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34 Mayfair

International, Steak·
££££
·
Gold Award
·

SquareMeal Review of 34 Mayfair

Gold Award

Part of Caprice Holdings (which also includes Balthazar, Daphne’s and J Sheekey among its glittering portfolio), 34 Mayfair is a restaurant that makes no apologies for its over-the-top nature. Serving up the sort of old-school hospitality that’s becoming increasingly hard to find as London restaurants go more casual, diners at 34 are greeted by a top-hatted doorman, before coats and the like are whisked away by the hosts on the front desk.

Once you get to your table, you can drink in the art-deco-style interiors that look timeless but date back no further than when 34 opened in 2011 – think table lamps, tan brown leather banquettes, a partially open kitchen and a sleek marble bar. Decadence is the order of the day when it comes to the menu, too, which has steak at its heart but also does a good line in seafood dishes such as miso-glazed fillet of halibut or chargrilled octopus.

We kicked off with a punchy shrimp cocktail, a retro starter that we’re happy to see being revived on London menus. Plump shrimp still in their shells hang off the edge of a bowl featuring a classic Marie Rose sauce, while finger bowls are provided to help you clean up.

From the mains, the USDA Prime ribeye is a beast of a thing that’s cooked to order and boasts a marble texture and just the right amount of fattiness, while the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese is as fabulous as it sounds, finished off with a shower of black truffle shavings – as one reader says, “to die for”.

The extravagance continues on a dessert menu featuring ice-cream sundaes and delightfully messy sugar-dusted doughnuts. Indulgence might be the order of the day at 34 (weekend brunch is the stuff of Mayfair legend) but you can eat healthily too – lighter choices include salt-baked beetroots and spiced stone bass, while there is also a dedicated vegetarian menu.

Close-set tables can make the dining room feel cramped when service is in full swing, though staff who are ever-attentive to diners’ comfort make sure the whole experience feels very slick. High prices are inevitable considering where you are, but great service and some truly delicious food mean there’s no shortage of punters happy to cough up. As one reader coos, 34 is “fabulous in all respects”.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £50 - £79
Cuisines
International, Steak
Ambience
Fun, Glamorous, Lively, Luxury, Traditional
Food Occasions
Brunch, Dinner, Late night dining, Lunch
Special Features
Gluten-free options, Live music or dancing, Vegan options, Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celeb spotting, Celebrations, Child friendly, Dates, Romantic, Special occasions
Food Hygiene Rating

About

34 Mayfair is an up-market, glamorous restaurant in the heart of London's most fabulous postcode, as nodded to by its name. The central space is a smart dining room with polished wood flooring, red leather brasserie seating and a grand art deco bar. 

The outdoor terrace which sits along the front entrance is a pretty place for food and drinks in the summer, while indoors, large windows flood the space with light in the day and atmospheric lighting making the dining room a buzzy place to meet friends, colleagues or a date for lunch or dinner. 

On the menus, you'll find a breadth of modern European dishes, but the rotisserie and grill are certainly a talking point. The a la carte menu starts with small plates like seared scallops with soy glazed pork belly, dashi and shiso butter, alongside Robata grilled octopus with smoked black bean, aji amarillo and avocado, as well as Dorset crab tart with kohlrabi, green apple and yuzu jelly.

The main menu spans salads and fish dishes, plus signature meat mains off the rotisserie and grill. If you fancy something a little lighter, the 34 Caesar salad combines a smoked garlic and parmesan dressing with Ortiz anchovies and the option to add rotisserie chicken. There is also a raw bar, with dishes like salmon sashimi, steak tartare, and shrimp and seabass ceviche. Pescatarians will enjoy the likes of Indonesian BBQ sea bream, alongside Dover sole and the fish of the day, but if steak is on your mind, check out the Wagyu selection, sirloin, fillet, rib-eye, and cuts for two.

When it comes to drinks, wine connoisseurs will want to see the 'legends of wine' list with rare and vintage glasses from the cellar, while the cocktail selection has some creative twists such as an Old Fashioned inspired by banoffie pie. 


FAQs

Are there gluten-free options on the menu?

Yes there are gluten-free options on the menu.

Helpful? 0

Location

34 Grosvenor Square (Entrance on South Audley St), Mayfair, London, W1K 2HD

020 3350 3434 020 3350 3434

Website

Opening Times

All day
Mon 12:00-23:00
Tue 12:00-23:00
Wed 12:00-23:00
Thu 12:00-23:00
Fri 12:00-23:00
Sat 11:00-23:00
Sun 11:00-22:30

Reviews

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21 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

09 December 2023  
Food & Drink 1.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 2
Value 0.5
Bad service! Not worth the hype

We didn’t have a great experience when dining at 34 Mayfair yesterday! Some of the waiters had an attitude especially the women at the front door, and the lady who walked us to the table. We had to wait for 20mins before we were given the table, and we had to stand in a small space right near the front door! They didnt even offer us some space near the bar area, we had waiters barging into us whilst we were waiting as it was so busy and not great experience! When we book a table I would expect to not have to wait for more than 5 minutes. The main course was served really late we had to wait nearly an hour for it to come out, and then they had the audacity to ask us to leave the table for another booking, just as we were about to order dessert! I would expect more from this restaurant, very poor service, stuck up waiters too! and we will never dine here again!

Victoria W

22 April 2022   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 3.5

Anon

07 November 2021   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 4
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 3.5
Nice experience but less vegetarian options!

