We take a look at the best pub grub that Mayfair has to offer.
Mayfair is blessed with many great pubs. However, if you are looking for some great food as well as a good pint, read on. When deciding on the Best pub grub in Mayfair, we are looking for freshly cooked pub grub classics.
Another criteria is that there is no need to book, just walk in grab a table & order your food at the bar. However, all the pubs listed will be busy, and you might have to stand at the bar and have a drink before a table becomes free.
The popularity of Pub Grub in Britain
Only in fairly recent times (1970s & 1980s) have some pubs started to serve meals. Up until that point, the best you could get would be crisps or a stale cheese roll or for those pubs pushing the culinary boat out, they might offer a pork pie.
The popularity of pub grub continued to grow into the 1990s and beyond, with many pubs improving their food offerings and quality to attract a broader customer base. Some pubs even gained a reputation for their culinary offerings, becoming gastropubs offering more sophisticated and upscale dining experiences while maintaining the pub atmosphere.
Now we have 21 pubs in the UK with Michelin stars, led by Tom Kerridge Hand & Flower with 2 stars; there is only one pub in London with a star, the Harwood Arms in Fulham. For both, although they retain their pub feel & decor booking is essential, they are more of a restaurant than a pub to me.
Classic Pub Grub
Fish & Chips, a British classic. Battered Cod & Haddock served with chips, mushy peas & tartar sauce.
Sausage Roll, the humble sausage roll, can be a thing of beauty if cooked well. It has become a classic pub light bite. The perfect sausage roll should contain good-quality sausage meat and well-cooked puff pastry. Usually served with brown sauce or English mustard(or both in my case).
Scotch Egg, like the sausage roll, appears on most pub menus. A freshly cooked scotch egg in my humble opinion, should have a slightly runny egg, usually served with a breadcrumbed sausage meat casing. Variations of the casing include haggis, black pudding & smoked haddock. If you are visiting the UK and have not encountered this tasting morsel, please give it a go.
Pies have lots of varieties, but pub & pies are best friends. Steak & Ale, fish pie, shepherd pie, also vegan & vegetarian options. The windmill even has its own pie club.
Best Pub grub in Mayfair
The first five pubs on the list do have upstairs fine-dining restaurants. Our focus in this article is the full pub grub menu served in the pub downstairs.
So let’s get into our list of great pub grub in Mayfair, London.
Barley Mow
I started with the Barley Mow Mayfair as the pub has just been awarded best pub in London and also won the pub Chef of the year at the national Pub and Bar awards, so a good place to start any article on really good Pub Grub.
The Barley Mow Pub Grub menu covers all the classic mentioned above but also offers shellfish, including oysters, a half pint of prawns & Moules Mariniere. Meat options to catch my eye are Lamb Scrumpets, Anchovy Mayonnaise & Hot Meat Bun, and House Pickles. Devilled Woodland Mushrooms, Sourdough Toast & Isle of Wight Tomato Tart, Ticklemore Cheese, and Lovage Pesto look amazing for vegetarians.
The Barley Mow currently offers a worker’s lunch for £15, the option varies daily.
Guinea Grill
The Guinea Grill was established in 1675, and is fair to say it’s a Mayfair institution, The upstairs restaurant claims to be London’s first steakhouse opening in the 1950s.
Downstairs is the pub, and if you like your pub “traditional” the Guinea Grill will not disappoint.
As for pub grub, the bar at the Guinea Grill menu offers Devilled Kidneys, Welsh Rarebit, lamb chops from the grill, Beef, Oyster & Horseradish Pie, also Potato & Wensleydale Pie. Throw in the usual classics apart from fish & chips, the Guinea Grills sausage roll is one of the best I have ever tasted. Also on the menu are Oysters & Whitebait.
Take a look at our lunch experience eating at the wonderful Guinea Grill restaurant.
The Audley
Whoever thought of the word Gastro Pub obviously has The Audley Pub in mind.
This pub mixes traditional pub decor with artistic flair. The hand-painted ceiling created by is worth the price of a pint alone.
The downstairs pub menu has inventive bar snacks & pub favourites menu
A few highlights that accompanied the classic choices;
Cockle Popcorn & Malt Vinegar
St. Gallen bratwurst, bread & mustard
Mushroom & beetroot sausages, mash & onion gravy (Vg)
London dip, horseradish butter & gravy
The Audley’s upstairs fine dining restaurant is called Mount Street Restaurant, you can take a lift from the pub to the restaurant.
