Last updated January 2026
Despite what the Monopoly board might have you believe, not everyone riding through Mayfair in a mini Kurtis Kraft is made of money. Neither are they silly little top hats made of pewter, but that’s another story…
…Anyway, for the vast majority of folk who find themselves in this most luxurious of London locales, dropping several hundred notes on supper is going to feel pretty frivolous. Fortunately, for those keen for a Mayfair-standard meal at, say, Pall Mall prices, there are plenty of set lunch options ready to satisfy the brief.
With that in mind, here’s our rundown of the best value set lunches in Mayfair. We think we’ll (free) park the Monopoly references now…
Noble Rot Mayfair
Ideal for a demure, delicious meal that’s the best lunch deal in Mayfair…
Noble Rot Mayfair has only been open for the best part of a year, but it’s already settled into a rhythm in the agreeably lowkey Shepherd’s Market. That should come as no surprise if you’ve been to the first two iterations of this impeccable restaurant; this is clearly a restaurant group (can we call them a group yet?) who have mastered a kind of discreet, demure hospitality and straightforward but intense cooking style. It’s an aesthetic that’s just so welcome in this gaudy side of town.
The Mayfair branch is spearheaded by head chef Adam Wood along with the usual overseeing from executive chef Stephen Harris of the Sportsman, with the two promising a seasonally reflective menu with an indulgent focus, retaining the trademark warmth and fine cooking of its predecessors in Soho and Bloomsbury.
On a recent visit, the set lunch menu (the best value in the neighbourhood at £26 for 3 courses) featured a pearlescent, flaking poached cod with fennel and orange salad that was so refreshing on a particularly balmy August day.
The confit duck leg and braised lentils that followed felt a little more autumnal, admittedly, but no less delicious. A hazelnut and brown butter cake rounded things off in some style, a textural delight.
Of course, Noble Rot is as much about the wine as it is the excellent food, with a ‘shrine to vine’ mantra that we don’t quite understand but an approachable, inclusive wine list that we very much do. To have several wines by the glass for under a fiver, in Mayfair, in this economy, is a lovely touch, even if they are only 75ml ‘tasters’. That said, the ubiquitous, totally drinkable ‘Chin Chin’ Vinho Verde is just £5 for a proper glass. A Don Tinto Tempranillo 2022 is the same price.
Not only do the guys at Noble Rot want to feed and water you without bankrupting you, there’s always an agreeable inclusivity to proceedings, which certainly isn’t always the case in Mayfair. Yep, this is the best set lunch in Mayfair, we think.
When: The set lunch menu is available from 12pm to 2:30pm everyday except Sunday (when they’re closed), with two courses for £22 and 3 for £26.
Website: noblerot.co.uk
Address: 5 Trebeck St, Shepherd Market, London W1J 7LT
Ambassadors Clubhouse
There’s nothing like a long lunch. Make a late booking, kick back for a lazy afternoon and know you won’t be eating anything else all day. Noting that the Ambassadors Clubhouse takes lunch bookings until 3.00, we’re in. Turning up there’s a pretty terrace, which would be just the job on a summer’s afternoon, but we’re looking for something a little more immersive. Pushing open the heavy door we’re met with sensory overload – a gold domed ceiling, dark wood, glittering lights, portraits of Punjabi princes. The door closes. We’re inside the jewel box.
The owners are JKS Restaurants – the very same crew behind Gymkhana, Brigadiers and Hoppers so we’re expecting something special. The Ambassadors Clubhouse is based on the historic ‘party mansion’ of the founder’s grandfather, an actual ambassador. That must have been quite the place. Deep down in the basement are discreet private dining rooms and a dance floor where on the weekend the DJ fuses Punjabi dance with contemporary Euro grooves until 2.00 am. You could have a good time down there.
Kicking off, the cocktails are some of the best we’ve had for a long time – Bhang Rickey with gin, passion fruit and mint is to die for. With them arrive spicy papads and chutneys. The hari aam chutney is an electrifying green, sweet and spicy at the same time. We have to ask for the recipe. We’re let into the secret – it’s all about generous but judicious use of unripe mango.
