Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Book for the room. Stay for the food.
Sexy Fish is a Michelin Plate Asian-inspired restaurant on Berkeley Square with a cocktail bar that works as a destination in its own right. At £££, it sits below Mayfair's top-tier pricing while delivering art-commission interiors, a sharing menu worth exploring beyond the fish dishes, and an atmosphere built for occasions rather than quiet conversation. Book two to three weeks ahead for weekends.
Yes — with conditions. Sexy Fish delivers one of the most visually arresting dining rooms in London, a cocktail program that holds its own against dedicated Mayfair bars, and Asian-inspired cooking that earns its Michelin Plate recognition. But you need to go in knowing what it is: a Richard Caring production that leans heavily into spectacle. If you want quiet, minimalist omakase, book elsewhere. If you want atmosphere, art, and food that genuinely performs, Sexy Fish is the right call.
The atmosphere here is the first thing that will hit you — and by design. The dining room is loud, dramatic, and confident in a way that few London restaurants manage without tipping into exhausting. Works by Frank Gehry and Damien Hirst anchor the space, and the ceiling by Michael Roberts turns the room into something closer to an art installation than a restaurant interior. Energy levels are high most evenings, which means this is a poor choice if you need to hold a focused conversation across the table. Go early in the week or at lunch if you want the room at a more manageable volume.
The bar program deserves specific attention, because it functions almost independently from the dining room. The cocktail list is technically considered, with Asian-inflected ingredients that echo the kitchen's direction without feeling forced. If you are returning after a first visit, spending time at the bar before your table is the move , it gives you a feel for the drinks list and the room's rhythm before the main event. Compared to Bar des Prés in Mayfair, Sexy Fish's bar is louder and more theatrical, but the cocktail quality is comparable. For a more intimate pre-dinner drink in the same neighbourhood, Bar des Prés is the calmer option.
Sexy Fish opened in 2015 and has consistently held a Michelin Plate , most recently in both 2024 and 2025 , which signals food that is competent and considered, if not at the cutting edge of the city's tasting-menu scene. The cuisine is Asian-inspired with a Japanese lean, and the fish dishes are the natural anchor of the menu. However, if you are returning after a first visit, the meat dishes are worth exploring: the beef rib skewers in particular are frequently flagged as one of the better things to order and are easy to overlook if you focus exclusively on the seafood. The kitchen's range is broader than the name implies.
On pricing, Sexy Fish sits at £££ , meaningful spend, but a tier below the ££££ venues that dominate Mayfair's fine-dining circuit. That gap matters when you are weighing value. You are paying for the full experience: art, atmosphere, and food at a standard backed by sustained Michelin recognition, rather than just the plate in front of you. For diners who want the prestige of a Mayfair table at a lower entry point than a three-course tasting menu at CORE by Clare Smyth or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Sexy Fish makes a reasonable case for itself.
If Asian cuisine in London is your focus more broadly, Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay operates in a similar register , high-gloss, Asian-inspired, destination-level , and is worth a direct comparison. YiQi is another option if you want something quieter and more focused on the food itself rather than the production around it.
Sexy Fish sits at moderate booking difficulty for London. Plan two to three weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday evening; midweek tables are more accessible and the room is noticeably less packed, which changes the experience for the better if noise is a concern. The restaurant is on the corner of Berkeley Square in Mayfair , direct to reach by tube from Green Park or Bond Street. No phone number is listed in current public records, so use the online reservation system. Dress to the room: this is Mayfair at its most dressed-up, and arriving in casual clothes will feel out of step with the crowd around you.
For solo diners, the bar is a viable option and avoids the awkwardness of a solo table in a room built for groups and couples. For larger groups, the theatrical scale of the dining room works in your favour , the space handles groups well and the menu is set up for sharing formats.
Staying in London and exploring further? Our full London restaurants guide, London bars guide, and London hotels guide cover the full picture. If you are planning a wider UK trip built around dining, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton represent different points on the spectrum. For country house dining, Gidleigh Park in Chagford and Hand and Flowers in Marlow are worth knowing. Outside the UK, taku in Cologne and Jun's in Dubai offer Asian-influenced fine dining worth benchmarking against. hide and fox in Saltwood rounds out the picture for those travelling through Kent. London experiences and wineries are also covered: experiences guide and wineries guide.
At £££, Sexy Fish sits below the top tier of Mayfair fine dining, and the value calculation depends on what you are paying for. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) confirms the food is genuinely good, and the room , with commissioned works by Frank Gehry, Damien Hirst, and Michael Roberts , is part of what you are buying. If you want pure culinary focus, a quieter room at a similar price point will serve you better. If you want food, art, atmosphere, and a bar program that works independently, the price holds up.
