North Audley Street is a choice spot to start a tour, especially as Mercato Mayfair is one of my regular foodie destinations. It’s a sustainable food hall set in the deconsecrated St Mark’s Church – a stunningly restored Grade-I listed building – where, in the main body of the church, you will find a wide range of affordable dishes from 10 different food vendors. Plus, there’s an on-site distillery and brewery in the crypt and a roof terrace for warmer days. You can even catch a glimpse of Mercato on the BBC’s Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy – and the actor is known to buy his fresh pasta at Dez Amore, where a bowl of pasta and sauce costs around £12.50. Other highlights include Malaysian street food, bao, dumplings, ramen and Italian gelato.
Next door, at number 14, is the Mayfair Chippy - you can't miss it, it's the one with the queue. Smartly classic with a checkerboard floor and gleaming white tiling, the chippy is open seven-days a week for lunch, dinner and takeaway - the place for classic fish and chips served with homemade tartare sauce, mushy peas, gravy or curry sauce. The quality of the fish is consistently good and considering it's less than a five-minute walk from Selfridges, the cost at just over £20 represents value for money. And it’s licensed, with a good choice of beers and a well-curated wine list.
Cross Grosvenor Square to reach South Audley Street, where a new addition to the Mayfair dining scene can be found at number 64. Farm Shop, from the Artfarm folk, showcases produce from Durslade Farm, their 1,000-acre farm in Bruton, Somerset. The ground floor is home to a deli and butchery, and there’s a wine bar in the cellar. Here wines start at under £5 per glass and there’s a selection of cheese, charcuterie and daily specials from the kitchen.
Stroll round the corner to find the wildly popular Audley Public House (also from Artfarm), one of several upmarket Mayfair pubs. Dinner upstairs in the pub’s art-festooned Mount Street Restaurant does not make our budget-friendly list, think of it as a special occasion, but in the pub bar, shepherd’s pie washed down by a pint won’t break the bank.
Another favourite is The Barley Mow on Duke Street, which features a handsome ground-floor bar (where you can grab a Gala pie and piccalilli or a duck and wild garlic scotch egg) or head up to the charming dining room between 8am-11am for a full pub breakfast (£18) or devilled kidneys on toast (£13).
Shepherd Market is another must visit. A small Georgian precinct, discreetly tucked away and utterly charming, it’s best known nowadays for a wide choice of pubs, cafes, and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Noble Rot Mayfair, for example, was a finalist in the ‘Best New Restaurant’ category at this year's Good Food Guide awards, and for a fine dining experience on a budget, their lunch menu at £26 for three courses is hard to beat.
Elsewhere, Heddon Street is a haven from Regent Street's hustle and bustle and home to the delightful Sabor. The bar and counter area are for walk-ins only and it's a great way to experience Spanish tapas at kind prices. And just south of Oxford Street, on Princess Street, Tendril (A Mostly Vegan Kitchen & Bar), is attracting more than committed vegans for ex Fat Duck / The Dairy / Chiltern Firehouse chef Rishim Sachdeva’s delicious plant-based cookery that’s built around fresh, seasonal produce.
Just looking for a cup of coffee? Mayfair has many independent or small chain coffee shops and cafes. Among my favourites are Popina, Everbean Cafe, and District Coffee. In addition to good coffee, all three offer excellent food, and District even serves cocktails at a bargain price of £7.50 each.
Mayfair facts
The late queen was born at 17 Bruton Street in 1926. Sadly, the original building has long gone but the spot is now home to Hakkasan, Mayfair.
25 Brook Street was home to composer Handel, and next door, at number 23, legendary guitarist Jimmi Hendrix lived. Now, a blue plaque and a museum commemorate where these two famous musicians once lived. Continue on to 67 Brook Street and you will find another plaque commemorating where the Bee Gees lived and worked.
3 Saville Row is where the Beatles performed their last live performance on the roof of their record company headquarters in January 1969.