Choose the set lunch – at £35 you won’t find better value for such an opulent spread. Names of dishes may be less familiar than those at the local curry house but the enthusiastic waiting staff are eager to explain. The highlight is the haryali rabbit keema cheela, the flavourful minced rabbit wrapped in bronze pancakes. The properly smoky reshmi chicken tikka is charred to perfection.
Lamb shami bun kebabs arrive next, sitting up self importantly like the best mini burgers served at the ambassador’s reception. After something of a meat feast we welcome the amritsari aloo gobhi kulcha. Like naan? Like potato and cauliflower curry? Stuffing one inside the other is an inspiration. Even better when served with dark, richly spiced chick peas on the side. Room for a little dessert? Both the jalebi and the gulub jamun bring some serious sweetness, best tempered by a double espresso.
We emerge blinking into the late afternoon sun, a little heavier but our spirits lighter.
When: The set lunch menu is available everyday from 12pm to 6pm. One course is £21, two is £29 and 3 is just £35.
Website: ambassadorsclubhouse.com
Address: 25 Heddon St, London W1B 4BH
Theo Randall at the Intercontinental
Ideal for deceptively simple, satisfying plates of Italian seasonality…
No. 1 Park Lane. Could there be a more prestigious sounding address in the city? Originally the site of 145 Piccadilly, it was once the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth II. Since 1975, it’s been the Intercontinental Hotel, its enviable vantage point offering stunning views of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace, making it a favourite among royalty and celebrities on their jaunts in the Big Smoke.
One of those celebrities has been plying his trade in the bowels of the Intercontinental for close to two decades. Chef Theo Randall, famous for earning the iconic Hammersmith restaurant the River Café its first Michelin star and for his patient vibes in the face of Matt Tebbutt on Saturday Kitchen, equally.
In a soothing but clinical basement dining room (it’s used for the hotel’s buffet breakfast, too) of faded greens and dusty pinks, there’s a worry Randall’s robust, faithful Italian cooking will be buried under the weight of the hotel.
Not so. Service is gentle and breezy down here, allowing light, precise plates of premium produce that’s been refreshingly un-faffed with to shine. To kick things off, a towering, salty chunk of focaccia arrives alongside a pleasant slice of bruschetta with semi-dried tomato, everything tasting as it should. My wife thinks it was deliberately presented to look like a boot, representing Italy. I’m not so sure.
Starters are light, bright and wholly appropriate for the heatwave outside, with beautiful bar-marked vegetables, a satisfying stress ball of good mozzarella, and aged balsamic all coming together into a cohesive whole.
Another starter saw thinly sliced fennel salami served, pleasingly, at the correct temperature – a rare thing in the UK. As in, warm enough so its pearls of fat are beginning to melt ever so slightly. It’s the kind of attention to detail that you expect from a chef of Randall’s quality.
Unsurprisingly, Randall’s signature beef, Chianti and San Marzano ragu is a highlight. It’s a wonderfully light affair, the tomatoes shining through just as much as the slow-cooked beef. A ragu at lunchtime is often a dangerous game to play, with the hotel rooms upstairs looking tempting for an afternoon nap to recover, but here, it’s expertly judged. Do we even need to add that the fresh egg pappardelle is perfect?
It all ends with a delicate slice of Amalfi lemon tart, the one that’s so iconic at The River Café, and, having eaten both, is just as good here. On our visit, the big man was present, working his mantecare to glossy perfection. We’re told he does so most services.
Do be warned; though the set lunch is great value, it can quickly add up if you intend to have a drink; a pinot nero bianco Saint Valier for £14 a glass and a Moscato d’Asi for £12 quickly sent things skyward. If you’re planning to stick to the water to keep prices below £100 for two all-in, then be careful not to get stung on the sparkling water. Regardless of the fact you’re in Mayfair, £7 for a San Pellegrino is a lot.
