Burger & Lobster Mayfair — Restaurant in London

Ever since Misha Zelman had published his mono-product manifest in 2011, I was keen to visit his new concept restaurant in London. He is a true story of a self-made restaurateur. His prior concepts in Moscow and London were always successful.

Only 12 years after I finally made it to Burger & Lobster.

Located in an old pub on Mayfair it has its charm and appeal. Service is great and well above London average.

The menu is true to its concept. One pager with a minimum, but enough options to choose from.

I chose the Roll Combo. Two bestsellers together. Beef burger and famous Lobster roll. I was asked how I wanted my burger to be cooked and the waiter suggested medium. I preferred it medium to rare, but the waiter said the burger is too thin for it, so we settled on medium.

Watermelon cocktail was just splendid option for a non-alco drink. I liked it a lot.

When my dish arrived, I liked its presentation. It comes on a large plate with a lemon garlic butter in the metal saucer.

Lobster roll is an absolute killer. Juicy lobster in a folded perfect brioche toast. I still have this mouth feeling. Side salad was good. Fries were at its best.

When it comes to the burger, well, it just doesn't live up to my expectations. With the Burger being at the front of your name and with all this manifest behind, when Misha was bold enough to charge 20 pounds for its burger, cause he believed it being the best. Sad, but true is, it's not the best.

Brioche bun is great. It's soft and on a sweet side. Red onions are the best. Pickles, lettuce, tomatoes are just as good. It's the beef burger that I have questions to. The only argument I have, the Combo comes with 5oz and not the 8oz classic burger, which might destroy the balance of it.

It was unbalanced. All the ingredients just didn't come together as they should. The meat was dry and the sauce didn't help. It lacked the concentration and the flavour. The beef was shy among other ingredients.

And that's my biggest disappointment. That's not what I expect the signature dish to be.

Other than that, it was all good.

So it doesn't even make my...

I recently had dinner here, and while the food was truly exceptional, there is some room for improvement in the overall dining experience.

The meal was an absolute highlight—the burger was perfectly prepared with great texture and flavour, and the portion sizes were generous. I particularly enjoyed the hot sauce and gravy; they added a unique touch to the dish. My compliments to the chef and the kitchen team for their excellent work—it was clear they put a lot of care and attention into the food.

As for the service, while the basics were handled well, I felt the experience was a bit rushed at times. For instance, when I didn’t catch what the waiter said and asked him to repeat, his response came across as quite loud, which felt a little abrupt. Additionally, when I was pouring water, the waiter unexpectedly took the bottle from me and poured it himself—an interesting gesture that might not suit everyone’s preferences.

Towards the end of the meal, I requested the bill but felt prompted to pay quite quickly, which left me less time to enjoy my drink. The total was also announced aloud, which caught me off guard. While this may have been unintentional, it felt slightly out of place for the level of service I anticipated at this price point. Lastly, as I was leaving, I noticed the waiter turned away instead of acknowledging my departure, which felt like a missed opportunity to round off the experience positively.

Overall, the quality of the food more than stood out, and I would happily recommend it for anyone looking for a fantastic meal. With a little refinement in the service, the dining experience could easily match the excellent work coming out of...

it was one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in a long time. My partner and I arrived and were looking forward to a nice evening out, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.

When we asked if we could sit at a table that was clearly available, the waiter informed us that it is for four people. We were only two, but we were told we couldn’t sit there. I found this odd since the restaurant was not busy at all. We waited patiently and decided to take a seat at a smaller table instead.

just two minutes later, a couple arrived and were seated at the very table we had been denied! It felt incredibly disrespectful and made us question the restaurant’s policies and their treatment of customers. It was clear that our request was dismissed without any valid reason, and it left a sour taste in our mouths.

Overall, the lack of respect for customers and inconsistent seating policies are major red flags for me. I won’t be returning to this testaurant, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasant dining experience. Save your time and money; there are plenty of other places that value...