British, Modern Restaurants in St James's
1. The American Bar
American restaurant in St James's
The Stafford, 16-18 Saint James's Place - SW1A
The “great vibe” created by its tranquil St James’s location and retro Americana helps create a feeling of luxurious nostalgia at this long-standing fixture. With the hotel catering now overseen by Northcote’s Lisa Goodwin-Allen, the menu has been usefully re-imagined in recent times and has a heartier, more distinctive US spin (steaks, dogs, pastrami rolls) than it did of old.
2. Maddox Tavern
British, Modern restaurant in Westminster
47 Maddox Street - W1S
“These very big premises were once a prestigious tailor’s” – then more recently a branch of the Browns brasserie chain – and are now “a pub-like restaurant in the middle of Mayfair”. Fans are impressed by “its competent realisation of a standard menu” of British classics. But service can be “somewhat patchy” and food can be “fairly average” as a result.
3. Seven Park Place
French restaurant in St James's
7-8 Park Pl - SW1
A “real favourite” of well-heeled foodies, this classy if relatively unsung Mayfair hotel dining room boasts in “William Drabble, the most underrated of chefs – and one of great longevity” after 15 years at the helm. There is an eight-course ‘Menu Gourmand’ (for £125), but also à la carte options (starting in the evening with a two-course meal for £82 – lunchtimes are cheaper).
4. Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, Flemings Mayfair Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
7-12 Half Moon Street - W1
Although this luxurious Mayfair hotel dates from the 1850s, its swish basement dining room owes its looks to the 1930s. Under chef Sofian Msetfi, the “fabulous” cuisine (choose either a 5 or 7-course ‘tasting’ option) continues to achieve high ratings with a recently awarded Michelin star and even the weakest report this year awarded “full marks for presentation and service”. “A friend of mine who swears not to visit hotel dining rooms granted it high praise after our dinner there!”
5. Bellamy’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
18-18a Bruton Place - W1
“A haven of calm in an ever-changing world”: “they cater for the most conservative of palates (and the deepest pockets)” at Gavin Rankin’s “old-school, brasserie-style restaurant in Mayfair” (which had the rare privilege of hosting the late Queen Elizabeth on a couple of occasions). Its Anglo-French fare is “super reliable, if not exciting” and service “immaculate”. “If you like the kind of place where you still need to dress up a bit, this is it”, but “the ambience is set by its older, quietly-spoken crowd: don’t visit if you are planning a loud-laughing night!”. Top Menu Tip – “good value lunch menu; and staples such as iced lobster soufflé, smoked eel mousse and steak tartare”.
6. 45 Jermyn St.
British, Modern restaurant in
45 Jermyn Street - SW1Y
With its many booths, Fortnum & Mason’s “comfortable” bar/restaurant (with its own, independent street entrance) provides a “discreet” and “decently located” venue that’s ideal for a St James’s light bite, meal, tea, coffee or cocktail; and is most often tipped as a handy option for a business get-together. Since its very promising launch in 2015, its ratings have waned, with its cooking increasingly judged “reliable but not spectacular”. Top Menu Tip – “breakfast is always a pleasure; go for the Welsh rarebit”.
7. Quaglino’s
British, Modern restaurant in St James's
16 Bury St - SW1
Thirty years ago, this vast basement – a 1929 ballroom which later fell on hard times to be rescued and relaunched with a tsunami of hype by the late Sir Terence Conran – was emblematic of the sweeping improvements in the capital’s dining out scene. Nowadays run under the flag of D&D London, it’s largely forgotten by the locals and most frequented for special occasions by out-of-towners and tourists, for whom its attractions include a large bar and regular live music. Reports on the food used to be awful, but have improved in recent years and although feedback on its posh-brasserie cuisine is limited it’s much more upbeat than it once was. Top Menu Tip – good value prix-fixe options for brunch (£39 for two courses, with bottomless bubbles for £35); and dinner Mon-Thu till 7pm then after 8.30pm (£38 for three courses and a glass of fizz).
