Yvette Legge dines at FENIX where modern Greek–Mediterranean cuisine takes centre stage. Below, read her honest review.
There is a particular kind of glow that happens in Mayfair after dark. It catches on black cabs, polished brass and the well-dressed blur of people moving between drinks, dinner and whatever comes after. Arriving at FENIX Mayfair on Piccadilly, I had the immediate sense this was not going to be a meek little evening. Thank God. London has enough restaurants whispering politely into their linen napkins.
FENIX is the latest opening from Permanently Unique Group, the Manchester-born hospitality outfit founded by brothers Adam and Drew Jones, whose portfolio includes TATTU and LOUIS. This, though, feels warmer and more elemental: less about spectacle alone, more about fire, rhythm, appetite and that Mediterranean confidence that makes ordering too much feel not only acceptable, but almost civic-minded.
Designed by Studio WYZE, the room moves between nocturnal glamour and Cycladic softness. Sculptural plaster arches guide guests from the darker bar into a lighter, sun-warmed dining room, while the open kitchen gives the space its pulse. I always like seeing craft happen in real time. It reassures you that dinner has not simply appeared from behind a curtain, like a magician with better olive oil.
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Zisis Giannourous, whose cooking draws on Northern Greece and the Cyclades, alongside Head Chef Angelos Togias, an Athenian chef whose London CV includes The Connaught, The Ned and Krokodilos. That combination matters. Greek food, when treated lazily, can become holiday shorthand: white walls, blue shutters, grilled something, repeat until sunburnt. Here, the approach feels more thoughtful. Contemporary, yes, but not embarrassed by tradition.
The menu is built around sharing plates, as it should be. Not because sharing is novel – despite what half of London’s menus still seem determined to imply – but because this food makes sense when passed across the table, debated, revisited and eventually stolen by the person* who insisted they were “absolutely full” ten minutes earlier.
*me
Aegean beef with bone marrow speaks to the darker, richer side of Greek cooking: smoke, fat, depth and a certain indecent pleasure. Athenian tartare offers a cleaner, sharper counterpoint, while langoustine orzo pulls the meal towards the coast, glossy and generous, with that deeply comforting quality only properly handled orzo can deliver. The slow-cooked Wagyu stifado brings warmth and sweetness, while the refined moussaka sounds like a risk but lands as a sensible one. Moussaka does not need therapy. It needs structure, generosity and flavour.
What FENIX seems to understand is that Greek food is far more interesting than sunshine on a plate. There is brightness, of course, but also smoke, acidity, herbs, richness and restraint. The charcoal-fired element gives the menu edge, cutting through Mayfair’s tendency to upholster everything into submission. Fire brings appetite back into the room, which is useful in a postcode sometimes more interested in gloss than hunger.
The drinks programme, led by Will Meredith, Head of Beverage Development for Permanently Unique Group, continues the mood. With experience at Lyaness, Meredith brings a sense that cocktails should behave like complete thoughts rather than decorative accessories. The list is designed to echo the Greek islands while responding to the kitchen’s charcoal-fired flavours: citrus, salt, herbs, smoke and enough polish to feel grown-up without becoming self-serious.
Service feels calibrated rather than choreographed: attentive, polished, but not hovering. Too much theatre and a restaurant becomes immersive performance with a bread basket. Too little, and the glamour collapses into confusion. FENIX finds a comfortable rhythm.
This is not a restaurant for a quiet meal and an early night. It is for dinners that gather pace, for groups, dates, celebrations and people who like atmosphere but still care what is on the plate. Mayfair has no shortage of glossy rooms and expensive menus. FENIX brings something warmer: a little myth, a little fire, and enough Aegean mischief to make London feel briefly less sensible.
