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Great food at reasonable prices in Mayfair, London
The Mayfair Foodie uncovers the Best cheap eats in Mayfair, with the emphasis on quality. I understand that Mayfair & cheap are not two words commonly found together but trust me when we have found some fantastic options to eat good wholesome food without having to up your credit card limit.
In compiling this list we have not only found some cheaper options like coffee bars & pubs but some golden nuggets from some of Mayfair’s exclusive restaurants.
Any prices quoted are based on the time of writing, at the end of the article you will see a handy address guide to every place we mention. So by the time you have read this, you will be confident you can visit Mayfair without robbing a bank along the way (not recommended) but enjoy great food in London’s most exclusive area.
1 Restaurants
Mayfair is home to many of the most expensive Restaurants in the UK (16 with Michelin stars) however in this section we have cherry picked some great options that not only are value for money but the food is up there in terms of quality.
Mercato Mayfair
Where do we start in describing this food haven, there is something for everybody here. I’m going to quote their website as a description as quite frankly I cannot describe it any better
“Deconsecrated in 1974, St Mark’s on North Audley Street is now one of our cultural hubs of sustainable authentic food, offering two floors of worldwide cuisine, a rooftop terrace, wine cellar and community space.”
Firstly the former church makes a stunning home for the food kitchens in the building, the first thing you see when entering from the hallway is the stunning glass windows. Ok, I can hear you so what about the food… Well, when you visit you will see that all the food on site is freshly cooked and in common with all food markets the choice of cuisines is incredible.
Regarding price this is a generalisation as there are over 12 separate traders on site but as a guideline £8 – £20 covers most dishes on offer, so for quality fresh sustainably sourced food in the Middle of Mayfair,
Mercato Mayfair offers tremendous value and a delightful eating experience.
Among my favourite food traders in Mercato Mayfair are…
Pasta Lovers
This kitchen serves up Italian classics all made with Fresh pasta, I love the simplicity of Italian food and these guys really do know how to pack in the flavour of Italy. Pasta lovers was featured on Stanley Tucci’s BBC 2 series “Searching for Italy”.
Spice Lab
Situated on the first floor the Spice Lab serves Maylasian Street food, authentic satay dishes & curries
Steamy & Co
Bao, Dumplings and Ramen dishes, are always very popular
Badiani
The Iconic Italian Gelato along with other sweet delights and fantastic coffee
I feel a little unfaithful not mentioning the other traders as they are all good & depending on your mood or taste buds you are bound to find the perfect meal for you.
Finally, I should mention there is a brewery, distillery & wine cellar on site.
Mayfair Chippy
Next door to Mercato Mayfair in North Audley Street is the Mayfair Chippy. The restaurant is a Mayfair legend, serving quality fresh fish including oysters, mussels, crab and other fish delicacies. For this article, I want to mention The Mayfair Chippy traditional classic fish & chips. At £20 per portion you get battered cod or haddock, chips, mushy peas, tartar sauce & a choice of HP gravy or curry sauce, you can have fish & chips without the trimmings for £16.50.
Trust me this is great value as it is seriously good fish & chips. What’s more when I reviewed the restaurant recently there were lots of couples sharing a “classic” for lunch (just ask the waiter & they will bring two plates for you to share). It is advisable to book as this is a very busy restaurant.
L’Autre
The Polish/Mexican restaurant (yes it is a strange combination) has been a firm favourite of Shepherd Market evening crowd for years. If you can get your head around the Polish/Mexican menu you will discover some really good week at everyday prices. Traditional Polish pierogi (filled dumplings) at £18 is one of my favourites & Beef Goulash at £21 is excellent value. If you prefer Mexican the Chilli con carne with all the trimmings is £20. They also offer a Vodka menu at £4 per shot
CHUCS Mayfair
Situated on Dover Street, this Mediterranean restaurant offers some good value dishes especially when you consider that the flagship restaurant in the group is the iconic Langan’s which is a short walk away located on Stratton Street. CHUCS classic burger is £21 (served with trimmings & fries) & Croque Monsieur is £14.
2 Pubs
Mayfair has a large selection of really good traditional pubs, most offer good pub grub at reasonable prices. We highlight some of our favourites, offering the best cheap eats in Mayfair.
Pubs are great places to eat well-cooked wholesome food at reasonable prices & Mayfair has some excellent Pubs producing good food.
The Windmill
The Windmill is famous for its homemade pies, they even run a pie club.
They have 8 pies on the menu including the classic fillings including a Shepherds’ pie, fish pie & Steak, Kidney, and Mushroom pie. Pie prices range from £17-£21. The Windmill also has other food options all reasonably priced,
One final tip, for warm days the Windmill has a roof garden, a rare thing in Mayfair.
