Alloro

Set amongst many a smart establishment on Dover Street, Alloro is an equally chic Italian restaurant with a calm and cool décor and attentive staff ready to make your evening a real pleasure. Alloro, which is Italian for bay leaf, was opened to huge critical acclaim in June 2000. It has remained a busy, vibrant restaurant for both lunch and dinner service ever since.

Keeping to a simple recipe of Italian favourite dishes, the seasonal menu never ceases to achieve expectation and this restaurant continues to remain the backbone of the Mayfair business lunch trade. Much of their food is quite classical in style, and typically for Italian restaurants the starters are simple dishes packed with flavoursome fresh ingredients such as pan-fried potato pudding with smoked mozzarella and char-grilled courgettes. For the main course both the veal with Norcia ham and sage served with a Madeira sauce or the tenderly braised lamb shank make excellent choices.

In the evening the atmosphere changes as a more elegant crowd frequent the bar and take time over long Italian dinners while the business clientele enjoy the facilities of the private room to celebrate new deals and mergers.

All in all Alloro manages to remain one of the more popular restaurants in London and boasts a busy bar, which due to popularity, offers Baretto, a selection of artisan meats and cheeses, which can accompany the list of classic cocktails and the intriguing array of Italian wine encompassing traditional favourites and those of less well known producers discovered by general manager Sergio Cavazzi.