The restaurant at The Twenty Two in Mayfair has a new face. It’s reopened today as Cafe 22, and – like the hotel and members’ club itself – is one of those rare places that boasts luxurious surrounds that you’re actually encouraged to have fun in. Much of that is thanks to Guillaume Glipa, who has overseen the restaurant’s new direction – bringing what he learnt during his time helping launch Chiltern Firehouse back in 2013, and relaunching Annabel’s in 2018 to create an experience where fun is core. The new-look spot riffs on the chic cafes of Paris, with a French-leaning menu and a very du moment roaming Martini trolley.
“We wanted to emulate the chic cafes of Paris, keeping things sociable, and to be in the heart of Mayfair is a great location for a bit of added glamour, too,” Glipa tells Broadsheet. “We want people to feel special, relaxed and willing to mingle.”
The restaurant’s layout has been totally rejigged, and guests now enter via North Audley Street – “a different flow with a bit of added chaos”, Glipa says. Powder-blue walls get perked up with green velvet armchairs, deep red banquettes and bench seating upholstered in golden yellow. Walls are hung with works by artist in residence Mahi Binebine, a Moroccan painter and sculptor whose works meld beeswax, natural pigments and textiles.
A new menu, by The Twenty Two’s global culinary director Alan Christie (ex-Arbutus, Putney Bridge), is a hitlist of comforting French classics. “Our chef Alan Christie is technically and soulfully a maestro in his kitchen and conducts his orchestra with finesse and panache,” Glipa says. His menu picks include canard a l’orange with a glass of sauternes, and says the beef bourguignon is a “must”. Warm brown butter madeleines fill out the menu. Also new? Weekend brunch, which launches on September 26 – and it’s packed with dishes that immediately appeal: warm lobster rolls with fries, croque monsieurs and madames, and Wagyu cote de boeuf with cafe de Paris butter.
The clincher for a good time (particularly in 2026)? The roaming Martini trolley. “Our Martini trolley is a retro touch and a great way to engage with the space, starting an evening away from the fast-paced world outside,” Glipa says. “Our bartender comes straight to your table and makes your Martini exactly the way you like it. I love a dry gin Martini with a twist, or a Serge 78 – created by legendary French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg – [with] London dry gin, apricot liqueur and Angostura bitters.”
London isn’t short of French restaurants, both old and new. But Glipa is adamant Cafe 22 will hold its own. “There is definitely a trend and an attraction for [the] culture of French cafes, where couples or groups sit side by side and order classics done well. I would like to think that Cafe 22 is chic, intimate, theatrical, timeless and relaxed and allows our guests a certain nonchalance to take the time to enjoy life fully.”
Lunch launches on weekdays on September 28; brunch starts on September 26.
Cafe 22
43 N Audley Street, W1K 6LF
02039885022
Hours:
Mon to Wed 6pm–9.30pm
Thu 6pm–10pm
Fri & Sat 6pm–10.30pm
Sun 6pm–9.30pm
