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Shepherd Market restaurants, so where do I start? I often find myself in or passing through Shepherd Market; I love that this little pocket of Mayfair has its own identity, steeped in history & now a vibrant little hub of restaurants & pubs.
So today, we take a peek at restaurants in Shepherd Market, Mayfair; as you would expect, there is an excellent choice of British, French, Italian, Turkish, Polish, Mexican & Japanese cuisines. The restaurants are slightly understated but with bags of character in keeping with this charming part of Mayfair.
Shepherds Market is a 5-minute stroll from Green Park station. Head towards Hyde Park corner on Piccadilly, and turn right onto White Horse Street, which leads you nicely into Shepherds Market. From Hyde Park station, it’s a 9-minute walk along Piccadilly. Turn left onto White Horse Street & into the Market.
1 Brief History of Shepherd Market
Shepherd Market was commissioned to be developed in 1735-46 by the local architect & developer Edward Shepherd.
It was completed in the mid-18th century, with paved alleys, a duck pond, and a two-story market, and he also built a theatre. The theatre was opened in May and attracted a high class of visitors. Many artists & actors settled in the “Market.”
The 1920s Shepherd Market was a very fashionable place to live. Some of London’s most affluent & colourful characters lived there. Greta Garbo starred in the film “Green Hat” set around Shepherds Market.
Sadly, singer Mama Cass of the Mamas & Papas died in 1974 on Curzon Street & Keith Moon, the crazy drummer of The Who 1978, from an overdose. At the time, he was staying at Harry Nilisson’s flat. At that time, Shepherd Market was still Mayfair’s red light district & in the 1980s, Jeffrey Archer, then a politician & bestselling author, was having liaisons with prostitute Monica Coghlan in Shepherd Market & which eventually led to his imprisonment.
If you are visiting the area, check out our restaurant guide of Dover Street, which is approximately a 10-minute walk from Shepherd Market.
2 Restaurants
Kitty Fishers
Kitty Fishers has a very understated-looking restaurant in a lovely Georgian townhouse setting. Named after an 18th-century courtesan, Kitty’s serves award-winning British cuisine. It has what is best described as a Dickensian dining room.
This unpretentious restaurant is renowned for friendly service & great food. The menu does continually change, but expect a special beef offering on the mains. The crispy potato sides always receive rave reviews. The starters are lighter offerings with plenty of seasonal vegetable and fish options.
Address: 10 Shepherd Market, Mayfair W1J 7QF
Misto
A cozy little restaurant serving traditional homemade Italian food in a delightful setting. On the menu, the Pasta selection also includes three types of Risotto & a selection of Ravioli and gnocchi, which, for some unexplained reason, are far too often left off Italian restaurant menus in the UK. Also, a daily specials board adds to the choices available.
Address: 7 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7PE
Sofra
The menu described as Middle Eastern cuisine with an international twist.
For example, the fish section includes “Black Cod” Japanese style & traditional fish & chips. However, scroll down to the Casserole section, and you will find Hunkar Begendi (the emperor’s dish), a classic Turkish recipe. The menu is wide & varied and caters for all tastes.
Hüseyin Özerchef Sofras charasmatic owner is the driving force of Sofra, providing healthy well cooked value for money food. The restaurant has been a veteran of the Shepherd Market restaurant scene and its success is very much down to Hüseyin vision and passion for his restaurants.
Sofra has two other restaurants in the area, South Molton Street and St Christopher’s Place
Address: 18 Shepherd Street, London, W1J 7JG
Titu
Titu serves an Asian fusion cuisine, specialising in Japanese dishes, which include Chicken Katsu, Miso salmon, Wasabi king crab and shiso Tiger prawn. All a large selection of Gyoza dishes (dumplings with dipping sauce). Titu offers a large, nice wine list along with a Saki selection.
Address;1a Shepherd Market, London W1J 7HJ
Ferdi London
The sister restaurant of the Paris restaurant attracts many famous Parisienne models. Ferdi’s signature dish is “Mac Ferdi’s cheeseburger”, apparently all the rage & just as popular with the Mayfair crowd as in Paris. The cocktails are highly recommended.
