The Audley Public House

This old Mayfair pub has seen its fair share of action with a history dating back to the 1800s. Now refurbed and styled as a gastropub, The Audley is more upmarket than your typical boozer, mirroring Mayfair chicness whilst still giving nods to its Victorian roots. There’s a real buzz in the air, with hordes of after-work drinkers gathered around the dining room, but little wall nooks give booth-like privacy, allowing you the option to escape the general hubbub as you eat.

The menu specialises in no-nonsense pub grub, the kind of food you might cosy up to in your local, with a tankard of cutlery on the side. We start our evening with a scotch egg: slightly misshapen with a hard, golden shell that when broken gives a hefty crunch. The yolk still oozes, a runny centre to the thick outer layer, that’s expertly cooked and nicely seasoned.

The mains, whilst tasty, fall flat after what had been an exceptional starter. The steak and ale pie is a proper all-pastry pie, but the innards are a bit dry, relying too much on the additional gravy and lacking any greenery on the side. Battered fish is soft and flaky on the inside, with a light, crisp coating, but the chips could have benefitted from a few more minutes in the fryer. They’re relatively small issues but The Audley is at the top-end of gastropub prices.

Dinner ends on a high. Tart apples come completely enclosed in a light, almost flaky, pastry, sprinkled with icing sugar and paired with a runny homemade vanilla custard – the proper stuff, in our opinion. It perfectly hits the sweet spot, leaving us largely positive about The Audley. Is it the perfect gastropub? No, but portions here are large, filling, and overall good value for money, and you won’t find many more beautiful pubs in London.

Nestled in the heart of Mayfair, The Audley Public House serves as a classic neighbourhood pub in an impressive setting. After closing its doors in 2019, The Audley was revived by the art gallery-backed hospitality company who brought us The Fife Arms in Braemar and Roth Bar & Grill in Somerset.

41-43 Mount Street is a legendary building. Five stories high and Grade II-listed, it’s simply packed full of history. Audley Public House first opened its doors in 1730, when it was first licensed as a public house. Architect Thomas Verity later had a say in the building’s design, after his legendary work on the exterior of the pavilion at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The venue is a late Victorian edifice constructed with red brick and pink terracotta with an interior perhaps more reminiscent of a gentleman’s club rather than a public house, with its polished wood and plasterwork. 

The building went under an extensive renovation project to preserve and restore its original historic features, balancing its history with a new modern and artistic flair. A bright and vibrant space, the bar area comes complete with an eye-catching muralled ceiling from London-based artist Phyllida Barlow. 

Nowadays, the Audley Public House sits on the ground floor, with Mount St Restaurant on the first floor and the other three floors available to hire.

The menu features a collection of British classics split into two sections on the menu: bar snacks and pub favourites. Tuck into the likes of bangers and mash, fish finger sandwiches and scotch eggs and wash everything down with a selection of cask and craft ales.  

The Audley is guaranteed to provide the very best of the classic British pub experience. Don’t believe us? Michelle Obama took her children here several years before the relaunch to provide them with a ‘classic English pub experience.’