When it comes to finding a restaurant that leaves you not only satiated, but also enamoured with the ambience, the service, the victuals, and longing to return as soon as you’ve left, London is an excellent place to begin your search. The upscale neighbourhood of Mayfair, specifically, is bursting with gems offering dining from all over the world.
When you find yourself in search of your next great meal, whether it’s for a sumptuous Sunday Roast, some stunning seafood or delightful Indian cuisine that will truly transport you, here are five of the best restaurants in Mayfair for some awesome autumn dining.
Kanishka by Atul Kochhar – for the most delicious fine dining Indian cuisine
Famed chef Atul Kochhar certainly knows his stuff after spending 30 years on the London restaurant scene and being the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin Star in 2001. Kanishka by Atul Kochhar opened in 2019 and utilises this expertise alongside executive chef Ashok Kumar’s to offer seasonal menus that reinterpret traditional regional recipes with modern flair, using the freshest British produce.
Be sure to grab one of Kanishka’s signature cocktails at the bar – such as the Tandoori Pineapple Rum Punch or a Kanishka Kiss – before heading to your table for some of the most delicious fine dining Indian cuisine that London has to offer. Choose from a la carte, a set menu, the weekend brunch menu or Kanishka tasting menu – with festive, kids and special events menus included too – and enjoy a range of sumptuous, modern Indian dishes that are sure to set your tastebuds alight.
Dishes include the speciality chicken tikka pie served with a spring berry chutney; jal tarang – scallop, chicken jus, hazelnut and crispy chicken skin; meen mappas – pan fried sea bass with coconut, curry leaf and garlic sauce enriched with caviar; and lobster caldine – butter poached lobster, monks bread, masala uttapam, caviar with coastal Goan sauce.
Jeru – for the best Mediterranean food in London with a difference
If you’re missing the delights of the Mediterranean shores this autumn, get yourself over to Jeru on Berkeley Street and be transported with acclaimed chef Roy Ner’s reimagined regional cuisine that showcases authentic and timeless flavours through fresh and flavoursome food. Expect great service and a fun and fulfilling experience, wherever you are across the three floors.
By day, pop to the bakery for some freshly baked bread, cakes and salad, to eat in or takeaway, before it turns into a chic wine bar where you can tuck into small plates and sip on vintage wines from all over the world. Layla at Jeru, meanwhile, is the place to go for a fun-filled night sipping on cocktails and tucking into sharing platters with friends as you while away the hours listening to the tunes of a live DJ, from Thursday to Saturday.
Jeru itself is the main event, with an open kitchen to watch the chef’s cooking your order over a charcoal grill or wood fired oven; a fish market displaying an impressive range of ethically caught seafood to choose from; and delightful dishes to dine on like chocolate fed Wagyu ribeye steak, the renowned halloumi doughnuts with goats’ curd, lemon and truffle honey, or spiced monkfish with chilli, herbs and heritage tomato dressing.
Park Corner Brasserie – for the capital’s best Sunday Roast
Sitting on the edge of Mayfair, next to glorious Hyde Park, Park Corner Brasserie in London Hilton Park Lane is the ideal spot for tucking into some delicious dishes, whether it’s for a hearty Sunday Roast, a celebratory lunch or simply an everyday treat. Executive head chef Jean-Didier Gouges has created a series of menus designed to please all, with a weekday set menu, Sunday Roast, a la carte, kids menu and even a picnics menu – to take some treats to the park – to choose from.
Whatever you do, don’t miss out on one of the Sunday Roasts – a sharing whole roast chicken, roast scotch beef fillet or a cranberry, chestnut and pomegranate stuffed butternut squash come with a Yorkshire pudding and a choice of two sides with plenty more to choose from including creamed celeriac, lobster mac and cheese, baked cauliflower and cheese, and corn ribs with lime, chilli salt and barbecue sauce.
FishWorks Swallow Street – for some of the finest seafood in the capital
With three locations across London – Swallow Street, Marylebone and Covent Garden – FishWorks is conveniently placed to offer seafood lovers an array of sumptuous treats, from gourmet cod and chips to South Coast scallops to whole lobster thermidor. Despite the restaurants’ name and reputation, it’s not just the seafood that delights here, as the desserts and also the selection of small-batch wines from sommelier Tim McLaughlin-Green pair perfectly with whatever marine delights you choose from the menu.
For a treat, opt for the FishWorks tasting platter for two – a three-tiered selection of crispy fried fish, grilled seabass, wild prawns, scallops and sea bream, fresh oysters, mussels, clams, Devon crab and crevettes on ice. Finish with a fresh lemon tart, espresso panna cotta, apple and raspberry crumble or a cheeseboard and port.
If you can’t get enough of the quality offerings that are on the menu, be sure to head to the in-store fishmonger to get your hands on the latest catch – you can even order online and collect from one of the restaurants on the same day.
The Punch Bowl – for London’s best gastro pub food
One of Mayfair’s oldest pubs, having been built in 1750, The Punch Bowl knows what it’s doing when it comes to providing diners with exquisite food and drink in an elegant setting at its dining room, Judy’s. This isn’t your typical local pub, though you can expect to find a great selection of craft beers, classic cocktails, fine wines and spirits to pair with the dishes on the menus.
British produce, prepared simply is the order of the day here, but don’t let this pared back approach fool you into thinking that you won’t be dining on some fantastic fare. From oysters to an aubergine and chickpea Thali style ‘pub curry’ to English Rose veal schnitzel with fried duck egg and a caper sauce, to an ox cheek and bone marrow pie, your tastebuds will be truly set alight.
