Splashy Mayfair's classier cousin, Marylebone is one of London's more refined neighbourhoods, with a range of top restaurants, elegant shopping destinations, and sophisticated bars and hotels alongside it's central location making it a great base for tourists.
It's beating heart is Marylebone High Street, home to chic boutiques and independent brands, restaurants, and famous London bookshop Daunt Books. Or head to Chiltern Street for coffee at minimal Monocle Cafe and dinner at celebrity hotspot Chiltern Firehouse. Whether you're looking to be fed, watered, or shop up a storm, Marylebone has a bit of everything.
Start Your Day
Feya Cafe
I've waxed lyrical about Feya Cafe's Instagram-friendly breakfasts many a time (see my feature on London's most Instagrammable cafes) as it's one of my favourite spots around Oxford Street to grab a bite and a great snap. With peach walls, velvet seating, and faux florals hanging from the ceiling, it's certainly picturesque, however the real showstopper is the food. Designed by Finnish blogger Virpi Mikkonen, every dish looks like a work of art, with lots of bright colours and unusual ingredients, as well as a plentiful helping of edible flowers. My favourites? The Rose Avo on toast (made with beetroot hummus to achieve a pretty pink hue), as well as the aesthetically pleasing Happiness Pancakes and Wisteria Waffles. You can't really go wrong though.
Feya
23 James St
London
W1U 1DT
Soak Up Culture
Wallace Collection & Restaurant
Central London is home to surprisingly few museums (you'll find the majority grouped in Kensington and Bloomsbury), but in the heart of Marylebone you'll find Hertford House, home of the Wallace Collection, a collection of 18th and 19th century artworks as well as host to contemporary exhibitions (at time of writing this is a curation of shoe designer Monolo Blahnik's archives, on till the 27th of October). The museum's permanent collection spans from paintings to interiors boasting a wealth of beautiful pieces, and is free to visit. Make sure to stop by the striking pink courtyard cafe, which offers an affordable afternoon tea as well as a la carte options.
Wallace Collection
Hertford House
Manchester Square
W1U 3BN
Stop for a Sweet Treat
Dyce London
Just next door to the aforementioned Feya and run by the same owner is Dyce, a quirky dessert bar done up in pastel hues with plenty of Instagrammable photo ops. The decor is slightly hallucinogenic (but in a good way!) with pod seating, giant pink balls, and circular mirrors hanging from the ceiling, for a futuristic meets millennial fantasy vibe. The dessert menu itself is designed around a 'build-your-own' approach - start with a base (doughnut, cookie, and baklava are some of the options), and add ice cream and toppings. There's also bubble teas and milkshakes if you can't quite stomach all the calories.
On my visit I started with a doughnut base, topped with vanilla ice cream, butterscotch and oreo crumbs, plus the necessary gold cone for Insta points. Honestly it was designed more for aesthetics than taste (#Instagramlife amiright?) but it was actually really enjoyable - not too sweet or heavy, and a manageable size so you don't feel completely disgusting afterwards. I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, but I want to go back and try their baklava...
Dyce London
27 James St
London
W1U 1DX
Dining in Marylebone
Ooty
Indian is a cuisine rarely associated with fine dining but the tides are turning in London, with more and more high-end Indian eateries popping up offering innovative takes a far cry from chicken tikka masala in a foil takeout carton. One such place is Ooty, recently opened on Baker Street. Inspired by Southern Indian cuisine, the restaurant takes it's name from the humble hill station of Ooty in Tamil Nadu and is helmed by Chef Manmeet Singh Bali previously of Michelin starred Vineet Bhatia.
In a world where everything is a photo op, Ooty offers plenty of gram moments with plush pink chairs and tropical wallpaper. The dishes are equally photogenic, with pops of colour and aesthetic garnishes. It's not a case of style over substance though, the portions are plentiful, with unique flavour combinations and unlikely textures.
Out of everything we ate the dishes that stood out were the starters, particularly the garlic chilli scallops which were juicy and tender, served with a tube of rasam to flavour the dish. My main, the Telicherry Pepper Duck, couldn't quite compete with such a strong start, but the desserts brought it back with bitesize portions that were light but packed a punch with flavour.
Although South Indian cuisine is traditionally very veg friendly I wouldn't recommend Ooty for vegetarians as there are very few options, it's also on the slightly pricier side for a casual meal. But for an elegant, innovative dining experience in London it's well worth it.
Ooty
66 Baker St
London
W1U 7DJ
Fischer's
When I first reviewed Fischer's, I described it as somewhere I could imagine Agatha Christie's famed protagonist Hercule Poirot would hang out. Honestly, I stand by that description. A cosy, dark-hued dining room with art deco accents, this Viennese restaurant brings a touch of nostalgic glamour to Marylebone High Street.
The menu is hearty, with exciting things like Wild Boar Goulash, as well as a selection of schnitzels and sausages. It's not sexy food, but it is probably one of the best spots for Austrian dining in London. Personally, on a sunny day I enjoy tucking into cake and coffee at one of the outside tables, and watching the world go by.
Fischer's
50 Marylebone High St
London
W1U 5HN
Time for a Tipple
Seymour's Parlour at Zetter Townhouse
Marylebone isn't exactly party central but it does offer a sophisticated bar scene, largely attached to the many upscale hotels in the area. Seymour's Parlour at Zetter Townhouse is one such however it's by no means a soulless hotel bar. Inspired by "the private residence of a notorious ancestor" (the aforementioned Seymour), the space is indulgent and quirky, with pottery and paintings lining the walls paired with colourful rugs and dark wood accents. It feels somewhat like an old fashioned gentleman's club, but without the stiff upper lip (and women are welcome!).
The cocktails are equally eccentric, but enjoyably so, with a varied list of weird and wonderful ingredients and parings that occasionally sound dubious, but somehow work. There's Poker Face, made with catnip-infused vermouth, or their version of a martini with distilled yarrow (yeah I haven't a clue either...). If you're a Pina Colada kinda person this may not be the joint for you, but if you're an adventurous drinker Seymour's Parlour should definitely be on your bucket list.
Seymour's Parlour at Zetter Townhouse
28-30 Seymour St
London
W1H 7JB
