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St. JohnvsHakkasan Mayfair
Both St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield and Hakkasan Mayfair are rated very highly by professionals. On balance, St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield is the choice of most writers compared to Hakkasan Mayfair. St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield scores 92 with praise from 15 reviewers like Fodor's, Lonely Planet and Michelin Guide.
St. John
Concierge
Fodor's
Frommer's
Insight Guides
BlackBook
Gayot
DK Eyewitness
Michelin Guide
Rough Guide
Time Out Show All Reviews
26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
From $41/night
Concierge "They call it "Nose-to-Tail Eating," and you'll be amazed at the number of obscure cuts that can crop up between those too extremes and end up on your plate."
Fodor's "Foodies travel the globe for pioneering chef Fergus Henderson's ultra-British nose-to-tail cooking." Full review
Frommer's "The ingredients are the best, the cooking is superb, and the dish is what it says on the menu." Full review
Insight Guides "This little restaurant, a stone’s throw from Smithfield’s meat market, is a Clerkenwell favourite. It offers simple but curious dishes such as Middle White belly and dandelion."
BlackBook "Located in a former smokehouse near Smithfield meat market, St John specialises in what chef Fergus Henderson terms ‘nose-to-tail’ eating – ie, offal."
Gayot14.0
"The belief that no one eats better than farmers is confirmed by the repertoire of this bare, white, classy canteen, with its pleasant relaxed service which is far from rustic." Full review
DK Eyewitness "Here they like to eat the bits of animals you barely hear about so don’t bring squeamish eaters."
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"The walls, painted in a shade of detention centre white, add to the utilitarian feel of the room which was a smokehouse in the 19C."
Rough Guide "Former smokehouse close to Smithfield meat market that’s famous for Fergus Henderson’s perfect, utterly simple, execution of traditional British dishes."
Time Out "St John’s cooking is famously full-on, but also sophisticated, concocting flavours that are delicate as well as rich." Full review
Hakkasan Mayfair Frommer's
Travel + Leisure BlackBook Gayot DK Eyewitness Rough Guide Time Out
Zagat
Not For Tourists Michelin Guide Show All Reviews
17 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QB
From $24/night
Frommer's "Opened by the restaurateur Alan Yau (who has done so much to transform London's dining scene), this sexy, moody, subtly lit basement venue serves top-notch modern Cantonese cuisine." Full review
Travel + Leisure "The first Chinese restaurant awarded a Michelin star, this upscale eatery is now an international chain with outposts in New York, Miami, Mumbai, and the Middle East." Full review
BlackBook "Celeb Cantonese redux: London's second Hakkasan holds it down a soybean's throw from Berkeley Square, remains the It place for upscale dim sum with a side of Kanye."
Gayot15.0
"Dim sum is topnotch; try Chinese chive dumplings and light, fresh prawns and scallop parcels." Full review
DK Eyewitness "A very expensive modern Chinese restaurant, but one that has had no problems filling its tables from day one."
Rough Guide "Very swanky, atmospheric designer restaurant with a long, fashionably crammed cocktail bar attached."
Time Out "Alan Yau was the original mastermind behind the groundbreaking restaurant, ambiguously located underground in an alley near Tottenham Court Road tube." Full review
Zagat4.6
"This "super sexy" Cantonese with locations in Fitzrovia and Mayfair marries "to-die-for", "innovative" cuisine with a "vibrant", "clublike atmosphere"." Full review
Not For Tourists "Sleek, blue-lit boutique. For saketinis and rose petal martinis."
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"This is less a copy, more a sister to the original Hakkasan; a sister who's just as fun and glamorous but simply lives in a far nicer part of town." Full review
