The Best New Restaurants In London’s Mayfair

07.09.2023 - 16:45 / forbes.com / Yannick Alléno

London’s gastronomic scene is famously fantastic and knows no bounds. No matter where you go in the capital, good food is all but guaranteed. However, there’s been some real magic in Mayfair lately, with a handful of hyped new restaurant openings that live up to—or exceed—expectations.

Arriving in January 2023, the industrial-chic Humo is a study in wood-fire grilling, where each dish is fashioned in some way from the fire or smoke of woods like juniper, birch, cherry and beech. While this rustic, back-to-earth cooking method has become suddenly very trendy in London, no place does it better than Humo. Opt for a counter seat if you’re looking for a more casual (but still theatrical) experience, as you will be sat right in front of the massive, flame-licked grill that practically runs down the length of the long and narrow restaurant. However, for an extra-special visit, try the 10-seat chef’s table, Abajo, for an ever-changing tasting menu of seasonal dishes, with optional wine or cocktail pairing. While wood isn’t the main focus at Abajo, the chefs leading the experience change periodically, giving good reason to go back again and again. (It’s worth noting that chef Giacomo Tranquilli’s Italian-leaning masterwork is hard to top.)

With just 16 seats, the minimalist, quietly luxe Taku is the definition of refined elegance and precision, where only the freshest seafood is on display. In a city of fine Japanese fare, this is one of London’s very best omakase restaurants, and a Michelin star was awarded just four months after its opening in November 2022. At the helm is Chef Patron Takuya Watanabe (a.k.a. Chef Taku of Jin, the only Michelin-starred omakase restaurant in Paris), and menus range from 16 courses (for the lunchtime sitting) to 20 courses (for the two evening sittings). This is a place of true excellence, where ingredients are revered. While the exact offering changes often based on freshness, highlights include eight to ten pieces of sushi made the in the Edomae style with special dry ageing techniques perfected by Head Chef Leong Ng. The seafood—abalone, toro, trout, lobster, caviar, mullet, scallops—comes from all over the world, including the UK, while the drinks menu is firmly Japanese with somm Bowie Tsang perfectly pairing only the very best sakes.

Located in Four Seasons Park Lane, the highly sophisticated new Pavyllon London, which opened in July 2023, comes from one of the world’s most-lauded chefs, Yannick Alléno. French gastronomy is on full display here, with seasonal British ingredients adding local flair. The one dish not to miss: Alléno’s signature badaboum egg, a single poached organic egg, cleverly stuffed with Oscietra caviar.

If you didn’t make it out to the French Riviera