Nammos is not a brand known for understatement. Founded on Mykonos’s Psarou Beach in 2003, it has grown from a seaside taverna into an international collection of restaurants synonymous with seafood, music and a certain sun-drenched style of Mediterranean excess. Its Berkeley Street restaurant is the group’s first metropolitan opening, bringing a version of its Mykonos experience to Mayfair.
The restaurant stretches across two floors, with a bar on each and live singers and DJs performing daily. Elastic Architects has translated the coastal aesthetic for London through warm whites, curved archways, natural textures and the broken-tile finishes associated with Nammos. It is polished and unmistakably expensive, though the softer palette prevents it from feeling too hard or corporate.
The menu travels across Greece and the wider Mediterranean, with a particular emphasis on seafood, premium meat and dishes cooked over the Josper grill. There is a raw bar, bread baked daily and enough truffle, caviar and Black Angus beef to reassure anyone worried that Mayfair might be losing its touch.
The interior is stylish and sophisticated with a coastal aesthetic
We begin with burrata and heritage tomatoes, a simple combination which depends entirely on the quality of its ingredients. Here, the tomatoes are bright, fresh and sweet, a perfect foil for the cool, creamy burrata.
A breath of summer, it is exactly the right counterpoint to the richer food that follows. The spicy tuna roll is dangerously addictive, delivering a lovely savoury hit without losing the flavour of the fish beneath its seasoning. Soft-shell crab brings crispness and texture to the table, breaking up the succession of softer dishes.
One of the menu’s signatures, the aubergine mille-feuille with feta mousse and basil oil, is an intelligent reworking of familiar Mediterranean flavours. Crisp layers give way to buttery, earthy aubergine, while the salty feta mousse adds a sharpness that balances the richness of the fried discs.
The aubergine mille-feuille with feta mousse and basil oil, is an intelligent reworking of familiar Mediterranean flavours
The steak, however, is the high point of the meal. Rich, deeply satisfying and cooked with confidence, it earns its star billing. The heritage tomatoes and burrata prove particularly useful alongside it, their acidity and freshness cutting neatly through the meat’s richness. Even the French fries distinguish themselves. For all the grandeur of the room and the international ambitions of the brand, it is their familiar combination of garlic, thyme and salt that most immediately transports us back to the Aegean.
Nammos London is clearly designed to deliver more than dinner. The music gathers pace as the day moves into evening, cocktails such as the Nammos Spritz and Mediterranean Martini reinforce the holiday mood, and the two bars encourage guests to remain long after the plates have been cleared.
There will inevitably be people who find the entire proposition a little too glossy; Nammos has not arrived in London to offer a modest neighbourhood meal. Yet behind the lifestyle branding is food that delivers genuine pleasure, particularly when the kitchen allows good Mediterranean ingredients to speak for themselves. The beach may be missing, but the flavours travel surprisingly well.
Factbox
Address: 15 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8DY
Phone: 020 3957 7000
Website: nammos.com
Dining and Cooking