Berkeley Street is one of those London streets where fine dining sits shoulder to shoulder with the luxury shopfronts, and Novikov has been holding its own here since 2011. It’s one of Mayfair’s most celebrated dining destinations, and walking in, you understand exactly why. Novikov brings together three different experiences under one roof, Asian, Italian, and a late-night Lounge Bar, all just moments from Green Park. I went for the Asian side, which has long been a favourite of mine and still is.
Inside, it’s dark and sultry. High-end ambience, exactly what you’d expect from a location like this. The open kitchen gives you a proper view of the fish counter, fresh, on display, no attempt to hide any of it. It reminded me of what the team themselves say about it: a real feature of the Asian side is that open kitchen, fronted by an incredible display of seafood and vegetables that genuinely evokes an Asian food market. That’s exactly what it feels like.
Candlelight, fresh flowers, white tablecloths. You’re welcomed like a regular, which is something I think matters more than ever in hospitality right now. Connection, familiarity, belonging, it’s a small thing, but it changes the whole tone of an evening. By the time evening properly sets in, the room is spectacular. Every table full, plenty clearly celebrating something, birthdays, anniversaries, the candles kept going past all night. It’s a special occasion restaurant, but equally, it works as a Saturday night out or a proper date night. Not many restaurants manage both.
The menu itself is huge, and it’s worth knowing what you’re walking into. On the Asian side, there’s a full sashimi and sushi programme, yellowtail coriander, scallop and black truffle, hamachi carpiccio, wagyu maki rolls, o-toro tartare. A serious dim sum selection, from lobster yuzu to king crab dumplings. Robata and teppanyaki, with wagyu fillet and sirloin cooked over the grill, alongside Peking duck served two ways. There’s a king crab leg menu from Kamchatka, a proper fish market section where you choose your fish and how it’s cooked, and a wok section running through everything from Szechuan prawns to seafood yellow curry.
I opted for the wagyu noodles, and they were, without question, the best beef I’ve eaten. Soft in a way that barely needs chewing, with a flavour that stays with you well after the plate’s cleared. The presentation across the board was high-end, and the freshness came through in everything, exactly what you’d hope for from a kitchen built around that open fish counter.
Service was good throughout, and the wine and cocktail list more than complements a menu this size. Dessert, if you make it that far, runs from a Valrhona milk chocolate fondant to a matcha green tea crème brûlée, with sake and wine pairings offered alongside most of them.
Novikov has built its reputation on exactly the things I look for as editor-in-chief when I’m judging whether a restaurant deserves its status, hosting that makes you feel like a local somewhere you’ve never been, interiors built from natural, organic materials right down to the finishing touches, a menu backed by fresh produce and a proper cocktail list, a fish counter or well-sourced ingredients that a good chef turns into something close to art, and finally the ambience, the music, the scent, the tablescape. Novikov ticks every one of those boxes, which is exactly why it’s stayed a favourite of mine for as long as it has.
Novikov, Berkeley Street, Mayfair, 50A Berkeley St, London W1J 8HA
