Best restaurants in Mayfair: where to eat and drink

Milos – for luxurious Mediterranean seafood

Milos’s concept is gloriously unique. Entered by imposing wooden doors the formal room is dominated by Grecian urns and grand marble features, and is lively at lunchtimes with business execs from Mayfair and St James, and a glamorous international set at dinner.

Each table is guided by a ‘Captain’ through its signature market display of colourful, just-caught fish from the Med and more local shores. While British turbot and sole might be familiar, varieties such as balada, fagri and barbouni are less so, and each one is described in term of texture, intensity of flavour and cooking technique.

This includes a raw bar of oysters, carabinero shrimp and jumbo Madagascan prawns, and sashimi-grade tuna. You might start with a tartare of magiatiko with chilli, lime and micro herbs, and signature tower of courgette and aubergine served with kefalograviera cheese and tzatziki; move onto a mid-course of Greek salad before whole grilled snapper with steamed wild greens, lemon and olive oil. estiatoriomilos.com/location/london/

NIJŪ – Japanese steak and sushi with a contemporary edge

Endo Kazutoshi, arguably London’s most esteemed sushi master, is behind this new Mayfair Japanese grill, with exec chef Chris Golding overseeing the menu day to day. Careful sourcing, luxe ingredients and well-honed kitchen skills create a unique menu inspired by ‘Katei Ryōri’: homecooked, seasonal dishes, some – like dover sole, asparagus and nori butter – served tableside. Wagyu, that most highly-prized beef, is sourced from Japan and England, cooked simply over Japanese charcoal and offered with fresh wasabi and yuzu salsa verde. Sashimi includes indulgent cuts like otoro (fatty tuna) served classic style or with a contemporary NIJŪ twist – ‘aburi’ (seared) with caviar. Vegetables are treated with equal care, from grilled aubergine with white sesame dressing to spicy spinach with sobacha (buckwheat tea). A sushi counter and glass panel revealing all the kitchen action add to the buzzy atmosphere. The basement Nipperkin bar uses British ingredients, some grown and distilled on site in its hyper-seasonal cocktail list. nijulondon.com

The Guinea Grill – pub classics and premium steaks

Recently reopened after a revamp, this gorgeous restaurant and pub is tucked away down a quiet side road behind New Bond Street. This institution is every bit the great British pub with its tartan carpets and wood-panelled walls. Try the prawn and crayfish cocktail for a delicious retro starter. For your main, though it serves pub classics such as homemade pies, it is well known for its steaks. It has used the same premium butcher for 60 years, for tender, dry-aged steaks, and the knowledgeable staff will give you expert advice on how each cut should be cooked to ensure the optimal experience. We loved the pancetta confit potatoes and creamed spinach, served alongside the steak. The wine list to complement the meal is vast but let the wait staff guide you, or go the whole hog and ask for some wine pairings with your meal – we tried a gorgeous white from Austria. Round off a special meal with a decadent banana sticky toffee pudding, served with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream. If you’re not quite ready to leave the warm embrace, you can roll to the pub side and enjoy a perfectly poured Guinness, too. theguinea.co.uk

UMU – Michelin-starred Kyoto cuisine

Opening in 2004 and thriving 20 years later is testament to UMU’s unique offering – inspired by Kyoto cuisine, using British ingredients such as fish sourced from Cornwall and Welsh lamb. Behind a discreet doorway in Mayfair’s Bruton Place, the dark wood-panelled room is lit to emphasise the sushi masters at work at the counter, carving, chopping and grating fresh wasabi. There is more theatre on the plate with premium ingredients like high-grade wagyu served à la minute, which arrives smoking at the table; the salty-sweet and glistening eel kabayaki, and a cute dessert: Charamisu Mayfair garden Japanese seasonal tiramisu, with a mini watering can to sprinkle over sake. Select a wine or sake pairing for the full experience. umurestaurant.com

