Lucky Cat is one of those London restaurants that has been around long enough for most people to already know the name, but still feels like a huge treat when you actually go.
Gordon Ramsay’s Asian-inspired restaurant opened in Mayfair in 2019 and has since expanded to Manchester and 22 Bishopsgate, where its newer London outpost sits high above the city. The Mayfair original, though, has a completely different feel.
Tucked beside the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, it looks directly out onto Grosvenor Square itself, which has recently reopened as a public park. It has made such a difference to the area. Instead of feeling like a grand square that people simply walk through, there are now families playing on the grass, people having picnics and groups actually stopping to enjoy it.
You can see it all from inside the restaurant too, which makes Lucky Cat feel slightly more connected to the outside world than its dark, moody interiors might initially suggest.
Inside Lucky Cat Mayfair
Inside Lucky Cat, everything is low-lit, glossy and dramatic. The main bar takes centre stage, with stools wrapped around it and the sushi counter visible behind. It feels busy without being chaotic, with some people settling in for the full dinner experience and others simply stopping by for a drink at the bar.
The restaurant is also much bigger than it first appears. Walk around the corner and another whole section opens up, with the kitchen at the back and a more intimate chef’s table area. It would work really well for a smaller event or private dinner, while we sat in the main bar area, which had a little more buzz.
The team were brilliant from the moment we arrived. Everyone was incredibly chatty and happy to talk us through the menu, recommend their favourites and help us navigate a drinks list that could easily keep you occupied for a while.
Cocktails Worth Staying For
Lucky Cat has a properly good cocktail menu, with a mix of signatures and twists on familiar classics.
I was having a non-alcoholic day, but my friend ordered an Old Fashioned, which smelled incredible before it had even reached the table. You can tell that drinks are taken just as seriously as the food here, rather than being an afterthought.
There is also something about sitting around that huge bar with a cocktail that feels very Lucky Cat. You could easily come in for drinks and a few plates without committing to a full dinner.
What We Ate
The menu is designed for sharing and pulls together dishes from across Asia, covering everything from sushi and sashimi to robata-grilled meats, seafood and small plates.
Some restaurants feel under pressure to completely reinvent their menu every season. Lucky Cat doesn’t really need to. It has a collection of dishes that people return for, and naturally we wanted to try as many of those as possible.
First up was Gordon’s Fried Chicken, or GFC, which our waiter insisted we had to order. He was right!
The chicken was ridiculously juicy, with a crisp coating and a sticky Korean miso glaze that was sweet, savoury and slightly sharp. It was easily my favourite dish of the meal. Honestly, I could have eaten a bowl of it with a cocktail at the bar and gone home happy.
One of the more unexpected highlights was the grilled king prawn.
It arrived as one enormous prawn, split down the middle and cooked on the robata grill. The meat was so soft and tender, but it was the sauce that made it. It was rich, buttery and citrusy, with a flavour I couldn’t completely put my finger on, but absolutely wanted more of.
The sushi and sashimi selection is huge too, with more classic options alongside Lucky Cat’s signature rolls. You will find everything from spicy tuna and soft-shell crab to more indulgent wagyu dishes, so it is worth getting the team to recommend a few depending on what you normally like.
By this point I was already full, but this is the problem with Lucky Cat. There is always another plate arriving at the table that you suddenly find space for.
Your New Favourite Spot
Lucky Cat isn’t new, but that is partly why it works. It knows exactly what it is: a stylish, high-end Asian-inspired restaurant with a lively bar, a menu full of crowd-pleasing signatures and service that makes the whole experience feel fun rather than overly formal.
There are enough unusual flavours and beautifully prepared dishes to make dinner feel special, but it is also somewhere you could return to again and again without overthinking it.
Book your table here.