Ferdi is very popular, and the last time I passed Ferdi, the queue for the restaurant snaked its way around Shepherd Market, much to the annoyance of the crowd drinking outside Ye Grapes.
Address: 30 Shepherd Market, London, W1J 7QN
3 Restaurants in Shepherd Market (cont)
L’Autre
The L’Autre claims to be the oldest wine Lodge in Mayfair, established in 1942 as a sherry & wine lodge.
In 1976 it was converted into a Polish & Mexican restaurant, not a combination that I have ever come across before, but the restaurant has obviously stood the test of time. If, like me you are thinking, how does Polish & Mexican cuisine work as a fusion, don’t worry this is a Polish restaurant & a Mexican Restaurant,
A drinks menu of international wines & Vodkas. The Polish selection includes Borscht, Pierogi (dumplings), and Goulasche. On the Mexican side, it’s the favourite Enchiladas, Chilli and nachos. Thankfully, there is only one Polish-Mexican fusion dish, which is Polish/Mexican Nachos, Nachos with Polish sausage.
Address: 5B Shepherd St, London, W1J 7HP
Yazu Sushi
A small but friendly serving sushi kaiten style. Freshly made sushi.
Address; 46 Curzon St, London W1J &UH
Fez Mangal
Traditional Turkish restaurant serving Meze, Kebabs, Yogurtlu Kebabs, and with a good choice of Turkish Pide dishes.
Address; 3 Shepherd Market, London, W1J 7PB
L’Artiste Muscle
A French bistro in Shepherds Market since 1971, L’Artiste Muscle will have seen some changes in Shepherd Market restaurants since 1971 when Shepherds Market was infamous as Mayfair’s red light district. The menu includes French classics, and starters include snails in garlic & moules mariniere. I was so pleased to see Cassoulet on the main menu, one of my favourites. Great bistro classics with a wine list to match.
Address: 1 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7PA
Noble Rot, Mayfair
Noble Rot is part of a group of 3 restaurants, and each has a distinct theme. Appropriately for Mayfair, this Shepherd Market restaurant theme is based on indulgence. The menu showcases future classic dishes devised by head chef Adam Wood.
Fish dishes include Braised Octopus & Vesuvia tomato, Smoked Eel, potato & Avruga Caviar, while Duck, Middle White Porkchop and Anjou Pigeon add to this interesting menu.
They offer a set lunch menu & bar snacks are available in the downstairs wine bar.
The restaurant chain has won “Wine List of the Year” in the National Restaurant Awards, an very impressive achievement.
Finally, Noble Rot publishes its own subscription magazine.
Address: 5 Tebeck Street, W1J 7LT
Maru
Maru is a Japanese restaurant offering an “Omakase” menu (meaning leave it up to the Chef). There is no menu, and they have two evening sittings (5.30 & 8.30) serving a 20-course tasting menu.
The menu varies daily. The head chef & co-owner is 3rd Generation sushi chef Taiji Maruyama, who trained in Toyko at two 3 Michelin-starred restaurants before moving to Barcelona & Norway before coming to work at Nobu in the UK.
We recently interviewed Taiji about his career & how he came to set up Maru; it’s a really interesting interview.
Address: 18 Shepherd Market, W1J 7QH
Conclusion
As you can tell, there is plenty of choice within such a small area, booking in advance is recommended as Shepherd Market does get busy, it’s very popular with locals & tourists alike.
There is a new large luxury hotel being built just around the corner. Once open, this will only add to the popularity of the area.
If you enjoyed reading about the restaurants, I would recommend taking a look at the Mayfair Foodie’s guide to the pubs in Shepherd Market. We offer some interesting additional food options, just in case you need more choices.
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If you are looking to experience the buzz of Shepherd Market, why not check out the Mayfair Food walking tours? We take you into the heart of Shepherd Market.
