Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal
“Two stars in 34 seats above Regent Street: Dilling's French classicism at £195. Book it for a serious anniversary.”
About Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal
Six months after opening in September 2022, this 34 seat room above Regent Street held two Michelin stars, one of the fastest promotions in British guide history. Alex Dilling earned his classical spurs under Alain Ducasse and at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, then at The Greenhouse, and his own room distils that lineage: modern French cooking with the sauces left in and the theatrics left out. The 2026 guide retains both stars, and Ben Miller, promoted from within, now leads the kitchen day to day.
The menus run five courses at £165 or eight at £195, with wine pairings climbing from £145 to £495 for collectors. Caviar, smoked eel and classic lacquered poultry recur, and the Hunter Chicken, Dilling's tribute to a Greenhouse era dish, stays available on request even when the printed card moves on. Sauce work is the house signature: reductions of a depth most modern kitchens no longer attempt.
The room floats one storey above the Regent Street corner at Piccadilly Circus, all cream leather and huge windows over the traffic, with 34 seats and a service team scaled for half that number. A minimum spend policy for solo diners raised eyebrows in 2026, which tells you the seats are contested. Booking runs through OpenTable and the hotel; the window pairs are the prize.
The Room
An intimate first floor salon inside Hotel Café Royal: 34 seats, cream leather, marble accents and floor to ceiling windows that turn Regent Street's curve into the wall art. Noise stays low, tables are two tops by design, and the scale means the maitre d knows every reservation by name before the door opens. Dress smart; the room is polished without stiffness.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
The reservation is the easy part to explain. The occasion is the part that decides the memory.
For the anniversary measured in sauce spoons
Thirty four seats above Regent Street with the lights of Piccadilly below is as close as London dining gets to a film set, and the kitchen's classical register suits vows renewed over lobster and lacquered duck. Request a window table for two when booking and note the year you are marking; the eight course at £195 with the mid tier pairing is the correct commitment.
For a first date you intend to be the last first date
This is a statement venue: intimate enough that conversation stays private, spectacular enough that the evening feels weighted. The five course menu at £165 keeps the night under three hours, the window seats do the atmospheric work, and the service team reads a new couple with practised tact. If the date wobbles, the sauces alone are worth the bill; few first evenings get a better stage.
For the client who knows their French technique
Guests who trained their palates on Ducasse and Darroze will recognise the lineage in the first sauce, and the two stars in six months story gives the evening its talking point. The room's 34 seats guarantee attention no brasserie can match. Book lunch for business pacing, dinner for courtship of the professional kind, and put the pairing decision in the sommelier's hands.
What to order
Two menu lengths, one hidden classic and a serious cellar. These are the decisions that matter.
- The Hunter Chicken, requested ahead
Dilling's signature stays off the printed menu but available on request: ask when you book, not when you sit. The single best reason to plan this meal.
- Eight courses over five for a first visit
The £195 long menu is where the sauce arguments fully develop; the £165 five course is the repeat visit format.
- The caviar and smoked eel opening
When the card opens with caviar and eel, take it as written rather than substituting; it frames everything that follows.
- The mid tier pairing
Pairings run £145 to £495; the middle tier delivers the sommelier's actual thesis without the trophy markup. The £495 flight is for collectors who already know why.
Practical
- Address
- 68 Regent Street, London · first floor of Hotel Café Royal
- Reservations
- OpenTable or via the hotel
- Menus
- Five courses £165 · eight courses £195
- Pairings
- £145 to £495 by tier
- Seats
- 34 · window pairs are the request
- Dress
- Smart; jackets common
- Solo diners
- Minimum spend applies; confirm when booking
- Nearby
- Piccadilly Circus, one minute on foot
Questions diners ask
Is Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal worth it?
Yes, for diners who love classical French sauce work done at two star level. The £165 five course undercuts most rivals of equal rank, the room's 34 seats guarantee attention, and the 2026 guide confirms both stars remain. Those wanting spectacle over refinement should look toward the louder Mayfair rooms.
How hard is it to book Alex Dilling?
Moderate. With only 34 seats the prime window tables and weekend dinners go early, but OpenTable shows genuine availability two to three weeks out for weeknights and lunch. Book further ahead if you want the window pairs, and confirm the Hunter Chicken request at the same time.
What is the dress code at Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal?
Smart. Jackets are common, ties are not required, and the intimate scale means polish matters more than formality. The room reads as a jewel box over Regent Street; dress like you knew that before arriving. Window tables feel a touch dressier than the inner seats.
What does dinner at Alex Dilling cost?
Five courses run £165 and eight courses £195 before drinks, with pairings from £145 to £495. A realistic evening for two with the middle pairing lands around £700. Lunch on the shorter menu is the value route into the same kitchen.