"Hélène Darroze's three-Michelin-star Mayfair room, southwest France at its most lavish, anchored by her Armagnac baba. Book it to close a deal."
About The Connaught
Hélène Darroze took the third Michelin star at The Connaught in 2021, twelve years after her first and a decade after her second. She cooks the southwest of France she was raised in, the Landes, in a Mayfair room run with the manners of a grand hotel. The tasting menu sits around £195, and it ends, as it has for years, with her baba soaked at the table beside a pour of Armagnac from her brother Marc's distillery. Few rooms in London signal intent as clearly. For the wider field, see our London dining guide.
The Kitchen
Hélène Darroze is the fourth generation of a restaurant family from Villeneuve-de-Marsan in the Landes, and the cooking carries that lineage: foie gras, game in season, Atlantic shellfish and the smoke of the southwest. She earned her first star at The Connaught in 2009, the second in 2011 and the third in 2021, the rare woman to hold three stars in Britain. The dishes change with the seasons, but the close does not: the signature baba is finished at the table with an Armagnac from the family distillery now run by her brother Marc. A three-course weekday lunch starts near £95 and the dinner tasting menu runs about £175 to £195, with wine pairings from £145 to £550. The room sits on the ground floor of The Connaught at 16 Carlos Place. For the company it keeps, read our ranking of the world's best chef's tables and compare it with Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.
The Room
The dining room reads as a Mayfair drawing room rather than a laboratory: warm low light, tables spaced for private conversation, a calm hum rather than a roar. Service is formal and deep, the way a grand-hotel room should be, and a jacket is the comfortable choice even where it is not demanded. There is an intimate chef's table off the kitchen for a handful of guests, the most coveted seat in the house. The room is built for a long evening, not a quick one.
Best for Closing a Deal
Book The Connaught to close a deal for three reasons: the three-star kitchen and the hotel's name signal that you are taking the relationship seriously; the spaced tables and low sound level let you talk without leaning in; and the set menu removes any fuss over ordering so the conversation stays on the table. Reserve the chef's table for a small group, let the sommelier pair the wines, and save the baba for the moment you shake on it. See more restaurants for closing a deal and rooms built to impress clients.
Not for
Not for a casual midweek bite. Dinner is a long tasting menu near £195 a head before wine, in a jacket-smart Mayfair room, and there is no quick version of the meal.
Frequently Asked
Is Hélène Darroze at The Connaught worth it?
Yes, if you want one of London's three-Michelin-star tables and the produce of southwest France cooked with serious technique. Hélène Darroze earned her third star here in 2021. The tasting menu sits around £195 before wine, which is a Mayfair outlay, but the cooking and the service of a grand hotel justify it for an occasion.
How hard is it to book The Connaught restaurant?
Plan ahead. Reservations open through the hotel and OpenTable, and prime evenings in the dining room fill weeks out, so book a month ahead for a weekend. Lunch is the easier and cheaper seat. The intimate chef's table is the hardest reservation in the house and should be requested as far in advance as you can.
What is the signature dish at The Connaught?
The signature is the baba, soaked at the table and served with a pour of Armagnac from the Darroze family distillery run by Hélène's brother Marc. Around it the menu leans on the Landes and the Basque country, with foie gras, game in season and shellfish. Take the wine pairing and let the room run long.
What is the dress code at The Connaught restaurant?
Smart. The hotel asks for elegant dress; a jacket for men is the norm at dinner though not strictly required, and trainers and sportswear are out of place. This is a Mayfair grand-hotel dining room, so dress for it. For more rooms that reward a jacket, see our impress-clients guide.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at The Connaught
Book through the hotel or OpenTable. Lunch Wednesday to Saturday; dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Request the chef's table well ahead.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
AddressThe Connaught, 16 Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
NeighbourhoodMayfair
Phone+44 20 3147 7200
CuisineFrench (southwest France)
Price£95 lunch; £175–£195 dinner tasting; wine £145–£550
Dress CodeSmart / jacket the norm at dinner
SeatingDining room and an intimate chef's table
DietaryVegetarian menu on request; dietary needs with notice
ReservationHotel / OpenTable
