Best Restaurants, Bars and Things to Do in Mayfair, London

About Mayfair

Mayfair's reputation for exclusivity is real but incomplete. Yes, the neighbourhood contains some of the most expensive addresses in London and several of the country's most decorated restaurants. But it also contains Mount Street, one of the best streets for walking and eating in the whole city, and a growing number of restaurants that are ambitious without requiring a special occasion as justification.

The neighbourhood has shifted noticeably over the past decade. Alongside the grand hotel dining rooms and the long-established fine dining institutions, a newer generation of restaurants has arrived that brings genuine creative ambition to the area without the formality that once defined it. Shepherd Market, tucked behind Park Lane, remains one of the most underrated spots in central London for a casual meal or a drink. The streets around Grosvenor Square and Berkeley Square have also developed stronger independent credentials.

Lets Discover creators who cover Mayfair tend to know the neighbourhood's range well. Their picks span from destination dining to the best places for a cocktail before a show, and reflect the fact that Mayfair, at its best, offers some of the finest eating and drinking in the country.

Mount Street is the natural starting point for Mayfair's food scene. The street runs east from Park Lane and contains a concentration of excellent restaurants and bars in grand but approachable surroundings. Shepherd Market, just south of Mount Street, is a small warren of streets that feels entirely different from the rest of Mayfair, with independent restaurants and pubs that have a local neighbourhood feel despite being a few minutes from Park Lane. The streets around South Audley Street, Grosvenor Square and Berkeley Square contain the area's hotel dining rooms and flagship restaurant openings, while Curzon Street and its surroundings offer a slightly more relaxed alternative. Shepherd Street and Trebeck Street within Shepherd Market are particularly worth knowing for a less formal evening.

History and culture in Mayfair

Mayfair takes its name from the May Fair, an annual fair held in the area from the late 17th century that became notorious for its disorder and was eventually suppressed in the 1760s. The neighbourhood was developed over the 18th century by a series of aristocratic landowners, most notably the Grosvenor family who remain major landowners in the area today through the Duke of Westminster's estate. The architecture reflects this history, with consistent Georgian and Regency terraces that have survived largely intact despite the pressures of commercial development. Shepherd Market was laid out in the early 18th century by Edward Shepherd and preserves something of its original intimate village character. Mayfair has historically been home to London's art market, and Cork Street and its surrounding streets remain important centres for contemporary art galleries. Claridge's, the Connaught and the Dorchester are among the hotel institutions that have shaped the neighbourhood's character and continue to anchor its identity.