Akira Back – for playful riffs on Japanese cuisine

Akira Back, well known in the USA for his playful approach to Japanese cuisine, is influenced by both his travels and Korean heritage. Dishes are made to share and flavours are bold. Try the signature tuna sashimi pizza, rich with truffle oil; mini tacos filled with wagyu bulgogi; rock shrimp with creamy gochujang; black miso cod; and finish with sushi rolls like Hot Mess – sashimi poke, crab tempura and spicy ponzu aïoli. A lighter starter of yellowtail jalapeño with citrussy yuzu, is a highlight. On the inventive wine list try Smiley NV, a South African chenin blanc blend which pairs well with sushi. The triple-height room, with one wall dominated by spectacular artwork by Akira’s mother, and glass ceiling, makes it light-filled at lunch, twinkling at night. mandarinoriental.com/en/london/mayfair/dine/akira-back

Murano – for elegant Italian

After a short closure and 15th anniversary celebration redesign, Angela Hartnett’s Michelin-starred contemporary Italian restaurant has reopened. George Ormond has taken the reigns as head chef and worked with Angela to create a selection of new regional Italian dishes. Fold out the green and pink menus to build your own three-to-six course menu (or go at lunchtime for the great-value set lunch, £55 for three courses). Chef’s appetisers from the kitchen (gorgonzola and pickled walnut choux bun, spindly grissini, sun-dried tomato-studded focaccia) make an extra treat best enjoyed with a classic negroni. Menu highlights include agnolotti parcels filled with provolone and puréed smoked potato, chicken tortellini scooped up from a clear, nourishing broth and a unique play on the classic tonnata using fried monkfish slices on a fennel salad lifted with veal jus. For dessert, try the chocolate marquise’s elegant layers topped with a PX sherry reduction or the signature silky Amalfi lemon tart in a delicate puff pastry casing. Supreme Italian wine pairings, unpretentious yet informed service and a hushed living room atmosphere make this a truly elegant Italian dining experience. muranolondon.com

Abajo – for a Colombian fusion chef's table experience

Colombian chef Miller Prada cooks over fire in his Japanese-Colombian fine dining restaurant, Humo (see review below). Downstairs at intimate chef’s table experience, Abajo, there’s space for ten diners, who chefs and sommeliers take on an evocative journey through the regions, communities and culinary tapestry of Colombia. The menu is split into five chapters, each spotlighting a hero ingredient. Corn, for example, is baked into a biscuit topped with grilled corn, its silk dried and fried to garnish trout mousse-stuffed morels and the husk fermented to make miso. Elsewhere, Mediterranean blue fin tuna tops a traditional plantain and coconut tamale, pressed East Sussex quail is charred in shallot ashes and Kagoshima beef brisket is slow-cooked in sugarcane honey reduction. To finish, Merinda tomato is presented in a fresh and delicate dessert medley of gels, ice cream, coal-torched meringue and choux buns. A delicate Japanese rice vodka cocktail kicks things off while wine pairings span south America, Spain, Italy and beyond. A velvet pouch of Colombian coffee beans to take away with the menu is a touching souvenir of a special evening. abajolondon.com

Humo – cooking over coals with Colombian and Japanese influences

Sit at the counter – effectively the pass – for prime interaction with Colombian chef Miller Prada, whose cooking combines his South American roots with the skills and passion he gained for Japanese techniques and ingredients working with mentor Endo Kazutoshi. Fire cooking and dry ageing of fish and meat are at the heart of the restaurant. The laid-back team will introduce you to new discoveries which might include eight-day-aged yellowtail with citrus sauce and the more surprising addition of a Castillo coffee sauce from Miller’s family farm; subtle smoky flavours in everything from the refreshing house salad of smoked Cornish Agria potatoes, wild rocket, Tokyo turnips, miso to Orkney scallop in 20-year-old oaked rum and 31-day-aged Cornish lamb in beetroot sauce. Thrillingly unique. humolondon.com

