Atrium Restaurant at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair

The long, long, long-awaited Akira Back at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair arrived surprisingly quietly, given the intense fanfare of last year. That isn’t always auspicious but whatever the reasons, the time was well used on the restaurant styling. The entrance to the restaurant is purposely obscured as you enter the hotel, giving everyone that ‘wow’ moment as you walk into a towering skylit atrium and make your way down a suspended green marble spiral staircase. It’s a special moment that not many restaurants in London deliver.

Back is a relatively new face in London but a huge star overseas, particularly in Korea and the USA. The menu at his eponymous restaurant sits on a foundation of classic Akira Back dishes, including that tuna sashimi pizza - three words that could have London’s omakase fans grumbling furiously. It certainly looks the part, and it’s an easy-going, tasty crowd pleaser. Is it going to blow your mind? Probably not, but it’s the beginning of a dive into what we really love about Akira Back - it’s fun, interesting, and surprisingly relaxed.

This is still a hotel restaurant, so there’s clearly a desire on the menu to cover a lot of bases for the variety of guests that will stay here. If you can look past the slightly incongruous nature of that, there’s lots to like. Wagyu bulgogi tacos are a mishmash of influences but there’s no denying the moreishness. Back’s Jidori chicken is at heart, a nicely cooked piece of chicken breast with potato puree, but no-one would be disappointed by it. Whether it’s deeply-braised Wagyu (yes, there’s a lot of Wagyu) with root vegetables, or the gentle spicing of the dynamite lobster, served neatly in its own shell, these dishes are delicious if not always harmonious. A crispy Wagyu sushi roll with coleslaw might have been a slight step too far for us, but if nothing else, Akira Back is doing something different and exciting and we applaud that.

Service is typically attentive, the wine list is stacked with quality and just next door you have the very sultry, sophisticated ABar Lounge with a fresh, fruit-laden cocktail list - we highly recommend the Shochili Mango (tequila and soju, mango, lime and a hit of togarashi). All in all, we reckon Akira Back at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair was worth the wait, and that’s saying something.

Atrium Restaurant is the signature, all-day restaurant at the glamorous Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, serving crowd-pleasing Mediterranean food with a handful of Asian influences. The latter influences are the echo of this restaurant's previous incarnation as Akira Back at the Mandarin Oriental, before the famous Korean American chef cut ties with the hotel in 2025. 

The main dining room is an impressive triple height room with a winding marble staircase creating an undeniable atmosphere of elegance and luxury. The name 'atrium' no doubt refers to the huge skylit ceiling, which gives the space a natural quality - bright and airy in the day, and moody in the evening. Combine that with a huge, flowing wooden wall sculpture, and abundance of foliage, and Atrium is certainly one of London's more beautiful dining rooms. 

Atrium serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, and is open to hotel guests and the general public. The a la carte menu includes dishes like flatbread with black garlic and sesame, courgette flower tempura cacio e pepe, and roasted baby chicken with preserved lemon and taggiasca olives. There's lots of Asian influence in the menu too, in dishes like lobster ravioli with ginger makgeolli beurre blanc, burrata with tomato and kimchi coulis, and grilled ribeye with gochujang glaze and kimchi. The restaurant also serves a more classic breakfast menu, and a two or three course set lunch menu.  

On the other end of the spectrum, inspired by fire, the Hanover Bar will offer bite-sized delights and dramatic cocktails, livening up at night and hosting DJs at the weekend. The rooftop ‘experience’ specialises in serving ‘epicurean delights’ whilst expert mixologists create decadent drinks to be enjoyed whilst taking in the panoramic views of London's skyline.