London’s original May Fair took place in what is now Shepherd Market between 1686 and 1764, at which point the powers that be scrapped the annual shenanigans for becoming ever-more tawdry. Mayfair’s destiny instead was to be developed along the elegant Georgian lines of the garden squares still intact today, even if the mansions of the aristocracy that once lined Berkeley, Grosvenor and Hanover Squares have been replaced by art galleries, hedge funds, luxury car dealerships — and some of the priciest restaurants in the capital.
We’ve tried not to bang on below about how much it costs to eat out in 21st-century Mayfair; suffice to say that should you find yourself on the most expensive square of the Monopoly board, don’t be surprised to discover that starters alone can cost more than an entire meal on the Old Kent Road. It can be obscene.
