Tabu London

Tabu occupies 1 Dover Street, the Mayfair address that spent years as Mahiki, and reopened it in 2021 as a Tokyo-inspired nightclub from the team behind The London Reign. The concept is Shinjuku after dark: you descend the staircase past neon Tabu signage and the room becomes a back-street alley, all Japanese street signs, graffiti and caged performance bays, with a life-size Pikachu on the floor and black-and-white manga panels even in the bathrooms.

Two floors run to different tempos. Downstairs is the club proper, a low-lit room where a central dance floor faces a resident DJ booth beneath a lighting and laser rig, with banquette booths and VIP tables ringing the floor. The house language is hip-hop, R&B and open-format, and the room takes a private takeover for up to 200. Upstairs, the Clubhouse is a warmer counterpoint: a plush cocktail lounge with red velvet seating, a fireplace and Japanese wall art, serving signature cocktails alongside sushi and canapes, suited to receptions and pre-party gatherings for up to 180.

For a private DJ event the space is already set up for it, with the booth, the sound system and the dance floor in place and a late licence that runs the club into the early hours. Open Wednesday to Saturday and available for private hire through the week, it is one of the more programmable rooms in Mayfair for a confident, high-energy booking.