Sabor, Heddon Street – for authentic tapas vibes

With a friendly service style and nods to Andalucían tapas bars (colourful tiles, high tables), Nieves Barragán Mohacho and José Etura have nailed the authentic feel of bars found all over Spain. Wait in the lively brick-walled bar area and whet your appetite with mushroom croquetas and cured presa Iberica. Charismatic José will then seat you at a counter overlooking the open kitchen, where conversation with the Spanish chefs is encouraged. Sabor means ‘flavour’ in Spanish, and there’s plenty of that in the restaurant’s small plates – tiny deep-fried shrimp served with a crispy, paprika-dusted fried egg, golden croquetas and chubby mussels ‘a la Bilbaina’ slurped up a light sauce of tomatoes, sherry, sherry vinegar and herbs. Sobrasada, the soft paprika sausage from Menorca, come in a rusty rubble on top of lightly crushed new potatoes, bobbing in a garlic cream. Desserts tick every box – chocolatey bombas, sharp and creamy rhubarb and mascarpone tartlets, and an inspired goat’s cheese ice cream with a liquorice sauce rounded off a perfect meal. The all-Spanish wine list begins with txakoli, the lightly effervescent Basque wine that’s poured from a dramatic height. Or try fresh and zingy rosé with a touch of red fruit, along with a couple of saline fino sherries. There’s vermouth on tap, too! saborrestaurants.co.uk

Socca – for Provençal cuisine

The food of the Côte d’Azur is known for its sunshine and chic, effortless vibes, elements captured exactly in Mayfair’s Socca. The palette of pastels and baby blue inside and out, art from local artists and waiters are decidedly French, and the menu reflects that, too. Informed by Claude Bosi’s memories of eating the food in the south of France as a child, fish and seafood is celebrated, the aperitif menu is plentiful and, of course, there’s the namesake socca – a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. soccabistro.com

The Connaught Patisserie by Nicolas Rouzaud – for perfect patisserie

French pastry chef Nicolas Rouzaud’s patisserie is a chic cocoon of blush pink, crystal and marble in the heart of Mayfair. Level up on your morning pain au chocolat with Camille Kenny-Ryder’s inventive trio au chocolat, a stunning striped pastry encasing three batons of dark, white and gianduja milk Swiss chocolate. Dip a warm lime madeleine into a coffee for elevenses or pair perfectly formed patisserie with a glass of Billecart-Salmon champagne come afternoon – we love the pistachio-studded éclair, bright apricot cheesecake and crisp, frilly hazelnut paris-brest.

Caviar Kaspia – for caviar decadence

Unique in terms of vibe and menu, an international crowd flock to this former private club now open to everyone who can afford its luxe offering. Decadent in every way, the jewel box room with dramatic artwork hums with anticipation as champagne flows and diners browse the menu of caviar-topped dishes. Highlights include tagliolini in a champagne cream sauce and Instagram-friendly, completely indulgent – and delicious – baked potato, designed to savour and share. There’s tableside service in a smoked salmon and blini starter, two oversized blinis draped with salmon and sandwiched together with crème fraîche. Pudding features a cocoa sponge with ricotta, served in a caviar tin and topped with beads of coffee ‘caviar’. caviarkaspialondon.com

Taku – for omakase dining

The capital is currently enthralled by the intimacy and theatre of omakase dining; where, in sleekly designed counter-dining cocoons, highly skilled chefs prepare seasonal tasting menus for attentive diners. Chef Takuya Watanabe bagged a Michelin star within four months of opening this Mayfair 16-seater. Using mainly British produce, he is creating some of the city’s most elegant, flavourful hot seafood dishes and sushi. Tasting menu from £160pp; takumayfair.com

Sparrow Italia – for luxe modern Italian

This plush modern Italian incorporates Med twists into its smart menu. Set over three floors with a secluded courtyard on the first, the menu presents luxe versions of classics including A5 wagyu carpaccio with pickled mushrooms and truffle, and lobster linguine with aqua pazza. sparrowitalia.com

