Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Precision fire cooking. Book counter seats first.
Humo is Mayfair's most technically serious live-fire restaurant: no gas, no electricity, every heat source a deliberate choice. Chef Robbie Jameson's Japanese-inflected British menu — Orkney scallops, Hampshire trout, Cornish lamb — earns a 4.7 Google rating and a White Star from Star Wine List. Book the counter seats overlooking the four-metre wood grill, and reserve at least three weeks out.
Humo is the strongest argument for live-fire cooking in London's Mayfair right now. If you want technically precise, wood-fired cooking that draws on Japanese flavour logic while using British prime ingredients, book it. If you want a conventional high-end dining room with white tablecloths and French-accented service, look elsewhere. The counter seats overlooking the four-metre wood grill are the reason to come — reserve those specifically, or reconsider.
The most common mistake people make about Humo is assuming that live-fire cooking here means something rustic or casual. It does not. This is a ££££ restaurant on St George Street, Mayfair, backed by Creative Restaurant Group (the same team behind Endo at the Rotunda), and the interior signals that immediately. The former Wild Honey space has been transformed into something considerably more striking, with the long counter and the four-metre grill as the room's centrepiece. No gas, no electricity: every element of heat — flame, smoke, or embers , is a deliberate choice made for each ingredient.
What that means on the plate is a style that reads as Japanese in instinct but British in sourcing. Orkney scallops, Hampshire trout, 32-day aged Cornish lamb , the ingredient provenance is as considered as the technique. The trout, smoked over applewood and finished with roe marinated in yuzu, with compressed apple and myoga, sits on a horseradish, pineapple, mango and lime sauce. That combination , East Asian citrus brightness, British smoked fish, tropical acidity , is the clearest expression of what chef Robbie Jameson is doing here: a menu where Japanese flavour architecture meets British prime produce, all filtered through serious fire technique.
The scallop course, roasted over wood from aged whisky barrels, is probably the most cited dish: the barrel wood gives a sweet, subtle smokiness, and the whisky-brown butter-verjus sabayon underneath it reinforces that without overshadowing the shellfish. Slices of nectarine provide a counterpoint that keeps it from being heavy. This is the kind of precision that puts Humo in a different category from most wood-fire concepts in London, where smoke is often more aesthetic than functional.
In Mayfair terms, Humo has become the go-to for diners who want something technically credible but less format-rigid than a full tasting-menu commitment. The set lunch is particularly worth noting as an entry point: it introduces Jameson's cooking at a lower price point than dinner, with optional wine pairings available. For those who want the full experience, Abajo , the chef's counter downstairs , runs a tasting menu of Colombian dishes, which is a separate booking and a different proposition entirely.
The wine list is serious and priced accordingly. Star Wine List recognised the programme with a White Star in April 2024, which puts Humo's cellar in meaningful company. For a wine-forward evening, this matters. For those less focused on the list, the set lunch with pairings remains the most efficient route in.
Mayfair already carries several ££££ restaurants, but Humo fills a gap that the neighbourhood's more classical French and Modern British rooms do not. CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury operate in European fine-dining registers that Humo deliberately steps outside. The live-fire format, the Japanese-British flavour axis, and the counter-dining energy make it the address in the area for a specific kind of exploratory dinner , one where the kitchen's method is part of the experience rather than background infrastructure.
Google reviews sit at 4.7 across 540 ratings, which at this price point and booking difficulty reflects genuine repeat enthusiasm rather than novelty traffic. That number has held as the restaurant has matured past its opening period, which is the more meaningful signal.
Sunday is the one day Humo is closed. Monday through Saturday lunch runs 12 PM to 2:30 PM; dinner runs 6 PM to 10 PM. The hours are consistent across the week, which makes scheduling direct for visitors building a London itinerary. For broader context on where Humo sits in the London dining picture, see our full London restaurants guide.
Reservations: Book at least 3–4 weeks ahead for dinner; counter seats overlooking the grill book faster than table seats, so specify when reserving. Budget: ££££ , expect a full dinner with wine to reflect Mayfair pricing. The set lunch is the most accessible price point and a genuine introduction to the kitchen's range. Hours: Monday–Saturday, lunch 12 PM–2:30 PM, dinner 6 PM–10 PM; closed Sunday. Location: 12 St George Street, London W1S 2FB , central Mayfair, walkable from Bond Street and Oxford Circus stations. Abajo: The downstairs chef's counter (Colombian tasting menu) is a separate booking and fills independently , if that format interests you, book it as its own experience rather than an add-on decision on the night.