The Footman
The Footman is a charming traditional pub on Charles Street not far from Berkley Square and 5 minutes from Shepherd Market.
Bar food includes bar snacks, sausage rolls, haggis scotch egg & olives. Light lunch selection includes Cider battered cod, minted peas, tartare sauce, triple cooked chips, curry sauce, the Footman burger, Endive & English Stilton salad, beetroot, pear, balsamic, and walnuts.
Ciabatta sandwiches include Salt beef, Swiss cheese, gherkin, mustard, pickled red onion & Chicken, avocado, Asian slaw, and sriracha mayo.
I had the pleasure in reviewing the restaurant Upstairs in the Footman recently, its well worth a read. A little tempter picture below.
The Chesterfield Arms
The Chesterfield Arms is on the edge of Shepherd Market on Hertford Street
This is another restaurant with an A La Carte menu upstairs (beef Wellington is their signature dish). Downstairs in the pub, they have an imaginative Bar menu which includes Coronation chicken pie, mango chutney, Devilled baby squid & whitebait, tartare sauce and Warm sourdough, whipped feta, pistachio, chimichurri.
For the traditionalist, scotch egg & sausage rolls also make an appearance.
The Windmill
The Windmill mayfair specialises in its pies and even boasts a pie club. Before I come on to the pies, included in the starters are Crab Cakes & Lamb Koftas. Mains include sausage & mash, fish & chips, burgers, beef & a plant-based option,
On to the pies,
Classic Pies
Steak & Kidney
Steak & Mushroom
Shropshire chicken, bacon & leek pie
Cider braised pork & apple
Grilled courgette, aubergine, tomato & puff pastry pie
Harissa roasted squash & burrata puff pastry pie
Potted Pies
Shepherds Pie
Crab, prawn & haddock fish pie
On Sundays, traditional roasts are added to the menu.
The Windmill pub does offer plenty of dining space, including an upstairs & a roof terrace.
Ye Grapes
Ye Grapes is situated in the heart of Mayfairs Shepherd Market and has a slightly different food offering. The traditional pub has been in Shepherds Market since 1742 and offers a traditional British menu, amongst which are classics like fish & chips & sausage & mash but also offers a Thai food menu.
The menu includes soups, traditional Thai starters, noodle dishes, Thai curries & stir fries. Thai food in pubs has been popular for a long while & it is always a great alternative to some of the classic fare & happy to include Ye Grapes in our great pub grub selections.
The White Horse
Our final recommendation I should mention that The White Horse is a wine-led pub, which is hardly surprising when you consider that the wonders are Hedonism Wine. They also own the Michelin-starred restaurant Hide (a short walk from The White Horse ), which to me confirms the food pedigree of the White Horse.
The menu the group’s executive chef Ollie Dabbous, put together is not your usual pub grub menu.
Highlights include,
Devon crab, toasted brioche, radishes & sea herbs.
Toasted green asparagus, smoked egg yolk and pine nut
Pistachio mortadella, Jamon serrano,salami & homemade focaccia
Crispy Lake District lamb belly kebab, mint sauce & violet mustard yoghurt
So I hope you enjoyed our selections however there are many Mayfair pubs with food and honorable mentions should go to The Burlington and The Punchbowl Mayfair.
Our Pub Grub recommendations
Hopefully, we have tempted you to take a stroll into Mayfair & enjoy a drink or to along with some great Pub grub. We have highlighted the diverse and creative dishes that can be found in Mayfairs pubs; I strongly recommend trying them for yourself. Below I have listed the address of the pubs we recommended. Please let me know how you got on and what dishes you enjoyed.
Best Pub Grub in Mayfair London
Barley Mow, 82 Duke St, London W1K 6JG
Guinea Grill, 30 Bruton Pl, London W1J 6NL
The Audley, 41-43 Mount Street, Mayfair W1K 2RX
The Chesterfield Arms, 50 Hertford St, London W1J 7SS
The Windmill, 6-8 Mill St, London W1S 2AZ
Ye Grapes, 16 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7QQ
The White Horse, 5 White Horse St, London W1J 7LQ
