The best restaurants in Mayfair

At Mount St Restaurant there are 200 world-class pieces of art, worth a combined total of £50 million. Before you get to exec chef Jamie Shears’s outrageously good menu of elevated trad British dining classics, this five-floor palace is well worth a gawp. Mount St is the first London-based project from Artfarm, a hospitality group founded by the same folk behind the hugely respected gallerists Hauser & Wirth. Food is elevanted British trad classics. Sensational. 

The name Bibi, which means ‘lady of the house’ in Urdu, is a tribute to chef-patron Chet Sharma’s grandmothers, who inspired his cooking. The Kashmiri fabric on the walls and bar stools is a nod to their shawls. And the food is influenced by his travels around India. But don’t expect vindaloos and bhajis. Instead prepare for an exploration of traditional fine-dining Indian cooking. Come for the Lahori chicken served with a cashew-and-yoghurt-whey sauce.

Reopening at the end of 2023, and taken back in-house after two decades, Claridge’s Restaurant finally seems comfortable in its own skin. At the helm is Coalin Finn, serving up trad British classics that are deft as they are expensive. Go for black truffle buckwheat crumpets, gleaming turbot, or spectacular grilled lobster – totally shelled and bracingly nude. It’s an all-day dining joint, so if you want a more pocket-friendly experience, then swing by for breakfast and grab a stunner of a scallop and bacon muffin.

We happen to think that Angela Hartnett’s flagship is Mayfair’s least stuffy fine-dining restaurant. Yes, there are beautifully dressed tables and carpets so thick you’d slip out of your shoes if only they were Manolo Blahniks, but the focus is resolutely on the good times: cue generous portions of big-flavoured Italian dishes, ferried by smiling, down-to-earth staff. (Psst: the set lunch is fabulous.)

Forever the flashiest gal in the town, The Ritz's Michelin-starred dining room contains stiletto-swallowing carpets adorned with giant roses, floral swags and crystal chandeliers draped from the ceiling, and massive pink marble columns. Camp? A bit. The ‘Epicurean’ tasting menu is the done thing at The Ritz, either five or seven courses of the best British ingredients, cooked with French precision and flair. It comes at a hefty price, but you'll also get to lavish in the staff’s exceptional timing and sleek tableside manner in one of the world's most famous hotels.

At this luxe Indian, whirring ceiling fans, sepia sporting photos and exotic, medicinal-style punches recall a colonial world heady with privilege (happily minus the ideological racism). The food is fittingly decadent: beautifully cooked, modern renditions of regional Indian dishes, with a strong emphasis on game and ingredients cooked in the tandoor. And you thought your local takeaway was a treat.

We would be remiss not to mention upfront that the omakase offering at Sushi Kanesaka is priced at £420. This is Mayfair sushi at Mayfair prices, but a meal at Sushi Kanesaka has the power to transport you to Japan. With seventeen courses in total, each is a work of art. There's Cornish crab with junsai (watershield), and negi toro maki (tuna with green onion hand roll) as well as grilled Kobe beef with wasabi. Premium stuff.

Tapas fans prepare to cheer loudly. After years as executive chef at Barrafina, Spanish queen bee Nieves Barragán Mohacho is now presiding over her first solo gaff – a highly distinctive setup spread over two floors (small-plate counter fun downstairs, regional wood-fired feasting upstairs). The food’s all-round flawless with a noticeable rustic edge: don’t swerve the plumped-up, just-runny salt-cod tortilla – it’s sheer eggy bliss.

This cosy velvet-clad homage to eighteenth-century courtesan Kitty Fisher is on the money, delivering zesty, up-to-the-minute cooking. Much like its namesake, a visit to Kitty’s boudoir will put a big smile on your face – if you don’t mind paying for the privilege, that is.

Everyone knows lunch at this paparazzi-magnet is replete with celeb rubber-necking. But what of the food? Well, it’s insanely good, as long as you like fish: from spanking fresh crustacea and cognac-laced shellfish bisque to peerless Dover sole. Trying to eat here cheaply is futile, but the fact that prices represent value for money goes some way to excusing excesses.

Yannick Alléno is the second most-awarded Michelin star chef that’s ever donned whites, but despite global renown and decades in the business, Pavyllon is his first ever London restaurant. Unsurprisingly, considering the location and name above the door, his French classics made with the best British ingredients are eye-wateringly expensive. But if you have the cash to splash, then the likes of steamed cheddar soufflé with watercress coulis and bacon butter or king crab in farmhouse cream infused with blackcurrant sage in a kombu broth are unlike anything you've ever tasted before.

Like the rest of this luxe Mayfair extravaganza, Sketch’s velvet-clad dandy-esque Gallery is a lesson in more-is-more eclecticism, complete with semi-permanent exhibitions from high-profile artists such as David Shrigley and Yinka Shonibare. You can come here for a thrillingly creative dinner, but afternoon tea in this decadent boudoir is one of the quirkiest in town – especially if you fancy cosying up in wintertime.

Freshly shucked oysters steal the show at Richard Corrigan’s immensely civilised and carefully polished seafood veteran – especially if you’re grazing at the marble-topped ground-floor bar or carousing alfresco on the chic, heated-and-covered terrace. Otherwise, head upstairs for old-fashioned service, clubby wood-and-leather cosiness and unfussy plates of pristine seafood in the more formal Grill restaurant – don’t miss the fish pie.