Smart casual is the working standard. Mayfair ££££ restaurants generally expect you to dress up, and Humo's room , with its counter theatre and high-spec interior , reads formal enough that turning up in trainers and a t-shirt would feel out of place. A jacket is not required, but the crowd skews toward business-casual at lunch and dressed-up at dinner. Treat it like any serious Mayfair restaurant and you will be fine.
Yes, and arguably better solo than in a large group. The counter seats overlooking the four-metre wood grill are the leading seats in the room, and those are naturally suited to solo or pairs. Solo diners should book a counter seat explicitly when reserving , this is the seat where the kitchen is the show. For groups of four or more, the counter configuration becomes less practical and table seating makes more sense.
Three to four weeks minimum for dinner; two weeks may work for weekday lunch. Counter seats sell out faster than table seats. Given Humo's 4.7 Google rating across 540 reviews and a White Star from Star Wine List, demand is consistent rather than seasonal. If you have a fixed travel date, book the day your window opens , this is a hard booking in London's ££££ tier.
Lunch is the better value entry point. The set lunch option (with optional wine pairings) gives you access to Robbie Jameson's cooking at a lower price commitment than dinner, and the room is calmer. Dinner has more energy and the counter experience feels more theatrical, but if budget is a factor or you want to assess the kitchen before committing to a full dinner spend, lunch is the smarter first visit. Both services run Monday through Saturday.
The tasting menu at Humo refers to Abajo, the chef's counter downstairs, which runs a Colombian tasting menu as a separate format from the main room. If that specific proposition , a chef's counter, tasting format, Colombian dishes , interests you, it warrants its own booking on its own terms. The main room does not run a compulsory tasting menu, which is actually part of Humo's appeal at this price tier: you are not locked into a fixed progression. For tasting-menu purists, CORE by Clare Smyth or Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library are the more conventional choices in the ££££ London bracket.
At ££££ in Mayfair, yes , with the caveat that you need to engage with what it is. The live-fire technique here is not decorative: no gas, no electricity, every heat source a deliberate choice matched to the ingredient. The Japanese-British flavour approach, the White Star wine programme, and the 4.7 rating across 540 reviews suggest consistent delivery rather than hype-cycle performance. Compared to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Humo is less format-driven and more ingredient-focused, which suits diners who want creative cooking over ceremony.
Book the counter. The seats overlooking the grill are the reason the room works , conventional tables are fine, but the counter is where the kitchen's method becomes visible. Come knowing that the flavour register is Japanese-inflected British, not straightforwardly European, so if you are expecting a classical Mayfair fine-dining experience you may be surprised. Start with the set lunch if you want to calibrate before committing to a full dinner. The Abajo chef's counter downstairs is a separate concept and requires its own booking , do not conflate the two experiences. Closed Sundays.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humo | Humo is a restaurant in London, UK. It was published on Star Wine List on April 14, 2024 and is a White Star.; Cooking over fire often implies a freestyling ruggedness, but the clever techniques here demonstrate its limitless possibilities. No gas or electricity is used in the process; instead, every element of ‘fire’ is considered, from the selection of different woods for different ingredients, to the choice of flame, smoke or embers as the primary source of heat. Dishes are highly original and display a strong Japanese influence, often using prime British ingredients such as Orkney scallops. For a special treat, book Abajo, the chef's counter serving a tasting menu of Colombian dishes.; From the street Humo’s muted appearance gives little away, but its owners (the Creative Restaurant Group, which includes Endo at the Rotunda) have splashed out on the interior. The room certainly has impact – the former Wild Honey spot never felt as glitzy. Devoted to 'live fire' cooking, the best seats are at the long, deep counter overlooking the rush of heat and flames of the four-metre-long wood grill – there are conventional dining tables, too. In charge of it all is Robbie Jameson, a chef with an unerring feel for cooking over flames, using different kinds of wood to enhance flavours. He puts a strong emphasis on seafood, too, and his menu shouts out to the flavours of East Asia, notably Japan, all refracted through an occidental prism – a style that a finely pitched opener of Hampshire trout smoked over applewood summed up perfectly. Topped by roe marinated in yuzu, with a ‘salad’ of compressed apple and