MA/NA Mayfair, London’s newest Japanese restaurant, strikes a fine balance

MA/NA Mayfair, Thesleff Group's latest offering in the heart of London, brings contemporary interiors and ingredient-led Japanese culinary delights in a restaurant that feels at once relaxed and luxurious

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images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair
(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

Dining at MA/NA Mayfair, the new restaurant in one of London's swankiest neighbourhoods, not only means a tummy-full of some of the most delicious, authentically Japanese food in town (its owner, Thesleff Group, is also behind Los Mochis, Juno, Luna Omakase and Sale e Pepe); it also provides the perfect setting for fun, convivial meals with friends – a spot that is luxurious but also comfortably relaxed and friendly, chic yet unassuming.

images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair

(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

Set a stone's throw from Hyde Park, MA/NA combines a number of things. There are quality ingredients and delicious cocktails (you cannot go wrong with the Blistered Margarita, a mix of Patrón Silver Tequlia, lime and blistered jalapeño agave that makes for an elegant flavour with a suitably spicy aftertaste); comfortable music levels (yes, you can be immersed in uplifting tunes and hold a conversation with ease); and importantly, friendly, but discreet, and knowledgeable staff who make you feel like the restaurant's lounge and main floor are a perfectly calibrated extension of your living room.

ma/na restaurant interior

(Image credit: Courtesy of MAN/NA)

Wallpaper* dines at MA/NA Mayfair

The mood: warm yet energetic

MA/NA takes its name from the Japanese philosophy of 'mana'. At its core lies the belief that ingredients carry power – an invisible and sometimes imperceptible force of life. Inspired by this, the restaurant aims to draw on the quality of its culinary ingredients to create and enrich the dining experience. This translates into the food and drink options, of course, but also the space, which displays touches of Japan, designed by Los Angeles-based studio OV&CO.

Set in brown and golden tones – 'serene warmth of a Kyoto autumn with the energy of Tokyo at night', the designers explain – the interior is cocooning and refined (brown represents the current chromatic zeitgeist, after all).

images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair

(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

Occupying a generous, long, ground-floor space divided into sections via clever level changes, MA/NA guides you through its lobby into a lounge and bar area, where expert bartenders are ready to mix up your favourite cocktail. A taste chart on the menu, indicating drink options according to flavour character ('refreshing', 'umami', 'spirituous' or 'fruity') can help you decide what you feel like (non-alcoholic options are also, of course, available).

A couple of steps down is the main dining floor, anchored by a handblown Magma lighting installation by EWE Studio, while a private dining room for up to 20 guests is on offer for more intimate gatherings.

images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair

(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

The food: rich and hearty, yet delicately Japanese

A restaurant inspired by a concept centred on the ingredients' life force and nature's invigorating power promises a discerning menu, and MA/NA Mayfair delivers. Be it a starter, main dish, or late-night cocktail, there's palpable energy and effortless balance at MA/NA.

The restaurant's menu is led by executive chef Leo Tanyag. The à la carte menu has a bit of everything – vegetarian, fish and meat, while everything is gluten-free. Classic Japanese flavours, such as O-Toro Tartare, Japanese teriyaki mushrooms, sesame, Wagyu tenderloin and wasabi come in hearty portions. We recommend ordering to share.

images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair

(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

Our personal highlights? Iwa-ebi Wasabi (rock shrimp tempura and wasabi mayonnaise make for a combination that is hard to resist); nasu (classic, buttery miso aubergine); rich (but not too rich) scallop maki; and the restaurant's signature A5 Wagyu Ishiyaki steaks, as soft and refined as you'd expect.

Indeed, MA/NA is one of the very few London restaurants that are officially certified to serve Kobe beef, coming exclusively from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle raised in Hyōgo Prefecture.

images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair

(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

Everything can be accompanied by wine or sake, and the house somelier is always at hand to help with the selection. Sake's delicate flavours can be swapped for playful cocktails back at the bar, after the meal. The drinks programme is orchestrated by Thesleff Group's bar director Pietro Collina (of Viajante87, and formerly of Nomad, Side Hustle and Eleven Madison Park), so you know you are in good hands.

images food and interior at MA/NA Mayfair

(Image credit: Courtesy MA/NA Mayfair)

MA/NA Mayfair is located at 30 Upper Grosvenor St, London W1K 7PH

Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).