Beautiful steaks, fabulous cocktails, a kitchen playing with fire and a team who know how to make an evening rather special. Cordelia’s Mayfair is turning up the heat on Clarges Street.

Mayfair isn’t exactly known for letting its hair down. Beautiful restaurants, impeccable service and a certain air of sophistication? Absolutely. But a dining room where the chefs play with fire, the staff make you laugh, and the whole evening feels more like a fabulous dinner party than a formal restaurant experience? Now that’s something worth talking about.

Welcome to Cordelia’s

Tucked away on Clarges Street, just a short stroll from Green Park, Cordelia’s has brought a rather wonderful dose of personality to one of London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods. There’s the unmistakable aroma of charcoal cooking, a spectacular open theatre kitchen and a team whose warmth and humour make you feel as though you’ve been invited somewhere rather special.

It’s glamorous without being stuffy, sophisticated without taking itself too seriously, and has just the right amount of mischief.

And as we were about to discover, the food is every bit as fabulous as the people serving it.

The New Kid in Mayfair

Opening its doors this October, Cordelia’s has taken up residence at 6 Clarges Street, a rather special address previously occupied by L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

There’s something lovely about a space with such an impressive culinary past being given an entirely new personality.

At the helm of the kitchen is Head Chef Jordi Sebastianelli, formerly of Le Petit Beefbar in Chelsea, bringing a passion for exceptional ingredients, beautifully sourced beef, and the art of cooking over fire.

The concept is contemporary steakhouse dining, but with a little more personality than the traditional interpretation. British beef, dry-aged in-house, features heavily alongside carefully selected international cuts, fresh seafood, seasonal vegetables, and dishes designed to be enjoyed, discussed, and ideally shared.

A Feast for the Eyes

One of the first things you notice about Cordelia’s is just how beautifully the space has been designed.

Rich, warm tones, elegant marble, handsome walnut tables, antique mirrors and deep leather banquettes create a room that feels sophisticated without being remotely intimidating.

There’s a lovely balance between old-school Mayfair glamour and something much more contemporary. It’s polished, sure, but it doesn’t feel as though you need to sit up terribly straight or whisper over your wine.

And then there’s the kitchen. Oh, the kitchen.

Rather than hiding the chefs away behind closed doors, Cordelia’s has placed its spectacular open theatre kitchen at the very heart of the restaurant.

The enormous charcoal grill is a major feature, with beautiful cuts of meat cooked over live fire. Although you can’t see every detail of the cooking from the dining room, the open kitchen adds a lovely sense of occasion to the evening.

It’s dinner and a show, without anybody having to sing.

The Food: A Love Letter to Cooking Over Fire

Of course, beautiful interiors and a lively atmosphere can only take a restaurant so far. The food needs to deliver. And at Cordelia’s, it’s the main reason to come hungry. The menu is built around exceptional produce and the wonderful flavour of cooking over charcoal. The philosophy is simple. Source wonderful ingredients, treat them with respect and let the cooking speak for itself.

And while steak is undoubtedly the star of the show, the supporting cast is rather impressive too.

The starters offer a lovely balance between indulgence and freshness. Beef tartare arrives with bone marrow mayonnaise and a delicate Parmesan crisp, pairing the beef’s richness with a lovely textural contrast.

Then there are the Cornish crab tacos, elevated with Oscietra caviar. A little luxurious? Sure. But then again, we are in Mayfair.

For seafood lovers, the grilled octopus with ajo blanco offers a beautiful Mediterranean influence, while seabream ceviche with leche de tigre brings something brighter and fresher to the table.

Even the smaller dishes have personality, from miniature brisket sliders with smoked cheddar and onion jam to aubergine karaage with spicy mayonnaise.

And before we’d even made much progress with the menu, there was the warm focaccia with whipped butter. Now, I have a theory that almost everything is better whipped, and butter is certainly no exception.

The bread disappeared at an impressive speed, something our waiter clearly noticed, because another helping appeared almost immediately.

A small gesture, perhaps, but exactly the sort of thing that makes you love a restaurant.

Let’s Talk Steak, Shall We?

The restaurant’s commitment to sourcing and dry-ageing shines through the menu, with British cuts alongside carefully selected international varieties. It’s fascinating how much the breed, ageing process and cooking technique can influence the final flavour.

For those who appreciate a classic steak, the British fillet offers that beautifully tender texture, whilst the 300g British rib-eye promises the richer, fuller flavour that comes from its natural marbling.

The British sirloin provides another excellent option, while the Australian Wagyu bavette totally steals the show, with its distinctive texture and depth of flavour.

Melt-in-your-mouth doesn’t even begin to cover it. Beautifully tender, rich and full of flavour, it was the sort of steak that makes you pause mid-conversation.

I would love to tell you that I generously offered everyone at the table a taste. But I didn’t.

Some things are too good to share, and I’m afraid this was one of them.

For those who really want to make an occasion of it, the larger sharing cuts are equally tempting. The British Wagyu X T-bone is a magnificent centrepiece, bringing together the luxurious marbling Wagyu is known for, with the character of British beef. There’s also the Miguel Vergara Black Angus bone-in rib-eye, a cut designed to be shared and savoured.

No unnecessary fuss. Just excellent beef and someone who knows exactly what they’re doing with a grill.

Naturally, no great steak should be left without a little company. Cordelia’s offers a selection of classic sauces, including peppercorn, chimichurri, red wine and blue cheese. And the sides are every bit as tempting. TruAle mash, charred tenderstem broccoli, macaroni cheese and punched new potatoes are all great choices, but the rosemary fries deserve a mention of their own. Golden, crisp and with a rather lovely spicy kick, they were dangerously moreish.

And if beef isn’t quite what you’re after, the menu also offers glazed lamb cutlets, whole seabass with lemon butter and a corn-fed whole rotisserie chicken, available by pre-order. Plenty to enjoy, if steak isn’t usually your first choice.

A Glass Act

Now, it would be terribly rude to visit somewhere as glamorous as Cordelia’s and not investigate the cocktail menu.

The drinks programme, led by Head of Bar Iván Eduardo Martínez Mora, focuses strongly on tequila and agave spirits, though there’s plenty to tempt those whose tastes lie elsewhere.

The Anhelos de Frida is a particularly interesting cocktail, combining hibiscus-infused sotol, tequila, St-Germain, vermouth and yuzu. Floral, citrusy and just a little unusual. Then there’s the Date Old Fashioned, a clever take on the classic, with date-infused bourbon, orange and Angostura bitters. Rich, warming and just the sort of drink that feels at home alongside a beautiful steak.

The wine list is also super impressive, with an extensive selection covering everything from elegant whites and celebratory Champagne to rich, full-bodied reds that would be very happy keeping a Wagyu steak company.

The Real Magic? The People

The staff. And I don’t mean the service was just good. It was wonderful.

Some restaurants have polished, professional, perfectly executed service that still feels a little rehearsed, but Cordelia’s was quite the opposite. The team were genuinely brilliant fun.

They took time to talk to us, explain the dishes, tell us about the restaurant and, most importantly, have a laugh with us along the way.

They didn’t rush through conversation or disappear the moment our plates arrived. They were happy to chat, answer questions and share a joke, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company.

They somehow managed to bring a little extra magic to the food, too. Hearing someone talk about a dish with such enthusiasm makes you all the more excited to try it, and their recommendations felt like suggestions from someone who genuinely wanted you to have the best possible evening.

Add it to your Little Black Book immediately.

A: Cordelia’s Mayfair, 6 Clarges Street, London W1J 8AE.
W: Cordelia’s Mayfair

Written by Amber Lauren for Luxuria Lifestyle International