Midas-touch Jason Atherton’s Michelin-starred Mayfair flagship promises near-perfect fine dining without overegging the formality. British ingredients form the backbone of a seasonal menu that picks up influences from Spain, Japan and elsewhere, while the setting speaks of smart, sleek and unfussy sophistication. Well-drilled staff are some of the most professional in the business, and the globetrotting wine list is a real corker.

Jamavar’s vibe suggests a smart gentlemen’s club, but don’t let that put you off. What makes it worth a serious punt is the Michelin-starred food, a succession of luscious, delicately spiced small plates bursting with purity and depth of flavour – we’re still salivating over the succulent lobster tail served with sambar and idli dumplings on the side. Yes, Jamavar is pricey, but it’s worth the outlay.

If the stodgy pomposity of some Mayfair restaurants leaves you cold, head to the Air Street branch of steak specialists Hawksmoor. This is damn fine dining without head-up-arse pretentiousness: the low-lit interior is stylish yet comfortable, the service smooth as polished soapstone without being sycophantic, and the food (a mixture of turf and surf here) well worth the dosh.

It’s love at first whiff once you step inside this casual offshoot of swish Jamavar. There’s plenty of bustle and noisy chatter too, while the fragrance and smoky aromas speak of killer Indian cooking. Our current faves? The Goan-style stone bass tikka and the moist, chunky lamb biryani. Bombay Bustle is also darned affordable by Mayfair standards – and it’s great fun.

This timeless favourite is to the jet-set what Pizza Express is to hoi polloi: a culinary comfort blanket when travelling abroad (except its branches are only found in ultra-glam destinations). Cecconi’s is a consummate crowd-pleaser whose white-jacketed staff ensure everything runs with minimum fuss so that you can concentrate on its excellent Italian classics while counting the Ferraris and facelifts.

A great escape from the West End’s shopping bedlam, calming Chisou is an unobtrusive shoo-in for aficionados of pure-bred traditional Japanese cuisine. There’s excellent sushi-grazing for singletons who pitch up at the counter, but izakaya-style sharing is the way to go amid the harmonious neutrality of the blond-wood dining room. We’re talking chawan mushi ‘custard’, hijiki quinoa salad, salted mackerel teriyaki, and so on. 

This Indian dining institution is proof that good things come to those who wait (it received a Michelin gong 90 years after opening). If you’re expecting staid, however, think again: old Veera styles it out with quirk and class. The food is perfectly spiced: don’t miss the celebrated signatures or the veggie sides.

Like a sleeper-cell KGB spy, this Russian-backed steakhouse is more American than meeting your therapist for a wiener on Madison Avenue. The mahogany and leather interiors set the scene for deluxe gustatory spoils: Brixham crab on toast followed by a Wagyu rib-eye with truffle chips, plus a cookie and caramel sundae for afters. You get the picture, and we know you want to be in it.

Even a wee in The Connaught’s loo is the ultimate treat, so dinner at its flagship restaurant is worthy of only fantastically special occasions. This being three-Michelin-star dining, your Primarni handbag will be rested reverently on an upholstered footstool by solicitous staff (awks), and the size of the delicacy-laden dishes will be inversely proportional to the enormity of the bill.

You’ll probably spot more celebs at the Berkeley St offshoot, but Nobu’s Park Lane original is the connoisseurs’ choice thanks to its classier vibe and sensational sushi. However, you don’t have to spend like a WAG or a reality TV star when you’re here – the lunchtime bento box is a cheaper route to your black cod fix. Sit at the bar for people-watching fun.

This Audley Street spot is swisher than swish. The menu talks of ‘pristine’ fish, which naturally means a high price tag (remember, we’re in Mayfair) but also equals some seriously top drawer fruits de la mer. Their staggeringly long ‘tin list’ might sound like a gimmick, but it’s done with such dedication it’s hard to not be impressed. They’re mostly from Spain and Portugal, and there are almost 100 different kinds available, from razor clams in brine to spiced squid in ragout.

Oh, the luxury. The marble bar! The baby grand! The honey-gold lighting! The starched tablecloths and bottom-caressing chairs! God, Corrigan’s is a turn-on. The dishes are, too, highlighting the best of British and Irish cooking. Although spending your way through the a la carte is easy, set lunches and Sunday roasts have slightly more come-hither prices.

A £18 burger is a bargain in Mayfair – especially when it’s one of this calibre, and the fries are included. But for our money, the best-value dish is still the lobster part of the B&L equation. We also love this offshoot of the Goodman steakhouse chain for its energy, unpretentiousness and excellent cocktails.

Like its Fitzrovia sibling, Hakkasan Mayfair is slick, sleek and sexy – a high-end Cantonese restaurant that turns heads and sets pulses racing in a moody high-groove basement. The food may be Michelin-starred but it’s less showstopping than you might expect for the price – although signature stunners such as the jasmine tea-smoked ribs (now served off the bone) are still perfection on a plate.

With testimonies from the likes of George Clooney and Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page, long-serving Ikeda is a cut above in the celebrity stakes – although conservative businessmen have no qualms about bringing clients here. This place is old school (affable super-polite staff, inoffensive trad decor, lofty prices), but consistency is the order of the day whether you’re after sushi, sashimi, tempura or soba noodles.   

Super-sumptuous and hyper-exclusive, Ormer resides within a luxuriously appointed basement room beneath Flemings Mayfair. Come here for classic fine dining, with seasonal British produce, fresh seafood and foraged herbs. Veggie tasting menus means nobody misses out on the fun.