MNKY HSE

MNKY HSE sits behind a deliberately unmarked entrance on Dover Street, and the name, missing vowels fully intact, sets the tone for a venue that treats itself as part restaurant, part late-night bar and, as the evening wears on, part nightclub, with a house band and visiting DJs taking over as dinner service gradually winds down into something louder.

The cooking draws on Latin American cuisine with a noted Japanese undercurrent running through it, built around generous sharing plates heavy on spiced meats and citrus-forward sauces, often presented with real theatricality, served on bark, in earthenware pots, on smoking stone, that matches the room’s ambitions more than a quiet, understated dinner spot ever would. Ceviche and tiraditos sit alongside grilled meats on the menu, reflecting the Japanese and Peruvian crossover the kitchen leans on throughout. Portions are designed for a table of three or four to share several plates rather than each diner ordering a separate individual course, which works best when the group is genuinely willing to share.

Cocktails lean on South American spirits, pisco and mezcal in particular, and the drinks list has drawn as much praise as the food from reviewers who came expecting a straightforward Mayfair restaurant and instead found something closer to a supper club that gradually tips into a proper party as the night goes on. Booking a table on a Friday or Saturday effectively means booking into the later party atmosphere too, whether or not that was the original plan for the evening.

Spread over two floors, the space allows for a proper dinner upstairs while things get livelier below, which works well if that mixed format is exactly what you are after and rather less well if you booked expecting a conventional three-course meal in relative peace and quiet.

The honest caveat: this is not a venue for a quiet conversation past a certain hour, the transition from restaurant to nightclub is entirely intentional rather than an unwelcome side effect, and sharing-plate pricing here sits high enough that a full dinner for a group adds up quickly once cocktails and extra plates are factored in.