Fenix Mayfair

If you’ve spent any time in Britain, you’ll know we have a bit of an obsession with the weather. Strike up a conversation with a stranger and, within a sentence or two, one of you will mention it. I’m no different, so here goes: it’s wet. Not a passing shower, but one of those grey, grim days when you just know it’s going to rain until bedtime, and I’m heading into London.

Do I care? Not one bit. You see, I’m lunching in Greece. Well, not literally, but at Fenix Mayfair, the Greek restaurant on Piccadilly. I’m a big fan of all things Greek, and I’m only recently back from a holiday in the Greek Islands, so the timing couldn’t be better. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Fenix, not least that the kitchen isn’t afraid to give classic Greek dishes a twist or two. So shake off your umbrella, pull up a chair and come with me. We’re going back to Greece.

About Fenix Mayfair

Let’s start with that name, because it’s a good one. Fenix is the phoenix, the mythical firebird that goes up in flames and rises again from its own ashes. And there’s a proper story behind it. In March 2020, brothers Adam and Drew Jones, the duo behind Tattu, had to close the doors on every one of their restaurants. Out of lockdown, a few trips to Greece and a love of the Greek myths that went right back to their schooldays came the idea for Fenix: something beautiful rising out of the worst of times. If you’re going to name a restaurant after a bird famous for its comebacks, you really couldn’t ask for a better backstory.

The first Fenix opened in Manchester at the end of 2023, and now it’s made the journey south. Fenix Mayfair opened in March 2026 on the ground floor of Stratton House, a handsome 1920s Portland stone building at 80 Piccadilly. The Ritz is just a two-minute stroll along the road, which tells you pretty much all you need to know about the neighbourhood. It’s a short stroll from Green Park station, so even on a day like today, you’ll barely get damp.

In the kitchen, you’ll find executive chef Zisis Giannouras, whose cooking draws on his upbringing in Northern Greece and the Cyclades. He’s been with Fenix from the very start; when the Manchester restaurant opened, he was its head chef. Now he leads the kitchen here, which, given the name over the door, feels like a bit of a rise of his own. Alongside him is head chef Angelos Togias, previously of Krokodilos. Between them, the idea is Greek food you’ll recognise, with the odd twist you won’t see coming.

The Decor at Fenix Mayfair

When I asked about the look, the general manager told me the idea is to evoke a Greek beachside taverna. Now, if you’ve ever eaten at a real one, you’ll know exactly what that means: wobbly chairs, a paper tablecloth clipped to the table against the breeze, and a cat sitting patiently at your feet, waiting for a bit of your calamari. Fenix is not that. Think of it as the taverna that’s done rather well for itself, moved to Mayfair and hired a very good interior designer.

That designer is Studio WYZE, and they’ve built the whole space around the phoenix and the passing of a Greek island day. You start in the bar at the front, the ‘night’ end of the restaurant, all deeper, moodier tones and a bar front made of bronze feathers. Phoenix, feathers… you see what they did there. Walk through the curved plaster arches, and the dining room lightens up as if you’ve stepped out into the afternoon sun: a timber-beamed ceiling, rope-wrapped columns, raffia-fringed pendants, olive trees and deep, cushion-piled banquettes. There’s even a wall of Greek breeze blocks, backlit by lighting that shifts from bright and fresh at lunch to warm and golden by the evening.

At the heart of it all is the open kitchen, with its open-fire grill glowing away behind the pass. If you’re the kind of diner who likes to know exactly what’s going on (and let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you probably are), ask for a seat at the kitchen counter. You get a front-row view of the chefs working over the coals, and you’re close enough to smell everything before it reaches you. It’s lunch and a show, and nobody has to sing.

Menu & Food

At first glance, the menu reads like a roll call of Greek favourites, with sections for Spreads, Meze and dishes From the Open Fire. Then you spot a Cold section of carpaccios and tartares and then, shock horror, we cross the border into Italy with a whole section of pasta and risotto. More on that in a minute. Look a little closer and you’ll find a few Japanese and Peruvian accents too: a robata grill, yuzu, miso and anticucho.

What’s clear is that executive chef Zisis Giannouras has put his own stamp on many of the dishes, with tweaks on the classics that I really like. Don’t get me wrong: when I’m sitting in a taverna on a beautiful bay on a little island in the Cyclades, simplicity is the key, and nothing beats freshly cooked fish. But I’m in Mayfair, and here I want to see and taste something different, something ingenious and downright tasty, with plenty of skill from the kitchen.

As in many of our reviews, I asked for a little guidance from the people who know the menu best. In this case, that was general manager Nico, and within a few minutes our first dishes were arriving. I should point out that everything was for sharing between me and my guest, Linda.

