The main dining room at Maza (with counter seating up at the open kitchen)
So what do we need to know about Maza Mayfair?
This is the latest opening from husband-and-wife duo Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré, who are also behind Mazi and Suzi Tros in Notting Hill. For their third restaurant, they're channelling a 'retro Greek taverna energy' with a particular fixation on all things Athenian for the menu.
Where is it?
You'll find it tucked off the north-eastern corner of Berkeley Square on Bruton Place, bang opposite The Guinea. This does mean that diners at window tables get a backdrop of finance bros in gilets splitting the G in the evenings, but it also makes this particular Mayfair street a real destination spot for dining out.
This is what you're looking for.
Where's a good place to meet friends for a drink first?
Obviously, The Guinea is handy, but the very useful thing to note is that Maza has its cocktail/vinyl listening bar. So you could always pop in here for a cocktail first.
The bar at Maza. There are also quite a few tables in this section too if you don't want to be up at the bar itself.
And where should we sit?
There's a mix of traditional seating and counter dining in this room. And can we just take a moment to appreciate what a gorgeous-looking restaurant this is? Designers Archer Humphryes were responsible for Chiltern Firehouse and Koko in Camden so they know a thing or two about building buzzy spaces. The retro 70s and 80s Greek disco playlist also adds to the vibes.
What's on the menu?
It's billed as classic Athenian cooking, so there are dips and breads, crudos, and a mix of small and larger sharing plates. But don't let the glitzy Mayfair surroundings fool you, Maza is all about hospitality and they will want to feed you up. Order wisely!
Before we get into what we had, there's a lovely touch at the start of every meal here. Everyone is welcomed with the titular maza - an ancient Greek coarse-grain barley bread, fashioned here into two teeny loaves and served with amazing butter and olive oil.
The welcome snack of maza
Here's what else we had:
Tarama (£10) - there's a tarama dish at each of their restaurants, always served with a different topping. Here in Mayfair, it's a lemon powder. Not only was this version so good we wished we'd had a tupperware dish to take home our leftovers in, but we must also urge you to have the amazing flatbread to scoop it up.
Smoked aubergine with grilled red peppers (£12) - this packed a great smoky hit.
Tuna crudo (£22) with a sundried Mediterranean ponzu. Look, we love a crudo dish, and this was right up there with the best of them.
Fresh charred calamari (£28) - very good squid, but what really set this dish apart was the sweet and sour vinegar and raisin savaro sauce it came with.
80s disco fries (£15) - being brutally honest, these weren't as good as the disco fries we'd had recently at Dover Street Counter. But the topping of shredded veal kokkinisto was a bonus.
At this point, we moved into the sharing mains territory, which included dishes like a grilled lamb tomahawk, shredded pork belly gyros with all the fillings and lobster rice.
Bone marrow and meat broth tagliatelle (£50) - served theatrically tableside, this saw our waiter scooping the marrow out of the bone and then tossing it through the pasta with the addition of some citrus zest to cut through the richness.
Room for dessert?
We thought we didn't, but then we reckoned without the heaven that was the baklava sandwich. Apparently, we have a different stomach for desserts, so that's how we polished this off.
Baklava and pistachio ice cream sandwich (£14). Having done our research, we've discovered that this is also on the menu at Mazi in Notting Hill. The key thing you need to know is that it's a must-order.
What's on the wine list?
As you might imagine, the all-Greek wine offering here is excellent. And we liked that the list distinguished wines by characteristics like 'resinous' and 'rich and structured'. Owner Christina guided us towards a bottle of absolutely delicious Terre de Zeus (£78), a particularly crisp Assyrtiko made on the slopes of Mount Olympus, hence the name.
Overall thoughts:
Apparently, Maza has been packing them in since day one, with many of the regulars from Mazi and Suzi Tros coming into Mayfair to check out the newest restaurant in the group. That kind of deep-rooted fanbase isn't an easy one to build in London's fickle dining out scene. It's a sign that the owners here know how to show folks a good time. The food is delicious, the scene is buzzing and the room's a winner; it looks like Maza's going to be another hit for them.
More about Maza
Where is it? 21-25 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NQ
How to book? Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @mazamayfair.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Maza. Prices correct at time of publication.
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