“We have moved!” announces Bar Des Pres’s restaurant. And indeed it has – it’s moved less than 15 minutes’ walk from its former Albemarle Street home to equally upmarket South Audley Street. The Connaught, The Audley Public House, and Lilibet’s are all worthy neighbors.
Since its initial London opening back in 2021, which marked the first international address for chef Cyril Lignac’s popular Parisian venture, Bar Des Prés became a mainstay on the Mayfair circuit, with diners drawn to its luxe look and Franco-Japanese menu. Need stone-cold-evidence that the restaurant has captured its target market? Dubai and Saint-Barths have become the latest Bar Des Prés locations. (The love hasn’t been universal, though, and the London iteration was met with some savage critical disdain.)
The new location’s decor is more out-there than its predecessor. Designed by Lázaro Rosa Violán Studio – the Spanish firm responsible for The Bazaar by José Andrés in New York and The Barcelona Edition, among other international hospitality projects – maximalism runs riot: there’s a blue-and-cream spotted carpet, peacock-feather emblazoned sofas, and cherry-toned wood panel walls.
There’s bigger tables with banquette seating and a (dark) private dining room toward the back of the restaurant, but as is our advice for any restaurant with a counter: hop on one of the stools for a view of the chefs at work.
See also: Is Mayfair Ready To Be Mayfair Again?
For its London relaunch, Bar Des Prés has made a few advancements on chef Lignac’s Japan-meets-Europe menu. Sushi remains the cornerstone, with an extensive list of California rolls, maki, and sashimi (we watched one solo dinner pull up a seat on the counter, nibble four slices of salmon, sip a Diet Coke, and leave), but new additions include a robata grill for smoky skewers of chicken satay and beef fillet.
The crab and avocado galette – spiked with a whiff of curry spice – is a signature, but lesser-sung heroes are the salmon-topped crispy rice with its almost chewy center and a sweet, miso-coated grilled eggplant.
While Bar Des Prés claims a French-Japanese fusion, you’ll quickly see that Asia does much of the lifting food-wise (although each dish is helpfully listed in French, too). Where France rightfully gets its piece of pie is in the wine list, which, bar a small sake selection, doesn’t veer away from the nation’s finest export even once.
Cocktails, on the other hand, zip all over the globe: there’s mezcal palomas, yuzu and mango martinis, lemongrass margaritas, and lavender and elderflower spritzes.
While this move has captured London’s media as well as its lunching Mayfair residents, there is a sense that Bar Des Prés needs a while longer to settle into its new home. On my visit, things looked slick, but service didn’t quite match up to the lacquered walls and moody lighting. Put it down to teething issues if you will; refinement takes time.