Two to three weeks ahead for a weekend evening is the safe window. Midweek bookings are more available and the room is less crowded, which makes the experience easier. Use the online reservation system , no phone booking line is currently listed in public records. Booking difficulty is moderate for London standards, meaning it is not impossible last-minute, but do not rely on it for a Saturday in peak season.
Yes, and the theatrical dining room suits groups well. The sharing-style menu format is a natural fit for parties of four or more, and the scale of the space does not make large tables feel awkward. For groups that want a private setting, check directly with the venue about private dining options , the restaurant's size and Mayfair positioning suggest this is available, though specifics should be confirmed at the time of booking.
The bar is the right choice for solo visitors. Sitting solo at a table in a room this loud and group-oriented can feel isolating, but the bar counter works well , the cocktail program is strong enough to anchor an evening on its own, and the room's energy is easier to absorb from that position. Solo diners who want a more focused solo dining experience in London should also consider YiQi, which offers a quieter format.
For Asian-inspired dining at a similar price and production level, Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay is the most direct comparison. For a quieter room with tighter culinary focus, YiQi is worth considering. If you want to step up to ££££ and prioritise cooking over spectacle, CORE by Clare Smyth is the strongest option in London's Modern British tier. For pre-dinner cocktails in the same neighbourhood, Bar des Prés offers a calmer alternative.
Sexy Fish's menu format leans toward sharing plates rather than a structured tasting progression, which changes the value question. The Michelin Plate recognition confirms kitchen quality, but this is not a venue built around the tasting-menu experience in the way that CORE by Clare Smyth or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay are. If a tasting menu format is central to what you want, those venues are better matches. If you want flexibility to order across the menu , fish, meat, cocktails , Sexy Fish gives you more freedom.
Yes, for the right kind of special occasion. The room's scale, art commissions, and overall production make it easy to mark a birthday, anniversary, or celebration dinner. The Google rating of 4.1 across over 5,500 reviews suggests consistent delivery at volume. It works better for occasions where atmosphere and visual impact matter than for occasions that call for quiet intimacy , for the latter, a smaller Mayfair room would serve better.
Smart dress is the baseline. The room is Mayfair at its most polished, and the crowd reflects that , expect well-dressed tables on most evenings. There is no confirmed dress code in the current public record, but arriving in casual clothes will feel out of step with the room's energy and the price point. Smart casual at minimum; dressier works better on weekends.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexy Fish | Asian | Sexy Fish is Asian-inspired fine dining, and opened on the corner of Mayfair’s Berkeley Square in 2015. Part of Richard Caring’s empire of restaurants, Sexy Fish is easily some of the best Japanese-i...; Everyone will have an opinion about the name but what’s indisputable is that this is a very good looking restaurant, with works by Frank Gehry and Damien Hirst, and a stunning ceiling by Michael Roberts. The fish comes with various Asian influences but don’t ignore the meat dishes like the beef rib skewers.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Moderate | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
At £££, Sexy Fish sits at a price point where the room is doing significant work alongside the food. The Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen is competent and consistent, but this is not a destination purely for the cooking. If you want a full evening — dramatic setting, strong cocktails, solid Asian-influenced food — the price holds up. If you are booking purely for the cuisine, CORE by Clare Smyth or The Ledbury will reward you more.
Two to three weeks ahead covers most Friday and Saturday evenings; midweek availability opens up faster. Berkeley Square location and the room's reputation keep demand steady year-round, so do not leave weekend bookings to the last minute.
Sexy Fish works well for groups — the large, loud dining room absorbs bigger parties comfortably and the menu's sharing format suits a table of six or more. For larger private bookings, check the venue's official channels via the Berkeley Square House address.
Solo dining at Sexy Fish is workable but not the venue's strength — the atmosphere is built around energy and spectacle, and the £££ price point is harder to justify alone. If you are in Mayfair solo, the bar and cocktail program offer a more proportionate entry point without committing to a full sit-down meal.
For the same Mayfair postcode with more cooking-led ambition, Sketch's Lecture Room and Library is the direct comparison. If you want Asian-influenced food with greater culinary depth, look beyond Mayfair. For pure special-occasion dining where the food justifies the spend more clearly, CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury are the stronger choices.
Sexy Fish holds a Michelin Plate — recognition for food quality without a star — which sets accurate expectations: the cooking is good, not destination-level. The tasting menu format makes sense here if you want the full experience of the room over a longer sitting, but diners primarily chasing a tasting menu at this price should consider whether Dinner by Heston Blumenthal or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay better fits that brief.
Yes, conditionally. The dining room — featuring work by Frank Gehry, Damien Hirst, and a ceiling by Michael Roberts — makes an immediate impression that most London restaurants cannot match on atmosphere alone. For a birthday or celebratory dinner where spectacle is part of the brief, it delivers. For an anniversary where the food should be the centrepiece, The Ledbury or CORE by Clare Smyth are stronger calls.
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