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 favourite restaurants in Mayfair – and we’ll be updating this list regularly, so check back to discover new openings and more.

Gymkhana 

Best for: double Michelin-starred Indian dining. 

Anyone familiar with London’s dining scene will know that getting a table at Gymkhana is no easy feat. For starters, it isn’t just one of Mayfair’s best Indian restaurants – it’s one of the world’s best. Full stop. And no, we’re not exaggerating: it’s one of only two double Michelin-starred Indian restaurants in the world. For seconds, you should definitely get the chicken butter masala and the tandoori masala lamb chops (they’re two of its most-ordered mains). 

Insider tip: and for a third helping, head to 42: it’s a cool private cocktail lounge that’s recently been redeveloped and is now ready to host dinners for up to 16 guests. 

gymkhanarestaurants.com 

Mister Nice 

Best for: brushing shoulders with stars. 

It’s a cliché to call somewhere in Mayfair chic – after all, this is a neighbourhood that practically coined the word. But Mister Nice is where you’ll come across more fur coat-clad and Chanel bag-carrying clientele than anywhere else in W1 right now. And they keep coming back time and time again thanks to dinners filled with caviar fries and cucumber martinis. We, and the rest of London, hope there is more Mister Nice guy to come. 

Insider tip: for even more ambiance, book a table on a Thursday or Friday – there’s a house pianist tinkling on the keys both nights. 

misternicemayfair.com 

The Dover 

Best for: lovers of low-key luxury. 

It may seem strange to describe a celebrity hotspot as humble, but hear us out. The subtlety starts before you’re even shown to your table: the discreet black front door is on an IYKYK basis. And if you do, you’ll know it's the same story inside. Simple classics like crispy potato cakes crowned with lemony crème fraîche and a dollop of caviar, or the prawn cocktail with Marie Rose don’t need to show off; they’re done exceptionally well. 

Insider tip: skip a pre-dinner drink elsewhere and arrive early to snag a spot at the bar at the front, which specialises in martinis (the menu features nine). 

thedover.com 

74 Duke 

Best for: fun French food. 

In the mood for fun – and by no means stuffy – French food? Don’t be fooled by 74 Duke’s white tuxedoed waiters, silver trays, and Mayfair postcode: here, house fries are piled high like precarious Jenga towers and martinis are poured tableside. This Parisian brasserie is where you’ll find W1’s cool crowd – as well as the trio of brown butter chocolate chip cookies with caramel ice cream that everyone keeps papping photos of. Bravo. 

Insider tip: sweet tooths ordering the brown butter cookies should be prepared to share – the portion is perfect for two to three people. 

74duke.com 

Ambassadors Clubhouse 

Best for: Punjabi plates and after-parties. 

A no-expense-spared Punjabi spot like this could only come from the hospitality group behind big hitters like Gymkhana, Trishna, Brigadiers, and BiBi (that's JKS, if you were wondering), which says it all. The sharing plates designed for passing around the table, but you’ll wish you hadn’t once you take a bite of the BBQ butter chicken chops that practically melt off the bone. And whatever you do, make sure you put your name on one of the garlic naans. 

Insider tip: look out for AMBASSY club nights. These once-a-month, after-hours basement parties host big names from the Punjabi music scene. 

ambassadorsclubhouse.com 

Fonda 

Best for: fans of fiery Mexican food. 

Baja fish tacos, crab tostadas, and truffle quesadillas. That’s how we’d sum up some of Fonda’s top dishes in a (taco)shell. This is Michelin-starred Mexican KOL’s Mayfair sibling, so it has big boots to fill – and boy, do they overflow. You, on the other hand, will fill your boots with combos like beetroot and bluefin tuna ceviche and caramelised bone marrow. Oh, and keep an eye out for Pancho, the pink sculpture sloth, dangling from the stairwell ceiling. 

Insider tip: those who like it hot should request the red-hot chilli sauce, served in a small bottle. Caution: just a teeny tiny dab will do. 

fondalondon.com 

Crisp Pizza at The Marlborough 

Best for: pints and pizza. 

What do you get when two of London’s most raved-about (and busiest) restaurants – The Devonshire and Crisp Pizza W6 – rack their brains together? One of Mayfair’s newest (and most viral) openings: a basement pizzeria with a traditional boozer upstairs, pulling really good pints of Guinness. Do as the hours-long queues do and order the vecna pie with pepperoni, hot honey, and burrata, or the tie-dye pie with spicy tequila sauce and a swirly whirly pesto finish. 

Insider tip: these pizzas are on the larger side, so one between two is plenty. In a larger group? Go for one of the Grandmas, which serves two to three. 

crispmayfair.com 

Lilibet’s  

Best for: seafood fit for royalty. 

Lots of restaurants claim to be ‘pleasure palaces’, but since Lilibet’s is set in the late Queen Elizabeth II’s birthplace, that title comes naturally. Crown jewels of Ross Shonhan’s (former Zuma and Nobu executive chef) spot include a so-called ‘petite’ seafood platter which holds pretty much the whole ocean: oysters, crab, octopus, sea bream, and prawns over crushed ice. And mashed potato like Britain’s longest-reigning monarch might have liked it: topped with lobster and shellfish bisque. 