Isabel – for impressing your date

From its luxe grill dishes, including a Galician ex-dairy côte de boeuf or a sharing Cornish dover sole with creamed spinach, preserved lemon and brown butter, to its silk jacquard wall coverings, golden ceiling and bar, this glamorous Mayfair restaurant is guaranteed to wow any date. After dinner, the beats purr, as DJs take guests through until 3am, both in the restaurant and the Dragon Room bar, downstairs. Isabel’s innovative cocktail list includes the Rosetta, a take on the French 75, garnished with a rose petal and dehydrated lychee. isabelw1.london

BiBi's Mayfair – for contemporary Indian sharing plates

Head chef Chet Sharma’s selection menu is the must-try at his intimate Mayfair restaurant, comprising a dozen sharing plates using produce from the UK and India created with sustainability at its core. Formerly development chef of the JKS group (Gymkhana, Trishna, Brigadiers, etc), Sharma’s BiBi – an affectionate term for a grandmother in parts of India – is the realisation of his dream to open his own restaurant. To snack on, tangy Wookey Hole cheese papads have a melting yet crunchy texture; creamy Carlingford oyster pachadi is a refreshing segue to sweet, spicy, salty and sour chaats, including nashpati bhel – grains topped with a crunchy frozen pear granita – and Raw Belted Galloway beef pepper fry, hot with lots of black pepper. From the counter, marvel at the theatre of chefs grilling on the sigree: aged Swaledale lamb chops, as soft as butter, with a subtle smokiness. And our star among many stars, Sharmaji’s Lahori chicken: gorgeously tender chicken breast with a delicate creamy sauce made with whey that has been reduced to the point of caramelisation and then mixed with ground cashews and spices. Then finish with choc-ice-on-a-stick-style kulfis. bibirestaurants.com

Mount St. Restaurant — for London classics

On the first floor of The Audley, the Mayfair landmark pub transformed by Artfarm, Mount St Restaurant has bold, timeless style in its light-flooded dining room. There’s art on every surface, from the floor to laden walls, including feature pieces such as Still Life with White Carbs by Keith Tyson. Chef Jamie Shears’s menu of London classics includes lobster pie, and lamb and beef are sourced from Durslade, its farm in Somerset. mountstrestaurant.com

Pavyllon — for modern French cuisine

No one does comfort like a five-star hotel, and French chef Yannick Alléno has settled into the Four Seasons in London with the full weight of his 15 Michelin stars. Pavyllon (an outpost of the Paris restaurant of the same name) is run by executive chef Andy Cook when Yannick is away. There’s a huge counter overlooking the open kitchen – sit here for the drama. Try the curry man’ouché; the warm potatoes glazed with lovage mayo, with kombu broth, seaweed and cucumber; and the lamb (recipe, right). Plus, Bar Antoine’s cocktail list by Michele Lombardi can be enjoyed with a bar menu. pavyllonlondon.com

Apricity — for low-waste, seasonal cooking

Unlike so many box-ready restaurants, chef-owner Chantelle Nicholson wanted Apricity to be “not just sustainable but restorative, a closed-loop of use and re-use”. It’s an aim that requires effort – foraging nettles and hazelnuts in urban London, designing low-waste cocktails, using up-cycled and repurposed furniture – and imaginative flexibility. Day to day, chef Eve Seemann executes dishes such as Cornish mackerel and Shetland mussels with sambal butter and pickled pear, or crispy sprouts with spent-beer vinegar and rosemary. Meanwhile, Chantelle, who first made her name at Tredwells, manages green energy issues, waste-minimal menu planning or gluts of hyper-seasonal produce from suppliers. Many of these hand-picked small producers practise “regenerative farming”, a buzz-term for traditional techniques that nurture diverse, natural landscapes and improve soil health. apricityrestaurant.com

