You have a table booked for eight o’clock, a jacket laid out on the bed and a message to us half written. The only question left is whether the jacket is too much.
In Mayfair, it rarely is. Many dining rooms here ask for smart casual, and a few still expect a jacket. The members’ clubs write rules of their own. So the Mayfair dress code is really a set of house policies, and they do not always agree.
We read each venue’s own website and booking terms on 28 September 2026 and set out what each one asks for. If you are planning dinner with one of our Mayfair escorts, start with the summary below.
Mayfair dress codes at a glance
Policies change, so check again if your booking is weeks away.
| Venue | Type | Stated dress code | Checked (2026) | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claridge’s, W1K | Hotel | No dress code; most guests choose smart casual | 28 Sep | No photos in Foyer or bars |
| Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, W1K | Restaurant | No dress code; hotel guests usually wear smart casual | 28 Sep | Bookings open 90 days ahead |
| The Connaught Bar, W1K | Bar | None published | 28 Sep | No reservations |
| Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, W1K | Restaurant | Smart casual; jacket and collared shirt preferred; long trousers for men | 28 Sep | May refuse entry for dress |
| China Tang at The Dorchester, W1K | Restaurant | Smart casual; smart jeans fine; no active sportswear, gym trainers or flip flops | 28 Sep | Tailored shorts at lunch only |
| The Ritz Restaurant and Afternoon Tea, W1J | Restaurant | Jacket and tie for men; no jeans or sportswear | 28 Sep | Rivoli Bar: smart casual |
| Sketch, W1S | Restaurants | “Art Smart”; no beachwear, sportswear or immodest clothing | 28 Sep | Lecture Room: well dressed |
| Novikov, W1J | Restaurants | Smart and elegant; no sportswear, beachwear, hoodies, shorts or hats | 28 Sep | Lounge tables by phone or email |
| Hakkasan Mayfair, W1J | Restaurant | Smart; no hoods up, running trainers, tracksuits, hats or flip flops | 28 Sep | Bar needs no booking |
| Nobu London Old Park Lane, W1K | Restaurant | Smart or business casual; jeans fine if not torn; no flip flops | 28 Sep | Also at Portman Square |
| Sexy Fish, W1J | Restaurant | Smart and elegant; no hoodies, caps, tracksuits or flip flops | 28 Sep | Men’s shorts before 5pm only |
| Scott’s, W1K | Restaurant | Smart casual | 28 Sep | Terrace by oldest request |
| The Guinea Grill, W1J | Pub | Smart casual; no flip flops, vests, sports clothes, caps or hats | 28 Sep | Restaurant past the grill |
| Mount St. Restaurant, W1K | Restaurant | No strict code; smart casual recommended | 28 Sep | Ask ahead about events |
| 5 Hertford Street, W1J | Members’ club | Jacket at all times; collared shirt; no shorts or sportswear | 28 Sep | Smart, clean trainers allowed |
| Annabel’s, W1J | Members’ club | Linked, but not readable online; ask your host | 28 Sep | Entry through a member |
The hotel dining rooms and bars
The hotels hold both ends of the scale, from no dress code at all to a jacket and tie.
Claridge’s
Claridge’s stands on the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street, and says it operates no dress code. Most of its guests, it adds, choose smart casual. The line sits in its afternoon tea terms for the Foyer and Reading Room.
The bar and Dante Mayfair pages state no code of their own. Claridge’s asks guests not to take photographs in the Foyer or the bars.
The Connaught and The Connaught Bar
The Connaught sits on Carlos Place, off Mount Street. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught holds three Michelin stars yet has no dress code. Hotel guests, it says, usually opt for smart casual. The Connaught Bar, home of the martini trolley, publishes no dress code and takes no reservations.
The Dorchester, on Park Lane
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester asks for smart casual, prefers a jacket and collared shirt, and requires long trousers for gentlemen. China Tang, reached from its own Art Deco entrance on Park Lane, runs a smart casual policy. Smart jeans are fine there; active sportswear, gym trainers and flip flops are not. For the hotel’s other rooms, ask when you book.
The Ritz, on Piccadilly
The Ritz stands at 150 Piccadilly, looking over Green Park, and is the only venue here that asks for a tie. Gentlemen need a jacket and tie for afternoon tea and for lunch or dinner in the two-Michelin-starred Ritz Restaurant. Neither ladies nor gentlemen may wear jeans or sportswear there. The Rivoli Bar, The Secret Garden, the Cigar Lounge and breakfast accept smart casual, including smart jeans.
Restaurants with a sense of occasion
Mayfair’s restaurants say less about jackets than the hotels do, and more about what to leave at home.
Sketch
Sketch, on Conduit Street, calls its code Art Smart and rules out beachwear, sportswear and immodest clothing. The three-Michelin-starred Lecture Room and Library asks guests to be well dressed at all times. Art Smart leaves a lot to the guest. We read it as smart with one considered detail, such as a good jacket or shoes with some character.
Novikov
Three rooms share 50A Berkeley Street: an Italian restaurant, an Asian restaurant and a lounge bar with DJs. The code throughout is smart and elegant, with no sportswear, beachwear, hoodies, shorts or hats. Smart and elegant needs a view, and ours is a jacket over an open collar, with good leather shoes.