Take care with your drinks ordering, though, and Theo Randall at the Intercontinental is one of Mayfair’s best set lunches, no doubt about it.
When: Available 12pm to 2pm, Tuesday to Friday. 2 courses are currently £28, 3 are £33.
Website: theorandall.com
Address: One Hamilton Place, Park Ln, London W1J 7QY
The Grill at the Dorchester
Ideal for comforting plates of studied precision…
Though the prestigious Dorchester plays host to a 3 Michelin-starred, Alain Ducasse-led (in name at least) restaurant, it’s not here that we’re enjoying one of Mayfair’s best set lunch deals.
Instead, we’re settling into one of the most handsome dining rooms in the capital, where deep red leather booths and a striking ornate ceiling provide the backdrop for confident, classical British cooking. The Grill has been feeding well-heeled Londoners since the hotel opened in 1931, and while chefs have come and gone, the room’s sense of occasion remains unchanged.
The current kitchen, led by culinary director Martyn Nail alongside head chef Jacob Keen-Downs, delivers a set lunch that leans into comfort without sacrificing finesse. A chicken liver parfait arrives silky and rich, lifted by an intriguing but not wholly unwelcome waft of saffron and (totally welcome) pear chutney, while the Welsh rarebit crumpet offers a playful nod to the British classics this room has always done well.
Mains hold few surprises but execute them impeccably: a short rib and ale pie with mash is the kind of dish you want on a grey London afternoon, its pastry shattering into deeply savoury filling. The grilled sea bream with braised coco beans and gremolata provides a lighter counterpoint for those with stuff to do in the afternoon.
Puddings keep things appropriately old-school. A sticky toffee pudding with whisky ice cream is exactly as indulgent as it sounds but doesn’t tip over into bruising territory, while a lemon posset with blood orange and shortbread offers bitter-sharp relief. The Stilton with pretzel brioche and honey butter makes a compelling case for the savoury finish.
At £38 for two courses or £42 for three, this represents serious value for a room of this calibre. Yes, the wine list can send things skyward quickly, and that steak and fries carries a £15 supplement, but stick to the set menu and a glass of something modest and you’ll leave having eaten extremely well without the credit card taking too severe a hit.
When: Available Monday to Friday, 12pm to 2:15pm. 3 courses are £42.
Website: dorchestercollection.com
Address: 53 Park Ln, London W1K 1QA
Tendril
Ideal for a fun and frivolous, mostly vegan tasting menu…
Of course, you needn’t endure a bout of imposter syndrome in a luxury London hotel to get your hands on a set lunch deal that’s worth your hard earned cash. At Tendril, just a few moments into Mayfair from Oxford Circus, the vibe feels decidedly more bespoke.
Sitting pretty on the ground floor of an elegant looking Georgian townhouse on Princes Street, Tendril offers an elegant contemporary twist on ‘mostly vegan’ dining (their words, not ours).
Founded by Rishim Sachdeva, who boasts experience at The Fat Duck and Chiltern Firehouse, the concept evolved from a pop-up to a permanent fixture through a successful crowdfunding campaign, and we’re so glad they did, as Sachdeva’s skill in using bold Asian and Middle Eastern flavours to shine the best light on prime vegetables is undeniable.
£27 is a lot of fun for a meal deal that’s more often a simple three course affair; this one is a sometimes elegant, sometimes in-your-face succession of seven or so dishes, with the grilled oyster mushroom skewers a real highlight from a recent visit. Blistered and burnished from licking flames, and topped with rounds of green chilli for a little extra fun, these guys were properly punchy. More mellow but no less enjoyable, the cauliflower massaman was ace too, its slices of gently pickled plum a lovely balancing act against all that coconut sweetness and heady spicing.
Glorious stuff indeed, though without wishing to repeat ourselves, the bill here can add up fast if you’re not cautious with your drink selection. Though the descriptor of ‘Drinking Vinegar’ might make readers wince, the Utopia vinegar, wild cherry & elderflower cordial (£7) is a gorgeous drink, and a fine pairing against the fattier, smokier notes on the plate.
