The seasoned Australian restaurateur, Ross Shonhan, opened Lilibet’s, a dazzling seafood restaurant, in the heart of Mayfair in September 2025. It lies on the south side of Bruton Street between the eternally fashionable Berkeley Square and Bond Street, which makes Lilibet’s ideal for those who lunch and those who dine early or late.
It is, of course, perfectly situated for visitors to London who are fortunate enough to have lodgings at hotels such as Claridges, the Connaught and The Ritz. For the youthful or the merely energetic the thriving private members club scene at the likes of Annabel’s, George and 5 Hertford Street is moments away.
Lilibet’s bears the childhood nickname of the former monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who apparently was unable to describe herself more precisely as a toddler, to the amusement of her father King George VI and other members of the British Royal family, including her future husband, Prince Philip.
The connection between Lilibet’s and the future Queen, however, runs deeper since she was born on 21 April 1926 in the very Mayfair townhouse in which Lilibet’s is situated, which her Scots grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, owned at that time. The centenary of that date, a high point in the Roaring Twenties, is around the corner.
Lilibet’s interiors were designed by Russell Sage Studio, whose extensive oeuvre includes iconic projects such as the effortlessly elegant Cadogan Belmond hotel in Chelsea, Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus, Angela Hartnett’s Cafe Murano, 67 Mall Pall and the Soho Bar in the Groucho Club.
Lilibet’s interiors are widely regarded as quintessentially British and regal in inspiration. This is a little wide of the mark since whilst undoubtedly sumptuous, they are by turns eccentric and electic and defy attachment to a specific era or place. A blend of influences from ancien regime France and the glittering court of Louis XIV to the traditional (or re-imagined) décor of Mayfair townhouses over the last century or so is very much in evidence.
One need look no further than the neatly monogrammed napkins, carefully engraved glassware, French Sèvres porcelain and antique fireplace in the dining room to realise that even the exacting Marie Antoinette would have been pleased.
The townhouse at No. 17 Bruton Street houses, in a semi-open plan fashion, an elegant, formal dining room and two stylish bars – the Marble Bar for drinks and the Raw Bar for informal dining reminiscent of J Sheekey in Covent Garden. There is also a chic private dining room downstairs which draws inspiration from Sir Norman Hartnell, the leading light of London couture during the interwar period who designed the Coronation dress of Queen Elizabeth II. Each area of Lilibet’s has its own character, is warm and inviting and one way or another recalls the grand London houses and Parisian salons of yesteryear.
Lilibet’s General Manager, Nicolas Garcia, formerly of L’Atelier de Joël Rebuchon and La Petite Maison, presides over a great team, from barmen and chefs who cheerfully toil away to an enthusiastic and unfailingly attentive army of waiters.
All of this opulence and elegance would be of little consequence if the cuisine were not fantastic. Rest assured, it is.
The menu focuses relentlessly and unashamedly upon seafood from around the world, apparently inspired by the notion of an imaginary royal world tour or two in foreign lands.
If you can bear to skip the French and Irish oyster sets (fire roasted in seaweed butter, dressed in red wine shallot or fried in Yuzu and preserved lemon) you may wish to dive into the expansive small dishes where creativity abounds. I particularly enjoyed the anchovy éclair in sweet and sour sauce, the crab tart with grapefruit and coriander and the tuna loin tartare with spicy mayonnaise and pickles.
This was a mere prelude to the undisputed centrepiece of the menu which is the Fish Triptych, whereby a single type of fish is served over the three consecutive courses. The first course is crudo or raw, the second is grilled and the final course is a soup which is delivered to the table in a thumping great silver tureen. The Fish Triptych is exquisite, unusual and should not be missed.
The choice of fish will vary depending on the season, from the more familiar such as sea bass and sea bream to the less familiar such as gurnard, a fish which dwells on the bottom of gravelly, rock or sandy sea beds around the British Isles and is known for lending flavour to soups and stews.
Much of the menu pays homage to ‘Unsung Heroes’ of the seas which rarely appear in London restaurants, such as gurnard, hake head, sea urchin and squat lobster, another overlooked denizen of British shores.
After all this, you may feel that you do not have room for pudding. Nevertheless, I would urge you to throw caution aside and indulge with the soft raspberry, sponge and almond Princess Cake, or if you really are still ravenous, try the Prego fillet steak sandwich.
Lilibet’s is a bold, confident and exciting addition to the high end restaurant scene in Mayfair. It would take any fish lover weeks or months to tire of its highly imaginative seafood menu. I would wager that the meat dishes are equally good. And don’t forget pudding.
Lilibet’s, No.17 Bruton Street, Mayfair W1J 6QB – 020 3828 8388 – Lilibet’s
Opening hours – Lunch: Monday to Saturday – 12-2:30pm; Dinner: Monday to Tuesday 5:30-9:30pm, Wednesday to Saturday – 5:30-11pm
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