Bonheur by Matt Abé
“Matt Abé won two stars three months after opening in Le Gavroche's old home. Book it before the world catches on.”
About Bonheur by Matt Abé
The address alone carries half a century of British gastronomy: 43 Upper Brook Street housed Le Gavroche, the Roux family institution that trained a generation, until its closure in 2024. In November 2025 Matt Abé, the Australian who ran Restaurant Gordon Ramsay's three star kitchen for a decade, reopened the site as Bonheur, his first solo restaurant. Three months later the 2026 Michelin guide awarded it two stars on debut, the fastest ascent in Britain that year.
Abé's cooking honours the room's ghosts without imitating them. A reworked quiche Lorraine nods to the old guard; a sirloin of Cumbrian blue grey beef, aged 125 days exclusively for the restaurant by Lake District Farmers, states the new ambition; the pecan praline has already become the signature send off. The five course Journey runs £195, the seven course Dream £225, and a three course a la carte at £165 keeps the classical format alive.
The dining room seats a Mayfair scale crowd in soft creams and walnut, and the Petit Bonheur chef's table takes up to six guests at £1,350 for the table with the Dream menu included. Service, led by alumni of the Royal Hospital Road school, is already among the warmest at two star level. Bookings run through OpenTable and the restaurant's own site; the smart money books before the third star chatter prices everyone out.
The Room
A townhouse dining room rebuilt from the Le Gavroche footprint: cream walls, walnut, low lighting and a calm that flatters conversation. The basement history is gone; the room now runs light and unstuffy, with the Petit Bonheur chef's table as the private option for up to six. Jackets are common, moods are good, and the staff have the confidence of a kitchen that knows what February 2026 meant.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
Use Bonheur by Matt Abé for the evenings below and it will look like inside knowledge. That is the point.
For the guest who wants to say they were early
Every client dinner at an established three star retells an old story; Bonheur offers a new one. Two stars on debut, the old Le Gavroche address and a chef fresh from a decade running Royal Hospital Road give your guest genuine news to carry home. Book the Dream menu at £225, and ask for a walnut side table where the room can be watched without being heard.
For a couple with a sense of history
Dining at 43 Upper Brook Street means eating where British fine dining grew up, and Bonheur adds its own romance: a young restaurant at the start of what is plainly a long run. The Journey menu at £195 paces a celebratory evening without overrunning it, and the pecan praline finale lands like a planned gift. Mention the date; the floor team marks occasions with real grace.
For the handshake that benefits from momentum
There is symbolism in signing something new in a room that just made history, and the practicalities cooperate: Mayfair address, tables spaced for discretion, a wine list built by Royal Hospital Road alumni that can flex from house Burgundy to statement claret. The three course a la carte at £165 keeps a working dinner inside two hours; the Petit Bonheur table for six turns a completed deal into a celebration.
What to order
Two tastings, a true a la carte and one aged piece of beef. These are the calls.
- The Dream over the Journey, first visit
Both menus share only the appetisers, the milk bread and the petits fours; the seven course Dream at £225 is the full statement. Return for the Journey to eat an almost entirely different meal.
- The 125 day aged blue grey sirloin
Cumbrian beef aged exclusively for Bonheur by Lake District Farmers. The single dish that anchors the kitchen's supplement list.
- The reworked quiche Lorraine
Abé's homage to the address, refined to two star finish. Order it whenever the card offers it.
- The pecan praline
The closing signature already being copied. Keep room; skipping it is leaving early.
Practical
- Address
- 43 Upper Brook Street, Mayfair, London
- Reservations
- OpenTable or bonheurbymattabe.com
- Menus
- Journey £195 · Dream £225 · a la carte £165
- Chef's table
- Petit Bonheur, up to six guests, £1,350 with Dream menu
- Dress
- Smart; jackets common
- Wine
- Classical list, Burgundy and claret depth
- Dietary
- Menus adapted with notice
- History
- The Le Gavroche site, closed 2024, reborn 2025
Questions diners ask
Is Bonheur by Matt Abé worth it?
Yes, and momentum is the argument. Two Michelin stars three months after its November 2025 opening, a chef who ran Britain's longest standing three star kitchen for a decade, and menus from £165 that undercut the rooms he trained in. Book on current prices; they will not survive a third star.
How hard is it to book Bonheur?
Firm but not brutal yet. The two star announcement in February 2026 filled prime weekends weeks ahead, but OpenTable still shows weeknight and lunch tables within a fortnight. The Petit Bonheur chef's table for up to six books furthest out at £1,350 with the Dream menu included.
Is Bonheur in the old Le Gavroche site?
Yes. Matt Abé took over 43 Upper Brook Street after Le Gavroche closed in 2024, rebuilt the interior and opened Bonheur in November 2025. The homage survives in touches like the reworked quiche Lorraine, but the restaurant is a new argument, not a tribute act.
What does dinner at Bonheur cost?
The three course a la carte is £165, the five course Journey £195 and the seven course Dream £225 before drinks. Pairings are tiered by menu, and the aged sirloin carries a supplement. A full evening for two with wine lands between £550 and £700.