The Dover

Martin Kuczmarski, for years the operational force behind Soho House, made The Dover his first solo venture. It opened quietly on Dover Street at the end of 2023 with no PR and promptly became one of Mayfair's hardest tables to book. The room reads as a New York Italian supper club transplanted to W1: curved American walnut panelling with the burnished sheen of an old Pullman car, a black-and-white marble chequerboard floor, deep velvet in reds and blues, a Venini glass chandelier, and candlelight doing most of the work. Milanese studio Quincoces-Drago designed it, and the air carries Mysore sandalwood over a vinyl soundtrack of Seventies soul, funk and disco kept low enough to talk over.

The layout is two spaces. A narrow front bar, all plush sofas, library shelves and martinis, runs first-come and sets the tone; behind it sits the main dining room, where chef Valentino Pepe cooks the kind of Italian-American comfort food (spaghetti and meatballs, penne arrabbiata) that Brooklyn does well and Mayfair rarely attempts. The crowd is affluent and unbothered, the sort of room reviewers compare to a late, exclusive afterparty rather than a restaurant.

For private events The Dover takes exclusive-hire buyouts of the whole restaurant, bar and dining room together, with its own cocktail programme and in-house kitchen behind it. It is a music-led space by design, which makes it a natural fit for an intimate DJ-led dinner or celebration.