Hakkasan Mayfair
Designed by Christian Liaigre, Hakkasan Mayfair serves modern Cantonese food on Bruton Street. The code says only “smart”. The list of what fails is precise: hoods worn up, casual sportswear, tracksuits, running shorts, running trainers, hats and flip flops. Anything cut for the gym is out, and a collared shirt with leather shoes clears it.
Nobu, on Old Park Lane
Nobu London Old Park Lane, Europe’s first Nobu by its own account, has been open since 1997. It asks for smart or business casual: jeans are fine as long as they are not torn, and flip flops are not. Nobu also has a restaurant on Portman Square; this guide covers Old Park Lane.
Sexy Fish
On the corner of Berkeley Square, Sexy Fish is a louder room than most here. Its code is smart and elegant, and it welcomes guests who dress “with personality, purpose and originality”. Hoodies, caps, tracksuits, gym leggings, casual shorts, flip flops and beach sliders are out. Gentlemen may wear smart shorts or open-toed sandals, but only before 5pm.
Quieter tables
For an evening built on conversation, these are the Mayfair restaurants we would suggest first.
Scott’s is our own choice for a first dinner: classy and discreet. It has served British seafood since 1851 and has been on Mount Street since 1967. The code is smart casual.
The Guinea Grill is tucked into Bruton Place, where an inn has stood since 1423. Past the grill sits a traditional silver service restaurant, serving British beef since 1952. The code is smart casual, with no flip flops, vests, sports clothes, caps or hats.
Mount St. Restaurant sits on the first floor, above The Audley pub. It has no strict dress code but recommends smart casual.
The members’ clubs: 5 Hertford Street and Annabel’s
Entry to both depends on a member. At 5 Hertford Street, staff may bar entry to anyone unsuitably dressed.
5 Hertford Street requires jackets at all times, though they may come off on the dance floor in Loulou’s after 11pm. Collared shirts, chinos and smart, unfrayed jeans of a uniform colour pass. Shorts, polo shirts, T-shirts, sandals and distressed shoes do not. The club’s guest page also lists Nico’s as smart and elegant, with no blazer required.
Annabel’s links its dress code from its website, but the document would not open without a sign-in. Ask your host for the current version before the evening.
What “smart casual” means in Mayfair
Several rooms here ask for smart casual, and they do not mean the same thing by it. At Alain Ducasse it comes with a preference for a jacket and collared shirt. At The Guinea it mainly rules out vests and flip flops.
Few policies mention ladies at all. The Ritz does: jeans and sportswear are not permitted “for either ladies or gentlemen” at afternoon tea and in the restaurant. The lines at Alain Ducasse, Sexy Fish and Nico’s that name gentlemen say nothing about ladies.
Our reading is that smart casual here leans smart. Pressed trousers, a collared shirt, leather shoes and a jacket meet every published policy in this guide but The Ritz’s tie.
Jeans are the grey area. Where a policy allows jeans, it wants them smart and in good repair; 5 Hertford Street also asks for a uniform colour. The same few items fill most of the exclusion lists: sportswear, flip flops, and hats or caps.
Dressing for the room
A jacket-and-tie dinner at The Ritz is a different occasion from lunch at Scott’s, so dress for the one you have booked.
Kings Lover is the matchmaker. We make the introduction, and the choice of table is yours. Our bookings page explains how a booking with us works.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a dress code at Claridge’s?
No. Claridge’s says it operates none, and that most guests choose smart casual at afternoon tea in the Foyer. Its dress-code line says nothing about jeans. In the evening we would still suggest a jacket.
You can book afternoon tea up to 90 days ahead, and online reservations open at 7am.
Do you need a jacket at The Ritz?
Yes, at afternoon tea and at lunch or dinner in The Ritz Restaurant. Gentlemen wear a jacket and tie there, and jeans and sportswear are out for ladies and gentlemen alike. For a drink rather than dinner, the Rivoli Bar is the easier room, where smart casual and smart jeans pass. The Ritz’s own pages do not mention trousers for ladies.
What is the dress code at Sketch?
Sketch calls it Art Smart and explains it as dressing with style and character, as you would for an art gallery. It rules out beachwear, sportswear and immodest clothing. For dinner in the Lecture Room and Library, which asks guests to be well dressed at all times, we would suggest a jacket.
What is the Novikov dress code?
Novikov asks for smart and elegant dress and names five things to avoid: sportswear, beachwear, hoodies, shorts and hats. It does not ask for a jacket, and we would expect a good shirt to pass. If dinner runs on into the lounge bar, a jacket makes the change of room easier.
Can you wear trainers in Mayfair restaurants?
Sometimes. Hakkasan Mayfair rules out running trainers and China Tang rules out gym trainers. 5 Hertford Street allows smart, clean trainers.
At The Ritz, where afternoon tea means a jacket and tie, we would not test trainers. Leather shoes meet every published policy in this guide.
What should I wear for dinner with a Mayfair escort?
Dress for the restaurant first, then go one step smarter. A jacket is rarely wrong in Mayfair, and of the rooms in this guide only The Ritz asks for a tie. Tell us about the occasion when you enquire, and we will suggest the introductions best suited to it.
Arranging the evening
Booked the table already? Tell us where, and when, and we will introduce the companions we feel suit the evening. When you are ready, we are here.
