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Love London Awards Mayfair

Mayfair area guide

Discover the finest restaurants, bars and pubs, peruse the shops or soak up some culture in London’s Mayfair

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Things To Do Editors
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Mayfair is one of London’s most affluent areas - it’s the most expensive square on the Monopoly board, after all. It gets its name from the May Fair, which was that held there for almost 100 years until it was banned in 1764. Now the area plays host to some of the capital’s most exclusive restaurants, swanky bars and designer shops, catering to the city’s rich and famous. There’s plenty to do when you’re tired of exquisite food and luxury shops, like relax in one of the area’s sumptuous hotels or head to the many spas. And if fancy goods and Michelin starred dining just isn’t your scene at all, don’t despair. Mayfair also has numerous galleries and museums, including the famous Royal Academy of Arts, to keep you entertained. 

RECOMMENDED: London by area

Things to do in Mayfair

Handel & Hendrix in London

Handel & Hendrix in London

  • 3 out of 5 stars

Visit the homes where Handel composed his iconic 'Messiah' and Jimmy Hendrix penned some of his best-loved songs.  

Royal Academy of Arts

Royal Academy of Arts

  • 4 out of 5 stars

Now one of London's best-known art galleries, the RA also houses some of the capital's most exciting exhibitions.

Dover Street Market

Dover Street Market

Part art installation part mecca for the fashion obsessed, visit Rei Kawakubo’s ground-breaking multi-story store.

Palm Court at the Ritz

Palm Court at the Ritz

  • price 3 of 4

It makes for a glitzy afternoon tea, and one that will undoubtedly impress visiting relatives and guests.

Restaurants in Mayfair

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught

  • 5 out of 5 stars

Genial staff take obvious pleasure in working this historic dining room, with its beautiful wood panelling and floral plasterwork ceiling. India Mahdavi’s...

Momo

Momo

  • 5 out of 5 stars

Still London’s most glamorous Moroccan restaurant, Momo attracts a fair smattering of beautiful people alongside couples on special dates, hen parties...

Kitty Fisher’s

Kitty Fisher’s

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 4 of 4

An eighteenth-century courtesan known for her wit and extravagance, Kitty Fisher was rumoured to have eaten a 1,000-guinea banknote on a piece of bread and...

Hawksmoor Air Street

Hawksmoor Air Street

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4

The original Hawksmoor restaurants – Spitalfields, City, Covent Garden – are among London’s best steakhouses. This fourth location, with its entrance on Air...

Bars in Mayfair

American Bar at the Beaumont

American Bar at the Beaumont

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4

The lobby bar of Corbin and King's understated art deco hotel has impeccable service and top-notch tipples. 

The Bar at the Dorchester

The Bar at the Dorchester

  • 4 out of 5 stars

Swerve its menu of overpriced gin and tonics in favour of 'forgotten' classic cocktails – like the Ramos Fizz.

The Connaught Bar

The Connaught Bar

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 4 of 4

For luxury on a different level, get them to wheel over the martini trolley for one of London’s best drinking experiences. 

Dukes Bar

Dukes Bar

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4

For a single, mind-blowingly strong, heartbreakingly delicious cocktail head for Dukes, one of London’s true classic bars.

Pubs in Mayfair

The Punchbowl

The Punchbowl

Once part-owned by Guy Ritchie, this Mayfair pub and dining room is now in new hands. The ground floor pub serves a number of real ales and single-malt Scotch...

The Running Horse

The Running Horse

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

Situated just a few steps away from Bond Street station, The Running Horse is a venerable pub that first opened its doors in 1738, and the wood panelling,...

Guinea

Guinea

  • 3 out of 5 stars

‘Established 1675’ says the sign outside and, tucked down a sought-after Mayfair mews, this venerable establishment is truly a thoroughbred in the Young’s...

The best hotels in Mayfair

The Dorchester

The Dorchester

  • 5 out of 5 stars

The landmark 1930s Dorchester is all about timeless glamour, as its many famous guests would attest. 

Claridge’s

Claridge’s

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 4 of 4

Treat yourself to a stay in the famous hotel with starry clientele and an illustrious history.

Shopping in Mayfair

Dover Street Market

Dover Street Market

Moving to its Haymarket home has not lessened the magnificence of Rei Kawakubo’s ground-breaking multi-story store. With a beautiful array of stuffed birds and...

Hedonism Wines

Hedonism Wines

  • 5 out of 5 stars

Was there ever a better, or more apt, name for a high-end wine store? For Hedonism really is the ultimate in wine indulgence – two floors of the most...

Grays Antique Market

Grays Antique Market

Stalls in this smart covered market – housed in a terracotta building that was once a 19th-century lavatory showroom – sell everything from...

Pen Friend

Pen Friend

Stationery geeks take note – Pen Friend's selection of pens spans beautiful vintage fountain pens to handcrafted contemporary rarities of the like you'll never...

The perfect weekend in Mayfair

Eat: Scott’s

Eat: Scott’s

  • 4 out of 5 stars

Spot celebs and sup on oysters at this infamous — and appropriately pricey — Mayfair institution. 

Drink: Mr Fogg’s

Drink: Mr Fogg’s

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4

Kooky interiors and adventurous cocktails are on the menu at the ‘residence’ of fictional explorer Phileas Fogg.