Bar des Pres — for high-class Asian-French hybrid

Leading French chef Cyril Lignac has opened this sleek London outpost of his Parisian Bar des Prés in Mayfair, serving an all-day sharing menu from lunch till late. Key seats are around the counter where sushi chefs prepare Insta-friendly dishes which deliver on flavour, too, such as the signature crunchy crab and avocado galette Madras curry. Other highlights include crispy sushi salmon with chipotle mayo; satay beef fillet with lime and a silky mash potato with vanilla. Desserts, particularly the generous millefeuille with praline, are equally camera-friendly. A lemongrass-spiked margarita, made with mezcal and tequila rimmed with black salt, is the star of the cocktail list. More than two of you? Choose a booth or the high table nearer the entrance. bardespres.com

Stork – for Pan-African dishes

Situated in the centre of the artistic hub of London’s Mayfair, Stork proudly represents an authentic interpretation of Pan-African cuisine. Its post-pandemic reopening celebrates its reimagined concept, described as “a migration of flavour and culture”. The “flavour” is prepared by a team that boasts a world-class repertoire, led by highly regarded head chef Taalib Adanse and senior sous chef (and former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist) William Chilila. The menu takes you on a culinary journey, having been influenced by cuisines from across the African continent as well as its diaspora. The North African ras el hanout goat beignet, Ghanaian red red with plantain, Jamaican jerk spatchcock poussin and Nigerian puff puff sundae are examples of such influences. An extensive drinks menu supports the food with cocktails from £13 and a wine list featuring Gavi di Gavi at £12 a glass. storkrestaurant.com

Madhu's of Mayfair – for Indian dishes with a Kenyan twist in a sumptuous setting

‘Special occasion’ are the first words that spring to mind when you walk into the ornate dining room of Madhu’s of Mayfair, complete with enormous chandeliers, rococo-style architecture and marble tables. But far from feeling formal, the vibe is fun and friendly, bustling with birthday parties, tourists and after-work businessfolk. The design is the vision of Madhu’s founder Sanjay Anand, who wanted to "create an experience which engages each of the senses – not just taste".

The food comes from creative chef Poonam Ball – Sanjay’s sister. She oversees the menus of the Madhu group’s four restaurants. It’s Indian, but with a Kenyan twist, including recipes handed down through four generations from her Nairobi-born mother Krishna and her father Jagdish Kumar Anand (nicknamed Madhu). Choose the signature dishes: palak patta chaat, a pile of crunchy marsh samphire and crispy spinach with warming spices and tangy chutneys; nyamah choma, succulent prime cut lamb ribs marinated in chilli and lemon; and Madhu’s machi's – whole seabass in an onion and carom seed marinade – which is ‘special occasion’ luxurious. madhus.co.uk

José Pizarro at Royal Academy of Arts — for daytime tapas in central London gallery

Chef José Pizarro’s beautiful new Mayfair outpost is a reflection of the chef’s lifelong love of art. With high ceilings and wood-panelling this light-filled room at Royal Academy of Arts is the ideal daytime spot to enjoy a quick glass of manzanilla and some acorn-fed cinco jotas jamón or a long, lazy lunch. Among José classics such as croquetas, pan con tomate, chorizo al vino and prawns with garlic and chilli are some new additions, including the must-order truffle and Ermenesada cheese toasted sandwich. On the ground floor he has also opened the walk-in Poster Bar, selling delicious bocadillos (sandwiches) and snacks. Both are open during the daytime only, closed on Monday. josepizarro.com

Kitty Fisher's, Shepherd Market – for bistro

Red velvet curtains welcome diners into this intimate bistro. A handful of tables sit snugly beside a bar, behind which jars of home-made rhubarb gin, turmeric syrup and fig leaf vodka nestle in amongst trinkets. A creaky wooden staircase in the back corner takes you down past the kitchen into the intimate basement dining room, where dusty-pink banquettes line walls decorated with antique paintings.

Start with a round of cocktails. A boozy hanky panky is a more delicate and floral twist on the negroni, while the restaurant's signature Bad Kitty has a subtle sparkle and a syrupy sloegin edge. Order all the bite-sized snacks. A smoky stack of Welsh rarebit is finished on the open grill to make Montgomery's cheddar cheese extra golden; crisp ham hock and jowl croquettes melt in the mouth; fresh, dill-flecked bream tartare is topped with apple slices and grassy green leaves, and a silky-smooth splodge of chicken liver parfait comes with pieces of quince on a seeded cracker.

