Mano Mayfair: Rafa Gomes’ New Brazilian Restaurant Opens This March

Mayfair has seen a flurry of new culinary openings recently, from the Grecian-inspired Bacchanalia to live fire restaurant Humo. The latest addition to the glitzy London neighbourhood? Mano Mayfair, a Brazilian-fusion restaurant and bar coming to Mill Street this month following a pop-up on Heddon Street in 2022.

The new venue is helmed by celebrated Brazilian TV chef Rafa Gomes, winner of Brazil’s version of MasterChef. Gomes began his career in America but later moved to France, where he set up his own restaurant in Paris, Itacoa, which now has a second branch in Rio. Alongside this, he runs two other Rio restaurants: one specialising in pork called Porquinho, and another called Tiara.

Mano Mayfair will continue the trend for party restaurants, following in the footsteps of places like Amazonico and Miro Mayfair. The concept was created by Romain Fargette, who has owned restaurants and beach clubs on the French Riviera for many years, alongside entrepreneur Alexis Colletta. 

Drawing on the beach clubs of St Tropez, Mano Mayfair is designed to be ‘a memorable, all-round dining experience where guests can stay for a dance against a backdrop of house music and pulsating beats, before continuing their night at neighbouring nightclubs’ – in the words of Colletta.

It will be split over two floors, with the main restaurant found on the ground floor and a downstairs space called The Lounge – the latter is set to open this summer and will have a later licence for those keen to keep the party going.

Food-wise, dishes will be similar to what we saw at the Heddon Street pop-up: think salt cod croquettes, Picanha steak, seafood stew, sushi and beef buns – with full menu details to follow soon.

The initial Mano Mayfair opened last year, spearheaded by chef Luciana Berry. It’s now being billed as a pop-up, although this wasn’t specified at the time.

Mano Mayfair opens on 31 March, manomayfair.com