Ye Grapes
If you are looking for something different than traditional pub food, Shepherd Markets Ye Grapes offers a full Thai food menu, offering many Thai favourites including Thai curries, Stir fries & noodle dishes. All dishes you can have with a choice of meats, seafood, fish, Tofu & vegetables. Prices range from £11.45-£13.45
The Guinea Grill
The Guinea Grill is famous for the quality of its meat & showcases British classics in an upstairs fine dining restaurant, whilst a lovely restaurant it sadly does not meet the criteria for a mention in the reasonably priced food article, However, the downstairs bar menu does.
The “guinea” offers 3 oysters for £9, Lamb Cutlet for £8, and Welsh Rarebit for £7 but the star of the show in my humble opinion is the sausage roll.
I love sausage rolls and their version is one of the best, cooked to order this will not disappoint, the sausage meat filling is enhanced with onions, and the puff pastry is very light and thin. Whilst this might not seem like a meal to many this is a meat-filled snack at £6.50 that will satisfy most appetites until you move on to the next pub.
The Guinea Grill is also famed for the quality of its Guinness which is a perfect accompaniment to the sausage Roll
Some days you might find you are greeted by a doorman in a top hat & tails, which is not an everyday sight in British pubs
The Barley Mow
Like the Guinea Grill the Barley Mow has a silver service restaurant upstairs but downstairs the pub offers a fine selection of pub snacks & they have recently introduced a “Workers Lunch” menu with a different dish on offer every day at only £15. Dont worry if you are not a worker they will never notice-Haha.
Classics include Barley Mow house Shepherds Pie, Grilled Middle White & fennel Sausages, mash, spring greens & gravy. Slow Roasted Free range chicken, white bean, pancetta, sage & lemon.
The Barley Mow has just been awarded best pub in London an also won the pub Chef of the year at the national pub and bar awards.
3 Coffee Shops & Cafes
Mayfair has a great choice of one-off or small chain specialist coffee shops & cafes. As well as great coffee they also provide some fantastic well cooked food at very reasonable prices for this part of town.
Some of my picks below…
Popina
One of my favourite dishes in this lovely cafe is Green Shakshuka and Racletta cheese melt, I love this dish & at £12.95 you dont have to break the bank to enjoy it. Along with breakfast specials Popina offers a range of sandwhiches, homemade salads (£10 for a large bowel) and sweet pastries
The Salad Kitchen
Obviuosly we are talking salads here & these guys know how to serve a good wholesome saled. My favourite is the grilled Halloumi saled with medley of pulses,roast potatoe, pickled red cabbage, couscous topped with avacado & dressing of your choice. All for £8. Expect to queue lunchtimes unless you download the app & order online. Great food that happens to be healthy as well. Salads start at £4
District
A coffee shop with a difference. District not only serves fine coffee, great food but also has a cheeky afterwork tipple selection including cocktails. I should mention that District are on the verge of attaining B Corp Certification, for a small chain of 3 Cafes it is a great achievement.
Anyhow back to the food, I’m going for my favourite, some days you just need Avacado so its the Avacado Sourdough with omega seed mix, chilli flakes & lemon (£8). I always feel like I’ve beeing good in having something healthy, but in truth its lovely. They offer a full menu of other interesting options including Kimichi Melt Cheese on Sourdough & Spinach & feta corn fritters.
Lexpress Coffee
A coffee shop serving a range of sandwiches, jacket potatoesv & a selection of hot meals. I should say the “hot offerings” are self service but at £8.90 for a large portion this is good value for home cooked food. The menu does change every day but I’m sure you will find a favourite amongst classic like lasagne, chicken curry, chicken pie, risotto & vegartarian options. On my last visit I went for chicken piri piri, which was good, it could of done with a little more spice for my taste but I did enjoy it all the same
4 Where to find our selections
Mercato Mayfair, St Marks Church, North Audley Street, W1K 6ZA
Mayfair Chippy, 14 North Audley Street, W1K 6WE
The Maddox Tavern, 47 Maddox Street, W1S 2PG
L’Autra, 58 Shepherd Market, London,W1J 7HP
Chucs Mayfair, 30 Dover Street, W1S 4NB
The Windmill, 6-8 Mill Steet, W1S 2AZ
Ye Grapes, 16 Shepherd Market, W1J 7QQ
The Guinea Grill, 30 Bruton Place,W1J 6NL
The Footman, 5 Charles Street,W1J 5DF
The Barley Mow, 82 Duke Street, W1K 6JG
Popina, 83 Duke Street,W1K 5PF
The Salad Kitchen, 28 Avery Row, W1K 4AZ
District, 22 Brooks Mews, W1K 4DY
Lexpress Coffee, 20 Maddox Street,W1S 1PN
Finally …
Hopefully you have enjoyed reading this & more importantly I hope I have tickled your tate buds sufficently to go & try some of the suggestions. Also, I hope this guide gives you the opportunity to taste well cooked food without breaking the budget. If you find any gems that we have missed please let me know.
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