Food was delicious and perfectly cooked however there were not enough vegetarian options. Service was quick and efficient. We enjoyed our visit and it could have been better if there were more vegetarian choices!

Barbara D

26 July 2019  
Fabulous in all respects.

Richard B

26 July 2019  
Smart, sophisticated, calm and frown up dining. Understated and off the 'Essex Crowd' radar!

Sharon P

14 September 2017  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 4
Wonderful evening
What an incredible experience, starting with a choice of tables, despite the restaurant being busy. We wanted a romantic evening and didn't think sitting next to a loud table of 8 people would be the answer, so were given the choice of 3 different tables, without a hint of this being inconvenient. The service was slick and the sommelier was extremely helpful, with a great recommendation. I've dined at 34 previously and had forgotten quite how succulent the steak is. Always a good sign of a well rounded menu when you can't choose between 3 different starters, but the decision to go with the shrimp cocktail was a wise one. So refreshing not to be asked to settle the bill because they "need the table back" which seems to be par for the course in most high end restaurants these days. Can't wait to return.

Judith P

04 May 2017  
Food, Service, decor all great.

Patrick B

24 January 2014  
Food & Drink 2
Service 2
Atmosphere 2
Value 2
A comically poor showing
When things go wrong, a really good restaurant takes this as an opportunity for showing their clients that they really care about them and make sure they fix it and that everything from then on goes even more smoothly than usual. At 34 we recently had what can only be described as a toxic mix of poor service, dubious food and strange reactions, which, if on TV in something such as the classic Fawlty Towers, could actually be funny. However in Mayfair, at this price and at this aimed-for level, it was simply shocking. Service receives it second star only because two of the eight or so waiters we saw during the evening saw the problem more clearly than the completely disorganised front-of-house staff. The only positive point is the the nice US sourced beef, but it does not make up for a completely random Italo-American botch of a menu and a dining experience which can only be described as mechanical: every course is served by a different member of the team. Every wish is ‘processed’ by the waiter one has just spoken darting off to go and check with the head-waiter and it seems reporting lines are very long and complex. This is strange to say the least, as 34 bills itself as a easy-going ‘good time’ restaurant which aims to convey a slightly festive atmosphere. Therefore slight shortcomings on the culinary side could be accepted as a trade-off for things generally being fun and entertaining. However, the atmosphere is not all it is made out to be and the food is frankly hovering somewhere between awful, perplexing, poorly thought out and sorry to say ‘wrongly prepared’. The foie gras could be used to explain why it has been forbidden in California. Very sad as on the face of it, the restaurant 34 sets out to be is exactly what this part of London would have needed. The famous group behind 34 could sure do better.

Alex G

17 January 2014  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 2.5
A good score for 34
My first visit to 34 occurred earlier on this week and was a definite success. The restaurant has the potential to join the likes of Cecconi’s and Scott’s in terms of being a perennial favourite on the London scene, consistently delivering and mostly populated by a fairly cool crowd. Although we arrived early (around 12), the atmosphere was soon buzzing and most of the tables occupied. We fortunately had one of the circular tables on the window side of the restaurant affording us a good view of what was going on. As an alternative to booking, there is also a walk-in bar where diners can sit, which constitutes another attractive option. In terms of the décor, think warm, deep orange banquettes and an oak finish, enhanced by contemporary art on the walls. The staff too clearly knew what they were doing, running a brisk and efficient yet mostly friendly operation. Turning to the food, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that 34 was far more than just steak and while there is a wide range in this respect (including Wagyu beef cuts at £75 for the deep-pocketed), we were also impressed by the other mains. Among our group, the spiced spatchcock chicken with pine nut and vegetable slaw as well as the coconut spiced salmon with grilled prawns and masoor dal both came in for praise, not only inventive, but also highly tasty with clear evidence of well thought-through composition and ingredient choice. Other options such as confit duck with smoked sausage and white bean stew or lobster macaroni with truffles also sounded highly enticing – perhaps for a future visit. With most mains coming in at £20-25 each, the pricing is comparable to many other similar London establishments (and markedly cheaper than some, such as C-London for instance). We also rated the sides, often an after-thought at many restaurants and options such as broccoli with chilli or quinoa again showed the same inventiveness as had characterised the mains. Unfortunately we did not partake in wine since this was a relatively quick working lunch, but a review of their list showed it to be considered, combining some obvious choices with a few more eclectic offerings, particularly from Europe. One small quibble was that we had to wait surprisingly long for our mains, particularly since the restaurant was not full at this stage – although this clearly would not prohibit a return visit, hopefully soon.

Andrew H

30 October 2013  
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 3
Old school excellence
My wife works in the area and had spotted 34 so was keen to visit. I had never heard of the place so had no idea what to expect. 34 is completely old school in its approach – the decor, the formality of the service, the food and the wine list. However, no complaints from me about that as it carries it off perfectly. In fact it is a nice change from the more casual approach that seems to be the current trend. The menu is good with plenty of choice. Wine list is also excellent if you can live with the prices. Both are obviously pitched at the typical local clientele (think hedge fund manager or US diplomat). So it loses a bit in terms of value for money. Service was attentive, professional and helpful with good knowledge of the menu and wine list. It was neither friendly or unfriendly but fitting for the tone of the restuarant. Food was excellent. Perfectly executed with some nice flourishes and good flavour combinations. Overall very enjoyable.
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020 3350 3434 020 3350 3434

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