The Ultimate Guide To Mayfair Nightlife

Mayfair has come a long way since its debaucherous beginnings during the 16th and 17th centuries, with the infamous May Fair earning the area a reputation for drinking, fighting and scandalous behaviour.

Nowadays you’re more like to find fine dining and sushi lunches than riotous drunkenness – but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great place for a few drinks. Culture Trip has put together the hottest spots that all but guarantee a great night out in Mayfair.

After-work drinks

1. Audley

Bar, Pub, Pub Grub, British

Mayfair might have more than its fair share of glitzy cocktails, but it can get down with a pint and a pie as well as the rest of them. The Audley, a stunningly restored Victorian pub dating from 1127, proves that. It sits off the tourist trail and is filled mostly by regulars, a welcome sight when all you want is a beer and a table to put it on. Choose from an impressive array of handpumped ales, sit at a leather banquette and order a burger if you get hungry.

2. Claridge's

Spa Hotel, Hotel

Large chandelier, checkerboard-tiled floor, leather armchairs and colonnades by the arches in the ornate lobby of Claridges in London

This luxury hotel needs little introduction. Wedged between the glitzy hangouts of Bond Street, Green Park, Covent Garden and Buckingham Palace, Claridge’s is just the place for an after-work pick-me-up or a glass of champagne before a night out.

3. Mr Fogg’s Residence

Bar, Cocktail Bar, British, Tea

Situated roughly five minutes’ walk from Green Park station, Mr Fogg’s Residence on Burton Lane sells itself as the home of the eccentric British adventurer Phileas J Fogg, whose tale of traversing the world in 80 days has travelled just as far as the fictional man himself. The classy cocktail bar is littered with exotic ornaments that give the bar a worldly vibe with all the style and sophistication of Victorian England.

Aperitifs

4. Hush

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, British, French

Winner of the Best Bar Award at the 2017 London Club & Bar Awards, Hush boasts a 1930s-style restaurant and a lavish cocktail bar, as well as a courtyard for enjoying a refreshing drink on a summer’s evening. Found just a three-minute walk from Bond Street station, this is a great spot to stop for a bite to eat, or to head to for casual after-work drinks.

5. Connaught Bar

Bar, Contemporary

Part of the upmarket Connaught Hotel in Mayfair, The Connaught Bar can be a bit intimidating when you first walk in, as the decor is inspired by Cubism and 1920s art. There is nothing frosty about the enthusiastic staff and bartenders who ensure your evening of cocktails is perfectly facilitated, however. The cocktail menu is internationally renowned and strives to fuse traditional drinks and flavourings with fresh and pioneering new approaches to mixology, featuring exclusive vintages and limited edition champagnes, spirits and liqueurs. People in the know always order a martini, which will be mixed in front of you on a special martini trolley reserved for the purpose. The Connaught Bar operates a no reservation policy, so stop by early to ensure you get the best seat in the house.

6. sketch

Bar, Restaurant, Contemporary, Tea

A five-minute walk from Oxford Circus station, Conduit Street’s sketch dwells inside an 18th-century townhouse that is home to a host of fine restaurants and bars, as well as an array of artistic influences. Winner of the Best Design Award at the 2017 London Club & Bar Awards, this fine establishment serves up a stylishly suave atmosphere alongside delectable cocktails and some deliciously groundbreaking fare.

Post-dinner livener

7. Sexy Fish

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, Contemporary, Sushi, Asian, Seafood

While the food and drink at this upmarket Asian fusion restaurant are great, what customers are really there for is the lavish, over-the-top decor. Where else can you drink punnily named cocktails surrounded by marble, a wall of running water and enormous sculptures of fish and mermaids? The bar is small but lively and equipped with a DJ, so you can throw some shapes if you’re keen. Whisky fans will rejoice, as it has Europe’s largest collection of Japanese whiskies, at 358 bottles and counting. The scene is a feast for the eyes as much as the tastebuds – just don’t take it too seriously.

8. China Tang

Bar, Chinese

Set within the basement of The Dorchester on Park Lane, China Tang is so much more than a hotel bar. This art-deco venue has a cocktail menu offering Asian-inspired recipes as well as the ‘classics and forgotten’, all mixed by the expert bar staff. And if you’re in the mood for music, there is live jazz every Tuesday.

Late-night fun

9. Tape

Bar, Nightclub, Contemporary

Winner of the Best Club Award at the 2017 London Club & Bar Awards, Tape can be found on Hanover Square, near Oxford Circus station. Tape’s focus is music, offering members a bespoke art and music collectables service. The venue regularly hosts A-list performers and boasts its own recording studio where budding musicians can find a place to flourish.

10. Mahiki

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Contemporary

Just a two minute-walk from Green Park station, Dover Street’s Mahiki is a cocktail bar and club serving tropical-themed drinks and snacks. Opened in 2005, the bar has grown to become an internationally renowned chain, with venues in a number of prestigious locations scattered around the globe. With no VIP rooms, visitors always stand a chance of brushing shoulders with a celebrity or two.

This article was originally written by Ruaidhrí Carroll and has been updated.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.