Mains are cooked on a wood-fired grill so take 20-25 minutes to arrive, but it's worth the wait. Pork presa is soft and pink with charred edges, accompanied by a pig-cheek sausage, candied heritage carrots and plums, while meaty monkfish comes on a rich bed of aubergines and tomatoes. Get involved with the sides, too – crunchy layers of deep-fried pressed potatoes or wood-fired Hispi cabbage lifted with mustard seeds, described correctly by the owner as “buttery wonderfulness”. For pudding, try the hazelnut and chocolate ganache with brown butter ice cream, covered in a dome of fluffy hazelnut mousse and dusted in cocoa powder. kittyfishers.com

<h3">Kanishka, Maddox Street – for regional Indian

Focussing on the Seven Sister States as well as nods to Nepal and Bangladesh Kanishka is a modern Indian restaurant it serving a series of tasting menus or, as we went, a la carte. Start with the Gantok momos (steamed Nepalese dumplings), proudly billed as made ‘in-house’ which was telling by the skins being light but still with some bite to them. We also had chef’s Chicken Tikka Pie which wasn’t accredited to a region but still an exemplary piece of proper pie making with well-cooked puff pastry encasing juicy chunks of long marinated chicken. For mains we went with the lightly spiced and coconut sauced Kanishka Seafood curry and underutilised goat cooked slowly until fork tender in a Roganjosh style. Once we added generous serving of puffy paratha, fresh kachumba and signature black dhal to our order we were too full for dessert but the Dark Chocolate Sphere with orange chocolate cream and spiced caramel sauce seemed to be impressing our neighbours with its table-side server theatrics. kanishkarestaurant.co.uk

Scott’s, Mount Street – for seafood

Celebrity haunt Scott’s has been a resident of Mount Street since 1967 but it actually dates back to 1851 when it was opened as an oyster warehouse, making it one of London’s five oldest restaurants. This Mayfair establishment has welcomed the great and the good for decades, and it’s where James Bond creator Ian Fleming is said to have discovered his ‘shaken not stirred’ dry martini. Since 2005, Scott’s has been owned by Richard Caring, who has retained the restaurant’s character, right down to the bowler-hatted doormen. Eat in either the oyster and champagne bar or the stylish dining room, where blackened miso salmon and goujons of Cornish sole and tartare sauce are among the signature dishes. scotts-restaurant.com

Rüya, Upper Grosvenor Street – for upmarket Turkish

Fittingly swish for its Mayfair locale, Rüya’s interior is expansive and sleekly outfitted, with lush autumnal and jewel tones, metallic accents and pretty tiling everywhere. Though replete with Turkish flavours and ingredients (specifically those from the Anatolian region), the immaculately plated, fine-dining fare is more of a riff on the cuisine – although you will find plenty of traditional dishes such as gözleme and lahmacun. Try burnt watermelon with sheep’s cheese, tomatoes and pine nuts, and 24-hour slow-cooked chilli BBQ glazed short rib, with unctuous, falling-apart meat and a velvety chickpea purée. Another reason to visit Rüya is its cocktail list, which is themed around different Anatolian localities. We liked its sweeter take on a negroni, with Turkish coffee-infused Antica Formula vermouth and tonka bean. ruyarestaurants.com

Dickie’s Bar, Upper Grosvenor Street – for late-night Irish cocktails

Head to Dickie's Bar for an elegant late-night cocktail bar within Corrigan’s Mayfair. Dickie’s Bar oozes Irish charm and, naturally, Irish whiskies feature heavily in cocktails – Jameson Black Barrel is combined with peach, bergamot, vanilla and lemon to create soft and smooth Stage Door Johnny; while dark and punchy Professional Stalker showcases Powers John’s Lane 12-year-old whiskey along with allspice and fig. Illustrations and anecdotes in the menu showcase ingredients picked and shipped over daily from Richard’s 100-acre Virginia Park Lodge in Ireland. Sit on burnt-orange leather stools at the wood-panelled, marble- topped bar and sniff at the various infusions that the team conjures up. corrigansmayfair.co.uk/dickies