The Spreads

We started with the Spreads, along with a homemade pita that was light, fluffy and just so good. The two dips in question were a classic smoked taramasalata and an aubergine and feta, and the latter shows off the chef’s little twist: the feta arrives as an ice cream topping.

Now, if you’ve only ever eaten taramasalata from the supermarket, you’d be quite right to point out that the version here isn’t pink. It’s cream. I’ve no idea why the supermarket version is pink; presumably someone decided it looks more appealing. I disagree. The taramasalata at Fenix is light years away from anything in a plastic tub, not related in any shape or form: creamy, properly fishy and gently smoked. The aubergine was every bit as good. In fact, we refused to let either plate be cleared until they’d been wiped clean.

The Mid-Course

Next came what I’m calling our mid-course (I don’t think that’s official terminology), and three dishes arrived at the table: from the Cold section, a tuna truffle and caviar tartare; from the Meze list, robata grilled squid; and, as Nico said, you can’t go to a Greek restaurant without having moussaka. Who were we to argue?

We started on the tuna and squid, and these two seafood dishes are an interesting test of any kitchen. With a raw dish, the main ingredient has to be the star, and anything you add needs to be carefully balanced. Raw tuna is such a fresh, delicate ingredient that it needs only the slightest touch to lift it, and that’s exactly what it got here. It was an outstanding plate.

The squid had been cut and flattened and, I’d guess, given the briefest visit to the robata grill, maybe less than a minute. Any longer and you’d be chewing on a rubber band. It was served on a taramasalata cream with a lime dressing. In its own way, squid is just as delicate as tuna and notoriously difficult to cook perfectly. Like the tuna, it was a delight.

Now, you might be thinking moussaka is a rather heavy dish to have before the mains arrive. But at Fenix, you’ll find it in the Meze section, slimmed down and given a tweak or two by Chef Zisis. The headline change is that the lamb has been swapped for beef short rib, slow-cooked for 12 hours, with caramelised aubergine and graviera cheese. It looked and tasted fantastic. I’m not usually a big fan of deconstructed dishes, but this just worked. It’s a moussaka in name only; the makeover has turned it into the perfect meze dish, and if you visit, please order one.

The Mains

Onto the mains, and two very good choices. First up was the lamb shank giouvetsi: slow-braised lamb shank on orzo. I’d spotted it on the menu on my way to the restaurant, so I was delighted when it was suggested. The orzo is cooked in the juices from the lamb, and that’s what makes the dish. I’d never have thought of pairing orzo with lamb shank, but it turns out the Greeks have been doing it for years, as giouvetsi is a classic Greek family dish. I certainly will be now. I got the impression it’s one of Fenix’s signature dishes, and for good reason.

Alongside the lamb came a dish from the Pasta section: slow-cooked beef and bone marrow with trahana. This is exactly why it’s always worth talking to the team serving you. I wouldn’t have ordered it, and I’d have missed out. Trahana has a texture a bit like an overcooked risotto, which might not sound too appealing, but believe me, it’s packed with flavour, especially with the bone marrow and beef. It was a big hit at our table.

What Is Trahana?

Trahana was new to me. It’s a traditional Greek staple made from cracked wheat (or sometimes semolina or flour) mixed with milk or yoghurt, left to ferment, then dried and crumbled into small granules. It was originally a way of preserving the summer’s milk for the winter months, and in Greece you’ll most often find it as a comforting, porridge-like soup. At Fenix, it’s cooked more like a pasta, with slow-cooked beef cheek and smoked graviera.

Dessert

Greek ice cream and loukoumades: frozen Greek yoghurt with candied walnuts, berries and those delightful little Greek doughnuts

For dessert, we ordered the Greek ice cream and loukoumades: frozen Greek yoghurt with candied walnuts, berries and those delightful little Greek doughnuts, plus, of course, some honey. It reminded me of the perfect Greek breakfasts I’d been enjoying on holiday not long before, and after our hearty mains, it slipped down very easily.

Final Thoughts on Fenix Mayfair

In food terms, Fenix isn’t a traditional Greek restaurant, and it doesn’t pretend to be. But from the moment you walk in, it’s clear that Greece is at its heart. The menu is well thought out, the cooking is of a high standard, and the service and ambience more than match the food. Order the moussaka, let the team talk you into the trahana and, if you can, grab a seat at the kitchen counter.

I arrived on one of those grey London days when the rain just won’t give up, and I left feeling as though I’d spent the afternoon on a Greek island. Fenix Mayfair is sunshine on a rainy day, and I can’t think of a better compliment than that.