8. Locket's
British, Modern restaurant in St James's
25 St James's Street - SW1A
2021 Review: The owners of Wilton’s and Franco’s launched this third establishment in November 2019 (bringing their average opening rate up to almost one restaurant a century!). It’s a casual, all-day café and evening wine bar in the now re-named, wackily 1960s former Economist Plaza in St James’s.
9. Amethyst
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
6 Sackville Street - W1S
2023 Review: Carlo Scotto, formerly of short-lived but excellent Xier (RIP), is the chef at this highly ambitious and heavily trailed Mayfair newcomer, which opened in May 2022 (too late for survey feedback) about nine months later than originally announced. It occupies a dramatic two-floor site near Green Park tube, where the main action surrounds a striking, zig-zag chef’s table on the ground floor seating 20 around an amethyst and quartz centrepiece, in view of the open kitchen. The 12-course tasting menu (£150) incorporates Nordic, Japanese, French and Arabic influences and one early fan was The Times’s Giles Coren, who – awarding it 27/30 – noted the meal’s “delicacy and dedication to detail”, with every dish “belaboured intensively at the pass by Mr Scotto”. In the ‘Wine Cellar’ basement seating 16, there’s also the option of a six-course menu.
10. The Keeper's House, Royal Academy
British, Modern restaurant in Piccadilly
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, - W1
2021 Review: In the bowels of the RA, this subterranean venue (with bar, garden and dining room) is praised by fans for providing “reliable food in a civilised space”. Typically for Peyton & Byrne though, it doesn’t impress everyone, with the odd report of some “terrible” dishes.
11. The Wolseley
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
160 Piccadilly - W1
“Reports of the death of The Wolseley are greatly exaggerated”. After a well-publicised boardroom battle in 2022 ousted its original co-founders, even though its long-term fans are “annoyed at the ousting of Christopher Corbin & Jeremy King”, there is “no evidence on the floor of any impact”: “it’s as good as it ever was (and just as full!”). This Continental-style Grand Café, near The Ritz (originally built as a car showroom, for which it is named) is celebrating its 20th year, and remains a hub of metropolitan living. The “impressive” and “always bustling” space is “one of the best dining rooms in London” and “if you want to wow a client or a foreigner, then bring them here”: it remains London’s No. 1 for business entertaining in our annual diners’ poll. Its “great menu of classics” is executed to a “solid and reliable” if “lacklustre” standard, but you “go for the overall package and peerless people watching, not the food”. The exception is “the most civilised breakfast anywhere on the planet” which is also our diners’ poll’s No. 1 choice in this category. The “varied menu, with something – and more – for everyone”, helps “elevate the occasion to a special level”; and it is also “a power scene” amongst business-types. Top Tip – afternoon tea is also “always impressive with its elegance and high standards”.
12. Stork Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
13-14 Cork Street - W1S
2022 Review: When it opened in April 2019, this heart-of-Mayfair restaurant aimed for a blend of British Modern cuisine with accents of West Africa, but nowadays a more confident Pan-African narrative is dominant, both in the styling and cooking. No survey reports as yet; online feedback has its ups and downs, but – for anyone interested in African cuisine – this is London’s most poshly located destination.
