Bacchanalia

Bacchanalia is Richard Caring's Greco-Roman fantasy on Mount Street, a Caprice Holdings restaurant that opened in late 2022 and set out to be less a dining room than a world unto itself. Martin Brudnizki designed the interiors around hand-painted ceiling murals, antiquities more than two thousand years old, and five monumental sculptures by Damien Hirst, including winged figures that appear to take flight above the main floor. Mediterranean cooking with a strong Greek and Italian accent runs alongside a serious wine list that nods, fittingly, to Bacchus.

What makes the room work for our events is that it was built for revelry. A resident DJ plays from the mezzanine through dinner, opera singers and a Greek band appear on Sundays, and the kitchen and bar keep going late into the night. The energy is theatrical without tipping into a club, which is exactly the register we look for: guests stay at the table, then drift into dancing as the evening turns.

The building holds several distinct hire options. Apollo's Muse, a marble cocktail lounge and members' space that opens for late-night DJ parties, is the one we love most for music. The first-floor Artemis Room and the Mezzanine can be taken separately or combined for exclusive first-floor hire, each carrying the same maximalist hand as the main restaurant.