Insider tip: the fish triptych is a must-try. The fish (sea bass, sea bream, or gurnard) is served across three different courses to utilise every part of the catch, an ethos known as ‘gill-to-tail'.  

lilibetsrestaurant.com 

Mount St. Restaurant 

Best for: fine dining amongst fine art. 

We couldn’t paint a picture of Artfarm’s art-filled restaurant above The Audley Public House without painting it in numbers: 200 priceless pieces of art splashed across its walls, by the likes of Andy Warhol, to be precise. The dishes are a work of art, too. Take the Bruton beef tartare with a golden egg yolk on top or the crispy, chip-like bubble and squeak, for example. Even the floors are a mosaic of mismatched tiles.  

Insider tip: dine as King Charles and Queen Camilla did and share the lobster pie (with its head peeking out of the pastry) in one of the private dining rooms with your plus one. 

mountstrestaurant.com 

Novikov Restaurant & Bar 

Best for: two separate dining rooms, one destination. 

In Berkeley Street, the phrase ‘two for the price of one’ means something slightly different. At least at Novikov it does, which is split into two dining rooms: one Asian, one Italian. At the former, you'll nosh on yellowtail sashimi and steamed lobster yuzu dim sum. And at the latter, nibble on beef carpaccio with Parmesan and burrata with plum tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s true, two is better than one.  

Insider tip: if you’re feeling brave, or overwhelmed by the sheer size of the menus, let your waiter order on your behalf (you won’t be disappointed).  

novikovrestaurant.co.uk 

Dovetale

Best for: whimsical, wow-factor dining. 

Yes, this is the restaurant with the knickerbocker glory trolley. But it’s also the restaurant with the pinstriped ratatouille, ‘made this morning’ burrata (it really was) with pick and mix toppings, and Cornish crab dressed (to the nines) with a sprinkles-style crumb and side of waffles. In short: fine dining is fun here, and chef Tom Sellers’ sheer love for food comes across in each and every plate. Get a seat on the terrace, if you can – it feels like a secret garden smuggled behind glitzy Berkeley Street. 

Insider tip: if the margarita trolley is around, order a frozen strawberry mezcalita topped with popping candy – it's practically a full Broadway show in a glass, complete with smoke and fireworks. 

dovetalelondon.com 

LPM 

Best for: ingredient-led, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. 

A lemon, a tomato, and a knife. That’s what’s waiting on the white tablecloth when you arrive at LPM – an indication of the restaurant’s ingredient-driven inclinations (rather than the beginning of a murder mystery). It’s a French restaurant, mostly, with a few Mediterranean vibes for good measure – try the barbecued lamb cutlets (perfectly pink and delicately plated) and the salt-baked cod, served silky soft and with a squiggle of courgette. 

Insider tip: on a warm evening, ask for a table on the jasmine-scented terrace and order a Pastèque De Nice. Made with a goat’s cheese infusion, it tasted like a watermelon salad in a martini glass – delightful.  

lpmrestaurants.com 

HUMO

Best for: live-fire feasts. 

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. 

humolondon.com 

Gaia

Best for: traditional Greek food. 

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? 

gaia-restaurants.com 

Il Gattopardo

Best for: relaxed, retro Italian dining. 

Here to prove that Mayfair can very much change its spots is this chilled, 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 linguine thrown in for good measure. And you can read our full review here. 

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

gattopardo.restaurant 

Pavyllon London at Four Seasons Park Lane

Best for: diners who want to watch the chefs at work. 

He’s Yannick Alléno, a French chef who holds 17 Michelin stars across 21 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 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 cloud-like steamed comté cheese soufflé and roasted Devon duck magret as evidence). 

Insider 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. 

pavyllonlondon.com 

Bacchanalia

Best for: larger-than-life lunches and dinners. 

We’d be surprised if there’s anyone left in London who hasn’t heard of Bacchanalia now. Although we remember a time we were first through its doors (read our full review here). 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. 

bacchanalia.co.uk 

Sushi Kanesaka

Best for: the omakase-obsessed. 

London isn’t exactly short of omakase restaurants, but this spot 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. 

dorchestercollection.com 

Scott's

Best for: caviar and crustaceans. 

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

scotts-mayfair.com 

Sabor 

Best for: a trip to Spain without leaving London. 

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

saborrestaurants.co.uk 

The MAINE 

Best for: New England flavours from across the pond. 

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 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. 

themainemayfair.com 

Sexy Fish 

Best for: dinner that turns into dancing. 

Indulgent and extravagant are two words we hardly ever use to describe restaurants, but we’ll make an exception for this OTT Japanese-inspired spot. Thanks to its neon lights, Sexy Fish looks more like a club than a restaurant. That is, if the club had ocean-themed Damien Hirst sculptures, truffle on almost every dish, and lots of wagyu and lots of foie gras. Not forgetting guests filming flashy tableside theatrics like dry ice billowing from the mouth of a golden fish.  

Insider tip: the house music steadily gets louder as the night goes on. Stick around long enough and dinner will turn into a full-blown party with drinks and dancing. 

sexyfish.com