13. Charlie's at Brown’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle Street - W1S
“The great Jesus Adorno and his team (aided by his no. 2 Paul Stabbins) have brought the charm and atmosphere of the hugely missed Le Caprice” to this “very smooth operation” within Rocco Forte’s London flagship hotel, which fans say is “the new classiest place in town” (Adorno joined in 2021). It occupies a fine, panelled dining room that for traditionalists is “one of the loveliest in the capital”, complete with “marvellous spacious tables”. Since 2019, Adam Byatt (of Trinity, see also) has overseen the kitchen, which gives a modern spin to the preparation of top British ingredients: “wonderful” if not especially foodie. BREAKING NEWS: in early September 2023, it was announced that Jesus would be leaving Charlie’s to re-join Jeremy King in founding a new restaurant back on the site of Le Caprice (but under a different name). These will be big shoes to fill here…
14. Fallow St James's
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
52 Haymarket - SW1Y
To instant acclaim two years ago, Jack Croft and Will Murray transplanted their renowned Heddon Street residency, known for its “interesting” small plates, to this large (150-cover) site, with open kitchen, chef’s counter and bar, at the southern end of Haymarket. All accounts this year continue to vaunt its cooking and “fun” style, but ratings weakened across the board amidst a general feeling it risks becoming a victim of its own success: “it felt a bit rushed…”; “the food was good, but prices were crazy…” Top Tips – “smoked cod’s head? Yes please!”; and breakfast is now available here both weekends and weekdays, and is highly recommended.
15. Wild Honey St James
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
Sofitel, 8 Pall Mall - SW1Y
Anthony Demetre’s “combination of balance, tastes and textures” inspires fans of this “grand hotel dining room” off Trafalgar Square (“a far cry from his original restaurant of this name” in Mayfair). It’s most nominated for a “solid business lunch” although “the tasting menu is lovely” and also wins recommendations for it as a foodie destination in its own right. A setting that’s “classy” to supporters, though, can – to critics – seem “a little soulless”; and service doesn’t always live up to the occasion. Top Tip – “the set lunch and early evening menus offer excellent value”.
16. Langan’s Brasserie
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
Stratton Street - W1
Were it not still considered “outrageously expensive” in over 40% of reports, it might be easier to recommend this “well-located”, old-faithful brasserie (est. 1976). When it was relaunched under new ownership in late 2021, it was widely derided for its poor standards. But even though its cooking is still too often dismissed as “standard fodder”, overall feedback on its food improved this year, with fans praising its “menu to suit all tastes, including many traditional and down-to-earth dishes”. And anyway, cost-be-damned, it’s “still the haunt of the business lunch crowd” thanks to its “long-established, buzzy ambience” and handy location near The Ritz.
17. Ham Yard Restaurant, Ham Yard Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Soho
1 Ham Yd - W1
“A quiet oasis on the fringe of messy Soho” – this hotel comes complete with a cute and rather unexpected courtyard and makes a “great setting” for a “comfortable and reasonably priced afternoon tea”. The food at other times is “comforting but not exciting”, although the set menu offers “good value for pre-theatre dining”.
18. Farzi Cafe
Indian restaurant in Westminster
8 Haymarket - SW1Y
2021 Review: In the heart of the West End, this decidedly glam yearling scored better in our survey than the mixed rep it received in press reviews. The first UK outpost of a 30-strong international chain hailing from India and the Gulf, its repertoire of tapas-y offerings are very much of the funky, evolved school of Indian cuisine, and reporters salivate over “an amazing choice of inventive dishes” that are “far better than you would expect” in this touristy locale.
19. HIDE
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
85 Piccadilly - W1J
2023 Review: Fans say it’s “nicer eating on the ground floor than being restricted to the much more expensive tasting menu upstairs” at this glossy landmark, opposite Green Park. Open from early morning, it’s “an unusual but sophisticated haunt for breakfast in the heart of Mayfair”. And, as with upstairs, “the availability of Hedonism Wines via a tablet, means the wine list has more toys than Hamleys!”
20. AW, Westbury Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
37 Conduit St - W1
2021 Review: “Outstanding cooking, with first-class service” consistently hits the bullseye at this relatively unsung venue, tucked away at the back of a luxury Mayfair hotel. There’s a “thoughtful” approach to the meal, with “chefs coming out to tell you about dishes” – while some diners are “invited into the kitchen to meet Alyn”. It’s a “very comfortable” set-up and “the space between tables is incredible by modern restaurant standards, which creates the intimacy that a romantic meal requires”. And, especially at lunch, the elegant room’s lack of windows and natural light adds to the cocooning nature of the experience.
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