Mayfair has long been one of London’s more ‘red flag’ neighbourhoods. Just one street over from friendly Soho, but spiritually a million miles away, Mayfair is where oligarchs rub cashmere shoulders, private galleries shift questionable art, and people deal in literal diamonds. London is already one of the most expensive cities in the world, but Mayfair can bankrupt you in seconds.
A Shift in Dining Culture
Despite all that money – or maybe because of it – restaurants in Mayfair have usually been more cringey than classy. The area is full of flashy tourist traps for those with more cash than sense, and bizarre boltholes for the super-rich. However, a new kind of Mayfair restaurant has been attracting regular Londoners back to the warren of Georgian lanes between Piccadilly and Oxford Street.
It began with New York Italian-inspired disco bistro The Dover, and its sassy little sibling, Dover Street Counter, which followed late last year. At both, the food isn’t as madly priced as you’d think, and the vibes are exceptional. Automat on Mount Street has followed suit, pushing the same martinis-and-fries aesthetic, and DakaDaka has impressed with its booming take on Georgian cuisine. New York import Carbone has also joined the party, and even Claridge’s has gotten in on the action, with historic West Village cafe Dante in permanent residence at the luxury hotel’s main bar and restaurant, and hipster baker Richard Hart in charge of the offering at the newly launched Claridge’s Bakery.
Of course, the uber-wealthy are still being catered for at new openings such as Carbone and Bonheur, as well as Ralph Lauren’s flashy Polo Bar import, which is set to launch in the space that was once Vogue House.
Accessible Yet Elegant
Before he founded The Dover, Martin Kuczmarski used to work with the Soho House group, meaning he knows what makes a game-changing hospitality force. Opening the restaurant in Mayfair was no accident, but an attempt to bring a little flair back to the area.
‘Back in the day, Mayfair was super elegant and sophisticated. But post-covid, lots of ‘nightclub’ restaurants opened up and changed the feel of the neighbourhood,’ he explains. ‘Having spent two years running The Dover, I realised there were a lot of interesting, young people based in Mayfair, with nowhere relevant to go after work, as most places are over-expensive and super flashy. So I asked myself – how nice would it be to create something accessible and a little playful, but still beautiful and elegant?’
Late last year, Dover Street Counter was born, launching just one door down from The Dover. Though food here isn’t exactly cheap, it’s certainly not expensive either. You can get a filling fried chicken sandwich for £17, or a huge plate of pasta for £18. You’ll likely spend the same amount on food here that you would at one of Hackney’s more buzzy small plates spots. So why not make an old-school night of it up west?
Pubs and Cocktails
If you know where to look for them, there’s also a gaggle of decent pubs in Mayfair. Long gone are the flatcaps and whippets of Lock Stock… director Guy Ritchie’s cockney cosplay at the Punch Bowl, the Mayfair pub he owned until 2013. Try instead Ye Grapes, a pleasingly old-school spot tucked away in what was Mayfair’s red light district until the 1970s, atmospheric Shepherd’s Market. There’s also the ramshackle Chequers Tavern and the louche Red Lion in Crown Passage, both just south of Piccadilly.
Want a cocktail? There’s the secret-ish No Regrets Lounge. Keeping very odd hours indeed (it’s only open weekdays, from 2-7pm), you’ll find this home to window-less martini flights underneath a jewellery shop in Burlington Arcade.
Conclusion
Mayfair’s swinging Beatles-and-Stones 1960s heyday is well in the past, but the much-pilloried Westminster neighbourhood might have finally shaken off some of its stuffiness. With a new wave of accessible yet elegant restaurants, bars, and pubs, Mayfair is luring back regular Londoners, proving that it can be cool again.
