Goodman — Restaurant in London

We have previously visited the sister restaurant Beast, which is amazing, customer focused and knowledgeable about it's food.

I'd sum up Goodman based on this visit as the dysfunctional family member that you don't wish to see again.

We decided to try Goodman Mayfair on the evening of 22nd July 2025 but I really wish we hadn't bothered. I'm quite a relaxed person and really do understand things can & do go wrong but it wasn't a great experience here at this location (other locations may be better)

Welcome

Great start, booking was easy we were greeted quickly and ushered to the back of the restaurant and the staff seemed friendly on initial greeting. Sadly that's when it went downhill.

Staff

We were served by Maria initially who was lovely and took our order diligently, but then a second female waitress with a quiff took over.

Perhaps she was having a bad day but from the point we indicated we didn't want wine (we just didn't fancy drinking that night) I got the sense we were seen as a cheap table. There was very little interaction, no one showed us the various cuts of meat (but all other tables I noted were), we were placed behind a table of 8 males on a work dinner who whilst not abusive were very rowdy.

At the point of ordering I asked about the Stilton sauce, and was told it was in the form of a gravy, I ordered it to try it, understanding it might have subtle flavouring.

Food

The steak was good, a little over cooked for medium rare but still tasty & delicious, although it lacked that melt in the mouth quality.

There were a good choice of sides which were genuinely delicious.

The Stilton sauce, was basically normal gravy. I have a subtle palette and could not detect a hint of stilton in it. When I mentioned this to the second waitress there was no response other than a small forced smile. No "I'll mention it to the kitchen" just a complete lack of recognition.

We ate quickly, paid and left.

I had the usual response survey sent to me after the booking and provided honest but fair feedback and noted the initial welcome was good and the food good. I received no feedback from the company whatsoever.

I decided to wait a few weeks to see if they would respond before I left a review on here to give them opportunity to respond and perhaps offer an explanation (I'm not looking for a fee meal, only recognition of the feedback.) No response at all.

Even if things go wrong, It's all about how a business responds to customer feedback. Goodman failed in the restaurant & as a business to manage customer expectations on this occasion and if I was the CEO of the organisation, quite frankly I'd be embarrassed, especially as this restaurant describes itself as Goodman Mayfair.

I think the lack of response is disappointing.

It doesn't deserve a 1 star review, that's unfair but customer service is paramount, if you feel unwelcome you don't...

Our group of five—four adults and a teen—dined at Goodman Mayfair last night to celebrate a birthday, and while the evening started with a few small hiccups, it ended on a memorable note thanks to the exceptional food and thoughtful service.

We had an early dinner reservation at 6:45pm, and upon arrival, the restaurant was relatively quiet, with a handful of diners. However, by the time we left at 9:45pm, it was absolutely buzzing—a fantastic atmosphere for a celebratory evening.

We were initially seated at a rectangular table, though I’d hoped for a round table (perfect for chatting and seeing everyone during a birthday celebration). Amani, the manager, explained that the round table was needed for a larger party. While this felt slightly disappointing, it turned out to be a non-issue—Amani later came to our table and graciously moved us when the other party cancelled. It was a small gesture that made a big difference to our evening. Thank you, Amani!

Our server, Saffron, introduced “The Cut” – their specials board, showcasing steaks selected daily at their peak. While her explanation was a bit difficult to hear due to the background music, she was attentive and knowledgeable when we asked questions. We ordered fillet steaks for the whole table, along with a selection of sides, wine and cocktails.

The food? Outstanding. The steaks were beautifully cooked (the stilton gravy deserves a special mention—it’s heavenly!), and the sides were absolutely mouth-watering. Unfortunately, one steak, ordered medium, arrived slightly undercooked and had to be sent back. While the staff handled it politely and efficiently, it did mean that one member of our group was left waiting while the rest of us tucked in.

The wine service was also slightly bumpy—the first choice wasn’t available—but the alternative “orange” white wine we selected turned out to be excellent, so no complaints there.

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the food itself, coupled with the wonderful atmosphere as the restaurant filled up. We also loved the quirky touch of the “100 Club”—a cabinet full of knives with regular diners’ names engraved on them. Only 99 more visits to go!

To top it off, the birthday celebration was rounded out with a surprise cake and candle, which the restaurant very kindly took off the bill—such a thoughtful gesture.

Overall, Goodman Mayfair delivers delicious food with friendly, professional service in a warm and lively setting. Yes, it’s on the pricier side, but it’s worth it for a truly special occasion. A little less pretension and a touch more attentiveness at the start would make this a perfect 10, but by the end of the night, we walked out happy, full, and lighter in the wallet—exactly what you expect from a top steakhouse experience. ;0)

Highly...

Booked Goodmans for my friends 25th birthday and when we first arrived we were slightly dissapointed. Service was a little slow, some cutlery missing, table a bit cramped. Nothing major, but just annoying little things that you expect to be better when you're paying quite a lot of money for a meal. Anyway, we had a couple of drinks, (lager and wine were both very nice) and ordered our food. We each got a steak and we got a variety of sides to share. Garlic mushrooms, chips, truffle & parmesan chips, creamed spinache with cheese and mac n cheese. About 15 minutes later the manager came over to apologise as the kitchen had missed one of the steaks (mine) off the order and it would be a few minutes behind the rest. This wasn't a problem for us, obviously things like this happen. Anyway, about 3 minutes after the other steaks and all the sides arrived, the manager came back with the other steak, only to apologise again and tell me they had now cooked the wrong steak (sirloin instead of rib-eye). The manager said the rib-eye was now on and would be 5 minutes but in the meantime I could tuck into the sirloin which was on the house and he would also knock the T-bone off the bill. I was chuffed with 2 free steaks which I felt they really did not need to do. The steaks were both perfectly cooked, and the sides and and pepper sauce were all exquisite! Half way through the meal, Josh (The manager) came over to the table with another apology and a free shot for us all! He then let us enjoy the rest of our meal and returned about 10 minutes after we had finished and were all extremely full and satisfied to ask us if we wanted to go down to the kitchen to see how the steak was aged and how it's cooked. Josh then took us down to the kitchen for about 20 minutes and showed us all the aged steak, showed us how it was cooked, talked us through all the different cuts etc.. and it was very interesting and a fantastic way to end the meal. There was of course a small cake waiting for the birthday boy when we got upstairs as well. I would absolutely recommend Goodmans to everyone and a massive thanks to Josh and his team for making it such...