Dorchester Grill Room

Who Should Book the Dorchester Grill Room

The Dorchester Grill Room works well for a formal business lunch, a celebratory dinner with someone you want to impress, or a first encounter with hotel dining at this level in London. Under chef Tom Booton, the room has shed its reputation as a stuffy relic and now runs a Modern British menu that mixes classical technique with contemporary thinking. If you want a Park Lane address, Michelin recognition, and a set lunch that offers genuine value at this tier, this is the booking to make.

The Room and What to Expect

The visual anchor here is the ornate ceiling, which sits in deliberate contrast to the otherwise bright, modernised interior. The formal service team creates a cosseted feel without tipping into stiff territory. For a first-timer, the experience reads as confident rather than intimidating: the room is dressed for occasion but the cooking speaks plainly. The overall effect is a grand hotel dining room that has been updated with enough intent to feel current.

Tom Booton took over and shifted the menu toward Modern British cooking that draws on classical flavours but uses current technique. The menu features sharing-format dishes including skate wing, rib-eye steak, and a preparation of chicken that has become a talking point among regulars. The wine list includes some less common options by the glass, which is worth noting if you prefer to explore rather than commit to a bottle.

When to Visit: Lunch vs. Dinner, and the Seasonal Case

Lunch is the sharper play here. The set lunch menu is where the Grill Room delivers the clearest value at this price level, and the kitchen's Modern British approach tends to feature seasonal produce that changes the case for visiting depending on the time of year. British cooking at this level leans hard into spring and autumn produce cycles, so a visit in April or October is likely to reflect the kitchen at its most engaged. Dinner is a fuller, more formal experience and suits the celebratory occasion better, but the price-to-quality ratio is strongest at lunch.

Saturday and Sunday hours differ from the weekday pattern: weekend lunch runs until 2:15 pm (Saturday) and 4:15 pm (Sunday), the latter making it a viable weekend afternoon option. Breakfast is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am and Saturday to Sunday from 9:00 am, though the Grill Room's case is made most strongly at the lunch and dinner sittings.

Awards and Peer Standing

The Grill Room holds a Michelin Plate (2024), which signals a kitchen producing food worth seeking out without yet carrying a star. Opinionated About Dining ranked it #440 in Europe in 2024 and #522 in 2025, a slight drop that suggests the competition at this level is intensifying rather than any meaningful decline in the kitchen. The Star Wine List White Star recognition points to a wine program worth engaging with. Taken together, these credentials position the Grill Room as a credible upper-tier Modern British option in London, well below the two- and three-star bracket but above the generalist hotel restaurant category.

For broader context on where to eat and stay in London, see our full London restaurants guide, our full London hotels guide, and our full London bars guide. If you want to explore further afield, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton represent the upper end of Modern British cooking outside London. Closer to the city, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood each offer a different angle on the same cooking tradition. For Modern British at a more accessible price point, Artichoke in Amersham and 33 The Homend in Ledbury are worth knowing. Also see our full London experiences guide and our full London wineries guide for planning the wider trip.