Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill
“A century of oysters on Swallow Street, now under Richard Corrigan. Book the counter for a client lunch with history.”
About Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill
Bentley's has been shucking oysters on Swallow Street since 1916, and the marble counter downstairs still feels like the reason the building exists. Richard Corrigan bought the house in 2005, having once run its kitchen, and made it the flagship of his Corrigan Collection. The formula has barely moved in a century: Native and Rock oysters from £4.50 for Jersey rocks to £6 dressed, Champagne by the glass, and a Grill Room upstairs where a whole chargrilled Dover sole lands at £75.
The July 2026 card reads like a map of the British and Irish coasts: Cooley Gold and Achill Island oysters from Louth and Mayo, Cornish squid with lime aioli at £22.50, a classic fish pie at £35, fish and chips at £31.50, and a roast monkfish Goan curry at £49.50 that nods to Corrigan's spice leanings. Shellfish platters run from £75 for two to the £120 Royal with half a native lobster. The bakery bakes soda bread daily, sold to take home at £8.
Corrigan's Irish farm supplies the kitchen's instincts even where it does not supply the larder: generosity first, produce named, nothing tortured. The room splits into the downstairs oyster bar, the calmer Grill upstairs, private rooms, and a terrace on pedestrianised Swallow Street that is one of central London's better outdoor tables. A set lunch and pre theatre menu runs in the Grill from noon to 3 and 4:30 to 6.
The Room
Two personalities in one building. Downstairs is the oyster bar proper: marble, stools, shuckers working in front of you, best as a pair or alone. Upstairs the Grill Room is quieter, wood panelled and built for a proper lunch. The Swallow Street terrace runs in warm months under awnings. Jackets are common but nothing is enforced; the room has seen a century of everything.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
Think of what follows as fit notes: the occasions where Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill outperforms its own rank.
For the client who distrusts novelty
Some guests want the new thing; the rest want proof of judgment. A century old oyster bar three minutes from Piccadilly Circus, owned by one of Britain's most respected chefs, is the safest impressive lunch in the city. Book the Grill Room for conversation, order the platter to open, and let the sommelier pick the Chablis. The bill reads fair for Mayfair.
For terms agreed over Dover sole
The Grill Room was built for the two hour business lunch: tables far enough apart, service that reads the pace, food that needs no explanation. A £75 Dover sole carved at the table gives the meal its ceremony without a tasting menu's hostage timeline. Ask for a corner table upstairs and put the paperwork away until coffee.
For a birthday that wants oysters and noise
The downstairs bar and the terrace take the celebration: a dozen Achill Islands at £33 for six, a bottle of something cold, and the theatre of the shuckers. Groups beyond six should take a private room upstairs. It is a party format that needs no planning beyond the booking and delivers the same glamour it did in 1936.
What to order
The card runs long, from bar snacks to whole fish. These are the four calls that define the place.
- A mixed half dozen from the day's list
Ask the shucker to build the plate across Jersey, Louth and Galway. The differences between coasts are the whole point of an oyster bar this good.
- Chargrilled Dover sole at £75
The Grill Room's signature and the measure of the kitchen: 20 ounces, chargrilled, finished with béarnaise. One fish, one guest, no regret.
- The classic fish pie at £35
Cod, smoked haddock, salmon and prawn under mash. The dish regulars defend hardest, and the right order on a cold day at the bar.
- The Royal Shellfish Platter at £120
Half a native lobster, dressed crab, prawns, oysters, cockles and clams. Order it for two as the centrepiece and add nothing but bread.
Practical
- Address
- 11 to 15 Swallow Street, Piccadilly, London W1B 4DG
- Reservations
- SevenRooms, via bentleys.org
- Oysters
- £4.50 to £6 each · half dozens £27 to £36
- Mains
- £31.50 fish and chips to £75 Dover sole
- Set menu
- Lunch and pre theatre in the Grill Room
- Terrace
- Swallow Street, seasonal
- Private dining
- Rooms for events and larger groups
- Tube
- Piccadilly Circus, 3 minutes
Questions diners ask
Is Bentley's worth it?
Yes, as London's most complete oyster house. It has run on Swallow Street since 1916, Richard Corrigan has owned it since 2005, and the kitchen sends out the city's best straightforward seafood: Dover sole at £75, fish pie at £35, oysters from £4.50. It trades ceremony for confidence, which is exactly its charm.
Where should I sit at Bentley's?
Match the seat to the meal. The downstairs oyster bar suits one or two people eating shellfish and moving on; the upstairs Grill Room is the proper restaurant, right for lunches that matter; the Swallow Street terrace is the summer table. Say which you want when booking, because they feel like three different restaurants.
What does a meal at Bentley's cost?
A bar stop of six oysters and a glass runs about £45. A full Grill Room lunch lands £80 to £120 a head with wine, and the £120 Royal Shellfish Platter feeds two as a centrepiece. The set lunch and pre theatre menu in the Grill is the value route.
How do I book Bentley's?
Through SevenRooms via bentleys.org, by phone, or by email. The Grill Room and terrace book out ahead on sunny weeks and around Christmas; the oyster bar keeps more flexibility. Groups beyond six should ask about the private rooms upstairs.