When: Served from Tuesday to Friday, between 12pm and 3:30pm. The set ‘discovery prix fixe’ tasting menu is £27 for around 5 courses.
Website: tendrilkitchen.co.uk
Address: 5 Princes St, London W1B 2LQ
Pavyllon
Ideal for enjoying a Michelin-starred, four course menu in under an hour…
Meanwhile, over in Hanover Square and back into the cold, clammy arms of a 5-star hotel (this time, the Four Seasons) for our lunch, Pavyllon at has quickly risen to prominence in London, earning a Michelin star within its first year of tweezering, sous-vide-ing and cryoconcentrating.
The work of – in name, at least (we see a theme developing here) – decorated chef Yannick Alléno, whose innovative, technical take on French cuisine has earned him 16 Michelin stars across the globe, Pavyllon’s set lunch will be catnip to the ‘here for a good time, not for a long time’ crowd, promised to be done and dusted in just 55 minutes (is. that. good?).
For when it’s wham, bam thank you ma’am but the hotel room isn’t booked for a fumble, this set lunch menu will do the business for you, with the four course affair clocking in at £55.50. That’s got us wondering how it would play out in other restaurants across London if the price matched the time it takes to eat a meal – if I can dispense with a whole Ikoyi 15-courser in 10 minutes, can I pay just a tenner?
Not one for the loose, languid and leisurely, this one feels like it’s aimed at an incredibly specific niche, But for those wanting to eat a multi-course Michelin-starred meal in under an hour, it’s here to serve. Still, there’s no denying the quality of the food on that menu. Dainty but with real depth, dishes like poached obsiblue prawns served with watercress and yuzu ponzu jelly, are sufficiently light not to give you indigestion as you wolf them down with one eye on the ticking stopwatch.
Weirdly for a place that wants you to smash your meal real fast and then fuck off, the dining chairs here are absurdly comfortable, their undulating padding ironing out just about every kink our back has ever endured, even those kinks yet to come. The soothing mauve colour scheme further advances that sense of sedation. Perhaps they don’t want us to leave after all.
When: Lunch is served from 12:00 to 14:00 daily. The four course menu is £55.
Website: pavyllonlondon.com
Address: Hamilton Pl, Park Ln, London W1J 7DR
Corrigan’s Mayfair
Ideal for serious, seasonal British cooking without the à la carte commitment…
Charming, illustrious chef Richard Corrigan opened his Mayfair flagship back in 2008, and while the London restaurant scene has spun through countless cycles since, Corrigan’s has remained remarkably constant. The room has the feel of a place that knows exactly what it is: leather banquettes, dimmed lighting, a certain clubby warmth without the stuffiness.
The Menu du Jour changes with the seasons, and this winter’s iteration leans into comfort without losing its edge. Starters run from a spiced parsnip velouté with celery, hazelnut and onion fritter (excellent) to sliced ox tongue with sauce gribiche (even better), the kind of dishes that remind you Corrigan cut his teeth on classical French technique. A poached Chalk Stream trout with buttermilk, horseradish and beetroot offers something lighter.
Mains follow suit: a smoked eel omelette with spinach, bacon and café de Paris butter; slow cooked porchetta with green lentil fricassee and kalettes; roast Cornish pollock with celeriac, cavolo nero and wild mussels. For the committed who haven’t quite understood the offer of a set lunch, a Hereford beef tournedos with foie gras and mushroom carries a £36 supplement, steep, but this is Corrigan doing Rossini – a match made in heaven – and is not to be missed.
At £34 for two courses or £38 for three, the Menu du Jour represents genuine value for cooking of this calibre. A £38 wine pairing sweetens the deal further if you’re in the mood to let someone else do the thinking.
When: Menu du Jour available Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 2:30pm. 2 courses are £34, 3 courses are £38.
Website: corrigansmayfair.co.uk
Address: 28 Upper Grosvenor St, London W1K 7EH
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