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Bacchanalia makes its intentions clear almost immediately. Occupying a prominent corner of Mount Street in Mayfair, the Mediterranean restaurant embraces classical mythology, monumental art and a dining room designed for spectacle. The food draws heavily on Greece and Italy, while an extensive wine programme, elaborate cocktails and regular live entertainment make this a restaurant geared towards a full evening rather than a quick dinner.
The scale could easily overwhelm what arrives at the table, but the menu has enough substance and variety to hold its own. Sharing is encouraged, seafood features prominently, and dishes move comfortably between familiar Mediterranean flavours and the more extravagant ingredients expected of a Mayfair dining room.
Classical Drama on Mount Street
Martin Brudnizki Design Studio is behind the interiors, and restraint was clearly never part of the brief. Marble, mosaics, richly upholstered seating and classical references fill the space, creating a modern interpretation of Greco-Roman excess.
The result is deliberately theatrical. This is somewhere to dress for, arrive early enough for a drink, and take in the room rather than treating the surroundings as background decoration. Mediterranean dining, artistry and Greco-Roman feasting inform the concept, and that identity carries throughout the restaurant.
Mediterranean Cooking Made for Sharing
Starters and Smaller Plates
The à la carte menu is broad, but its structure makes sense once several dishes are ordered for the table. The raw selection includes tuna tartare with citrus dressing, avocado and crispy spiced phyllo, alongside sea bream ceviche with pear and yellow chilli dressing, and yellowtail finished with tomato vinaigrette, cantaloupe melon relish and lemon balm. Beef carpaccio takes a richer direction with smoked cheese, pickled mushrooms and truffle mustard, while caviar is served with bomboloni, ricotta and sour cream.
The mezze section brings some of the clearest Greek influences. Grilled octopus comes with Greek fava purée, onion stifado and wild oregano dressing, while shrimp saganaki pairs tomato sauce with barrel-aged feta and ouzo. Keftedes are served with tomato relish and smoked yoghurt, and baked feta adds fermented honey, chilli and crisp phyllo. The truffle pizzetta, topped with gorgonzola dolce and black truffle, moves firmly towards Italy.
Salads and vegetable dishes provide useful contrast. The Greek salad uses barrel-aged feta, tomatoes, cucumber and Kalamáta olives, while burrata is paired with aubergine, sun-dried tomato and roasted red peppers. Smoked cauliflower with seasonal chutney, tahini, pomegranate and almond is one of several substantial plant-based choices.
Pasta and the Open Fire
Pasta is where the Italian side of the menu becomes most apparent. Lobster paccheri arrives with black truffle and a creamy bisque sauce, while Devon crab linguine combines lemon, chilli and herb butter with platinum caviar. Tagliatelle with mushroom butter and black truffle keeps things simpler, and strozzapreti alla Genovese is built around slow-cooked beef, graviera sauce and truffle.
Larger dishes lean into the restaurant’s sharing style. Salt-crust sea bass is served simply with citrus dressing, while butterflied sea bream comes with heritage tomatoes, basil and salsa verde. Grilled lamb chops are paired with smoked aubergine, red pepper relish and aged feta, and the smoked short rib comes with Bacchanalia seasoning and a mustard and honey sauce. There is also slow-cooked lamb shoulder prepared in the gastra with roasted potatoes and lemon sabayon, as well as Fisherman’s Stew with roasted flat fish, prawns and mussels in kakavia sauce.
For groups of six or more, dedicated feasting menus formalise this communal approach, combining several starters, mains, sides and desserts for the table.
Desserts with a Sense of Occasion
Dessert stays firmly in character. The Bacchanalia tiramisu layers mascarpone cream, coffee namelaka and savoiardi biscuit, while the Basque cheesecake comes with fig leaf ice cream, burnt figs and ginger crumble. A half-baked chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream and pistachio crémeux provides the richest option, with a lighter lemon pie combining lemon custard, vanilla biscuit and passion fruit.
Medusa is the showpiece: wild strawberries, basil, verbena and “pebbles”, presented as a more theatrical finale. The dessert list also suggests individual wine pairings, including Greek Vinsanto with the cheesecake and an Australian botrytis Viognier with Medusa.
Cocktails, Wine and Apollo’s Muse
Bacchanalia’s drinks programme is ambitious enough to warrant attention in its own right. The wine list runs to more than 650 references spanning Greece, Italy, France and elsewhere, including Bacchanalia’s own-label wines.
Cocktails take their cues directly from the restaurant’s design. The Palette collection translates colours, textures and details found throughout Bacchanalia and Apollo’s Muse into individual serves. Rosso Levanto combines Casamigos Blanco Tequila with blackcurrant, prune and pomegranate; Emerald brings together Cygnet 22 Welsh dry gin, green apple, cucumber, fig leaf and Prosecco; and Sapphire pairs Johnnie Walker Black and Blue Label whiskies with peach, chinotto and bergamot. A separate alcohol-free selection includes Verde with Tanqueray 0.0%, basil, watermelon, olive and rosemary.
Hidden within the restaurant, Apollo’s Muse offers a more intimate setting for drinks, surrounded by ancient antiquities. Walk-ins are welcome during specific times, and the bar also hosts House of Apollo, a late-night event with guest DJs held twice a month.
Sundays with an Operatic Flourish
Sunday lunch adds live opera to the experience, with resident performers appearing in a series of solos and duets through the afternoon. Guests can order from the à la carte menu or choose the dedicated Opera Sunday Lunch menu.
The latter keeps the food relatively approachable, with starters such as grilled Greek sausage, Greek phyllo pie and salmon tartare, followed by grilled salmon, seafood bolognese, chicken cacciatore or Pizza à la Grec. Moussaka and rib-eye can be added, while desserts include Bacchanalia tiramisu, watermelon soft serve and lemon pie.
Families are well considered at Sunday lunch, too. Children aged ten and under can dine from a dedicated menu, with vegetable batons followed by penne pasta, a mini chicken skewer or margarita flatbread, then ice cream or sorbet. A complimentary children’s meal is offered with an adult brunch menu.
Private Dining Above the Main Room
For celebrations that call for greater privacy, Bacchanalia has several distinct options. Artemis is the most intimate, seating up to 20 guests or accommodating 40 standing. The Mezzanine overlooks the main restaurant and accommodates up to 45 seated or 80 standing, retaining some of the energy of the dining room while giving groups their own space.
Apollo’s Muse can also be hired privately, with capacity for up to 40 seated or 100 standing. For larger celebrations, its combination of antiquities, elaborate interiors and dedicated food and drinks menus makes it the most immersive of Bacchanalia’s private spaces.
An Evening Designed to Make an Impression
Bacchanalia suits occasions when atmosphere matters as much as the meal itself. Its scale and visual extravagance make it a natural choice for celebrations, long dinners and evenings that continue over cocktails, while the quieter set-menu periods provide another way to experience the restaurant.
The dress code is smart and elegant, in keeping with the setting, and guests must be over 21 after 8.30 pm. For those comfortable with Bacchanalia’s unapologetically maximalist approach, it remains one of Mayfair’s most distinctive dining rooms.
Location: 1-3 Mount St, London W1K 3NB