myoga (Japanese ginger root) and set on a sauce of English horseradish, pineapple, mango and lime, it was all about clear flavours, freshness and intensity. Impressive technique is used to enhance, not to overwhelm: a single scallop is roasted directly over wood from aged whisky barrels, giving a sweet, subtle smokiness that’s underscored by a whisky, brown butter and verjus sabayon, while slices of nectarine provide a sweet-fresh note. Elsewhere, a nugget of 32-day aged Cornish lamb with beetroot sauce is made memorable with a Castelfranco radicchio ‘salad’ topped with sweet onion jam made from aged balsamic, celeriac and apple, while the accompanying skewer of confit lamb belly pressed with spinach and garlic is a perfect example of layering complex flavours. Dessert might be 'cinders' ('something sweet when the flames are off') or pandan and lime cream with 72% Araguani chocolate and blood orange. A set lunch option with optional wine pairings is a good introduction to Jameson's cooking, while the full wine list takes itself very seriously with prices that reflect the postcode.; Cooking over fire often implies a freestyling ruggedness, but the clever techniques here demonstrate its limitless possibilities. No gas or electricity is used in the process; instead, every element of ‘fire’ is considered, from the selection of different woods for different ingredients, to the choice of flame, smoke or embers as the primary source of heat. Dishes are highly original and display a strong Japanese influence, often using prime British ingredients such as Orkney scallops. For a special treat, book Abajo, the chef's counter serving a tasting menu of Colombian dishes.; Michelin 1 Star (2024); HUMO, directly translates as ‘smoke’ in Spanish. HUMO, revolves around a four-metre long grill, with no electricity or gas utilised as cooking fuel. All dishes will be prepared using a selection of widely sourced woods, all used to cook with and to impart subtle flavour differences to each of the dishes. With key influences from executive chef Miller’s Colombian background, his training at institution Endo at the Rotunda, and the heritage of his Italian head chef. This combination of expertise,; {"wbwl_source": {"slug": "humo", "page_type": "star_accreditation", "category_slug": "star-accreditation", "award_result": "Accredited", "is_global_winner": "False"}, "scraped_details": {"hero_image": "", "page_title": "3-Star Accreditation", "page_url": ""}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Humo"}} | ££££ | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| The Ledbury | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Humo and alternatives.
Dress as you would for a ££££ Mayfair restaurant: polished but not black-tie. The interior is described as glitzy, and the counter seats put you front-row at an active four-metre grill, so avoid anything you would not want near heat or smoke. Think smart eveningwear rather than formal suits.
Yes, and arguably the best way to experience it. The long counter overlooking the wood grill is designed for the kind of engaged, front-row dining that suits solo guests. For an even more focused solo visit, the Abajo chef's counter in the basement offers a tasting menu of Colombian dishes.
Book 3–4 weeks ahead for dinner at minimum. Counter seats overlooking the grill go faster than table seats, so specify your preference when reserving. Lunch tends to be more accessible, but Humo operates Tuesday through Saturday only for both services, with no Sunday opening.
Lunch is the lower-risk entry point: a set lunch option with optional wine pairings gives you a structured introduction to chef Robbie Jameson's cooking at a lower spend than a full dinner. Dinner allows for the full menu range and the counter experience at its most theatrical, but the ££££ price tag and serious wine list make it a heavier commitment.
The Abajo chef's counter tasting menu of Colombian dishes is a distinct offering from the main à la carte, and worth booking separately if you want a structured progression through Jameson's cooking. The main dining room operates more as a menu-driven experience built around the grill rather than a traditional tasting menu format, so clarify which format you are booking when you reserve.
At ££££ in Mayfair, Humo charges in line with its postcode, but it earns it through technical precision rather than prestige branding. The live-fire approach uses no gas or electricity, and the use of different woods for different ingredients is a deliberate system, not a gimmick. The wine list prices reflect the W1 address, so factor that in. For the cooking itself, the price is justified.
The muted exterior at 12 St George Street gives nothing away about the interior, which has real impact. Request counter seats when booking: the four-metre wood grill is the centrepiece, and watching the kitchen work is part of the experience. The menu draws heavily on Japanese technique applied to British produce, with seafood particularly well represented, so come with an appetite for that combination.
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