The Dover
Highlights
Dimly lit Italian spot with lobster rolls, caviar potato cakes,
The 25 Best Birthday Dinner Restaurants In London - London - The Infatuation
"The Dover, a sultry, old-school-feeling, Italian spot in Mayfair, is perfect for an exclusive, strictly-tier-one-friends birthday celebration. Although this moody restaurant has a members’ club energy to it, the servers are friendly and any meal here is a laid-back, enjoyable one. Our birthday must-orders are the headline whole dover sole and the chocolate praline plate for dessert." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley
The 14 Best Italian Restaurants In London - London - The Infatuation
"A dimly lit, New York-Italian spot that feels like an invite-only members' club, The Dover is all smiles and "buon appetito" from the friendly servers, and excellent flavours from the kitchen. A butter-drenched lobster roll is perfect to start at the chic Mayfair spot, and we’re big fans of the parmigiana “Americanata”. In the candlelit dining room, couples flirt in intimate corners and friends poke their heads around prawn cocktail towers to get a look at someone potentially famous." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager
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"The best seat in the house: Any one in the four rounded corners of the Mayfair room. What you’re seeing: Half-melted candles and someone you recognise from TV. It could be the lighting, but it probably isn’t. Dates extend hands across the table, while playing footsie underneath it, and servers float around the room, encouraging diners to order the cheesecake and grinding black pepper onto aubergine parmigiana from a giant mill." - jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak
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"This mysterious Mayfair hot spot hasn’t posted a single photo on its Instagram page since it opened in 2024, and it doesn’t need to. Because news travels fast, and the headline? The Dover is the ultimate place to be. It’s like Soho House took a crash course on how to be cooler, more exclusive, and make great Italian food. We’ve seen celebrities, big and small, cosy up in the bar or tuck away in the dining room. But more importantly, they’ve seen us too. Claudia Winkleman, Pedro Pascal, Gulfstream G700 flyers Moody jazz, R&B, and soul—on vinyl, of course" - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
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"As soon as you step inside this suave Italian spot in Mayfair, you’re met with the smell of sandalwood, vanilla, and £50 notes. Everyone at The Dover looks like they are, or know someone, famous. And once you pass through the heavy maroon curtains at the entrance, it’ll feel like you’ve accidentally entered an invite-only members' club. Although everyone is welcome here and phones are allowed, take cues from the restaurant’s own lack of social media presence. The dark dining room is lit only by tall candles and feels made for couples remembering how to flirt, rather than flash photography. The service is impeccable and dishes like creamy parmigiana “Americanata” and the rich chocolate plate are standouts." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
