apart on the fork.

Insider tip: despite a lot of Turkish dishes being quite carnivorous, Rüya has excellent vegan and vegetarian menus – the crispy-coated aubergine is particularly good.

Il Gattopardo

Here to prove that Mayfair can very much change its spots is this chilled new Italian restaurant on Albemarle Street. It’s a bit retro and a bit relaxed, with a huge glass-roofed dining room that feels like a cosy conservatory (stay here ‘til late, the roof will lift, and you’ll be brought a cigar menu). Dishes are straight-up, simple Italian classics with a couple of showstoppers like lobster gnocchi thrown in for good measure. And you can read our full review here.

Insider’s tip: order to share, including the crisp, caper-crowned veal Milanese and the blushing lamb chops with a dribble of jus.

Pavyllon London at Four Seasons Park Lane

He’s Yannick Alléno, a French chef who holds 16 Michelin stars across 17 restaurants. It’s the hotel that defined the Four Seasons brand when it opened in 1970. Together, they’ve created Pavyllon – the London outpost of Alléno’s popular Parisian restaurant that’s just won Alléno’s 16th Michelin star. Unsurprisingly, this is a real showstopper, serving French-inspired dishes that are almost too pretty to eat (but you definitely should – see the runny egg yolk raviole and wagyu and langoustines ‘Au Grand Bain’ as evidence).

Insider’s tip: Pavyllon describes itself as ‘culinary theatre’, so it makes total sense that the best seats in the house are up at the counter where you can see the chefs in action.

Bacchanalia

We’d be surprised if there’s anyone left in London who hasn’t heard of Bacchanalia. Richard Caring’s antiques-packed mega-restaurant arrived with all the subtlety of a Damien Hirst-designed unicorn last year and hasn’t left the spotlight since. With DJs, toga-clad staff, and fresco-filled ceilings, it’s definitely a place you come to for the atmosphere – although dishes like the salt-crust cod provide a compelling reason to get stuck into the food menu, as well.

Insider tip: there’s a private members’ club, Apollo’s Muse, hidden inside its grandiose halls. Come here to drink rare vintage wines and dance to industry-leading DJs until late.

Sushi Kanesaka

London isn’t exactly short of omakase restaurants, but this newcomer at 45 Park Lane is one of our current favourites. It’s a 13-seat counter concept led by namesake chef Shinji Kanesaka and every detail feels masterfully thought through – from the hand-cut sake glasses to dishes that look like they’ve been crafted by a glassblower. Such elegance comes at a cost, though: this is Mayfair sushi, so expect to pay top-of-the-range Mayfair prices.

Insider tip: for a romantic evening for two (or four on a double date), book the private four-person counter tucked away in the back.

Jeru

It’s a big claim that yours is the best bread in London, but that’s what you’ll be repeatedly told at this Middle Eastern restaurant. The décor is romantic – think softly lit stone archways and Hammam-style bathrooms – but DJs and a smoking open kitchen keep things lively. The menu highlights – and there are many – include fin-shaped sea bass dribbled in lemon tahini and a silky swordfish served with a sumac-chilli sauce. As for the bread? Squidgy potato dough served with truffled honey – but we’ll leave you to decide if it’s London’s best.

Insider's tip: order the halloumi doughnuts – soft, salty, and served with more truffle honey.

Scott's

One of London's oldest restaurants, Scott’s has been open since 1851 (when it was originally an oyster warehouse). So, seafood is the order of the day here: the caviar, oysters, langoustines, lobster, and turbot are all second-to-none, and the butter-smothered Dover sole is especially exquisite. The service is slick and the atmosphere full of buzz – when weather permits, secure one of the coveted pavement tables to make the most of the passing energy.

Insider's tip: look out for the Platinum Arowana room – a sexy, hidden private dining room that seats up to eight.

Sabor

This restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho proves that there’s more to Spanish food than tacos and croquetas – although you’ll find plenty of both at its counter. It’s been designed to feel like a journey through Spain, with the sounds and smells to match – including a daily-changing seafood counter that seats just 19 guests and a wood-fired brasserie. Go for the octopus – which arrives melt-in-the-mouth soft – and the black rice, and also make the most of the bar’s Vermouth on tap.

Insider’s tip: order the suckling pig – its skin is so crispy that you can crack it with a spoon like a crème brûlée.

The Maine

The Maine describes itself as 'a blend of old-world British elegance, New England extravagance and subterranean decadence'. In person, it’s a multi-floored, pleasure palace of a restaurant that fills a Grade-II listed Georgian building in Hanover Square. It’s big – like, 350 seats big – and comes with a basement nightclub and elegant terrace. The menu is peppered with New England favourites like lobster rolls and clam chowder; we particularly enjoyed the crispy cod tacos.

Insider's tip: the best tables are on a small stage from which you can see the entire restaurant – and The Maine’s usual crowd is worth watching.

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