Editorial place profile
Kai Mayfair
At a glance
Kai Mayfair on South Audley Street offers contemporary Nanyang cooking and a separate Chinese Whispers Afternoon Tea. It is MICHELIN selected and appears at number 81 in Harden’s 2026 overall UK Top 100; choose the meal format and booking conditions you need.
Practical details
- Location
- 65 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2QU
- Cuisine
- Contemporary Nanyang cooking
- Afternoon tea
- Wednesday–Sunday, 15:00–16:30
- Recognition
- MICHELIN selected; Harden’s 2026 overall UK number 81
Compare Nanyang cooking with the meal you want
Kai calls its approach Liberated Nanyang Cooking, pairing inherited flavours with scope to change techniques and ingredients. MICHELIN independently describes a wide-ranging Chinese menu with a southern Nanyang emphasis. This gives it a different focus from Barshu’s Sichuan cooking or a solely Cantonese dim-sum meal.
The restaurant separates lunch, dinner, dessert, drinks and afternoon-tea menus. Use the actual menu for the service you reserve; a tea experience and a full dinner are different meals.
Sources: Kai Mayfair: Liberated Nanyang Cooking, MICHELIN Guide: Kai, Kai Mayfair: services and contact
Use current guide recognition accurately
Harden’s 2026 national diners’ poll places Kai Mayfair at number 81 across all cuisines. MICHELIN currently lists the South Audley Street restaurant as a selected restaurant. Guide inclusion is not a current star award.
The operator’s homepage describes 15 years of Michelin-star history. That historical wording should not be read as a 2026 star: the current 2026 London star list does not include Kai. We use the current selected listing and dated Harden’s position for this comparison.
Sources: Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll, MICHELIN Guide: Kai, Kai Mayfair: services and contact, MICHELIN: London’s 2026 star selection
Book the particular service
The operator lists lunch 12:00–14:30, dinner 18:00–22:30 and afternoon tea Wednesday–Sunday 15:00–16:30. These are published service times, not proof of a table on your chosen date.
The Mayfair restaurant is at 65 South Audley Street. Ask about current menu prices, cancellation terms and specific ingredients when choosing the reservation. The restaurant’s Doha link refers to a different venue; use the London contact for this profile.
Sources: Kai Mayfair: services and contact, Kai Mayfair: Liberated Nanyang Cooking
Planning questions
Is afternoon tea available whenever the restaurant is open?
The published tea service is Wednesday–Sunday from 15:00 to 16:30. Reserve that experience separately from lunch or dinner.
Does the guide listing establish a current MICHELIN star?
No. The current selected listing and dated Harden’s recognition are the evidence used here; the operator’s 15-year star wording describes history.
Contact and published information
- Published Kai Mayfair website
- Call Kai Mayfair: 020 7493 8988
- reservations@kaimayfair.co.uk
- Address: 65 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2QU, United Kingdom
Where this place fits
Sources and review dates
- Kai Mayfair: services and contact — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- Kai Mayfair: Liberated Nanyang Cooking — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN Guide: Kai — checked 2026-10-23
- Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll — checked 2026-10-23. A. Wong 29, Kai Mayfair 81 and Hakkasan Mayfair 97 are positions in this publisher’s overall restaurant list, not Chinese-only ranks or TRP scores.
- MICHELIN: London’s 2026 star selection — checked 2026-10-23
Author and corrections
Sarah Haddad is responsible for this profile. It is based on the published sources cited here; no firsthand visit or independent service test is claimed.