Hakkasan Mayfair

The question is whether it converts them at ££££ prices; and whether the service justifies that bill.

For a first-timer, the setup matters. You enter through a discreet door on Bruton Street, the ground floor greets you with a lounge-bar feel and natural light. If you are here for dinner, ask specifically for a table on the lower floor. The basement dining room runs on a different energy: spot-lit tables, carved oriental screens, a soundtrack that sits somewhere between ambient and nightclub. The atmosphere is deliberate and theatrical; this is a room designed to make you feel like the evening is an event. Whether that works for you depends on how you read the room.

The sensory experience downstairs is full-on. Noise levels after 9 PM are significant. Conversation at a four-leading is manageable; a group of six will be leaning in. The tables are tightly packed, which means you will hear your neighbours' dinner as clearly as your own. If a quieter room is the priority, this is not the right booking, consider Kai or Hunan instead. But if the energy is part of what you are paying for, the basement at Hakkasan Mayfair delivers it consistently.

Does the service earn the price?

This is the editorial question that matters most at Hakkasan Mayfair, the answer is mixed. The staff are well-trained and the room runs professionally. But multiple accounts flag a notably cool reception when diners ask for the Taste of Hakkasan set menu, described in the same breath as "incredible value", suggesting the front-of-house culture is calibrated toward higher per-head spends. At a ££££ restaurant, the expectation is that every diner at every price point receives the same quality of attention. When that does not happen, it corrodes the value proposition more than a slow starter course would.

The food itself is harder to fault. Chef Tong Chee Hwee has run the Hakkasan kitchen with consistency that has earned consecutive Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) and placement in the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe rankings, #303 in 2024 and #480 in 2025. The cooking is technically precise: batter work is genuinely light, timing on vegetables is accurate, the luxury-ingredient upgrades (roast duck with caviar, ibérico pork char siu with black garlic glaze) are not just menu decoration. The Singapore noodles arrive with jumbo prawns rather than the budget substitutes you encounter elsewhere in London's Chinese restaurant circuit. The Duke of Berkshire sweet-and-sour pork is a serious reworking of a dish that most kitchens treat as an afterthought.

For London benchmarks in Chinese dining, the comparison set is instructive. Imperial Treasure and Four Seasons operate at lower price points with strong Cantonese credentials. Barshu is the address for Sichuan cooking without the Mayfair markup. Hakkasan occupies a different position: it is the version of Chinese fine dining built around atmosphere, global brand credibility, cooking that uses luxury produce as a structural feature rather than an occasional flourish. Whether that is worth it depends on what you are booking for.

When to go

Lunch on the ground floor, Tuesday through Thursday, is the optimal timing for a first visit. The dim sum is among the better in London, serious enough to justify the trip on its own, the lighter, less pressurised environment lets you assess the kitchen without the full evening-performance framing. The ground floor gets natural light during daytime hours, which makes the space feel less constructed.

If dinner is the plan, Thursday through Saturday delivers the full version of what Hakkasan Mayfair is selling: the energy, the crowd, the dressed-up room. Sunday through Wednesday evenings are quieter, which is a better environment for conversation but arguably undersells the atmosphere this room is built around. Booking difficulty is high regardless of day, plan on reserving at least two to three weeks out for dinner, more for Thursday through Saturday slots.

For international context, Hakkasan operates ten locations from Miami to Mumbai. If you have eaten at another outpost, the Mayfair location is the original European flagship and the benchmark against which the others are measured. The Tottenham Court Road original, which was the founding address when Alan Yau launched the concept in 2001, closed in February 2025 after 24 years, making the Mayfair address the sole London representative of a restaurant that materially changed what aspirational Chinese dining looked like in this city.

For other serious dining in London, our full London restaurants guide covers the full range across cuisines and price points. If you are building a wider trip, see also our London hotels guide, bars guide, wineries, and experiences. For Chinese fine dining outside London, Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco are the reference points worth knowing. For UK fine dining at the leading end more broadly, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood represent the spread.

Practical details

Reservations: Book two to three weeks ahead minimum for dinner; further out for Thursday–Saturday. Booking difficulty is high. Hours: Monday–Wednesday and Sunday 5:30–10 PM; Thursday–Saturday 5:30–11 PM. Lunch service available (ground floor). Price: ££££, budget for wine to at least double the food bill. The Taste of Hakkasan set menu is flagged as strong value; ask for it confidently even if the response is lukewarm. Dress: Smart dress is expected and appropriate, this is a room where appearances are part of the contract. Address: 17 Bruton St, London W1J 6QB.