Food & Drink
From occasion dining to spontaneous after-work drinks, the neighbourhood has a rich array of options all year round. Since it opened in 2022 The Audley Public House has swiftly become a true social hub of the area, ideal for a long lunch, a quick pint or a spot of live music at the weekend. Above it, Mount St Restaurant serves sophisticated British fare (the lobster pie is a classic) in an art-filled space featuring works from Freud, Warhol, Calder, Matisse and more. “Mount Street has always been a place where culture and conversation meet,” explains Carolin Rist, VIP relations manager of Artfarm, who run both venues. “Historically, it has attracted artists, collectors and tastemakers, and today that same spirit continues.” On the same side of the street, Scott’s needs little introduction – the beloved seafood-serving institution dates back to the 1850s and moved to Mayfair from the West End in 1967. Automat is a much newer addition, a dimly lit and decadent diner hidden away at the back of leather goods store, Tanner Krolle. Opposite is the Michelin-starred fine-dining Indian restaurant, Jamavar, offering elevated street-food small plates and tandoor-grilled specialities. If you’re on the move, make a pit-stop at Prada-owned Milanese favourite Marchesi for a pick-me-up of coffee and pastries. The baked goods at Farm Shop, and the rest of its fresh produce (mostly picked from its Somerset farm) are also worth stocking up on – and you can treat yourself to a glass at the charming basement wine bar too.
Shopping
These local streets offer one of London’s most well curated shopping experiences, where the best of British sits alongside iconic global brands. James Purdey & Sons’ presence dates back to 1882 when the royal gunmakers and outfitters relocated from Oxford Street to live and work on the corner on Mount Street. Aviation-inspired watchmakers Bremont are much newer by comparison but have quickly established themselves in the tradition of British artisanal excellence. Fashion-wise, some of the city’s most influential designers like Simone Rocha and Erdem share streets with cult brands such as New York’s The Row and Stockholm’s Toteme. For those big occasions, Vivienne Westwood and Jenny Packham have bridal boutiques and Rubinacci and Dunhill’s Bourdon House provide top-drawer tailoring in comfort. Accessorise with jewellery from Pragnell or diamonds from Jessica McCormack (whose Carlos Place townhouse has a secret garden), and luxurious leather goods by Goyard, Métier, Valextra and Moynat. The calming spaces and rejuvenating products of Maison Sisley, Omorovicza and Dr Barbara Sturm provide a welcome pause from a shopping spree – soothing treatments are available at all three. Argentinian fragrance house, Fueguia 1833, has its only UK outpost on Mount Street, stocking more than 100 exotic scents in an intimate setting. “What captivated me was feeling London's legacy in the world of auctions, vintage collecting and fine art, things that have always fascinated me,” says founder Julian Bedel. “It’s inspired by the spirit of that tradition.”
Art
This corner of London has become one of the very best to browse – and buy – art. Since 2022, Phillips has occupied 30 Berkeley Square as a multi-level auction house with an exhibition space, showcasing everything from large-scale sculpture and design objects to rare editions and watches. There are two Gagosian galleries to bookmark; a small shop-size space on Davies Street and a sizeable concrete cube on Grosvenor Hill, between them recently playing host to works by photography heavyweights Nan Goldin and Richard Avedon. The red neon-signed Hamiltons repurposed an old Carlos Place racquets court in 1977 to become one of the longest standing photography galleries in the world. On Bourdon Street, Athenian Sylvia Kouvali has shown a lot of eastern Mediterranean artists at her eponymous gallery (once called Rodeo), Grimm focuses on up-and-coming artists and Lyndsey Ingram on post-war and contemporary work in a converted Victorian stable. The new kid on the block is Setareh, already with sites in Berlin and Dusseldorf. Next year the area gets another major artistic boost as the lower floors of the Thomas Goode Building, a Grade II-listed Victorian icon on South Audley Street, become a new Hauser & Wirth gallery.
Hotels
The Connaught is a true London icon, standing tall on the corner of Mount Street since 1897 and home to a soothing Aman Spa, an award-winning bar and some of the city’s most resplendent suites. It’s also the hub of the neighbourhood, its doors “always open to local friends and businesses,” says managing director Sandeep Bhalla. “Having such a strong community on our doorstep only enriches every guest’s stay.” Overlooking Grosvenor Square is the area’s most recent addition, The Chancery Rosewood, which has repurposed the old American Embassy into an expansive, elegant art-filled escape with eight bars and restaurants to choose from, including the panoramic rooftop Eagle bar. Its neighbour, The Twenty Two is a smaller, more sultry affair, with a sumptuous red-walled nightclub in the basement which plays host to plenty of A-list soireés. The Beaumont, on Brown Hart Gardens, once served as the car park for Selfridge’s but opened as a handsome art deco hotel more than a decade ago – you can’t miss artist Anthony Gormley’s cubist figure atop its entrance; a sculpture called Room that you can actually stay in.
Public Spaces
While not exactly hidden, Mount Street Gardens still feels like a little secret; a well-kept patch of green set back from Mount Street and South Audley Street with a leafy date palm providing a floral focal point among the peaceful lawns and paths. Over on Grosvenor Square, five years of extensive regeneration work is nearing completion. When it reopens this summer the square will feature 26 new trees, 150,000 plants, more open lawns, play areas for children and improved all-round accessibility to make it much more than a mere thoroughfare.
Produced in partnership with Mount Street Neighbourhood.