Sketch, Conduit Street – for contemporary afternoon tea

Aside from the other-worldly surroundings, the highlight of afternoon tea at Sketch has to be the tea itself. Waitresses scoot golden tea trollies around the room, each one stacked with glass jars of aromatic loose leaf teas – there are at least 40 to pick from, including whole rosebud, matcha, white peony and Taiwan red jade. Feel free to sniff before you choose, and refills are complimentary.

Sketch’s caviar afternoon tea begins, as expected, with a spoon of rich, creamy Oscietra caviar (from Russian sturgeon) – vegetarians get little pearls of cold cauliflower as a clever substitute. Even more enjoyable was the accompanying take on boiled egg and soldiers: a 63 degrees egg yolk nestled inside a deeply flavoursome ‘egg white’ made from comté cheese mornay. Utterly indulgent, and one of the most exciting, innovative ways to kick off an afternoon tea that we’ve ever seen. sketch.london

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Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill, Swallow Street – for oysters

Richard Corrigan (see Dickie’s Bar) is chef-owner of Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, open for more than a century. World-famous for its seafood and shellfish, Bentley’s is also revered for its exceptional service. The oyster bar at Bentley’s is one of the things Richard is most proud of, and during the native oyster season from September to April, his staff will shuck more than 1,000 oysters a day. “There’s always an element of fun,” says Richard. bentleys.org

The Ritz, Piccadilly – for traditional afternoon tea

The Ritz is as iconic as the Queen, and this institutional British hotel keeps up tradition by serving 350 afternoon teas every day. It’s only fitting that afternoon tea at The Ritz is a lavish affair; the formal dress code requires men to wear shirt and tie, doors are opened for you by folk in top hats, and the resident pianist, Ian Gomes, who flutters away most days during afternoon tea service, used to play with Frank Sinatra.

Afternoon tea at The Ritz is taken in the Palm Court, an area raised up from the rest of the hotel’s lobby like a marble-floored stage. The Louis XVI-style set is beautifully ornate, with pristine white tablecloths laid out beneath intricate chandeliers, giant palms and gold-gilt mirrors. Choose from the 18-strong tea menu that has been curated and exclusively blended by The Ritz’s tea sommelier, Giandomenico Scanu. There are black tea blends, fermented Oolongs, herbal fruit teas and even The Ritz’s own Chai. We tried The Ritz Royal English, a classic black tea blend, combining aromatic Ceylon orange pekoe and rich Assam.theritzlondon.com

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Cubé, Blenheim Street – for sushi and Japanese 'tapas'

This sleek, intimate restaurant brings sushi and Japanese ‘tapas’ with a fine dining twist to Mayfair. Butter-soft scallops are a must if you’re a seafood obsessive; perfectly cooked, they came drizzled with an intense sea urchin butter so delicious we nearly drank it directly from the scallop shell it was served in. The soft, tender lamb with a bronzed, crisp ribbon of fat was another hit; the sour, refreshing oroshi a clever spin on a classic mint sauce. cubemayfair.com

Ginza Onodera, Bury Street – for high-end Japanese

The menu is extensive and detailed at this Mayfair institution, starting with kobachi (little snacks) followed by starters, sashimi and sushi, tempura, soups, robata and teppanyaki. Ginza Onodera’s prestigious Mayfair location is reflected in the liberal use of high-end, luxurious ingredients, from Kobe beef to Norwegian king crab. The best way to sample a little of everything is to try one of the sushi platters; from plump slices of butter-soft, fatty marbled tuna and luscious scoops of sea urchin to (predictably good) slices of Kobe beef and creamy seared yellowtail. ginza-stjames.com

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